Alasdair's Blog - Page 3 of 5 - Little Acorn Furniture

October 30, 2017October 30, 2017

Sweet Chestnut indeed!

I came across some lovely bits of wiggly sweet chestnut in Jim Whites yard some time ago and knew immediately that they were going to be used for something, but I had no idea what that something was. Then I was approached by my lovely neighbors and asked if I could make a bigger and …

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October 27, 2017

Busy little bodgers

Fantastic fun this week making coat pegs with budding young craftspeople. After a fully booked course on Thursday I will certainly be running this course again, here’s what people had to say about the experience…… “Really great ‘coat hook’ making session. great venue, clear teaching and friendly approach, perfect for our 7 year old boy. …

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October 22, 2017

One stool a table and a shaving horse

Three people (and Milly and Me), three different projects and three days! Well done guys, mission accomplished. Keith gets to grips with fitting the stretchers to his oak stool. Steves side table takes shape. Peter using a shaving horse to make his own shaving horse, while Steve shaves his legs, litterally. busy bees with lots …

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September 30, 2017

Faggots in the rain!

Many thanks to Jim White (White Wood Management) and the amazing Woodland Trust volunteers for a fun and productive day at Halls Cleave, building bridges (literally not in some silly metaphorical sense) and making faggots. In particular, Gill Macphail and Sue Arnold (the Faggot ladies of South Devon) who produced multiple sturdy faggots despite the …

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September 30, 2017September 30, 2017

Saltram Apple Day

Some images from the National Trusts Saltram Apple Day courtesy of Jamie! Once again I couldn’t get the little ones away from the shaving horse and they amazed me with their concentration and ability. “Don’t touch the middle bit, its very very sharp” Another young bodger in the making. Many thanks to the Devon Rural …

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Our Courses

Family “greenwood” experience
Alasdair will take you through the basic principles of Green Woodworking and provide the knowledge, tools and materials needed to get you using a pole lathe. Turn as many items as you like using a variety of local hard woods and unlock the full potential of this ancient craft.
Introduction to pole lathing
During this one or two day course, you will get to practice the principles of green woodworking: cleaving and shaping the wood using side axe and draw knife before turning on a pole lathe to produce a range of items - as long as it is round!
Simply stools
This two-day course offers you the chance to produce a simple three or four legged stool with hard wood top and turned or draw knifed legs.
From tree to table
This three day course gives you time to produce a table or bench with stretchered legs using more advanced techniques. The addition of stretchers between the legs allows you to make larger items with more refinement.
Table making course
This four-day course gives you time to explore the intricacies of green wood furniture design to produce a dramatic and unique piece of furniture of your own design.
Chair making course
Over this full four day course you will make and assemble a complete chair from local Ash and Beech. Choosing from one of two traditional designs you will be responsible for shaping all components and joining therm using traditional wedged mortice and tenon joints
Make your own shaving horse
In order to make a traditional shaving horse you will need a pole lathe, in order to use a pole lathe a shaving horse is essential. Get around this catch 22 situation by making your very own shaving horse over two days in Alasdair's fully equipped Greenwood workshop.
Handle making and tool restoration
This is a one day course aimed at giving you the basic knowledge and skills required to make a tool handle of any sore from green Ash. Be it an axe, hammer, chisel or spade you can restore personalise and bring back to life any old tool. We will go back to the days when things were done 'proper' and a tool handle could last a lifetime of use.
Cleft hurdle gate making
Discover the ancient art of gate making using authentic traditional tools and techniques. Using the true nature of the wood to ensure both beauty and strength, start with a freshly cut log and explore the entire process of cleaving , shaping and jointing.
One-to-one tuition
Work and learn at your own pace - receive uninterrupted expert tuition in the art of green wood furniture making and have exclusive access to the range of hardwoods available in the workshop.

What our customer’s say…

I took a one day pole lathing class and had a great time. Great group of lads running the class, very friendly and realy know their stuff. They keep the classes small (5 in mine) which allows you to work closely with the instructors and ask any questions as needed. The venue is a spacious, converted farm building in the beautiful Devonshire countryside. Comfortable. At the end of the day I'd learned a lot, had a great time and went home with a piece of work that I made myself and was very happy with. I highly recommend.

