November 2001 Woodworker of the Month

WOODWORKER OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER 2001
Tim Wade of Llanafan Fawr, Wales

What do bodging, Sir Winston Churchill, charcoal making, Prince Charles, the Red Lion Inn,
Treens, Pukapupka Island, green woodworking, and pole lathes have in common?
They're all part of the life of our November Woodworker of the Month - Tim Wade!

The faces, hats and personas of Tim Wade are many. He's a bodger, a coracle builder, a pole lathe turner, basket weaver, woodcarver, woodworking Treen maker, teacher, a painter, a green woodworker, charcoal maker, photo journalist, owner of 38 acres of conifer woodland, timber sawyer, forester, whittler, world traveler and developer of business enterprises for underdeveloped countries. Each year of Tim's life has brought a new project or skill, and he has plans for his next years, such as writing a book of woodland crafts, visiting more forests he hasn't seen yet, filming older craftsmen to preserve their skills for upcoming generations and building a Scandanavian style wood home.
Because of Tim's many accomplishments and interests, we have pasted many more articles about him and his projects throughout the site. You will find links to those pages throughout this page and other pages which were necessary because of the wealth of material about Tim.

Tim deserves the honor of most unusual workshop we have featured to date. It's located in the former Church Hall of Llanafan Fawr in Wales. To the right you can see the charm of the entryway to his shop and just below is a view of the interior showing one of his many talents, that of being a bodger. No, a bodger isn't some sort of wierd little animal, and the little guy on the right is really Tim's trusty sidekick Ben. A bodger is quite simply a chairmaker. For step by step instructions to make a Welsh Stick Back Chair, read the guide written by Tim and posted on our Special Project How To's page.

Home for Tim is a 400 year old cottage that he has rebuilt. His humorous explanation of the amenities tells us what a monumental job the restoration was. "The lavatory was nothing more than a hole in the garden. I rigged up a watering can at the back of the house for a bathroom. I used to sneak out in the nude, early in the morning, for my shower until a neighbor spotted me. She took pity and afterwards I was invited to use their bathroom." It is now a part stone, part timber picturesque cottage at the base of the mountains. The walls of Tim's cottage are insulated with sheeps wool and clad with elm boards and according to Tim quiet and comfortable.
On the left are a couple of views from Tim's cottage. The serenity of the environment is apparent.

A bodger makes furniture using traditional methods, working out of doors, using a pole lathe like the one you see to the right. Pole lathes work from a piece of cord connecting a treadle to a long springy pole. The cord is wrapped around the wood twice and then centered on the lathe. Cutting happens on the downward stroke of the treadle as the work spins toward the turner. Release of the treadle spins the wood backwards and the chisel is withdrawn. Tim prefers this method because he can work anywhere.

For more about Tim and his projects go to the Next Page.

GO TO TIM WADE PAGE 2

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