Woodland Craft Supplies

Mike Abbott’s new book is both a practical manual and an inspirational guide. It provides a detailed introduction to green woodworking, setting up a workshop and buying and managing a woodland. For the expert there is a thorough update including new techniques on chair jointing. New designs of pole lathes, shave horses and chairs are supplemented by diverse projects such as woodland shelters, wattle and daub and much more. There are many superb drawings by Tamsin Abbott.

An interesting book form American green woodworker, Langsner covering the basic techniques of green woodworking from knife work and hewing through to bending and basic joinery. There are also short projects such as making a crooked knife and shaving horse with a section on contemporary makers.

Concise details of how to make a pole lathe, (free when you buy a set of pole lathe tools).

A short history which looks at the many different types and variations of Windsor chairs. There are some very useful illustrations and details of basic characteristics.

A short history of Welsh furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries, looking at the development of style and regional types and techniques of construction used by the craftsmen of the time.

A useful compilation of 35 articles on steam bending from Fine Woodworking magazine. Craftsmen explain tools and techniques they use in their workshops.

Consisting of 41 articles selected from the Fine Woodworking magazine. They range from the use chainsaw mills to air drying, solar drying and logging with a horse, and many interesting articles in between.

The original book that started many people off. There are many excellent colour illustrations and a photo gallery of rustic furniture to provide lots of ideas for your own designs. There is a section of techniques for making your own rustic pieces and step by step projects.

A new book which shows how to build a range of functional and decorative structures. There are step by step instructions for a series of projects ranging from domes and tunnels through to fences, chairs and arbours. Also covered are tools, planting, joining, grafting, weaving and care and maintenance of the structures. There are pictures of other well known makers work in various styles.

Willow structures look good in the garden and are fun for children to play in and provide shade. This booklet tells you how to make living willow structures such as bowers, domes, tunnels, fences and arches for gardens and public spaces. There are details of suppliers of living willow, hints on growing your own willow and places to visit.

This book shows you how to make a range of wonderful baskets using colourful materials gathered from hedgerows and gardens. Lots of inspiring colour photos and clear sections on technique and gathering suitable materials.

The Woodland Way, Ben Law pb, 231pp with black & white photos and drawings. £16-95

Written from the heart by an innovative woodsman who is deeply committed to sustainability, this radical book presents an immensely practical alternative to conventional woodland management. Through his personal experience, Ben Law clearly demonstrates how you can create biodiverse, healthy environments, yield a great variety of value added products, provide secure livelihoods for woodland workers and farmers, and benefit the local community. He argues the case for a new approach to planning, encouraging the creation of permaculture woodlands for the benefit of people, the local environment and the global climate.

Full of stunning colour photographs, this is a visual guide to how Ben built his outstandingly beautiful home in the woods. It is also a practical manual and the story of a man realising his lifetime ambition to build his own home.

Coppice Management: A brief guide to techniques pb 32 pp b/w line drawings. £2-45

This is a reprint of the book first published 22 years ago but still as useful as ever. It covers such topics as clothing, tools, the felling and handling of wood and the very important management techniques for coppice woodland that produces a range of valuable renewable resources.

A practical guide to coppice management which helps in the conservation of native woodlands and associated crafts. It covers the use of traditional tools and methods for making products from small round wood such as gate and woven hurdles, besom brooms and thatching spars.

A new book by Ray Tabor which passes on the 25 years of skill and knowledge he has acquired as a woodsman and green woodworker making traditional products. Contents include the properties of woods, creating and maintaining a woodland right through to lathes, walking sticks and spoons with much more in between.

A reprint of a classic booklet It briefly covers coppicing and selection of materials. and then goes on to show a range of tools and devices and how to make and use them. Invaluable if you work in coppice woodlands.

Designed to be used as a workshop manual this is a concise introduction to stickmaking with step by step instructions and many colour illustrations.

A detailed account of the wheelwrights trade in the late 19th century when a wheelwright turned his hand to a variety of jobs. A classic book.

Reminiscences of a master carpenter in Victorian times when jobs ranged from windmill repairs to coffin making and pitsawing ! Interesting to those who appreciate the spirit of craftsmanship.

The birchbark canoe was used by Northern Indians for hunting, fishing and travel and this interesting & informative book covers its construction and use.

This book gives an idea of basic woodworking tools in the main historical periods and shows the great variety of forms which different tools have assumed at different times and places.

The “Ax Book” tells you how to use an ax safely and efficiently for every task it can perform, especially in connection with cutting firewood: felling trees, trimming them, sectioning them and splitting them. What is possible to learn about using an ax from a book, his book will teach. Extract from the foreword of this American book.

A history of charcoal burning from traditional earth burns and life in the woods to the present day use of portable steel kilns and the methods used.

Charcoal, the smelting fuel of the Bronze Age has been in continual use in Europe for over 5 thousand years and was essential to early metal workers. This book describes developments in charcoal burning from the traditional earth burn through to the introduction of metal kilns and oven retorts.

Instructions on how to convert a 40 gallon drum for use as a small kiln for production of charcoal. All you need to know to produce your own charcoal !

This handbook has a strong technical content and has an extensive bibliography. There are sections on traditional kilns, brick kilns, transportable and metal kilns with detailed plans to construct them. It also covers, continuous retorts, heat recovery and gas production. One of the most thorough books on the subject.

This is an authorative account of the wooden bowl. It has detailed evidence dating back 4000 years of the turners craft. It looks and the lathe and its development and the timbers used. There are many excellent colour photos.

Making Traditional English Wooden Eating Spoons; Eric Rogers, pb. 17pp b/w illus. £3-95

This excellent booklet begins with a brief history of wooden eating spoons. It takes you through the complete process of making a spoon from green wood. It covers the process step by step from choosing the wood to applying a finish. There are plenty of clear line drawings, recommended. Reprinting soon so only a few left at this price.

This is a practical how-to for both beginners and experienced carpenters who want to try this method. It covers the basics of timber framing, design, modern tools and time-tested methods and ends with a project on how to build a 12í by 16í shed. Lots of illustrations and photos.

Using step by step instructions the book follows the construction of a traditional ìhall & parlourî design, from finding the building site through to designing & finishing the interior. Some useful information on hewing beams and timber frame jointing.

This book looks behind the common image of timber-framed houses and shows how timber-framed buildings were built and their variation from region to region.

The woodland hideaway you have dreamed of is in this book. There are clear, illustrated instructions and plans for twenty low cost outdoor structures ranging from triangular tree houses, log cabins, a river raft, water gazebo, sauna hut and more.

This complete workbook also contains sections on basic building techniques, essential tools, joints and jointing methods, safety and directions for building all types of windows, skylights, doors, roofs, latches and locks.

This book starts with the basics of shed design such as use, size, cost, placement and difficulty in construction. It then takes you through the complete process of constructing a 8í by 10í shed. The book then presents several basic sheds along with a number of more complex special use sheds, including a pool shed, an Irish garden shed and even a Japanese boat shed. Lots of details plans and commonsense advice.

For centuries the Yurt has been home to many people in Central Asia. Robust and portable it has evolved into the ultimate portable dwelling. Popular now in the West for many purposes - offices, summer houses, meditation space, spare room or just somewhere pleasant to be. There are two sections, the first covering the history of the yurt, life today in a Mongolian ger and the culture of ger living. The second part gives full and detailed instructions on how to make several types of yurt.