Sharif Adams Wood Craftsman

Some lovely words from craftsman Sean Hearn on receiving a bowl and mandrel he bought from me ages ago but which only just arrived. Thanks Sean - I hope they both serve you well! 🙏

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I received a package in the mail today I’ve been anxiously awaiting for the past couple months. Royal Mail’s holdups affected more than a couple of the items I’ve been expecting but luckily they’ve all shown up.

Last year, Sharif Adams was kind enough to grant my request for a pole lathe mandrel and one of his gorgeous bowls. To my absolute delight, they showed up today and I have to admit- when you turn it over in your hands, it’s difficult to muster the right words. I just found myself saying “wow” a number of times while suitable english escaped me entirely.

I’ve got a whole mess of bowls and while I don’t turn them myself yet, I do notice the subtleties that set some apart from the others. Sharif has turned this beautiful Beech bowl nice and thin. It has the most elegant flowing curves and an undercut rim that I just love. There was very little movement in the wood while drying but if you look closely enough, you can see it with a keen pair of eyes. And let’s be honest, shall we? That spalting is just stunning with it’s bold barrier lines standing proud.

I’m extremely pleased with this one and plan to put it into my regular bowl rotation immediately. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Sharif Adams’ work, check out his Instagram . Such splendid handcraft should be admired by us all.

Having a sort through some tools today and realise I’ve not used this beauty for several years.

I bought this Hans Karlsson Adze around 2008. I carved half a dozen bowls with it then got more sucked in to the pole lathe and since then it’s been quietly waiting to see some action.

It’s very unlikely to be used much by me so I’m considering moving it on. Thing is I don’t know what it’s worth.

They’re no longer being made as far as I’m aware. It’s the 60mm version. It doesn’t have a sheath. I see they’re sold out on all the usual websites which sell greenwood tools.

Could anyone advise me how to price it for sale? I’ll then put it up on the greenwood exchange on FB or maybe on eBay.

It’s a thing of beauty - hand forged from Swedish Uddeholm steel Arne SS1672, a steel expertly formulated for toughness and for holding a long-lasting sharp edge.

It’s in really good condition, looks almost new and deserves to be used, and I’m trying to get better at not hoarding things just for the sake of it!

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

An auspicious autumn equinox find. Big ceps like this are often maggoty but these are all clean as a whistle.

Wishing you all an abundant autumn 🍂 🍄 🍂

Around a flurry of one to one courses recently I’ve made a few more locking lid boxes.

Of the four beech boxes, the two spalted ones were from the end of the log and the two darker beech boxes from further along the log where the spalting was barely apparent. Each box was a joy to make, with the swallows flitting in and out of my workshop to keep me company.

The box in the foreground is made from ash. It’s the first box I’ve ever turned from ash and this one got snapped up yesterday.

The others are up for grabs so if you’d like one please DM me.

The axe in this photo and in the second photo is my new favourite thing. It’s made by and is unlike any axe I’ve used before. I own about 17 axes, but this is in a different league to any of the others. It’s an absolute beauty, both in the hand and on the eye.

I used it for roughing out these box blanks and for shaping the handles on these boxes too, prior to the final refinement with a knife. For heavy work and fine work it is an absolute dream.

I’ll write more about this axe in another post as it deserves more than just this brief mention. But I couldn’t resist sharing a little something about it right now. Thanks Oscar - I love it!

I’ve am excited to have been asked to take part in an online seminar about an Old English Riddle. This is the beginning of an email I received from Dr J Neville, Royal Holloway University London, a few months back.

“Dear Sharif (if I may),

I'm an academic in an English Department (at Royal Holloway, University of London in Egham) working on Old English riddles. One of my texts is almost always solved as being about a Loom, but, having watched a wood lathe in use at Jarrow Hall a few years ago I'm now convinced that scholars have misidentified this object (and maybe the subject of another riddle, too). Given the average academic's ignorance about woodworking, much of which would have been obvious to people in the Early Middle Ages, I think that your knowledge, experience, and skill could lead to a better understanding of these texts.”

The riddle itself is quite mysterious but the first time I read it I felt quite confident that I knew what it was about. I hope I can help Dr J Neville come to a clearer conclusion but I know she is already quite certain too.

I’ve always loved riddles. If you do too, and especially if you are a pole lathe turner then please try to join the seminar. It’s free, you just need to go to the Eventbrite link in my bio to register. My one takes place on the 25th of May at 3pm BST. Please join the discussion too if you feel moved to do so as I’m sure I’d have missed a few things!

Riddles in Conversation: Seminar Series May 2022
The Exeter Book riddles are often enlisted to illustrate what we think we know about early medieval culture, but the truth is that they are better at asking questions than giving answers. In this seminar series, therefore, we put the Exeter Book riddles in conversation with different kinds of knowing. Exploring in turn poetic translation, visual art, ornithology, and woodcraft, these four conversations will bring new insights to our understanding of early medieval culture.

Having lost four weeks due to the lurgy I’m now playing catch up.

I’ll be teaching a locking lid box course at Brookhouse Woods in just over a week and the next day setting off for North Wales to teach a couple of pre fest bowl turning courses at this years Bodgers Ball.

