Sloydcast

Join us for a lovely chat with the savvy sloyder, Fred Livesay. We learn about his journey through the realms of handcraft starting from the ripe young age of 7, and the decades of exploration and experience he's embarked on since. We chat about the deep influence of Scandinavian wood working tradition in his work, the philosophy of handcraft and handmade utilitarian objects, immigrant culture and mindsets regarding materials, and some of the finer points of what it means to be a craftsperson beyond the realms of social media and internet algorithms. We also get some history on the beginning of folk schools and the history of North House Folk School. It's a sneak peek into Fred's mind, with heaps of subtle wisdom from a skilled craftsman who has spent most of his life immersed in the realms of working wood by hand.

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FOLLOW FRED

https://www.instagram.com/hand2mouthcrafts/

Mentions from the episode:

Frederick Grundvig and the beginning of folk schools

Danebod Folk School

Video about Danebod Folk School

Vesterheim

Tensegrity

Oak: The Frame of Civilization

Martin Hazell on St. Peter Damian

Mike Loeffler

Fred's class at Vesterheim later this summer: Unraveling the Knot Basket: Investigating the Scandinavian Knutkorg

Join us fo this information packed chat with the maestro of metal, Reid Schwartz. We learn about his journey from art school to cabinet shop and his passion for metal working that was sparked early on, the video of a Russian ladle carver that blew his mind, his experience learning to make birch bark canoes, and the slew of friends, figures, and mentors who inspired him along the way. Reid is a fantastic storyteller and shares insights into what drives him and his approach to tool making and craft, plus we get a bit more technical at the end for those wishing to take a deeper plunge.

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FOLLOW REID

https://www.reidschwartz.net/

https://www.instagram.com/reidschwartz/

Mentions from the episode:

Tim Manney

César's Canoe

Wood Tools

Jean-José Tritz

Tool Making for Woodworkers

Join us for a lovely chat with the Godfather of Green Woodworking in the UK, none other than Mike Abbott. We hear about Mike's journey to the craft starting in the early 1980's and the long winding road that led him to establishing Living Woods Training in 1985. He shares countless stories of all the folks he has met along the way, inspiring, guiding, and encouraging him to forge ahead preserving and passing on dying skills and traditions. It's a recount of 30+ years building a green woodworking movement, teaching hundreds of students , and establishing a far flung legacy. We really enjoyed our chat with Mike and are excited to capture and share his story. Enjoy!

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FOLLOW MIKE

https://goingwiththegrain.org/ 

Youtube

and now, Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/abbottslivingwood/

Mentions from the episode:

Tamsin Abbott

Nick Gibbs

Quercus Magazine

Woodland Crafts in Britain by Herbert Edlin

St Fagans National Museum of History

Traditional Spooncarving in Wales by Gwyndaf Breese

Welsh Stick Chairs by John Brown

Drew Langsner

Jack Hill

Dave Sawyer

Stuart King

Don Weber

Jennie Alexander

Mike Abbott’s transhumance

Veritas Tapered Tenon Cutter

The Lumber Horse

Daniel Mack

Owen Jones

Nick Abbott

Join us for this in-depth conversation with bowl turner, spoon carver, and all-around crafty fellow, Owen Thomas. He shares his journey from commercial woodworker to sloyd craftsman over the past decade—we learn about the initial exposure that sparked his interest, his time learning from Mike Abbott, apprenticing with Barn the Spoon, and creating a livelihood as a green woodworker. We got into his unique approach to spoon carving, his passion for the pole lathe, and his venture into increasing his production of turned objects using a Japanese-style electric lathe. This chat covers a lot of ground and gives you insight into Owen's passion for his craft. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

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FOLLOW OWEN

https://www.owenthomaswoodcraft.com/

https://www.instagram.com/owenthomaswoodcraft/

https://www.youtube.com/owenthomaswoodcraft

Mentions from the episode:

Mike Abbott

Ben Orford

Robin Wood

Barn the Spoon

Enjoy this chat with the inimitable Yoav Elkayam. He shares the story of his journey into green woodworking and pole lathe turning and all of the places, experiences, and people that helped him along the way. We get into some of the nitty gritty of making a living as a craftsperson in the modern age, the challenges and benefits of social media, his life at Brookhouse Woods—where he, his partner, and daughter live in an off-grid cabin—and a whole slue of tangential subjects. We also delve into some of the details of end grain pole lathe turning, tools of the trade, pole lathe hook making, wood finishes, and so on. It was a real treat to get this chance to speak with Yoav and for him to share so much!

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FOLLOW YOAV

https://www.instagram.com/yoav.kafets/

https://yoavkafets.bigcartel.com/products

Mentions from the episode:

Brookhouse Woods

Spoonfest

Mike Abbott

Robin Wood

Jane Mickelborough

Sharif Adams

Adam Hawker

We are excited to share this conversation with the godfather of sloyd, Jögge Sundqvist. We learn about his upbringing with his father, the rightfully celebrated Willie Sundqvist, his journey from rockstar to sloyd master, how his alter ego Surolle came to life, the ethnology of the term sloyd and it’s ancient colloquial roots, what his life is like as a professional craftsman, and much more! It was a joy and honor to have this time to chat with him and we hope you all enjoy it!

