Abbotts Living Wood

01/10/2024

If anyone is interested in getting a flavour of my chair-making courses, then Red Chairmaker has captured it perfectly in this 17 minute film made when he spent a week on a course with a group from Korea a few weeks ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad_84_uV-wU

17/06/2024

If you haven't seen this yet, here's what was going on in Kentucky a week or so ago :)

On June 2nd, 2024, 13 of the chairmakers featured in Andy Glenn's book "Backwoods Chairmakers" (Lost ArtPress, 2024) traveled to Berea College in central Ken...

07/11/2021

The course details for 2022 are now updated on my website

Chair-making Courses I started running green wood courses in 1985, initially near Bristol, then in Devon, and since 1995, in Herefordshire: for 10 years at Clissett Wood and for 11 years at Brookho…

20/06/2021

Here's my latest blog, probably only of interest to the real chair-making nerds plus those who took part in the developments described.

In my previous blog, I wrote about the system I developed for assembling chairs in the autumn of 2020. In February, I put these latest developments into practice and made a couple of chairs for my …

06/05/2021

Here's a wonderful selection of photos from the recent 'Wych elm Project'

21/02/2021

Podcasts are the latest thing!! Unlike gazing at a screen, you can carry on doing useful stuff, while soaking up hours of entertaining conversations. A couple of guys in the USA have started a monthly 'Sloydcast' and you will all be delighted to know they are chatting to me on episode 8. The previous 7 episodes should also be of great interest to anyone interested in trees, woods and craft: https://www.sloydcast.com/

A podcast featuring spoon carvers, green woodworkers, blacksmiths and all those movers and shakers in the handcraft world.

11/02/2021

Browsing through my bookshelf I found a French book about turning bowls on a pole-lathe. When I Googled it, this is what I found. Any French speakers should find this fascinating :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_RIgLlwjeU

Dans le massif des Bauges, près de Chambéry, Jean-Paul Rossi fait revivre le métier de jattier, ces tourneurs sur bois qui fabriquaient depuis plusieurs sièc...

04/12/2020

So far, I've been kept busy this autumn but I found myself sat at this screen this afternoon with nothing particular to do, so thought I'd look through the video taken by my friend Leo, when I finally moved 'back to the garden' after 30 years of running courses in various woodlands. Beautiful accompanying music by Rich Ely and Tom Dillon, as well as lots of familiar faces: https://vimeo.com/142861212

In the autumn of 2015, chair maker Mike Abbott celebrated 30 years teaching green woodwork. On September 27th 2015 Mike made his transhumance, leaving the teaching…

01/12/2020

01/12/2020

I have just spent a delightful fortnight during our gloomy November lock-down skipping down Memory Lane, through my collection of scrapbooks, photos, blogs and videos to create a new website page, 'Updates to my book, Going with the Grain'. This page documents the most significant changes to my approach to green wood chair-making since the 2nd edition of the book was published in 2013. I realise that most of these updates are thanks to assistants or people who have attended my courses over the last decade, some of which can be seen in these photos: https://goingwiththegrain.org/book-updates/

30/03/2020

APF 2020 Seeks Woodland Craft Workers

APF 2020 is the UK’s largest forestry, woodland, trees and timber show attracting 320 exhibitors and over 20 000 visitors. It is taking place on the 24-26th September at Ragley Estate, Warwickshire. Despite many shows this summer being cancelled we are still ‘Full Steam Ahead’ for our event as we anticipate that the world will have returned to something like normal by then.

We have always had a large, traditional woodland crafts area including staging the World Log To Leg Polelathe championships. We want to make a special effort this year to really promote and celebrate traditional woodland crafts and are seeking a very wide and comprehensive range of craftspeople to demonstrate their skills. Already we have a wheelwright, clog maker, Oak swill basket maker but are looking for a lot more including, but not limited to, hazel hurdles, charcoal burning, coracles, Sussex trugs, cleft ash or chestnut fencing and stick dressing but we will welcome all skills.

If you are able to help us and would like to attend please get in touch at [email protected]. Tel: 01428 723545 Mobile 07831 644838. We would love to hear from you.

Ian Millward Exhibition Secretary

15/02/2020

29/08/2019

25/01/2019

29/09/2018

I've been neglecting my Abbotts Living Wood page - very sorry!! I've just got one place left on courses for 2019 - Aug 5-9th, so get in touch fast if you don't want to wait till 2020! https://goingwiththegrain.org/courses/

Chair-making Courses I started running green wood courses in 1985, initially near Bristol, then in Devon, and since 1995, in Herefordshire: for 10 years at Clissett Wood and for 11 years at Brookho…

09/09/2017

Whitewells Farm Cotts sound like a good place to stay while making a green wood chair