Early Access Video: Finding the Woodland Shop
Added 2021-08-07 11:01:01 +0000 UTCFriends:
I've been doing a lot of green woodworking recently, and it's got me thinking about the chair bodgers and Appalachian chair-makers. You know, the guys who really pioneered green woodwork. A lot of these craftsmen worked in the woods, right next to the trees they used.
So, could we do something similar? Could we leave our garages and basements and go work in the actual woods?
I know, many of you live in cites and suburbs; hardly the wilderness that some of the old-timers worked in. I'm in the same boat and I live in a tightly packed neighborhood where outdoor work is unreasonable.
Or is it?
In this week's video, I'll walk my actual neighborhood and explore the possibilities of setting up a woodland shop in improbable circumstances.
(And yes, I know that many modern woodworkers have woodland shops and teach classes from them, but I wanted to look at a smaller and simpler shop for the hobby woodworker.)
I'm posting this about a week before you're seeing it and I'm currently visiting family, so please excuse me if I haven't responded to comments or messages in a timely manner. I'll back to work in a few days.
Hope everyone is doing well!
--Rex
Comments
Please accept my apologies for that last video. I sat here and realized how offensive it must have been and came back to delete it, only to find it gone already. Again, I apologize -
Howard Tuckey
2021-08-20 21:07:50 +0000 UTCAnd I did sorta get ahead of myself with the hickory - I girdled a few that will be in the way of a couple of other things I want to do. I read about the technique in an old novel - a settler would stake out his homestead, pick a homesite near sufficient good water, timber, etc, and girdle the trees, deeply enough to kill them, and they would season "on the stump" so that when time came for that specific wood, they'd be right there but he'd be assured that they were of the right size for the project in mind. And actually they're one reason to build that blodger's bench - I've got several tool heads around here that desperately need handles! So I did the same with the hickory, knowing I'd need saplings for tool handles, etc. The technique really works!
Howard Tuckey
2021-08-20 20:17:14 +0000 UTCThat was a lovely video Rex ! Got a change my wife watched it too. If it is possible you should do it and set up a woodland bodger shop!
John Lamb
2021-08-13 05:28:04 +0000 UTCNew life goal into acquire acreage where I can have an outdoor workshop in the woods. Sadly, not very likely with the annual bushfire season we get here!
Martin Hartley
2021-08-11 15:26:56 +0000 UTCYou had me at 'The Hobbit'.
Jon Linna
2021-08-09 23:41:41 +0000 UTCDry land in Louisiana? Very doubtful. I live on a one acre lot, with a 20 acre farm complete with cows behind my property. Great video, we have places like that much farther north of me.
Skully Wood and Metal
2021-08-09 13:47:08 +0000 UTCI liked the video a lot. The whole time you had me wondering how different your laws were in the US. I have lots of wooded space near me here but I couldn't build a shop there.
Ian McElcheran
2021-08-09 12:41:33 +0000 UTC12 bore shotgun for the mosquitoes
WoodworkLearner
2021-08-09 08:53:06 +0000 UTCNice that you can do the exploring Rex. Here in the UK If you carry tools into the woods you would come out to a police officer. Felling a tree? Massive fine most likely even if you own the land in some cases. Nice to dream though. We have loads of great woodland near me which I used to walk extensively but sadly my smaller mobility scooter would struggle with practically all of it, even the so called wheelchair accessible routes.
WoodworkLearner
2021-08-09 08:49:44 +0000 UTCHi Rex. Sounds and looks amazing. We should definitely appreciate our surroundings more. Funny how often in America houses are called small when my house in the Netherlands is way smaller and not standing on it’s own. A house from your street would be at least 1,5 million euro’s. If only... Keep it up Rex and a humble thanks from Holland.
Dad Kewl
2021-08-09 08:48:36 +0000 UTCThat sounds like fun! I've got a few acres, with access to more, if I need it. And that two-board shaving horse is just the right size to take right out in the woods ! Now endorse a good brand of mosquito repellant and you're good as gold!
Howard Tuckey
2021-08-08 21:03:49 +0000 UTCYeah, "kids" build the forts. Uh huh. I believe you.
Hauptmann
2021-08-08 18:37:34 +0000 UTCI appreciate the honesty!
Rex Krueger
2021-08-08 13:29:23 +0000 UTCUnfortunately, unless you own the land, a forest workshop is not in the cards in Texas.
Robert Dennett
2021-08-08 04:21:54 +0000 UTCThis was a nice video Rex. It was a very different kind of thing than what you usually do, and I imagine that there was quite a bit of work involved in setting up many of the shots. Great job trying something new and pushing your skills. I live, and grew up in rural Maine, so I admittedly take access to the woods for granted. My shop is actually located about 200 yards down a dirt drive, in the woods.
North Road Woodwork
2021-08-08 01:41:30 +0000 UTCYou aren't fooling me with those claims of "forts". I've seen The Blair Witch Project! ;) Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it (as always).
Jeff Tinsley
2021-08-08 01:40:52 +0000 UTCOh thank goodness, not another plane video! :-) Pretty cool, I have some pretty large wooded areas within walking distance of my house, but I never thought of harvesting wood from them. Not sure what the legality of that is.
