Pyrography dates back to the heyday of many of the world’s great civilisations……The Egyptians, The Greeks, The Romans, The Nazca and Moche civilisations in Peru and the Han dynasty in China, where pyrography was known as ‘fire needle embroidery’. The word pyrography originates from the Greek meaning ‘writing with fire’.
Kumiko originated as a unique Japanese artform in the 8th Century during the Asuka period. The traditional wood used in Kumiko is Akita Cedar or Kiso Cypress, which is long lasting, durable and bright in colour.
Sadly, over the past 100 years, forest crafts have gradually died out due to the introduction of mass production and the creation of new materials. However the interest in forest crafts is flourishing through hobbyists enjoying craft courses and youngsters attending forest schools.
Green Woodworking is enjoying a revival now that the planting of trees is recognised as an important way of reducing global warming. Indeed wood loving craftsmen of the past are now regarded as the first conservationists, as they harnessed the attributes of wood in a sustainable and renewable way.
Furniture Restoration repairs the ravages of time….stains, scrapes, loose joints……but with a little tender loving care you can restore furniture to its former glory and enhance its value. In its simplest form furniture restoration is applying a stripper, scraping the old finish off, sanding and applying an attractive, modern finish.
Wood Crafts offer many interesting opportunities to pursue a new hobby or launch a small business. Many of the crafts mentioned below have books written about them. I can only scratch the surface and point you in the direction of useful resources, like books, videos and posts.
Wood Crafts in this post have been reviewed with specific questions in mind such as…… Equipment required Working space Return on time and investment
Jewellery making needs very little space and only a small outlay. What’s more you can use innovative techniques to make your creations look more expensive than they really are! This post features three jewellery items, a brooch, earrings and a necklace, which will show you the techniques used to create these popular pieces.
Whittling…..an age old pastime that goes back to the time of our distant ancestors. If you are feeling creative but have little space, no tools, no budget and little time, then whittling could be for you. The craft of whittling, the baby brother of carving, involves shaping a small piece of wood into an attractive design using a pocket or craft knife.
Marquetry can be traced back to Mesopotamia in around 2600BC, where ivory was inset in bitumen to create a picture of daily and royal life. The first recorded use of different wood veneers and semi precious stones to decorate furniture dates back to the court of the Pharaohs in Egypt.
