Click here for PDF - Leatherwork Courses Home

Tools
Courses
Books & DVDs
Ideas
Kit & Courses
Email [email protected] with products for us to test
Hans Karlsson
100% Wool Guide Shirts
Rob Exton tests Hans Karlsson gouges
and makes a Swedish dough bowl
H
ans Karlsson is a
renowned Swedish
toolmaker who produces
fine carving gouges, used
and appreciated by the likes of Robin
Wood, Guy Mallinson and Drew
Lansgner. I’ve been testing three tools
which could be regarded as a good
set for anyone wanting to acquire the
means to get started in bowl carving.
It goes without saying that a carving
axe, adze and drawknife would
facilitate rapid wasting of wood, but
here I concentrate on the gouges.
These tools are imported into the
UK by Woodland Craft Supplies
you mention this article when ordering
the three tools.
When using good tools I feel the
connection of the tool with the wood
and the toolmaker with my craft. It is
good to use my Ben Orford special
crook knife, with the 15mm sweep,
James Mursell’s small spokeshave or
Duncan Chandler’s bowl knife. They
are so right that they sing with the
wood. Hans Karlsson started making
tools in the 1970s, while working as a
machine repairer and shop mechanic
for Electrolux Sweden. “At that time I
was a hobby-blacksmith having set
up a small forge at home using my
“They are so right that they sing
with the wood as you carve”
(woodlandcraftsupplies.co.uk) which
is run by Mathew Robinson (who
bought the business from Jon
Warnes last year) specialising in mail
order supply of high quality green
woodwork tools. Mathew is keen to
develop the business and has kindly
agreed to a ‘special offer’ for the set if
grandfather’s anvil and tools,” Hans
explains. “Blacksmithing got more
and more exciting, so in 1977 I
enrolled in a school for blacksmithing
and design which resulted in a
Journeyman’s certificate in 1983. I got
my Masters certificate 10 years later.
“At that school there was a
The set Rob has been testing (and which is available as a special offer)
comprises a heavy duty gouge (left, above), a medium hand gouge (centre,
above) and a dog leg gouge (right, above)
The Minijarn is
best suited to
spoon carving. It is
only 140mm long,
fitting into the
hand perfectly and
is smoothly
controlled with
your thumb in the
gouge itself which
is 15mm wide.
Ideal for the inside
of spoons and
small dishes, and
costing £25.75
blacksmith-teacher who was a skilled
hobby violin-maker. He taught me a
lot about toolmaking (as he was
making his own tools for the violins) I
got interested in toolmaking that way.
So in 1981 I started a small business
making woodcarving tools and some
ornamental blacksmithing. By the
mid-1980s I had a range of more than
a hundred gouges and adzes, after
picking up making of old tools that
were no longer produced, some of
them for green-wood carving and
turning, which had started to become
very popular at this time in Sweden,
Europe and America.
“In 1987 my brother, Mats, started
working in my forge (he was also a
shop mechanic and repairer). A few
years later my wife Carina joined us in
the shop undertaking the fine
grinding, sharpening and
administration. Then in 1994 we took
over another Swedish brand of
carving tools, the Svensson Brothers
who had started in1931, with a wide
range of 640 different sizes and forms
of carving gouges.”
Hans Karlsson’s company uses
high carbon ball bearing steel for their
tool production. All the heat treating
and hardening in is done in their
workshop, as well as the making of
handles, mainly from ash. “Our aim is
high quality and function,” says Hans.
The Set of Three
Hans makes hundreds of shapes and
sizes of which Mathew stocks his
most popular for the UK market.
There are two important dimensions
to the gouges, firstly the sweep of the
curvature which is expressed as the
radius of a circle and secondly is the
width of the cutting edge. Straight
gouges are more efficient at wood
removal but are much less versatile
than the bent gouges we have
chosen and which fit the inside curves
and corners more easily.
The set I’ve tested includes a
Nedbockat jarn (dog leg gouge,
150mm-45mm, Svangt jarn (medium
hand gouge 55mm-45mm) and
Huggjärn (heavy duty gouge
55mm-40mm). Out of the box they all
scream quality, I have yet to show
them to anyone who has not
appreciated their look and feel. The
rough black steel of the forged blades
gives way to the shiny clean working
end with blisteringly sharp edges.
