Woodworking, Aberystwyth?

[Rhyolith]

Is there any woodworking people, intuitions, tool shops, etc round the Aberystwyth area?

 

[shed9]

I've seen a few people pop up from time to time from your neck of the woods, I suspect they will be along shortly.

Not sure on the institutions and shops myself though as they mostly seem to be orientated around South East within Wales.

 

[NazNomad]

I'm 13 miles from Aber. Not sure how I'd fit your description unless 'people' is adequate? :-D

 

[Rhyolith]

I'm 13 miles from Aber. Not sure how I'd fit your description unless 'people' is adequate? :-D

I am just trying to see what there is round the place and maybe get some useful contacts along the way Got any local knowledge for a woodworker in this area?

 

[Jelly]

Given you live about 2½ hours from anywhere else, (a mild exaggeration, but from my many journeys through the welsh interior, not too far off the mark) I'd call that a result!

All joking aside, when I lived in Bangor, I used to drive down the A470 fair regular, and ended up buying quite a lot of locally grown softwoods from these guys I don't know if they still sell their excess stock, But it used to be £5 a board be it ½"×8" western red cedar or 3" ×16" Douglas Fir, Insane value for money! Should be about an hour's drive from you (good mountain biking next door as well if it's your thing!)

Only rubs were that they bought it in the round and had it milled nearby in whatever length the logs were, so the lengths could be awkward (I learned to take a Handsaw with me after my first visit) and it was all seasoned rather than kilned material (fine for their uses, but I learned to let it acclimatise for as long as I could before indoor use after a fairly slight frame & panel cabinet literally blew apart due to stresses from drying out having been built with a very high moisture content.)

 

[WoodMangler]

I'm about 25 miles south of Aberystwyth. The only specialist supplier I know of round here is Timberman, down by Carmarthen. I learnt to turn with Les Bryan at the Welsh National Botanical Garden, another 20 miles to the south of me. I don't think I've ever ventured north of Aber...

 

[Argus]

Is there any woodworking people, intuitions, tool shops, etc round the Aberystwyth area?

As others have said, a few of us whittling away out in the wilds, but nothing else.

No 'institutions' - though my wife thinks this is a mad house sometimes - no thriving woodworkers clubs, - though there's a Rugby Club in Tregaron - and I have to drive miles to get a mobile signal. It drives the kids wild, but I'd pay extra for that if it wasn't free.

There are a few builders' merchants scattered about selling bit of wood, but they mainly deal with the building trade.

Looking out of the window, there are trees as far as the eye can see, but apart from forestry softwood (not good enough even for B&Q) the native hardwoods here are Sessile Oak, Ash, Beech and a lot of Larch. Larch is great if you are into fencing and sheds, but the rest of it grows like a corkscrew and is a real pain to dry without splitting or even to work if you get it dry. There are occasional exceptions, but all the best stuff was cut down long ago and to be frank the timber economy around here is not geared to that kind of trade.

So, if you are seeking consistent quality furniture grade timber, you will have to transport it a distance.

All best

 

[Rhyolith]

Given you live about 2½ hours from anywhere else, (a mild exaggeration, but from my many journeys through the welsh interior, not too far off the mark) I'd call that a result!

A mild exaggeration, I call that pretty accurate

The one thing I get here is a reasonably supply of is wood as I am part of a conservation group and get lots of logs of oak, cherry, sweet chestnut, etc from that. The only limitation is my ability to season it (trail and error so far), though the discovery of log splitting wedges and a big hammer has revolutionised the process of making them into useable bits

Other kit is harder to come by round here and I usually resort to eBay for everything. There are 3 DIY shops and an Agricultural store in Aber, but they leave something to be desired in most areas of toolage (is that a word?). What I would really like is a source of second hand stuff, as I often suffer from car boot withdrawal, but then I am spoiled when I am in Norwich on that front.

I am actually fairly surprised there are as many woodworkers as there are round Aber, I was half expected the usual reaction of "Aber..... where where?" :lol:

 

[WoodMangler]

I am actually fairly surprised there are as many woodworkers as there are round Aber,

Well, there's not much else to do...

 

[Rhyolith]

I am actually fairly surprised there are as many woodworkers as there are round Aber,

Well, there's not much else to do...

Thats defiantly a lol :lol:

 

[NazNomad]

Cambrian Power Tools on the Glan Yr Afon Industrial Estate.

TTS near Tregaron stock a reasonable range of tools.

Mount Trading (now called Morgan's) on Glan Yr Afon stock tools.

Charlie's Stores (near the TSB) in Aber are pretty good for tools.

All of those above will order-in something for you if they don't stock it.

If you're desperate, there's always Screwfix. :-/

If you're really really desperate, try Block & Quayle near Morrisons (before they disappear).

 

[Argus]

The one thing I get here is a reasonably supply of is wood as I am part of a conservation group and get lots of logs of oak, cherry, sweet chestnut, etc from that. The only limitation is my ability to season it (trail and error so far), though the discovery of log splitting wedges and a big hammer has revolutionised the process of making them into useable bits

You didn't mention what you intend to do with it. Turning? Carving? Furniture? Is Yew any use to you?

 

[Jelly]

The one thing I get here is a reasonably supply of is wood as I am part of a conservation group and get lots of logs of oak, cherry, sweet chestnut, etc from that. The only limitation is my ability to season it (trail and error so far), though the discovery of log splitting wedges and a big hammer has revolutionised the process of making them into useable bits

If you do that regularly, get a Froe... I received one in this years SS and it's a revolutionary improvement over scoring the log with a hatchet and then using wedges and a 7kg sledge hammer.

If you find yourself needing to buy hardwoods in longer lengths or sectional sizes than you can get for free, try Huws Grey... The branch in Aberystwyth is unlikely to stock or know much about them but they hold decent stocks at their head office and sawmill in Llangefni, if you ring their head office sales team I imagine they could have your order picked and delivered to the local branch when they next have a delivery.

 

[Rhyolith]

The one thing I get here is a reasonably supply of is wood as I am part of a conservation group and get lots of logs of oak, cherry, sweet chestnut, etc from that. The only limitation is my ability to season it (trail and error so far), though the discovery of log splitting wedges and a big hammer has revolutionised the process of making them into useable bits

You didn't mention what you intend to do with it. Turning? Carving? Furniture? Is Yew any use to you?

Walking sticks and boxes so far. Its a hobby so really whatever I feel like at the time vs what wood is ready for use (seasoned). I have never worked with yew, whats it good for?

I want to get a froe, but they are expensive enough that other things keep taking priority. At the moment I use an old axe head to start off (hammer it in like a wedge, but its narrower so easy for starting)... it works ok.

 

[Argus]

Well, I've never used a froe and gave up converting opportune bits of timber long ago - the results are too hit and miss for me.

Yew can be used for almost anything, but the boards are usually quite wavy in grain and may have bark inclusions, shakes and the like; it's the nature of the tree. Don't expect straight, even grained planks.
However, it has a beautiful colour, turns and polishes exceptionally well, a bit hard for carving, but it can be done and if you do an image search of the term 'Yew boxes', you'll be surprised.