Wednesday 13 November 2013

A busy couple of days making tops, brooches, shawl pins, snow men and icicles. I have craft fairs and markets most weekends between now and Christmas, sometimes two a weekend and also stuff gone in to the new shop plus the Salisbury German Market coming up so need to have more than usual stock. Hopefully I won't have much left over after the hoped for Christmas rush. I'll try and get some images up later today.

Sunday 10 November 2013

Popped into the new shop in Devizes (Kooky Ko) after the craft fair yesterday,. Sounds as if it went well, plenty of people popping in and some pieces sold. Need to get some more of the cheaper end of stock in their like the snowmen and brooches. Hope it goes well for them. Plenty of hard work gone into it, both looked really tired.
Trying to encourage people to vote for me in the Intuit offer. If I can get the money then I can upgrade my air filtering and renew some pretty worn out tools. As I want to extend my teaching I really do need to sort the filtering out and get some decent tools fo students to use. If anyone is reading this please go to the page and vote for me, no cost, log in or strings just simply vote. You can vote once a day and it is running until the 11th of December.

Thank you,
Pete

Friday 8 November 2013

Put some of my pieces in the new shop in Devizes this morning. Back in this afternoon with a couple more and some labels. Hope it goes well for them as well as me. Well see.
Some of the things I have put into the shop







Good morning world. Just about to take some work to the new craft shop opening in Devizes 'Kooky Ko' Think I've got the name right LOL. It's opening on Saturday and is aimed at having quality handcrafted work in it. Catch you later with some photos if I can

Thursday 7 November 2013

Oh dear

I have just been picked up on Face Book about this blog, I hadn't realised that it was actually as long ago as March that I last did anything on it. I am wracking my brain for a decent excuse but failing to think of one.
OK let's start again and see how it goes this time.

I am in the process of getting my stock built up as I have a gallery to stock, craft fairs and shows most weekends between now and Christmas and (hopefully) orders that will come in on the shop (www.bodrighy.co.uk). I have just made some little chap items for the fairs, Salisbury German Market and the gallery. Cheap and cheerful perhaps but still hand crafted and made from ecologically sourced wood. Here are some of them



I will try and keep up with this now. Fingers crossed. 


Thursday 21 March 2013

I was commissioned to make a pair of vase pedestals for a Georgian table in walnut. They provided the blanks. 9" square and 3' long, heavy and a sod to get centred on the lathe single handed. The finished pedestal is 600mm long and 320mm wide at the widest point. Goblets are much easier LOL. It's left bare as they will need to stain / polish to match the table top.


One more to finish. Had to do a work around as the laminated blank had some splits in it hidden inside the laminations but fortunately (glue allowing) I was able to cut the splits out and glue the wood back. The join will be hidden by a bead.

Thursday 14 March 2013

Good afternoon world. It is a beautiful sunny day albeit cold. Another misguided sign of spring?  A couple of days ago we had this visitor in the garden, we hear him a lot but only see him in the winter when he comes to the same spot to have a peck around. Possibly after ants.

Had to take the picture through the window as he is very wary and is off at the slightest movement.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Oops, so much for keeping the blog going regularly. Tried hard to think of an excuse for not writing for a fortnight and can't think of one. We have been looking at alternative events to craft fairs and so far have booked a couple of country fairs, a dog show and a folk festival. Nothing like variety LOL. Going to go and have a look at a balloon festival in Bristol and an alternative life three day event later in the year and if they seem worth it book them for next year. Also got asked to make a pair of pedestals fro a Georgian style dining table with the possible ongoing connection with the customer, a bespoke furniture company. If it all works out it would be ideal. Hopefully this year we will get things moving and the business will start to grow. Hardest part isn't making things it's getting them noticed and selling them. Self promotion is not exactly my strong point LOL.
Have also made a few different things and will leave those until tomorrow to post. Now let's see if I am any good at self hypnosis............. I MUST BLOG DAILY, I MUST BLOG DAILY, I MUST BLOG DAILY, I MUST BLOG DAILY, I MUST BLOG DAILY, I MUST BLOG DAILY, I MUST BLOG DAILY, I MUST BLOG DAILY,..............................

Wednesday 27 February 2013



I got my hands on a pile of oak in various shapes and sizes. Amongst it were two waney edged planks about 4' long and only 10mm thick. Not being one to throw out wood if I can help it I cut one up into rough squares and turned these two trenchers. Flat bottomed shallow bowl. I cleaned the base up using a ring with short screws then reversed to do the bowl using a glue chuck so that I didn't lose any of the wood with a recess or spigot. They are obviously varied in size but both are roughly 14" across the diagonals.

Some more of the Japanese style hair sticks.  These are attracting a fair bit of attention let's hope they sell as well. I will be at Marlborough Market this Sunday and from them on it will be held on the first and third Sunday of each month. Have to decide whether to have the same things at each one or to vary what I have on the stall. Marketing and selling is so much more difficult than making.

Wednesday 20 February 2013


These are hairsticks in the Japanese style with decorations in copper beads, artisan lampwork, semi precious stones and pearls. The wood is either oak or walnut. They are either 6 or 9" long and are all destined for a shop. I have a market in a week or so and will need to make a load more along with some plainer ones  so if anyone would like one contact me (bodrighywood@bodrighy.co.uk) and I will get back to you with the new selection.

