Friday 28 August 2015

Craft Life with Altitude; Meeting the Man Who Makes Wooden Skis in Chamonix

For many of our Masters of Wood, making a living from working with timber means a lot more than simply turning out one-off products for a commission. As Peter Steltzner from Rabbit on the Roof in Chamonix France puts it: “When you put your heart and soul into a product made with your hands, people can feel it.”

Peter’s workshop lies in the shadow of Mont Blanc in the French Alps, a dream setting for making uniquely designed skis from hand-selected timbers. In this film Peter explains his journey from California to the Alps to create a performance product that is as highly desirable for its ride as its unique look. If you are a skier, this is the one of a kind style you want to be holding in the lift queue, enjoying the admiring glances of your fellow skiers. If you are a woodworker, this is the story of searching for the deep understanding of your craft many of us strive for. “Like surfing, looking for the perfect wave, the next one is always going to be the best, enhancing the pleasure by making by hand, its where the real profit comes from,” says Peter.


In a few weeks we will be posting an additional film from this visit: a master-class, step-by-step guide to building the wooden free-ride ski with Peter in his workshop.

If you would like to see more of Peter’s work, check out his website at www.rabbitontheroof.net.

Friday 14 August 2015

Best of the Woodworking Web - 'Manny'

Our video editor, Craig, came across this video from Upland Film Co. when looking for inspiration for his next video, and we felt it was perfect for the next installment in our 'Best of the Woodworking Web' series.

Manny got into woodworking after repairing a friend's broken guitar and becoming fascinated with the craftsmanship that went into making a guitar. Now 89, he still works out in his shed every day and is constantly learning new techniques along the way.

Manny from Upland Film Co. on Vimeo.


Wednesday 5 August 2015

A New Age for Wood, meet In'Bô, the cool French design and make team for unique wooden sunglasses, wood bikes and awesome skateboards

This week’s post is from our #MastersofWood series and is the first from our recent visit to France.  To the east of the country, in a beautiful rural area called Les Vosges, we visited a relatively new start up business called In'Bô. This innovative group of guys met at the famous Enstib, an engineering school in Epinal specialising in the use of wood and natural fibres. Having graduated as engineers they wanted to make more practical use of their skills by starting a business. Thanks to some financial support from their local department they were able to get some premises and get up and running, designing and creating wooden eyewear, skateboards and bamboo bicycles.  This short film gives you an introduction to the team and the philosophy behind their business and their brand which is already growing a distinctive following (there’s some pretty great skateboard action too!).



If you want to see the full creative process and how to make wooden sunglasses, skateboards or bamboo bikes keep checking back as we'll be posting more videos from our trip to France over the next few weeks!

To find out more about the team at In'Bô ,visit www.inbo.fr/en/.