Education

I don't remember everything I did in school sloyd more than 40 years ago. I know I made a towel rack with a curtain hanging from a rod between two roughly sawn sides, with a plate on top that held it together. I think I was very proud of it, but as far as I remember it was never hung up in my childhood home. I understand my parents; it probably had no great artistic qualities, so it was probably shuffled to the back of a wardrobe for a while, and then disappeared when I had forgotten about it. My memories tell me I liked metal sloyd most; I thought it was fun to bend, hammer out shapes and then put the things in the little oven and get out things with lovely colours. I still have a small candlestick, which usually comes out at Christmas. I think I made it, but it could just as well be one of my siblings'.. When I got into my early teens sloyd was forgotten; instead it was computers all the way. It surely took 20 years before I started thinking about making things in wood/metal again. And a good 10 years ago I felt I wanted to make things and I began reading books, magazines, watching the, for that time, not so many YouTube films that existed. I came into contact with rubank.se, bought my first quality tools and a whole pile of machines that I fixed up. A few smaller things for the house got made, but not at all to the extent I had imagined. In 2017 I started working at Rubank Verktygs and about the first weekend we travelled to England to go to the European Woodworking Show. I thought it was absolutely incredible to walk around among the exhibitors, to see what fantastic makers there were, in an utterly incredible setting.

Unfortunately there were no more European Woodworking Shows; it got too big and took too much time for Classic Hand Tools, who organised it. In 2019 a new attempt was made at gathering makers in a slightly different format. There was a week of workshops, finishing with a small show where there were also profiles who got to talk about different subjects. We were there all week and did one of the workshops, where we learned to make a Bad Axe saw. It was as if the 40-years-younger me once again stood in a sloyd room and got to do wood and metal sloyd, and I enjoyed every second. Mark Harrell, who founded Bad Axe Saw, was the teacher, and he is an excellent educator, funny, eloquent, thorough and knowledgeable. I first met him at the European Woodworking Show in 2017, when he gave a brilliant talk about Henry Disston.

The idea was that this week would be a recurring event, but just a few months later Covid-19 struck and dashed all thoughts of a new week for years ahead. But this year they are running it again, and we hope it can become regular this time. This year too there are workshops during the week and it ends with a small show. We will be there during the week again; this time we will learn to build a tool chest. Mark Harrell is back as well, and this time those who attend his course get to make a Bad Axe Improved #9 Tenon Saw 14” (35.5 cm) Precision Carcase Saw, in addition to learning to restore older saws. There are places left on the saw course; it is not cheap, but if you have the slightest wish to relive the feeling from your time in the sloyd room at school, this is a way to do it. Check out their page, https://londoniwf.co.uk and order a ticket, and we will see you there.

We can meet earlier if you like; this Saturday we have the first Saturday opening of the autumn. We have two rolling campaigns on Saturday: a stock clearance on Trend, up to 50% off on certain products. We need more space in our small shop for things that arrive during the autumn. The other campaign is together with Easy Wood Turning Tools: 20% off their turning tools. We also run the campaign on the turning tools from Narex, Henry Taylor and Black Line tools. That campaign starts on Friday 23 August and runs until Sunday 1 September. We are there between 10-14 on Saturday.

We got an email a few weeks ago from two of our customers, Lars and Erik Nyberg (https://www.instagram.com/snickar_nyberg.o.son/). They had received a test can from Samson Kamnik and were very pleased with the result. We only got one of this particular can, so it is not available to buy yet, but we have many other products from them at home. We think it is great fun to hear from you if you are happy with our products, but even if you feel a little dissatisfied we want to hear it. Next week the two latest Lost Art Press books, American Peasant and Set & File: A Practical Guide to Saw Sharpening, will finally arrive. The latter was meant to come in mid-June, but Lost Art Press sold out of the first edition so fast that we never got any. But now enough is coming to be enough for everyone who wants to learn how to take care of their saw and doesn't have the chance to go on the course above.

We are also getting a delivery from Kreg. We are restocking their router lift and a few other products that have been out of stock. We are working in the background on making it easier to find your way among all our products, and we have made a new category for routing. Here you find everything you need for routing. routing We release all the new products at the end of the week and should be able to deliver next week. We have also been told that JessEm is working on our next delivery. It will contain router motors and their new measuring products. PEC is also working on a delivery, where we will get their combination squares, both large and small. These should arrive during September. We are also getting the last two sizes of Narex's new lock mortise chisels in the Richter style this week. We have full shelves among the chisels.

We have also got in the framing chisels in 1 1/2 inch and 2 inch. Henry Taylor chisels and framing chisels Back to education: I am so proud of what my son has made in sloyd; here nothing is hidden in wardrobes, the things are used or stand out so you can see them. More sloyd for the people!