What skills are near you?

[Hawkeye The Noo]

This was inspired by the post what is your speciality but is a slant on that idea, therefore I thought it merited a new post.

My speciality may be tracking but i have had to travel and pay lots to get access to that. The question could also be what skills do you have access to yourself locally that you have not yet taken advantage of???

For me it is green woodworking. There is a specialist in Mid Argyll, two and a half yours from Glasgow. I know nothing in this area but will look into it.

What local skills have you overlooked, that are not your main interest but could improve your overall skills?

ps anyone interested in greenwood working close to me in Dunoon can pm me and we could get together sometime.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[MagiKelly]

Apparently there is someone near me, in Dunoon, who is skilled in tracking

Since the meet ups I have realized all skills are locally available, all be it often from members rather than companies. Patrick in close by and I really should go on one of his courses.

The funny thing is that since the meets ups the only thing I could think of that I do not have a local contact for was tracking. Everything else would be covered by someone that attended and who I now know on a personal basis.

 

[Toddy]

Off the top of my head, well while drinking a cup of coffee and watching the snow falling (again!) .....

Argyll Greenwood workers are a good bunch. I work with Sid Wright from Taynuilt and Ian at Countryside Ranger events quite frequently.
If you can get up to Crookston there's another woodturning group there, Joe Kilmartin runs Bullwood woodturners and will quite happily talk about greenwood stuffs too.
PatrickM is organising new courses for this year and I believe there are a couple of useful craft based ones, I know he mentioned fishing, barkworking and cordages among others.
Geoff Forest organises willow working days, makes Geodeisic domes, etc., Lisa Bech teaches basketry, as does Julie Girr on Arran.
Galgael Trust do a range of traditional crafts from boatbuilding to woodcarving.
Ben (wildeep) at Tighnabruaich is really well informed about fungi and he's quite nearby for you too.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[pierre girard]

For me it is green woodworking. There is a specialist in Mid Argyll, two and a half yours from Glasgow. I know nothing in this area but will look into it.

Cheers

Jamie

Is this like treenware (making bowls, pitchers, cups from wood)?

PG

 

[Toddy]

This and making furniture too. Sometimes called Bodging, it is actually highly skilled work. The timber is worked green rather than seasoned as it usually is for treen, though.

I have a lot of friends within the pole lathe turners, one of them went to the Bodger's Ball for the first time and came home having coined a new phrase for a collection of working pole lathes....he called it an "Amazement" of polelathes
Eric_Methven does a fair amount of this type of work too.
Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Woods Wanderer]

trapping and tracking definetly maybe mushrooms
i enjoy hunting with my caterpult and makeing cordage im lucky if i can get anything though with the caterpult anyone else out there who uses a caterpult (if you have a young kid give them a caterpult and they will get quite good at it)

 

[pierre girard]

This and making furniture too. Sometimes called Bodging, it is actually highly skilled work. The timber is worked green rather than seasoned as it usually is for treen, though.

I have a lot of friends within the pole lathe turners, one of them went to the Bodger's Ball for the first time and came home having coined a new phrase for a collection of working pole lathes....he called it an "Amazement" of polelathes
Eric_Methven does a fair amount of this type of work too.
Cheers,
Toddy

I've done some of that. I've heard it called "twig" furniture. I recently made a headboard and foot board for a bed. All the pieces were cedar and had burls. Made for an interesting look.

PG