This two day traditional greenwood working Gate Making workshop, will take you through the steps and process of making your own cleft ash gate or hurdle.
Over this intensive 2 day course you’ll be shown how to cleave round wood ash poles, the use of a shave horse and draw knife to shape and peel you round wood, making out you mortise and tenon joints and cutting them out using a traditional brace and bit set and them assembling your gate or hurdle. The traditional art of cleaving timber enables you to split in half certain types of indigenous hard woods. Which as well as making a bespoke item, it also increases the strength of the wood you are using by 50% compared to saw wood. This is achieved as you are cleaving the wood with the grain, rather than sawing through the wood grain and fibbers.
We will be working outside under cover, so suitable clothes and foot wear should be worn.
By the end of the weekend you’ll be taking home a unique and finished usable gate.
Please bring measurements if a specific size is required.
Fee: £110 waged / £90 unwaged or low waged / per person (plus £10 for materials payable on the day).
There are many other courses run by Denmark Farm Conservation Centre including: Hedgelaying, Roundwood Timber Framing, Timber Steps Construction and Make your Own Pole Lathe all in 2016.