They are all handled in ash of different
hues with ergonomic shapes and a
solid feel.
The heavy duty gouge has a round
The marked up poplar blank (far left), and the handles being cut
with a cross-cut saw after some shaping (left). Shaping the
outside of the bowl with the bent gouge
46
July/August 2011
There is now a natural British alternative to the Kiwi
Swanndri, in the form of Bison Bushcraft’s Guide
Shirts, which are made in the UK from 100% wool.
We picked one up at the Bodgers’ Ball, choosing a
medium size of the checked Summer option. Nick
has hardly taken it off since then. “It’s a bit scratchy
compared with a fleece, but you get used to that
quickly, and the beauty of it is that it is hard wearing
and it breathes,” he says. As a result you can wear it
in changeable weather, and it’s warm around the
campfire at night.
The shirts have a breast pocket and a ‘granddad’
collar. With a sewn hem you can wear it inside or
outside your strides, and there’s an extra layer on the
shoulders. Available in four colours to suit the
seasons (three checked, and dark green for Winter),
the shirts costs £88.50. “In the woods it feels more
appropriate to be wearing natural wool,” Nick says,
“and these shirts are fantastic.”
Details Bison Bushcraft Guide Shirts: £88.50,
Small-XXLarge, bisonbushcraft.co.uk.
July/August 2011
47
Kit & Courses
Karlsson Gouges
Firewooding Gear
handle and is double banded with
brass and has a shock absorber pad
at the head allowing this tool to be
used with a mallet for maximum
waste removal. After the bulk waste
removal you turn to the medium hand
gouge which has a hand-friendly
shape for the more refined shaping
that this tool is designed for. The
greater sweep and width of this
gouge means that you are flattening
the peaks from the heavy duty gouge
and rendering a smoother surface.
Finally the bottom of the bowl
requires attention, with the dog leg
dipping over the rim and gliding
smoothly along the bottom. With an
even flatter radius this gouge really
hits the spot in creating a smooth
bottom to the bowl.
and started kneading it in the new
bowl. After using a table for so long it
quickly became apparent the form the
bowl had taken on was really good for
kneading with a positive rolling action
being achieved from side to side and
along the full length.
With a hot clay oven at hand and a
wait of 20 minutes the success of the
bowl was surmounted only by the
delicious smell and taste of wonderful
home-made bread! Thanks to Hans
and Lilly for their help.
48
July/August 2011
New Firewooding Gear
Conclusions
Carving a dough bowl
The early Swedish dough bowl, as
used by the nomadic herdsmen,
would have been a fairly rough affair,
hewn from a log in the woods, used
for kneading the dough and for the
rising and then perhaps put on the fire
before moving camp and repeating
the process. Later, settled peoples
refined the bowls (more oblong than
round they could perhaps be better
described as troughs) and sometimes
painted and decorated the outside, to
use in a working kitchen.
I have in the past made two dough
bowls from poplar using a variety of
hand tools and gouges from a mixed
bag of sources and as the camp
kitchen needs a big dough bowl for
daily use I thought it would be an
appropriate test and comparison to
complete another. The previous bowls
had turned out more like deep fruit
bowls with small bottoms as I thought
they were used for the rising only.
Now appreciating their use for
kneading I was intending to make a
flatter more oblong bowl with a very
stable base.
To bake three or four loaves at a
time the camp cook, Lilly and I
decided on a decent size bowl
30x10in. I roughed out the blank by
saw and marked up where my
carving could begin. This is a big bowl
with a lot of waste to remove so I get
started with the heavy duty gouge
and wooden mallet. The gouge sinks
nicely into the poplar with each strike
of the mallet and a good size chip is
removed. Working both across and
along the grain produces good
results, with cross grain being
marginally crisper and quicker.
The tool was sharp straight from
the box and did not dull for quite
some time though I did touch up both
sides with a large flat strop for the
Kit & Courses
The poplar was
very wet when
Rob made the
bowl, and you can
see the sap in the
end grain (above).
