Knife making & Longbow making Courses

[lightfoot]

Just wanted to let you know about a bushcraft knife-making course. The first one is today and I was due to go on on it but unfortunately was up all night so not in a fit state to be working with sharp things.

They would like to run more such courses in the future but getting interested students isn't always easy so, to make up for not being there today, I thought I'd see if any of you would be interested.

I'll give the link to the course and an email for Andy who runs Potters Barn, the venue, for you to contact him to express your interest (if you are interested). He'll then be able to email you when the next course is planned for. Obviously if lots of folk express interest then they'll arrange an earlier course.

They also do longbow and arrow making courses. I attended those and they were great (will be bringing my beautiful bow and arrows to the Delamere forest meet next weekend). The classes are small and friendly. The price is high but includes a fantastic pub lunch and good tuition. It's a great venue, a small pottery, with a warm and relaxed atmosphere in East Cheshire - very close to the M6. Good B&Bs in the area I believe if you had to come from far or you could find out from Goose where you can sling your hammock in Delamere Forest which is about half an hour away.

The course details are -

knife making - http://www.thepottersbarn.f2s.com/Blacksmith.htm

longbow making - http://www.thepottersbarn.f2s.com/Archery.htm

and Andy's email is - a.pollard@thepottersbarn.co.uk

Please mention that you heard about it from Lightfoot. No I'm not on commission. Just want to know how many are actually interested. Expect to be at the next one myself (as long as I'm not up all night again!).

 

[dwardo]

It does sound brilliant and its near me for a change !

Cant see any costs and im stuffed for the next few weekends but a price would be handy so i can start saving

 

[lightfoot]

Best to email Andy about prices and dates. If there's enough interest I imagine they'll run them 3 or 4 times a year so you'll have plenty of time to save up. They do the longbow course 4 times a year I think. I paid about £180 for that I think, though they say that the bow you take home is worth £200!

Given where you live aren't you coming to the Delamere meet next weekend?

 

[dwardo]

That does sound great and i do want to start up archery. I also found out how much it was for a long bow

I would love to make the meet once again i cant make it saturday but i am trying for friday. Family has arranged a party as its my 30th but that may give me a free ticket to friday evening if poss. I did also try to get friday off but i work in a small firm and one of the lads beat me to it . Its a bit of a dream thing to make a proper longbow as it was the first thing to bring a common man toe to toe with a knight in armor and for some reason that kind hits home lol.

Thanks again for the post

 

[clcuckow]

Hi Lightfoot,

Have you got any photos of the bow that you made? I am interested as I am relatively local but was wondering how much you can do in a day unless there are some shortcuts made like using part worked staves, pre carved nocks etc. Not that I have ever made a bow before but I am a field archer and have seen a fair few none production longbow and would expect that to do a descents job at the tillering/hand scraping alone would take more than a few hours?

 

[robin wood]

Is that really £180 for a 1 day course? Makes our spooncarving courses look cheap at £145 for 3 days including a knife.

 

[Dave Budd]

Whne I run bowmaking courses we make flatbows, which are easier to work than longbows and we find it pushed to do everthying in two good days. I know what you mean Robin, I think about my prices and when I look around everybody is charging so much more! Can't work out why, nbot quality of service or tutorship I'm sure of that

 

[clcuckow]

Whne I run bowmaking courses we make flatbows, which are easier to work than longbows and we find it pushed to do everthying in two good days.

That was I thought Dave. As I say I have never made a self bow before but I do know what is involved and some other courses are either three days or a couple of weekends. I might be wrong and Lightfoot would know but the only way that I could see it getting done in a day is with a pre prepared stave and probably using self nocks ala war bows.

 

[Dave Budd]

same goes for knifemaking courses. I've seen a few advertised where they charge more than I do and the results of what the tutors are turning out are well below what I would expect a child student to produce with me.

 

[Runs for cake]

I may be wrong but I think the guy that does the Potters Barn course is a chap called Cooper. If it is the same bloke then i did a bow making course with him at Chirk castle two years ago (cheaper than the potters barn course) . It was a one day course with a pre-prepared stave and there was a bit of cheating with a power sander.

That said, I found it a great course and at the end of the day had a self bow that shoots far far better than I expected it to.

A couple of the folk at the archery club I belong to have done the Potters barn course (just up the road from me) and rated it very highly for what its worth. I'm seriously thinking of getting to the knife making course later this year if time and funds allow.

Dwardo, there is a field archery club in Delamere relatively near you.

Sean

 

[bear knights]

a friend of mine has a longbow and wants to know if there are any courses/ groups to show her how to use it? Ideally in the south west. ta.

 

[SimonM]

a friend of mine has a longbow and wants to know if there are any courses/ groups to show her how to use it? Ideally in the south west. ta.

Link below to National Field Archery Assc. map of UK, showing clubs.

http://www.nfas.net/maps/

HTH

Simon

 

[Dave Budd]

Where about is the Southwest? My nearest clubs are all over 20miles away, luckily I have my own field course to play with

 

[bear knights]

cheers for the link simon. playing in the woods with it sounds fun....although school fields do have moving targets.
Got me intrigued, so Dave, might have to get some info on bowmaking courses from you!