Home

Working Art

I make, but also encourage others to make, all manner of wooden cups, utilities and utensils, to order or just in my spare time.

Here you will find a variety of hand carved wooden implements, for the kitchen or the fireside, which when looked after will give back a lifetime of service.

In the world of wooden handmade goods, there is hand crafted and there is hand carved. I make each piece fully by hand.

None of my hand carved utensils, cups and other wooden items are machined in any way during their crafting. Indeed, many of them only ever see axe and knife in combination before reaching the shop. 

News

  • News and Announcements from Handmade of Wood.
  • Portable Teaware I really like Craig Wisner's post in this discussion on the BPL forum. He's a potter and makes ceramic kuksas because he says: "Whatever happened to style, to ...
    Posted 30 Sep 2011 11:40 by Ian Tompsett
  • What carving knife? Michael recently wrote to me to ask what knife he should use in order to start woodcarving as a beginner. Here is what he said and my reply follows:"Hello ...
    Posted 19 Sep 2011 04:14 by Ian Tompsett
  • Kuksa from burr wood If we look very closely everything is unique, but it's with burr wood, much like with a fingerprint or the flowing shapes of pearl, that the chaotic nature of ...
    Posted 27 Aug 2010 12:01 by Ian Tompsett
Showing posts 1 - 3 of 12. View more »
I strive to make functioning works of art. As for any artist the challenge is to transfer the idea undamaged into the physical world, but we rarely succeed entirely, and in failure we often make something better than we had first imagined. This is the result of the human desire for beauty intertwining with chance. It is this process more than any other aspect of crafting wood, which keeps me perpetually engrossed in this art form. It is the perfect meditation. I sell what I make so that I can carry on experimenting, and so that I can involve others in this process as well.

You do not come at the end of this journey, however; it is my hope that each piece I send away to its owner is used as fully as it may be, and not hung on the wall to be admired for its looks.

I strive to make beautiful objects which work well and therefore to allow you to enjoy using them.

Kuksa

I specialise in Kuksa (from Wikipedia:- Sami: guksi/guksie; Swedish: kåsa), which are traditional wooden cups usually carved from [Birch burls]. A cultural artefact from the Sami people of Lapland, they have come to symbolise unity between a people and their wilderness.

For this reason they have become important worldwide to woodcarvers and employers of bushcraft alike, both for the unique challenge they offer and the connection with a people who are at one with nature.

I avoid the use of heavy machinery in my work because it is difficult t0 feel the wood when you are not providing the working force.

For an idea of how I make these pieces and the tools I use in the process, please visit the relevant sections: Learning to Carve; Woodcarving Tools.


 Visit my workshop to discover some of the possibilities.

All written material: Copyright Ian Tompsett 2010-2011