He used the heavy
duty gouge for
most of the
shaping (above)
and then the hand
gouge (above
right) is used to
remove the tool
marks
outside and a round strop for the
inner curve. This brought the tool
back to razor sharp very quickly.
After a few hours of wasting the
inside of the bowl, it was turned over
and handles were roughly hewed with
a big crosscut saw and cleaved with
an axe. This revealed a square
shoulder end to the bowl which
needed to be angled back to a similar
(about 45°) angle to the sides. The
heavy duty gouge cut cleanly down
this end grain and did well across
grain creating nice rounded corners, a
good flat to the underside of the
handle and a nicely rounded channel
as a finger groove.
By this stage I was about seven
hours in and had the basics of the
bowl in place. After some discussion
with cooks and others it was decided
to reduce the depth by another inch
or so and standardise the wall and
bottom thickness to 1in to ensure
even drying and hopefully prevent
splitting. It was also agreed to make
the working end (closest to the baker)
a more gradual gradient with a softer
rim shape so as not to impede the
wrists when kneading, whilst the far
end would have a more vertical shape
to stop against.
Curved shape
This deepening of the bowl and the
shape of the gouges created a very
natural curved shape to the inside of
the bowl which was thought to be
perfect for the kneading of the dough
in a smooth swirling motion. This
necessitated further work to reduce
the outside wall thickness at the lower
sides and reducing the size of the
base 1in all around.
At about the 10 hour point the
hand gouge was used to smooth
everything out, cutting crisp slithers
from the peaks to meet the valley
smoothly. This was an effortless
process which resulted in a very nice
finish to the bowl with enough marks
to make it look rustic but smooth
enough to be hygienic.
The dog leg gouge was a treat to
use on the bottom of the bowl giving
great access and no digging in. This
shape did make my wrist ache a little
(perhaps because I am not used to it)
it would be interesting to try one with
a straight handle.
To achieve this level of finish took
about 16 hours. With poplar being a
little fluffy it would be well to let this
bowl dry and feed with walnut oil.
This will create a crisp surface which
will take a fresh going over with the
hand gouge leaving a nice final finish.
But we were impatient to give it a trial
run so Lilly made a batch of dough
Although we have never met, I have
an affinity to Hans through these
gouges. He is obviously a master
craftsman who has developed tools
of great function, beautiful form and
with understanding. They are not the
cheapest available, in fact they are at
the upper end of the price range, but I
feel they are good value, which is
remembered far after the price paid
has been forgotten.
The tools performed better than I
anticipated and were an absolute
delight in the hand. Mathew had
kindly loaned them to me for this test
but there is no way I can return them
without the feeling of losing some
friends. So thank you Mathew and my
cheque - is - in the post!
Anyone who has had difficulty crosscutting logs and
branches on the ground for firewood might welcome the Log
Jack from Clark Forest. Costing £117 (inc.VAT). By raising
one end of the log, there is less risk of knackering your chain
in the dirt, and you don’t have to worry about your bar
getting caught by compression. Visit clarkforest.com.
Special Offer
The list price for these individual
gouges are: HD bent gouge 55-40,
£62.50; Hand gouge 55-45, £48.75;
Dog leg gouge 150-45, £49.95;
With postage and packing this set
would normally cost about £170.00
Until 30 August Mathew is offering
anyone who mentions this article the
set of three above, including postage
and packaging to one UK mainland
address for £149.95
(woodlandcraftsupplies.co.uk
[email protected]).
Tim Fogden was showing his new Grenade that fits on his
LogLoc crosscutting ‘sawhorse’. The Grenade is designed to
split the most knotted of logs, but is so far only a prototype.
Watch out for more details at log-loc.co.uk.
You use the dog
leg gouge to
flatten the bottom
of the bowl, which
has more uses
than just dough!
Oregon were demonstrating their Log Pick at the Arb Show
in June. This is designed to help you move branchwood
around on the floor to save your back. A point at the end of
the bar sticks into the end of the log.
July/August 2011
49
Kit & Courses
Course News
Timber Framing
After a successful course in
April, Plumpton College are
offering another Timber
Framing course at the
Woodland Enterprise Centre at
Flimwell, East Sussex from
24-28 October. Visit woodnet.
org.uk/events for details.
