On our way south, we passed through Sheffield, a city known for its steel and tools. This is where the current workshop of Robin Wood is located. Robin is the driving force behind Wood Tools, a company that makes spoon knives and axes. More importantly for us, Robin also once took on the task of researching and reviving the art of turning on the pole lathe. In our opinion, he is one of the driving forces behind the current revival of the pole lathe. He undertook research and collaborated with archaeologists to travel, visit excavations, and piece together the puzzle of how it all worked. This research culminated in a book, “The Wooden Bowl.”
We spent a day with him, looking at many relics from his collection, asking many questions and receiving detailed answers.
To round off the day, we were given a tour and demonstration in the old grinding room, where gigantic grinding stones in water tanks are used to sharpen his axes. Very impressive, thanks for the interesting day, Robin!
