Jon Mac.Spoon Carving First Steps: 01/11/2009

Sunday, 1 November 2009

Skills

Jon will teach you the basic principles of wood carving and give you time to practise your new skills. You will be shown how to safely use a knife to shape wood. You will be able to use a straight and hooked blade.

Jon will also teach you how to use an axe to cut out waste wood and you will have the opportunity to use two different types of axe so that you begin to understand the differences between axe types and their relative uses.

Most importantly Jon will show you how to sharpen and maintain a knife and axe blade. You will be able to practise this key skill many times during the course!

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Jon Mac.

Folk Artist.

Photographer.

Jon has worked with his hands all his life. He has learnt many traditional working skills, from construction to carving beautiful wooden spoons and drinking vessels. He has spent much time on Dartmoor teaching outdoor pursuits, such as Ten Tors team training and working with private companies providing team building/survival resources. He is a retired member of Mountain Rescue and spent seven years on the active call out list with his local team.

( D.R.G.Ashburton).

He has spent many years exploring the Devon countryside perusing his other interest in photography, industrial archaeology and local history. He recently used his local knowledge and field craft skills to great advantage when acting as field assistant to researchers investigating bat habitats and behaviour here on Dartmoor.

Jon runs tailor made courses both here in Devon and occasionally in Scotland, for anyone interested in spoon carving and woodcraft skills. Using traditional hand tools, Axe, hook knife and knife, he teaches the techniques for the fast and safe removal of waste wood, shaping and designing. He also teaches how to attain a super sharp cutting edge with the use of Japanese water stones.These skills are key to making anything you wish out of wood.

He is also a knife designer and has had his designs fabricated by top blade smiths.

Jon believes passionately that the skills of both using and maintaining knife and axe blades are ones which need to be shared, in order that we do not loose these important techniques. Jon particularly enjoys sharing these skills with those who have little or no experience of using edge tools.

Sunday, 1 November 2009

Carving a Dragon Kuksa.