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Heinrich bites back
Tuesday, 3rd August 2010 20:45 PM
I've not blogged for a few weeks, an indication of how busy I have been recently. Many evenings in the past couple of weeks have been spent writing a handout for the Veneering and Laminating course which I am running all this week. This handout is a bit of a magnum opus, about 23 pages long with over 50 illustrations.
The course is going well, the three course members are on target to finish the curved stool by the end of the week. Teaching a five day course is a different proposition to my usual weekend courses. Obviously more preparation is required, but it is also interesting to see how the group develops an esprit de corp from working through the problems of making the project. I would like to offer more 5 day courses but the workshop situation limits this, I have to fit them in when David, with whom I share a the workshop, is on holiday.
I am currently thinking of offering a "taster" weekend for people who think they may be interested in woodwork but want to try it out before they commit to the expense of buying tools and courses to learn how to use them. Watch this space for more news on this.
In a couple of weeks I will be running a five day beginners course when we will be making a side table, there is one place still available on this course. If you would like to take that place please contact me.
As you may know I am very attached to my Felder saw spindle moulder! In fact I am so attached to it that I call it Heinrich, I'm a sad git I know. However our relationship was rather strained the other day when Heinrich and I had an argument. I caught my little finger under the sliding table, resulting in my finger nail being pulled out by the root and the end of the finger being crushed.
As a result I came to experience the excellent minor injuries unit at Otley hospital. There the nurse inserted the bed of the nail back under the cuticle and patched it up with steri strips. I had the benefit of gas and air for this procedure, but it still felt like the Gestapo had got hold of me. I'm sure I would admit to anything under torture "Whatever you want I'll admit to it"! Of course after she'd finished the nurse told me "That's nothing compared to giving birth". I don't know about that, but it definately smarted.
The hospital at Otley is the sort of facility which is likely to be cut in the current mood of austerity. This would be a pity, the minor injuries unit is used a lot by a wide area of the dales to the north. I'm told that many people from Leeds like to go to it because they know they will get quicker service than at the Leeds A&E. Something that intrigues me is, will the public services that are being cut be restored when we come out of this period of austerity. I suspect not. Cutting many of these services also means that many areas of expertise and knowledge may be lost for good, in a similar way in which good things were lost during the Thatched cuts, the concept of apprenticeships for instance.
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Heinrich bites back
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Mitring the stringing of on the stool
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Design of side table for Beginners Five Day course
Comments…Add yours
Posted by Jon on 04/08/10
ooooh that looks nasty, lucky you never lost your pinky!
Posted by ROSS BENNETT on 05/08/10
Chris. Have you thought about the advantages of an injury like that. Just think, in 100 years time ,theres a pretty good chance that your furniture will be knocking around and judging by the bite that heinrich's given you, it'll be pretty easy to identify using the DNA process-perhaps not! Gutted for you, hope you make a good recovery. Keep up the good work. (Bring back Startrite-all is forgiven!)
Posted by Howard on 02/09/10
In piledriving circles chris, that would be classed as "nowt but a scratch man"and if you don't get off the floor you'll be getting docked as well.But still painfull though