The success of any programme of hands on courses and creative workshops is down to the people that attend them ! It's down to the inherent talent, the latent skills of the folks that have the enthusiasm and interest to attend. It's the maker inside them all !

I'm always in early on course days setting up all the tools, laying out the wood ready to work, wondering what the timber is going to turn out like and wondering what the course participants are going to be like. It's such a privilege for me to meet such nice, warm, friendly, bright, conversant people. It gives me faith in humanity and chuffs me to have brought them together. The craic soon starts .. you know before anyone picks up an axe that it's going to be good ! The trepidation in some of the faces will soon disappear as the hidden maker is revealed.

The old dairy buildings and yard at Harestanes, Lothian Estates makes for a calm and unique work space. The sense of tradition, working heritage, being on the land and using the local timber adds to it all. Immersed in the "old ways" only because we use old tools and methods,  but absolutely "of the present", in that we make contemporary pieces of furniture. It's being part of a continuing tradition that most people haven't really thought of when they sign up on a course - however they totally get it by the time they leave.

There's a wonderment glowing out of their faces - they just can't quite believe that the beautiful piece they have completed - they have just made with their own hands. It's such a wonderful thing to watch as they discover found confidence. They have found the un-remembered maker inside them !

The courses attendees are our ambassadors, our outreach squad and many return to help develop courses, volunteer to make products, work in the tree nursery, or some like our Friday crew come and make beautiful products (set the world to rights !)  My homies - love them all to bits !

So part 2 hopefully shares an atmosphere of the place, gives hope and optimism  - and the reason - not just the need to be part of it all !

​2025 courses are filling up fast again ... just saying ! Big Tree Hugs everybody, have a great festive !  Best wishes - Eoin
[email protected]

A big thanks to Innes Watson for allowing me to use his music in all these short videos. You will discover more here ​

Big Tree pal Beatrix Wood of Trixpixmedia has just completed a series of four video shorts about Big Tree Society. It's an acknowledgement of  many things, but mainly to the support and following that we have had in the past fifteen years by all the amazing people that have attended  a course here at Harestanes.

​It's really a nod to the 5000 people who didn't know they could work in wood. or for that matter complete an amazing piece of furniture. To all those lovely and infectiously friendly volunteer makers that turn up week in week out and to all those other "drop-ins" that have spread the word - a big thanks because we couldn't have done it without you !

The videos are a bit about what I'm about, a bit about what we're about, and a bit about what the future may be about !!!
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Please get in touch if you found the courses enjoyable, life changing - or if you want to help in the coming years!
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2025 courses are filling up fast again ... just saying ! Big Tree Hugs everybody, have a great festive !  Best wishes - Eoin
[email protected]

A big thanks to Innes Watson for allowing me to use his music in all these short videos. You will discover more here ​

Well that was a busy year of making and creating. A Big Tree Thankyou to all of you who attended our courses. Its you guys that create the buzz and craic! we've so many new faces and some "repeat offenders" as well. We will be putting up a calendar of next years course this week. Some old favourites and a few new ones ! We've always been well supported throughout the years and the places go fast - so have a look and see if there is a course that you or a friend may like to attend. There are Big Tree vouchers available for gifts or if you want a special group or work day please get in touch with us. It's a popular way to spend a day with colleagues or pals ! See course list here 

Getting all the stool top blanks sorted out today for the last of the InStead Stool making workshop that we offered as a fundraising reward for Trixpix Medias beautiful film TIm Stead : Magician With Wood. We are so pleased that Beatrix Woods documentary has achieved such great success at The Swedish International Film Festival (Best Feature Length Documentary) and many others ion the Far East and elsewhere in Europe. The film will be on general release very soon and daytime telly as well ! An inspirational film about an inspirational man and his work in wood. 

We ran our first Wagatabon tray carving course last recently. Brian (our resident spoon and shrink pot guru) and I have been wanting to organise this course for a few years. Our good friend Masashi Kutsuwa gave us permission to follow his making guide. Mas worked with us here in Scotland 2004-6 and was a great inspiration for many approaches in the workshop and now teaches full time in Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture in Japan. One of his earlier books on green woodworking is available online.

