When I was beginning to make things out of green wood, I purchased a couple VHS tapes from Country Workshops.  One, filmed in the Swiss mountains, follows Ruedi Kohler as his skillful hands make a coopered bucket.  The other takes the viewer to Sweden and into the workshop of Bengt Lidstrom as he carves fantastic bowls from log.  Few words were spoken; even fewer in English.  No problem.

There was no language barrier, because words weren’t necessary.  These craftsmen spoke volumes with the movements of their tools and the sound of sharp steel slicing wood. There is something about learning from simple observation.  Maybe it’s the satisfaction of interpreting part of the story for oneself, solving the puzzle.  Maybe it’s the beauty of the process, unbroken by words.  Whatever it is, you’ll see it in the videos below. Drew made them available on YouTube awhile back and they are also available at his store at Country Workshops.

Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking about proportions, golden and otherwise.  I’ve got a post in mind about that.  Maybe this weekend.