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FOLLOW JÖGGE

www.surolle.se

https://www.instagram.com/surolle/

Jögge and Willie's Books

Slöjd in Wood

Swedish Carving Techniques

Mentions from the episode:

Documentary about Willie Sundqvist: The Spoon, The Bowl, The Knife

Wille Sundqvist and Bill Coperthwaite Slöjd  Fellowship

Beth Moen 

Magnus Sundelin

Björn Svantesson

Anja Sundberg

Enjoy this chat with green woodworker extraordinaire Jarrod Dahl. We talk about his journey into green woodworking, how he helped propel spoon carving with his Scandinavian influence, pioneered pole lathe turning in the US, his foray in Japanese traditional wood turning techniques and how his philosophy and trajectory have changed over the years. It's a snippet of the breadth of Jarrod's experience and wisdom, with lots of details for all skill levels. We'll definitely be having Jarrod back in the future to discuss all that we didn't have time to get into with this episode!

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FOLLOW JARROD

www.instagram.com/jarrod__dahl

www.instagram.com/woodspirithandcraft

www.woodspirithandcraft.com

Youtube

Mentions from the episode:

Tom Dengler

Fred Livesay

Milan Spoon Gathering

Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture

Tomio Imaru

Jarrod's Japanese Lathe: here and here

Videos about urushi laquer: one, two, three

Jarrod's Japan Travels:

Japan! The Three Week Craft Adventure

Urushi Lacquer

Japan - Gifu and Urushi

Japan - Kobe and Miki City

Japan - Kyoto and Takayama

VALUE FOR VALUE

If you enjoy Sloydcast, please show us some love by subscribing  wherever you listen to podcasts, share the show, and leave a rating and  review on your favorite podcast app. Every bit helps spread the word and  the sloyd!

Join us for this month’s episode where we chat with the one and only, Barn The Spoon. This was a lovely chat where we covered a lot of ground and got to know a lot more about Barn’s journey as a greenwood worker and spoon carver. From his first taste of wood working with a lathe in his parent’s garage, to walking around and carving spoons as a traveling spoon peddler, to his infamous London spoon shop, and much more. We get to hear about Barn’s philosophy, what inspires him and fuels his passion for his work. Many know and love Barn, and we truly enjoyed having some time to get to know him and share it with you all.

www.sloydcast.com

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FOLLOW BARN

Instagram

www.barnthespoon.com

Green Wood Guild

Spoon Club

Mentions from this episode:

Tim Sanderson

Tom Hepworth

Ben Law’s handmade home

River Cottage

Mike Abbott

Say it with Wood

Grain and Knot

Adrian Lloyd

Anna Casserly

Adam Hawker

Sams Spoons

Nic Westermann

VALUE FOR VALUE

If you enjoy Sloydcast, please show us some love by subscribing  wherever you listen to podcasts, share the show, and leave a rating and  review on your favorite podcast app. Every bit helps spread the word and  the sloyd!

Enjoy this chat with spoon carver, pole lathe turner and all around crafty woman, Amy Leake. You may know her as Woodmungler on facebook and Instragram, and we learn why that is. We also learn about her path to green woodworking, what inspires her, and about the techniques she uses to make her wares. Not to mention, we learn what mudlarking is, what a brooch is, and get context for what it's like to be a green woodworking who lives in a seaside English village. She is humble and gracious with her knowledge which makes for an enjoyable conversation.

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FOLLOW AMY

Instagram

www.woodmungler.co.uk 

Amy on the cover of Spoonesaurus magazine: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-W8Y82DC5L/ 

Mentions from the episode:

Algirdo Juškevičiaus—comb maker and green woodworker in Lithuania: Algirdo amatai

Fritiof Runhall

Ted Sandling

London Mudlark

VALUE FOR VALUE

If you enjoy Sloydcast, please show us some love by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts, share the show, and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. Every bit helps spread the word and the sloyd! 

We have a lovely chat with blacksmith, toolmaker and pole lathe turner Matty Whittaker. We dive deep into the lifestyle of a small-holder in rural England, Matty's long journey into the world of green woodworking, managing a woodland, and the philosophy that fuels him. We also touch on the more technical, getting a peek into Matty's tool making process and work space. Overall, a lovely chat!

www.sloydcast.com

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Follow Matty on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/matty.whittaker

Matty's Toolmaking Video:

Forging a bowl lathe hook for nesting bowls

VALUE FOR VALUE

If you enjoy Sloydcast, please show us some love by subscribing  wherever you listen to podcasts, share the show, and leave a rating and  review on your favorite podcast app. Every bit helps spread the word and  the sloyd!