Bushcraft
Blacksmithing
Hands On
Bushcraft
Kit & Courses
Blacksmithing for Beginners
James FitzHarris goes on a
Survival Day in Wiltshire
I
Acres Wild Woodland have
courses on making shaving
horses and pole lathes. Visit
acreswildwoodlands.co.uk for
more details.
Westley Farm runs
permaculture and wood-based
courses near Stroud, Glos,
including sessions run by
permaculture expert Sarah
Pugh. Find out more at
westleyfarm.co.uk.
have always been fascinated and perhaps a
little obsessed with survival, foraging and the
great outdoors. As a child this started with den
building and cooking foil-clad potatoes in the
embers of garden bonfires. I progressed to hunting
rabbits with an air rifle in the nearby hedgerows and
camping out with some equally feral friends. Years
later I ended up in the TA for 10 years. My current
fixation is mushrooms!
On a Saturday morning in May I found myself in
the car park of Gryphon Lodge Farm near Swindon
after a slightly stressful cross country drive from
West Dorset. I was ready for my Survival Day with
Hands On Bushcraft. The aims of the course were
to learn how to light a fire without matches and
construct a waterproof shelter. The plan was to
learn how to find water and make it safe to drink;
how to identify useful trees and plants for food and
medicine; and how to prepare game ready for
cooking. There’d be some bushcraft cooking
techniques, and safety with cutting tools.
My first pre-conception to be shattered was that
survival courses are run by ex-army types full of war
stories and tall tales. The instructors were a young
couple Adam and Ellie, with regular jobs, who want
to try and do something different and use their skills
to break away from the nine to five lifestyle.
My co-attendees were another young couple
Katie and Sam. Sam was a big fan of Bear Gryls
and Ray Mears so Katie had bought the day as a
birthday present for him. Chris was a local Scout
leader who was looking to pick up some more tips
and tricks that he could pass on. The fifth ‘survivor’
was a primary school teacher from an academy
school. He was an ex-Scout and was hoping to use
what he learnt on the course to do more outside
activities as his school had access to some woods.
In the past he had used practical lessons to help
some of the class who had learning difficulties.
What did I learn?
Greenwood Days have been
running treebog courses, and
have loads of different options
through the summer
(greenwood-days.co.uk).
50
July/August 2011
My wife’s parting words that morning had been
‘Don’t be a know-it-all!’ So what would I learn? We
started with shelter building. Adam had a number of
mini-models to demonstrate the different sorts of
structures, which showed good attention to detail
and helps you see all the bits. The principal designs
were A-frames and lean-tos.
We split down into two groups after the theory
lesson to have a go ourselves and I have to say it
was a revelation! I have never had to build a shelter
for myself before and it was remarkably easy and
incredibly satisfying. I have young children and this is
definitely something we are going to do together in
the summer holidays.
The London Borough of Newham has been running an afternoon and evening
session in blacksmithing since 2004, with tutor Alan Chadborn assisted by Sean
Marshall. Alan learnt his trade working in rural Africa, and the workshop is two
railway arches near Wanstead Park Station in East London. Adult education is
generally poorly financed and Alan has begged, borrowed or made most of the
equipment. Each session is three hours and a typical term is 10 weeks. The cost
is £60 + £30 for metal and fuel (coke) that works out to £3 per hour! The course
dates follow the usual school term but places are sought after, so enrol early.
Check out their website for more details and all the other courses they run. This
may well be the only course of its type in the country.
Jon Warwicker
Collecting leaves for a shelter (top)
and using a fine canvas bag for water
purification (above). The game
preparation was messy, and
something of a rite of passage
I know a lot about game preparation as I rarely
buy meat from a shop, preferring to obtain it myself
from the land. Heeding my wife’s words I didn’t
point out a much less messy method of taking the
breast meat off a pigeon and I am glad I didn’t,
because I think getting a bit covered in blood and
guts has to be a rite of passage. The young couple
were certainly looking forward to showing their new
skill to some of their squeamish camping friends!
