2025 TEACHING SCHEDULE
In date order, below is a list of all locations and courses that I will be running this year.
I am very grateful to partner with some wonderful workshops and festivals and I am always open to travelling to new location to teach.
If you have a workshop or an event and wish to collaborate and host a workshop with me, please do get in touch via my contact page
SPOONTOWN (uk)
21st-27th AUGUST (SOLD OUT)
“New to Spoontown this year, Samuel is offering a two-and-a-half day Twca Cam ‘vessel’ carving course. Day one will be focusing on the hollow and how to over-cut the lip to achieve a bulbous hollow using specific techniques developed with the twca cam. Day two will be all about the axe and refinement process, turning a hollowed billet into a blank, working within a particular order, compensating the wood to an even thickness to (hopefully) avoid cracking or thin spots. This will move to the knife work and the techniques and grips to refine until the third half day. The course will have underlying themes of mindfulness, freehand carving, loosening up and slow making.”
Samuel will also be leading a flurry of courses during the main weekend event.
https://spoontown.co.uk
SNITTEFEST (DeNMARK)
29th-31st AUGUST (SOLD OUT)
“Samuel will lead a two-day (2x4hr) handled small “sipping bowl” course as an introduction to these found methods. On day one, participants will work with the twca cam, beginning with a faintly adzed half-log to create an expressive, freehand hollow, before shaping and sculpting slowly with the axe and knife on day two. Each participant will be given a twca cam to use on the course and will gain knowledge of how to effectively use it to hollow material. Other learnings will include how to axe and carve to an even, consistent wall thickness, how to reveal a foot (if desired) and how to navigate
end grain handles. You will leave with a drinking bowl to pass around the campfire.”
Thorn wood forge (uk)
KNIFE FORGING AND SPOON CARIVNG TWO DAY COURSE
4+5th, 6+7th 8+9th SEPTEMBER
Course Summary:
Day one - We will teach participants the blacksmithing process of hand forging, heat treating, bevel grinding and handling a Sloyd Knife. Resulting in a bespoke tool to suit your hand shape and carving style.
Day two - Samuel Alexander will teach authentic heritage green wood working skills that will provide participants with the perfect starting point to confidently practice spoon carving at home.
A note from Samuel Alexander:
This course aims to teach authentic, heritage green-wood carving skills that will provide participants with the perfect starting point to confidently practice at home. Starting from a humble, locally sourced log, we will work intently with just three tools to carve one's very own cooking spoon.
The first part of the day, we will work from a round to reveal a spoon "blank" with the carving axe. Initially splitting tactically to accumulate billets to be shared amongst participants before working slowly with the grain, preparing our billets to house a spoon. After, we take a more sculptural and precise manor with clever manoeuvres to reveal a blank that follows a drawn spoon design.
Next we use our very own, hand forged carving knives to refine our spoons. Using five, core, heritage Slöjd knife grips that have been passed down through generations of craft traditions, we tackle the different parts of the spoon whilst working with the materials grain. These grips offer safe removal of wood whist engaging efficient muscle groups that can be applied to particular areas to reach a clean knife finish. Participants will also learn how to effectively hollow a spoon bowl as well provide appropriate care for their tools along the way.
A mindful teaching style provides a calm space to absorb information that can be slowly applied at a suitable pace. I emphasise working sensitively, in collaboration with material to unravel wonderful wood's mystic qualities.
LEPELFEEST VLAANDEREN
(BELGIUM)
18-21st SEPTEMBER
“Samuel is offering a Twca Cam ‘vessel’ carving course. Day one will be focusing on the hollow and how to over-cut the lip to achieve a bulbous hollow using specific techniques developed with the twca cam. Day two will be all about the axe and refinement process, turning a hollowed billet into a blank, working within a particular order, compensating the wood to an even thickness to (hopefully) avoid cracking or thin spots. This will move to the knife work and the techniques and grits to refine. The course will have underlying themes of mindfulness, freehand carving, loosening up and slow making.
Datum en uur: donderdag 18 september van 10u tot 17u en vrijdag 19 september van 9u tot 16u.
Maximum 6 deelnemers”
https://lepelfeest.be
