Full-Day Green Woodworking Experience at the Haddenham Arts Centre - May 2026

The weather was just perfect for today's green woodworking experience taught by Simon at the Haddenham Arts Centre.

We set up in the gardens with gazebos for shade, and each student enjoyed embracing the craft of green woodworking and learning techniques for using an axe and axe block, a draw knife and shave horse (this is definitely my favourite piece of equipment - so therapeutic to sit there and peel away curly shavings of wood!), and the pole lathe and gouges to create something from a log of green wood without the use of power tools.

After their welcome teas, coffees & biscuits in the tearoom, Simon started the session with an introduction and explanation about Blended Monkey and what we do. He then went on to demonstrate each of the stations, and gave the necessary health & safety tips associated with each tool.

Everyone got the opportunity to practice at each of the stations in the morning. After lunch, the afternoon was spent with everyone making something of their choice using the three disciplines of roughing down with an axe, getting the wood more rounded using the draw knife and then either completing their project on the shave horse or adding refinements (beads and coves) at the pole lathe.

We had a real mix of work including a spatula, incense holder, canoe, candle holder, mushroom and garden dibbers!

We're pleased everyone enjoyed their beginner's green woodworking experience.

If you missed the chance to book on today's workshop, here are the dates for our next green woodworking & spoon carving experiences in our Blended Monkey Studios & at other venues - and we can also provide private small-group green woodworking and spoon carving experiences:

Relaxing Spoon Carving - Full Day - Saturday 4 July - Haddenham Arts Centre INFO & BOOK

Green Woodworking & Pole Lathe - Full Day - Saturday 25 July - Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey in Waterbeach

INFO & BOOK

Green Woodworking & Pole Lathe - Full Day - Saturday 15 August - Blended Monkey Studios INFO & BOOK

Spoon/Spatula Carving - Half Day - Saturday 29 August - Blended Monkey Studios

INFO & BOOK

Spoon Carving - Salad Servers - Full Day - Sunday 27 September - Farmland Museum INFO & BOOK

For more info about all our other wonderful guest tutor group workshops, visit our website https://www.blendedmonkey.co.uk/category/group-workshops

Our experiences make ideal CRAFTY GIFTs and we can post or email you a complimentary personalised voucher if you'd like to make any of our experiences a present for somebody.

Selection of pieces turned on the pole lathe

Happy group at the end of the day

Blended Mnnkey sign out at our green woodworking workshop

Simon standing by the pole lathe just before the workshop starts

Axe and piece of wood on the axe block

Simon showing a student how to use the pole lathe

Group enjoying the different equipment stations

Student having fun using the draw knife

Getting to grips with the draw knives

Simon teaching a student how to use the axe properly

Students enjoying the pole lathes

Simon giving pole lathe instructions to the group

Simon showing the group how to use the draw knife

The shave horse with two types of draw knife

Students uses axes to get a general shape

Piece of wood mounted on the pole lathe

Axe resting on the axe block

Lovely curly shavings dropping on the floor

Student using the draw knife to shape his spatula

Student enjoying the fine cuts you can achieve with the smaller draw knife

Student using the larger draw knife

Simon giving pole lathe instruction

Happy friends sitting on their shave horses

Using the smaller draw knife to make finer cuts

Willow tree

Willow tree

Student enjoying the relaxing to and fro of the pole lathe

Using the pole lathe to refine the shape

Simon giving pole lathe instruction

Students using the axes to get the initial shape for their wood

Making the wood more round on the shave horse

Simon providing pole lathe instruction

Students using the axes and axe blocks

A great day of green woodworking

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https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d73c11_2beb31b296414486abc9e4b3899057cf/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Happy Green Woodworkers!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d73c11_33e1dfdde4824cf6b4210cd4606607b8/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

On the Pole Lathe

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d73c11_35ad268ec3d9460295110cd69b75294d/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Green Woodworkers Enjoying the Day

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d73c11_ff90c2d986fb479c8759f538b94f24ee/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

WELL DONE!

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