When we did some tree and plant identification I
was surprised that no one knew what an ash tree or
a dandelion was. Growing up in the countryside this
was basic knowledge and is certainly something I
have always made an effort to drum into my
children. It was clear that this course is important in
a non-survival context as an introduction to the
countryside. I now have to confess that I couldn’t
name some of the plants ‘Jack by the hedge’ and
‘self heal’. I did use some of my new found
knowledge the following day when fishing with my
son by nibbling at a young cleever. We had just had
an enormous lunch half an hour earlier so I’m not
sure how impressed he was.
Fire making was our final activity. I started a fire
using a fire steel. Steel is rubbed against a special
alloy producing sparks at 3000° and the aim is to
land these on your dry tinder and then blow like
mad. I attempted to start a fire using the bow drill
method which is one of those tricks that Ray Mears
performs on camera in the blink of an eye. It is hard
work. I ran out of time and energy.
The course covered a lot of ground yet there was
still time to have a go at all the activities which is
crucial to the success of learning something new. I
think the course would best suit those new to
bushcraft but even for the know-it-alls there is
something to be gained.
Follow-up
Personally I am going to copy the idea of using an
ex-army parachute as a shelter in the woods (tall
enough to have a fire inside it). I am going to build
shelters with the children and I am going to do some
further research online and see if I can start a fire
with a bow drill. I can also see this as an excellent
way of keeping my children occupied this summer.
As a use for redundant woodland this is fantastic.
Adam and Ellie run a lot of other courses including
basket making, flint knapping and can also do
bespoke courses. Once you have a site set up then
you can bring in other instructors with specific skill
sets eg. mushrooming in the autumn. I have a bit of
woodland near Bournemouth and this is something
I am now going to look into. The other thing they do
is children’s parties and they can travel to do these
in your garden. Brilliant!
There could also be scope for setting up a
bushcraft campsite. The advantage is that very little
has to be provided. Campers are going to want to
be allowed to gather wood, have a fire and perhaps
access to water (or a stream?). There will be scope
to sell them very fresh rabbits, squirrels, pigeons
etc... from the farm. I think this could be the best
recession-beating staycation yet!
The ex-Army parachute
shelter is tall enough for
cooking inside (above).
Shelters were built quickly,
and fires lit with a fire
starter (right)
Details Hands On Bushcraft’s one-day Survival Day
costs £70 per person. Visit handsonbushcraft.co.uk
to learn more about their courses.
July/August 2011
00
Kit & Courses
Woodsman OCN
Mike Ellis outlines the content of an Open
College Network Woodsman’s course
T
here were nine students on the course,
which ran for five days. The first part was
held in a local overstood willow and hazel
coppice woodland, where the nature of
coppice woodlands was introduced and explained,
including restoration techniques of layering and
stooling, as well as best practice in managing
coppice woodland. Students had an opportunity to
use axes, saws and billhooks to selectively coppice
stools and dress out the cut stems. Particular
emphasis was paid to the connection between the
need to manage woodlands, not only for their health,
but also to be able to produce quality wood for use
in greenwood crafts.
The next part of the course involved an
introduction to greenwood crafts and trades and the
tools that are used (side axes, drawknives, adzes,
twybills, froes, etc...), and students were encouraged
to think about individual/group projects that they
would like to carry out whilst at the same time
gaining familiarity with the tools and the wood that
The course aimed to marry greenwood
and woodland management skills
Classified Advertisements
Woodsman Course
had been extracted from the woodland at the
beginning of the course.
The nature of charcoaling, techniques, marketing
and uses were explained and a charcoal burn was
carried out, in a 6ft diameter metal kiln, from loading
to grading after the burn was completed. The last
half of the course concentrated on the development
of greenwood skills to carry out individual projects
which included a yurt table, birdbox, shaving horse,
folding stool, bird table, gates, walking staffs and a
coat rack.
Why woodsman? As opposed to a lot of
greenwood courses which focus on a product as the
outcome, this course was designed to marry the
connection between the woodland and the skills that
are used to make products from the proper
management of the woodland.
Details Mike Ellis runs Helmsdale Charcoal and
Coppice, 01431 821855. Photos by Clive Grewcock,
01408 633696, clivegrewcockphotography.co.uk.
