First Turn

turning1
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

Thanks to the work done on my lathe, with help from Pete, I have just assembled the beast and turned a handle for it.
It is a joy to use and when using it you feel so close to the wood.
I must now find some decent tools for it.

The Lathe: The First Turn

turning2
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

A post at last...

Sorry for the lack of updates of late. I have had a busy time at work and not many new photos to put up.

After a birthday on the 15th, i am now the ripe old age of 24. Had a wonderful time with Jessica Maty Miki Gemma Amelda and Kate, who came dow from London for the weekend.
We did lots of walking on the moor and in the woods and by the river and went to the pub and a gig.

Will pst some photos of my lathe , the first turned piece....

db3
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

Dolly wheels

dolly5
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

I used angle brackets to fix the wheels so that they lock onto the rails.

The dolly is adjustable so it can run on any width of rails.
I have attached a spirit level to allow megga smoth filming.

Camera Dolly

dolly4
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

This is the dolly i have just built.

It will be painted and have adjustable fittings for a camera tripod.

I need to get some longer rails, but apart from that it runs realy smoothly.

so left you know its right

jism
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

dolly1

dolly1
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

These are the wheels for the camera dolly i am making. It should be finished soon. A camera tripod will be mountable on to it for smooth tracking shots.
Click image for more.

Hardcore-Hardtails.tk

Hardcore-hardtails is a Cool site run by Joeb.
Joe is, along with Dan and a few others, the builder rider and guardian of the Chagford Trails.

The site has good images and videos of BMX and Mountain biking as well as joes photographic portfolio.

There are some good shots of Germany.

Click the Link

follytower

follytower
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

The tower of the Rushforfd Folly.
Click for more images.

The Folly in the Wood

We went for a walk today to find the Rushford Tower. Ontop of a hill in a light and open wood populated by aged oaks that are growing and streatching to their full height and are interspersed with holly, hazel and bracken we found it.
The spiral stair case up the tower is still strong and we climed to the top.
It must have been there for a good few hundred years.
It was built, i think, by the builders of Rushford Barton, on the road from Chagford to Sandy Park.

Live music roadtrip

We drove fast up the A30 to get to the gig for 7.30pm. It was just out side of Bristol that we discovered the maps printed from the net were for the most part useless.

The directions posted on the Thekla website however saw us good and we pulled into the car park by the river at about 8.30pm. The venue, a floating iron box of a boat, was dirty looking and closed. Our spirits, from the knowledge that whatever happened the gig would be awesome, were not dampened.

After a poor meal of stodgy chips and dubious pie at the chain-pub opposite we joined the queue, feeling suitably bulked for the alcohol to come, at around 9.30pm.

The support band, Smerins Anti Social Club, a blend of ska brass and techno acid and beats that broke into up lifting breaks and vocals, induced a near frenzy. The small packed hold of the boat, where you could feel that you were right down in the bowls of it, oozed an amazing party atmosphere.

The slackers two hour set was brilliant. Each player playing with the skill of an artist, fusing to create an old skool ska sound with an irresistible groove.


Next night was in Cheltnem Frog- An open mike night that saw the best and possibly worst of the cities underground live musicians jamming.
The line up on stage changed every two songs or so. The atmosphere laid back... anything goes and the packed room loves it. A good sort of gig: easy going, nice seating and good humour.

Set up in an ancient barn of some sort with huge oak beams and chunky wooden furniture, the gig-jam flowed through and around rock and indi by way of mad-crazy frenzied guitar hitting and screeching vocal chords.

Bristol - Slackers gig

sorry for so few posts recently.

Am off to Bristol tomorrow night to see a band play.

Have booked frlights to sardinia for Jessie and i in June!!

settle

settle06
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

Oak seat made around reclaimed bedends. Hand carved detail in centre of back.

Click on the image to view more.

ulis

ulis
Originally uploaded by SamDooley Wood and Words.

Kitchen work unit with beach top and reclaimed pine. Detail of Darmoor granite stones.

River Teign

The river teign is at the bottom of the hill below Chagford.

I went for a walk along it and took these photos of the Pool.

Drill meltdown

My cordless drill, an essential item for making things, has given up on life.

This is the reason for a lack in updates and photos.
will be back on top when my new drill comes.

Walk on the beach...and lathe

Yesterday I went to visit my sister Bethany in her new flat in Exmouth. We went for a walk along the begining of the Jurrasic coast.
I have never been on a beach with red cliffs before!

When we got home i continued work on my pole lathe.

Working with the mahogany that the stocks are made out of was a long process which blunted my tools...but i got there in the end.

The next stage is to fix the spindle in place.

New materials for Lathe

I have not made much progress with any of the projects...and have thought of another-a camera dolly...but I got some materials to continue making the lathe with.
I bought them from Proper-Job at a very reasonable price!!!