Saturday 16 February 2013

Someone on a forum was complaining about the leylandii he had to chop down, wish I lived closer, this is an example of something I made sometime ago from the 'orribe tree'

Friday 15 February 2013

I make quite a few different crafting tools for people, mainly in the fabric crafts such as spinning, knitting, braid work, that sort of thing. I still get asked to make something that i have to research and these were one of those things. Bulgarian spindles. Support spindles for spinning yarn. These are made from holly and walnut and are 10" long.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Good morning world. I have an ex soldier coming in today and tomorrow for some tuition. Referred by help for Heroes. He is interested in going into the furniture industry and is going to have a go at woodturning as it is something that he will at least need to have an understanding of. I enjoy teaching turning so looking forward to the day. Apparently he has done a little spindle turning before so may be able t o do some face work with him and get a little bowl done.

Monday 11 February 2013

 Decisions decision. had an invite to a fairly prestigious fair locvally at a statley home. It would reach the sort of client base that would eb ideal for my work. Cost of the pitch is more than we normally do though. Have a couple of weeks to make our mind up.
In the meantime added most of my stock to my shop. 
These are the last thing to g int. It's a pair of 12 inch candlesticks made of oak. The wood has been textured with a high speed wire brush  which brings out the grain by removing the softer wood in it. It was them ebonised and lime waxed giving it an almost blue effect. You can spend a lot of money on specialised tools for texturing but sometimes you can get wonderful effects quite simply by using things that you have around the workshop.





Friday 8 February 2013

Sometimes I get inquiries from people who see something on my website or Facebook page which makes them think of somethng they need or want that is different. One such commission recently was where a lady saw that I did darning mushrooms and asked if I could make her something similar. She uses metal clay and needed something that she could lay it out on to dry. It was basically like a darning mushroom but had a shrot base instead of a handle and was much wider. This was what I came up with and she was happy with it.

I have somehow seemed to gravitate towards designing and making  different styles and designs of goblets and chalices. There are so many ways of adapting them. I try and make most so they are usable. This one has had the stem turned on three different axis and is made of old puine. It is coated for use as are most and stands approx. 6" tall.

Thursday 7 February 2013

Good morning world. Been a very busy few days getting hold of a load of oak and blanking some of itup and rebuilding my stock. Suddenly realised at the last market on Sunday that I had pretty much run out of plai bowls. Did a few more though couldn't resist adding a bit of texture to them LOL
.
 
Top is 11" and maple, Left is Maple and 8"" and right is walnut, 7"

The multi tool I made to commission was well received, always a bit nervous when doing things like that via an online sale. Will the customer be happy? Fortunately they were. 
It is made from purple heart and is a niddy noddy / nostepinne / drop spindle / WPI gauge all in one.

Friday 1 February 2013

Been absent for a few days, been making some things for a market on Sunday. Aiming for the Valentines Day gifts. Hope people are feeling romantic. We aim to have a lovely romantic display on our table complete with hearts, champagne roses etc. Let's hope it makes people feel romantic. Three love goblets with captive rings, Keyring packs with label and three table centres, better with sweets in bowl and roses in vase.









Saturday 26 January 2013

Right. Lunch time but making up a load of light pull blanks ready toshape. Will have a bout 40 ready to go. Walnut, oak, ash and maple. Must try and so some a nit different and unusual. Post some when finished.

Friday 25 January 2013



Last couple of days I have been building up stock of hair sticks and shawl pins. These are some of them. Hardest part was getting the darn things up into my shop Seems to take forever tagging, labelling etc etc etc Really need to make lots of money so I can employ someone to do the boring things while I can enjoy myself in the workshop making things LOL. Ah well we can all dream can't we

Tuesday 22 January 2013

These are a collaboration: I made the sticks and my partner added the beads. 
First one is walnut with a faceted fluorite bead, second is ebonised oak with an artisan lampwork bead and third is walnut with a copper bead. 
Don't half sound posh put like that dunnit LOL 




Monday 21 January 2013

And a few more done this afternoon. One shawl pin sold and possibly a hair pin. The rings are laburnum with an ash and a tulipwood pin. The hair sticks are two beech and a walnut one.


Something a bit different, for me at least. Asking what would be good to make and (hopefully) popular it was suggested that I make shawl pins and hair sticks. These are my first attempts at them. The sticks and the circular parts of the shawl pins are made from walnut, the pins for the shawl pins are oak. Have some ideas for more fancy hairsticks ala japanese style, watch this space.


Saturday 19 January 2013

Been busy getting some photos together and up into my Artfire shop today. Several pieces I have done recently that needed to go up. Will also need to raid all my stockand see what else as  have got way behind and expecting people to buy things that aren't in the sjhop is perhaps a little silly LOL.
These are table centres for weddings or dinner parties. I got glass vases in the centre so that cut flowers can be put into them. The dished areas around are filled with potential wedding favours. Finger tops and keyrings in this case but it could be whatever is required, sweets, confetti, nuts whatever. The first two are made from walnut and the third from an unknown wood I sourced from a gardener.



Friday 18 January 2013





Snow everywhere, really beautiful. Makes the world soft and quiet. My workshop is right next door so no problems getting to it. Glad I did the shopping yesterday as the roads are pretty much at a standstill especially up the hill. Doesn't take much to bring the country to a halt does it LOL