Classified Ads
Classified ads cost 60p per word inc.VAT. To
book call 01285 850481
Courses
Make a Windsor Chair
In 5 days (M-F) turn a freshly-felled log into an elegant
chair. No previous experience required. Further details
from James Mursell at The Windsor Workshop.
01798 815925 or www.thewindsorworkshop.co.uk.
West Sussex.
Wilderness Survival
Learn wilderness survival, traditional crafts and
primitive living skills in Wiltshire.
Visit www.wilderness-survival.co.uk for more
information.
International Boatbuilding Training College
Various wood and boat related courses.
Visit ibtc.co.uk/courses or call 01502 569663.
Summer Chairmaking and Green Woodwork
courses with Mark Haughton
Creative, sociable, lovely setting, Forest Row, Sussex.
Contact www.markswood.co.uk, 07990 581270.
Green Woodworking and Log to
Chair Making Courses
Woodland workshop/camp in South Downs, West
Sussex.
Contact Rich on 07717667649 or visit www.
greenwoodcreations.co.uk.
Green Woodworking Courses
Chairmaking, hurdlemaking, charcoal burning,
earthoven building, family activities and much more.
See www.cherrywoodproject.co.uk or call Tim on
07921 361484.
Hands On Bushcraft
Learn Bushcraft, Survival Skills, Flint Knapping, Basket
Weaving and much, much more on our courses.
Contact www.handsonbushcraft.co.uk.
Hedgerow Medicine, Kitchen Pharmacy
Two-day practical medicine making course near
Ledbury, Herefordshire. Taught by experienced
herbalist Rowan McOnegal. 2011 dates: 7-8th May;
9-10th July; 3-4th September.
Contact www.rowanmconegal.co.uk, 01531 670075.
Greenwood Centre Courses
Courses run by Acres Wild Woodlands amid tranquil
surroundings of beautiful and historic Ironbridge
Gorge, Shropshire. Come and make your own coracle,
longbow, pole lathe, shave horse, trug, willow basket,
rustic furniture or Welsh stick back chair. Also courses
in trees for transition, bushcraft and yoga.
Visit www.acreswildwoodlands.co.uk, 01746
766465.
Wood Courses, East Sussex
Plumpton College at Flimwell, East Sussex, runs 1-5
day courses on woodland skills, wood crafts and oak
timber framing.
Visit www.woodnet.org.uk/events, 01273 892052.
Property/Opportunities
Move to rural France
You’d move to rural France in a heartbeat, if you could
only sell your property here. Well, would you swap
your UK property for our old and lovely half-restored
gem with some land? We’re quite serious. Equally
willing to sell.
Call 01793 813766 or email [email protected] for more
information.
00
month 2011
Smallholding
Opportunity for young couple with a young family to
live and work on a 20 acre smallholding. Current
activities seasoned firewood and organic vegetables.
Might suit chainsaw carver.
Contact Geoff on 07946 764497. Wirral, Cheshire.
Timber & Materials
Chairmaking supplies
Ash, wych elm, bark and oak.
Contact 07811 852704 or
[email protected].
Tools
Timeless Tools
Quality second-hand hand tools. Billhooks, Garden
Tools, Sickles, Slashers, Woodworking Tools, Edge
Tools, Books, etc...
www.timelesstools.co.uk or call 07941431018.
Froes, Dogs, Pins and more Tools for Craftsmen
Contact www.windysmithy.co.uk, 07866241783.
Mobile Sawmilling
Gloucestershire
Mobile sawmilling. Woodland ride clearing.
ESW Hire and Contracting. Tel. no. 01666 577447.
Woodland Services
Net sacks for firewood
Delivery service to anywhere in the UK.
Medallion Net Company Limited. Tel: 01638 750955.
www.medallionnet.co.uk.
sayitwithwood.co.uk
Forestry/woodland services. Felling, extraction,
sawmilling. Sweet chestnut fencing.
Call 07800578308.
Woodburning Stoves
KP Stoves
Woodburning Stoves for workshops and leisure at
affordable prices.
For online sales please go to www.
kpwoodburningstove.co.uk or call 07764 813867.
Woodburning Stoves for Small Spaces
Tried and Tested.
Contact www.windysmithy.co.uk, 07866241783.