First, we sort through the coppiced timber looking for potential wands.
Anything with honeysuckle curled around it is a possibility
Next, we cut them to length on site. I use a saw called a Silky Gomboy (catchy name). It is a Japanese saw and like many Japanese saws it cuts on the pull, not the push.
The wand is then clamped in a shave-horse, you push with your feet and it clamps the piece, leaving both hands free to use the draw-knife to shape the business-end of the wand.
A final bit of whittling to finish the ends
The shave-horse is a versatile clamping device. Usually it grips the piece whilst you work on it; but this works for me.
The wands are aga-dried. That’s the same as kiln-dried, except for the obvious. They are left for about 24 hours at 100°C, this dries off the moisture so the surface can be sanded smooth. It also kills off any woodworm or bugs that may be in the wood.
The dreaded sanding, we use four different grades to get a super-smooth finish
Here we leap-frog from centuries-old techniques straight to the 21st.
This is a laser-engraver made from the stepper motors and the laser from a computers CD writer
Wax on:
wax off.
Wax on:
wax off.
The juxtaposition of the the natural twisting bark and the highly polished blade shows off the true beauty of the hazel and creates a very satisfying wand
Down To The Wood