Lathe

I have got to the point with the coracle where i need some canvas to cover it with.
As I cant afford to buy any just yet I have decided to start building a Pole lathe.


The photos show the two supports on to which the tool rest and stocks will go.

I have also descovered a book that I am keen to buy: 'The Woodwright's Eclectic Workshop' by Roy Underhill.

Coracle

I have been working on the coracle this morning.
It is a lovely sunny day, but still a bit cold.

After lashing the woven willow gunwales to streangthen them I pulled the corale from the ground.
I went round it easing each Hazel pole out of the ground at a time.
I was a little worried that the whole thing would spring out of shape when it did not have the support from the ground.
It turned out OK and I feel that I had not put enough faith in the strength of the woven willow.

Once out of the ground and turned over it realy began t look like a boat!
I lashed some Ash poes accross as a seat and tied some tensioning rope accross to help hold the shape.
Once the canvas is on I will remove them.

I have come back for lunch and to post some photos.

Sunshine and Days off Work

The sun is shining bright as Jessie and I get out of bed at 8.00am.

The ground is still frozen but the air is still and the sun will be strong in a few hours time.

Exam Results

I got some of my results for tthe journalism course I did today!
I passed both Public Afairs (Local and Central government)- 67% and 63%-
Very happy!


Im not starting work untill 2:00 today. Late finish, then an early morning tomorrow.

Things I made

A few pieces I have made.

Coat-pegs for hanging coats and things on.Made from Reclaimed Oak with Local Willow pegs.


A Box fo tings and bits and stuff. Mahogony lid, driftwood handel and coloured glass mosaic inside.

Snow

Where I work, in the snow... and a view from the terrace over the lakes towards the village of North Bovey.


I am a bit miffed 'cos I had to work today so couldn't go sledging with Jessie and her brothers.
Hope it lasts untill the weekend.

More snow

I was p at 6 for work this morning and it had snowed again in the night.
Everything is frozn and white.


After work I went up to the allotment and lashed all the poles on the Coracle with some tough sring.

The coracle is holding its shape in the ground and is very strong...a little over engeneerd! The next one will be lighter.

Pohots of Kazakhstan

I thought I would upload some photos from the trip to Kazakhstan that Jessica and I went on in the summer 2005.

The big pot is from a dig wer were on for a week in the desert like steppe of southern Kazakhstan. It was very hot. We ate a lot of watermellon.

The pot is from a hill fort, or Tobe, and is dated at about 700 AD.

The Appels are in Almaty bazzar!

Gigs

Snow has gone today.

I have just booked a ticket to see The Slackers in Bristol in April. I saw them once before... they were very good live Ska band from New york... am looking forward to seeing them again, theym groovy!

Also am thinking about going to see Courtney Pine in exeter on saturday... amd not sure there are tickets left though. Failing that we may see dj yoda.

I plan to pull the Coracle out of the ground on the weekend...hope it all holds togeter. I dont have any canvas to skin it yet but will buy some heavy calaco in Exeter.
Will post photos of the next stages.

SnowwonS

Woke up to a world of White today.

Jessie and I both had to get up for work (my first day back at the Bouncy Castle).

no work on the coracle today..want to get started on the next already.

I want to build solid gunwales and then build the ribs to them. That way I can shape a good shape for the boat.

The style of boat I am building has no keel so has a very shallow draft-the float high in the water.

I would like to fit a sail to the canoe I build but may need counter with a centerboard or ballast or outrigger perhaps.

I have put a photo up of Chagford in the snow. It is not the snow this time but one from last time,but it looks much the same!

Building a Coracle

Today Meldon was covered in snow.





The wind was very cold and it continued to snow all day, but did not settle.

I began to build a coracle...I chopped some hazle sticks and stuck them in the ground in a ring, then bent them over and tied them. I have found out now that I should have used thinner sticks so the coarcle could be a bit shallower. At least I know for next time. Wove willow round the gunwales.

The Chagford pantoime-Treasure Island- is on at the moment- my mum and dad went to see it last night.

Am working tomorrow so will leave covering the coracle till later.

I am planning to finish this one and then move on to a small,shallow, light framed coracle.

After this I think I may try and build a canoe shaped boat in the same fashon as the coracle.

I found these websites that offer some good information about Coracles and how to buld them:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/2003_April_May/Craft_and_Coracle

http://www.mmara.com/

Chagford website

I spent the day yesterday (in sunshine not snow) building a bender in the woods by the MTB jump trails. the jumps are looking good and Dan and Joe are good at riding them.

I am going to deveope the site and blog to create a website for Chagford... so that everyone in the village can post their views, art and information... a place where all Chagfordians can create in cyber space !!!