Beginners spoon carving

Description

Based in a sleepy village in the Norfolk-Suffolk border, Nick and Debbie have been running their popular one day beginner’s spoon carving courses since 2018. To help extend our courses into the autumn and winter, we now have an exciting new outdoor rain shelter with social-distanced space for six participants, space-heater and lighting; it’s got all the bells and whistles! Come and check us out. The day involves: * An introduction to the greenwood [trees and types of wood for carving] * How to use axes and cutting tools safely * Sharpening axes and knives * Axe and knife techniques * Technical overview of the carving process * Carve your own cooking spoon Lunch: please bring own packed lunch * Carve your own cooking spoon, continued * Aftercare of your spoon which you take away with you!

What's included in the price?

The price for our workshops (up to 6 people) is £60 per person for a whole day starting at 10:30-5pm. Complementary refreshments will be provided, teas and coffee served by Debbie. Please bring your own packed lunch. There is no charge for helpers or personal assistants attending with people with disabilities. We have a family member with a physical disability, so the caravan has safety steps and our ground floor bathroom and front door steps have handrails. We also don’t charge for non-participating adults who come with children between 14-17 years old. FAQs & tools information 1. Can I bring my dog or other pets? Guide or help dogs are welcome, however, please leave other pets at home, sorry. 2. Can I bring non-participating children under 14? Nursing mothers and parents with babies are welcome, however, we are unable to provide crèche facilities for toddlers and children under 5. All children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or other responsible adult over 18. 3. Are there hazards I should be aware of? Our workshop is in a sleepy village in rural Norfolk, however, there can be fast moving farm vehicles in our lane, we also have an ornamental pond in our garden. 4. Is there parking available? There is space for 3 cars in our car park, other vehicles will need to be parked in the village lane. 5. Will tools be available at the workshop? Axes, knives (straight and curved), a draw knife and a froe will be available for all participants. However, if you have your own carving knife and axe, or can purchase them before the workshop, please bring them along. 6. Where can I buy tools? You don’t need much equipment to carve spoons. All you need is a straight knife, a curved knife and a small axe. We recommend the following: Straight carving knife: Opinel Carbone, No. 07 available from quality hardware stores is a very sharp and strong blade for the price Curved knife to carve the bowl of the spoon: we recommend the Mora 163S. Hand axe : a standard small kindling splitting axe can be obtained from any quality hardware store. A wooden haft is better than plastic or resin as plastic can get sweaty and slippery with prolonged use. Carving axe: The blade of a carving axe is honed to provide the best cutting tool for carving and the haft is optimally balanced to reduce fatigue during use. For quality and price for the beginner, the Robin Wood carving axe is hard to beat. 7. Will tools be available to buy at the workshop? If you would like to buy an axe or carving knife at the workshop, please let us know three weeks before the workshop so we can have it ready for you. 8. Will personal protective clothing be needed? Whilst extremely sharp, the safe use of carving tools is the best way to avoid injury, however, we recommend that parents or guardians purchase safety gloves for participants aged between 14-17. We recommend ‘No Cry’ safety gloves. Please contact us for further details on where to buy tools and equipment.

Cancellation policy

Easy - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 2 weeks before the course starts

Maker

Gosman Spoon Co.

with Craft Courses since 2019

Message the tutor

Father and Daughter team, Nick and Sophie started spoon carving to help improve their wellbeing and mental health, however, it’s become more than just a pass time, it’s become an obsession! We prefer to carve spoons in our back yard, but in the rain and snow, we retreat indoors. Our wood chippings have spread around the whole house! We started our own business in 2018, The Gosman Spoon Co, and now sell our spoons online and offer beginner’s spoon carving courses.