Robin Jordan

What a great way to spend a day. This was my first foray into the field of working with green wood and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I attended the introduction to pole lathing course along with four other keen participants. Alasdair and Simon were brilliant teachers – enthusiastic, knowledgeable and patient. Over a period of 6 hours a tree trunk of ash was turned into an assortment of beautiful wooden items to take home. I would highly recommend the course and will be booking again in the future.

Jan Wells

I really enjoyed my recent course and made a great wee coffee table and shave horse. Alasdair is an amazing green woodworker and an even better teacher🤩😁. Definitely worth the trip from Glasgow to Devon.

graeme leitch

Birthday gift from my wife who knew I liked mucking about with wood. Probably the best birthday present I've ever had, I was totally in my element. Alasdair, Simon and Joel make the whole experience interesting, fun and challenging. They leave you to get on with things, if that's what you want, or are always there to help with a helpful demo or gentle nudge in the right direction. At the end you will feel like you've really achieved something e.g turning a log into a working tool, or piece of furniture, all whilst using the same tools and techniques that were used hundreds of years ago. No sounds of power tools here, just the gentle sounds of the forest and some eager woodworkers creating some amazing things from scratch. Seriously, it really is that good.

Kevin Henry

Took 5 children along to learn carpentry. They all had an amazing time, each made a sword and a baseball bat (their choice). They did everyhthing from sawing the wood to shaping it. Alisdair was so good with them and made sure they each left with finished items. My son who has ADHD was engaged from the start and cannot wait to go again. The parents also had a go and really enjoyed the day too.

Elaine Russell

We did the Family Greenwood Day with Alasdair with our kids (3,7,8) and it was the highlight of our trip to Devon (according to the whole family). He went out of his way to include the entire family in every project and really impressed us with his knowledge and skill (even keeping the youngest happy!) Would highly recommend these courses to families, or anyone wanting the satisfaction of making something beautiful from a log!

Hayley Mooney

I can't recommend Alasdair's courses enough. His passion for natural woodwork and the forests in general is a joy. He makes the experience fun, accessible and very informative. To understand the whole process from starting with a 3 meter long log and ending up with a turned piece was the thing that sold this course to me above others I looked at. I will be back!

Lorna Kennard

Completed the 2 day 'Simply Stools' course this weekend and loved it. Alasdair is absolutely passionate about his chosen subject and incredibly generous in sharing both his passion and knowledge. I have not just learnt a huge amount but found the whole experience massively rewarding. I can not recommend completing any of Alasdair's courses enough and will be back as soon as I can. Thank You!!

David Smith

Our experience at Little Acorn Furniture exceeded every expectation we had. I found Alasdair online while looking for a furniture course to book for our honeymoon and despite living in London LAF stood out as the best and only option. After many long discussions with Alasdair we agreed on a three day course to make a three meter long bespoke dining table from one piece of chestnut. Alasdair was so enthusiastic and even though he knew the sheer amount of work involved he didn’t try to change our minds once. Exceptionally kindly Alasdair offered to give the course to us alone for our honeymoon and this made it even more special. LAF is nestled into an exceptionally beautiful part of the world, right in a valley in the Dartmoor National Park, utterly tranquil and charming. It was so lovely to spend time in the forest and really get a feel for how sustainable and authentic the experience of taking a tree and working it into a table can be. Alasdair and Simon were the perfect pair, they explained everything clearly and demonstrated techniques in an accessible way. What was really impressive was Alasdair’s approach, he really wanted US to make the table and wanted our hands to have made every single component, this made the experience for us. We had wanted to include some ambitious elements and although it was challenging Alasdair was entirely supportive and ensured we got the finish and details we had envisaged. After three days we had a dining room table big enough to seat ten people comfortably made from two pieces of wood, one chestnut slab and one log of cherry. We wanted to create something bespoke and sustainable so the fact we had minimal to no waste was really special. Alasdair and Simon have helped us to create something we can keep and use forever, we are so thankful. There is no way we could have had a more rewarding or enjoyable honeymoon. Please support this wonderful business, you will not be disappointed.

Kirsty Pritchard

Absolutely wonderful experience! I haven't had so much fun in a long time. Alastair and his crew are helpful, knowledgeable, kind and funny. They helped us make 2 beautiful tables, well outside our previous skills and knowledge. They adapted to our planned projects and were just amazing. The course is set in a fabulous place. The skills I've learned I want to use going forward and we will return for more! Thank you Alastair!

Sarah Grimwood