I’ve just finished a batch of tools. Some for the box course, a few orders for people to collect at the Ball and a few spare sets which will be up for grabs over the weekend.

My prices for hook tools haven’t changed for about eight years. But after the Ball I will be putting up my prices so it’s probably a good idea to grab some there if you were thinking of getting some from me any time soon.

The second pic is me at the grinder, removing the burr from a freshly ground bevel with my trusty Gransfors axe file. The hat I’m wearing was handmade by the very talented . She spins the wool, dyes it naturally and then makes beautiful things with it. Check out her work if you haven’t already. I haven’t taken the hat off much this winter - I might have gone completely bald and wouldn’t know!

Really looking forward to seeing some of you soon.

So after two years Covid finally caught up with me and really made up for lost time. It went in to my lungs so breathing has been quite a struggle (to say the least) over the last three weeks while I’ve been laid up at home. Didn’t end up in hospital though, for which I’m very grateful. And now slowly starting to make a recovery at last and hoping I’ll be well enough for some teaching lined up at Brookhouse Woods at the start of May and from there the plan is to head straight on to the Bodgers Ball for some more teaching. Fingers crossed.

So it was a nice distraction to discover the other day that an article about my work had been published in magazine.
photography had spent a day in my workshop earlier this winter to take photos and has written the article for the magazine. I first met Suzy when she got in touch while she was creating the .artisan.trail a few years ago and we’ve kept in touch ever since. She came back to our cottage after the photo shoot and had lunch with me and Fern, so there’s even a photo of us serving up lunch at home in the magazine, which is a bit weird in some ways!

I hope you’ve all had a good winter and hope very much to see some of you at the Bodgers Ball in May 🤞🏻

Lots of beautiful handmade goodies and original artwork will be on sale tomorrow at our annual winter Artisan Fayre in Chagford, Dartmoor.

Looking forward to seeing those of you who can make it.

Out on a damson mission this morning with and our four legged friend.

While Fern and I picked the fruit off the trees, Maeve snuffled around and hoovered up the wind blown ones hiding in the bracken.

I’ve been out of action for a while with some sort of virus (not that one, according to the test). So was nice to be out and about today, enjoying the abundance of autumn on this beautiful land owned by a friend of ours. Thank you Autumn and thank you J for the invitation to wander and harvest.

Damson jam for gifts this winter and a nice crumble made by Fern after dinner tonight🙂

Liam’s bowl continued..

Liam’s bowl.

The only thing about the which could be better is if everyone could be here.

This year some of us attending decided to turn a bowl collectively for our Australian friend who was missed by all of us who know him. The bowl will be finished off by who will carve the letter L in the base.

This bowl will be entered in to the Bowl Gathering charity raffle later today which brings the gathering to a close.

I could list all the other dear friends who were not here this year and who were sorely missed. There are many. Suffice to say it’s never the same without old friends and you were all missed!

Liam - we all enjoyed turning this bowl for you and look forward to the day you’ll be here turning with us in person 💚

Five days. Good people. Traditional craft. Music. Sun, rain, fire, trees. Laughter. Old friends and new. Sharing, learning and simply being together on the land. This is the best medicine! 💚

Ebonised Oak locking lid box.

Unlike paint, the magical (to me) process of ebonising wood allows the natural grain patterns to still be seen. The swirls and flame-like patterns through the grain on the lid of this oak box are a great example of this.

Inspired by old Swedish craft.

Spalted beech, and oak (ebonised).

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First cep of the year.
Found growing under oak.
Teign valley, Dartmoor.
11th July ‘21

Chanterelles. Treasure hiding in the moss below beech trees..

Some more bowl lathe centres posted out around the world. One set will end up in Pakistan. I wonder what type of wood will spin between those centres out there?

The last few years I’ve noticed a steady increase in the number of orders I’ve had for these. A good indication that interest in pole lathe bowl turning continues to rise.

This is where it all begins.

The first step on a weird and wonderful journey of spinning wood, shavings in your shirt and several hundred wooden bowls. Eventually..

There are so many people who I feel deeply blessed to have met and privileged to call friends. People who epitomise all the qualities that I admire - things like humility, generosity, strength of spirit and integrity.

I’ve just had the pleasure of a few days in the good company of Matt Whittaker .whittaker, and as well as possessing all those qualities I admire he’s a hugely talented and capable craftsman, with an ability to conceive of new and novel designs.

Visit his Instagram page and check out his supperware boxes and you’ll understand what I mean. Based on the Indian Tiffin, they incorporate hollow form turning with leather work and green wood carved hinges and clasp, with leather seals to stop leakage. Absolutely beautiful, and functional at the same time.

Matt was awarded some funding by The Worshipful Company of Turners and he kindly put some of that funding towards some time with me.

We turned a couple of traditional Scandinavian boxes which you can see in these photos, discussed craft, tools, teaching and life and basically had a great time hanging out together.

Matt has a great way with words and has summed up his thoughts about the value of sharing craft skills in his Instagram post about his time here.

So rather than write anything else myself I’ll direct you to that post which is far more insightful and eloquent than anything I can manage. Make a nice cup of tea and head over to .whittaker - you’ll be very glad that you did.