Kevin Lundquist
2021-08-08 00:22:36 +0000 UTCNice video Rex. A walk in the woods is always a good thing. Only bettered by a walk on the beach. I don't know about Ohio, but in many of the NW forests you can talk to the forest service people at their office and many times they have areas where you can cut firewood or get special permits for timber harvest. Where you would be using no large machinery, you may find that staying out in the woods for a period of time would be okay and you could put up a tent and do your work there for a week or two. Thank you for the video, hope your family visit was enjoyed and have a great week ahead.
Matt Evans-Koch
2021-08-07 23:04:30 +0000 UTCThanks for making me think differently about something I thought I knew. Wait! Isn’t that called learning? Are you a… a… teacher or something, Rex? I’ve lived in and around forests most of my adult life and hadn’t thot much about working green wood. Now I’m getting interested since I like working outdoors nowadays. Thanks for getting me thinking. This could be fun… especially with the cost of dimensional wood lately. I will follow you a ways down this journey with you.
Dianna (Coderjoy) Dearborn
2021-08-07 22:11:08 +0000 UTCThanks for the video. The field-trip structure with a theme is good. Have you seen a co-op approach? Group of 100 local subscribers could kick in $100-200 and a cheap landlocked undeveloped parcel could host. Like an artisan's coop (I am a member of a local).
Steve Levine
2021-08-07 19:31:02 +0000 UTCI respectfully submit that while woodworking is important, it isn't everything. (Ahem). The next time you explore your local woodland, find a stump or take a stool, sit down and be quiet. Then wait. Without you knowing it, there was a circular area moving with you of scurrying, peeping and silence. When you stop moving and talking, the woods will come back almost as though you weren't there. Birds will chirp, bugs will buzz and you'll hear the tress talking to each other with rustling leaves. My late brother and i did this often. He would say, "If God exists, this is where He lives...."
Mark Petersen
2021-08-07 18:09:02 +0000 UTC"Crab" apples are just apple trees that were grown from seed, instead of being cloned/grafted from a known type. Treat it like you would any other apple wood. (And maybe save some of it for smoking things with! Applewood smoked meat is mouth-wateringly good!)
TwoRavens
2021-08-07 16:54:43 +0000 UTC(Cue up “The Woodwright’s Shop” theme music as you traipse over the river). I love the concept Rex, and have experimented with green woodworking for some time now - mostly in the form of spoon carving (no spoons of which have gone past the becoming toy kitchen accessories for the kids). There are lots of public woodlands around our home, but nothing that I’d look at doing any more than some spoon carving in with some found pieces already down. An idea that does feel promising to me is the thought of venturing into the woods with an empty backpack or “foraging basket”, and a pruning saw to gather choice pieces, to then work at home at a backyard green woodworking shop. Also, many towns have log yards where they make mulch and firewood. You may be able to get in touch with the folks at one of those outfits to see if they’d allow you to select and purchase a 4 foot section of choice oak or the like for something like a chair, and allow you to split it out right there so you can load it into your vehicle to take home and work outside. One of Peter Folansbee’s videos starts out that way. Lastly, many US towns have a “chip drop” service available where tree companies can drop the logs and chips produced from a job right on your driveway, as opposed to taking it to a landfill. I know for the one near us, you can specify if you want logs or chips, or both. Sometimes it can take while once you’ve opted in for the service, but it’s something that is there in a lot of places. I loved your shots in this video and appreciate what it will mean for many of your projects moving forward!
Aaron Wasielewski
2021-08-07 13:52:05 +0000 UTCI won't be looking to set up a woodland workshop but the idea of green woodworking is appealing. Two nights ago my thirty year old crabapple tree split during a storm. The professional arborist says the tree can't be saved. Hmm, what can I make from green crabapple wood?
Carol Ritacca
2021-08-07 13:22:29 +0000 UTCThank you, that was a refreshing change!
Marc Barash
2021-08-07 12:56:57 +0000 UTCI live close to the center of a city of 5 million people and there is a small woodland nearby. Its tucked away in a valley that runs down to a hidden swimming spot on Sydney Harbour. Few people venture up from the bay and beach into the forest but if you make the effort is a great place to visit. Lots of Angophora (Sydney red gums) though nothing much over about 100 years old so mostly smaller trees. It's good to get back to nature, good for the soul.
Scott Johnston
2021-08-07 12:42:41 +0000 UTCIt’s a lovely scenic video, although I do feel a bit that I’ve just been punk’d, by the promise of setting up a woodland shop and then getting the “I knew from the start this couldn’t happen” right at the end 🤣
David Dixon
2021-08-07 12:23:28 +0000 UTCyeah getting out and exploring — slowly, on foot — where you live can be full of surprises. I found a tiny tiny tiny beach, only a few metres long, in between two fancy waterfront houses and down some very steep and treacherous steps. Nice park bench to sit on halfway down, too.
jslee
2021-08-07 12:20:39 +0000 UTCI think I prefer videos with technique shown or projects built. If you were going to do a video like this one, I would suggest it ends with actually setting up such a shop. As it is, I'm not sure I got much out of it. Sorry, I just didn't like like it as much, though I do like that you tried something new.
Geoffrey Wilson
2021-08-07 12:04:36 +0000 UTCDefo would love to see more videos like this. Such a relaxing video.
The Deaf Maker
2021-08-07 11:57:38 +0000 UTCMy parents own 22 acres of woods, but too bad that most of the land is hillsides of a valley. Setting up a small shop like this would be fun.
Jesse Woodring
2021-08-07 11:35:00 +0000 UTC