As part of a fundraiser for a documentary film about Tim Stead : Magician With Wood This was a donation reward for a place on a course where donors made not one of Tim’s pieces of furniture but one of their own InStead Stools! Hosted by Eoin Cox & the award-winning Big Tree Society using Ash and Elm, stools inspired by one of Tim’s early designs. Working in greenwood, old tools and in a traditional way at Tim’s first workshop in the late 70's at Harestanes, Scottish Borders.
It was a pretty intense day with a great mix of generously minded people who wanted to know a bit more about Tim, maybe pick up a vibe from the old workshop and hopefully absorb the material, tools and process of making. Exploring and examining the porous boundary between the skin of the wood and the skin of heir hands !!!
Tim always encouraged and Big Tree hopefully continues to encourage and inspire others to combine the head, hands and heart in a creative making process. Thanks to Mark, Jen, David, Bob, Alastair and Linda for putting in a great shift and generous donation to the film.
To follow the progress and get more info about this inspiring documentary by Beatrix Wood please have a look here  
​Big Tree thanks to Eilidh at Out-There Artisan for the unique and wonderful catering 

Last weekend saw the second of our beginners introduction and hands on experience to the dramatic technique of Raku pottery making and firing. What a fantastic two days we had under the superb tutelage of Douglas White.
Raku is a Japanese pottery firing technique, traditionally used by itinerant potters arriving, with their kiln and firing to order, and was often a social event.  So we tried to sort of replicate that as core to our course ethos and best practice. We spent two days working together, participating in wood preparation, kiln building, simple pottery making and the unique process of Raku firing. Pots were thrown on a kick wheel, slab built and coiled and sculpted, bisque fired, glazed, fast fired, then removed red hot, and plunged into sawdust next into water which produces beautiful, natural and unique results. Some amazing pots and fun was made !!!!!

​Thanks everyone. PS Douglas has some of his own work for sale in www.buydesigngallery.com or @douglaswhitepots

Never ceases to amaze us here at Big Tree just what talent lies out there ! You just keep on coming and making the most beautiful furniture and more. Thanks to you all for making our workspace such a great place to work in !!

Want to help grow and plant trees ??
 
The Big Tree Society have been growing trees from seeds collected locally for many years. It’s a tricky business and we’ve just relied on good advice from tree growing friends, reading up on it and frankly lots of luck. We want to improve our growing technique and expand the physical growing nursery area to bring on lots of new stock. The trees will either be used in our own Future Furniture woodland, Wooplaw Community Woodland or given away to community or individual projects. It will get more trees planted in the area.
 
Forestry and Land Scotland (previously Forestry Commission) have just been told they are to receive massive cuts in their budgets for 2024 onwards. So, no doubt that means fewer planting grants and fewer trees and hedgerows in the ground. We thought that we had better try and plug the gap at a local level by some direct contribution.
 
Working with Lothian Estates Forestry Dept we want to supplement the local environment around Harestanes with appropriate hardwoods. We would like to help increase biodiversity, add to the existing wooded landscape round Harestanes and make our area an even nicer place to live in and enjoy. We are not for profit and are doing this because we think it is the right thing to do. All this work will be undertaken on a voluntary basis and training will be given wherever appropriate.
 
There are various ways Big Tree Society friends and others could help. One way is to come along to our growing site at Harestanes, near Jedburgh and get directly involved on a regular basis. There are a variety of jobs that need doing all year round and some seasonal. You don't need any tree growing or gardening experience. In addition to creating a young tree nursery, we will need hands to collect and process tree seeds. Collecting and releasing the seeds out of the berry, pod, fruit etc can be a great family or group activity.
 
We have 2000 small native trees ready to plant out in the next coming months and we will have many other planting and growing opportunities here at the Future Furniture nursery site and other local projects. We’ve got a polytunnel up already, the beginnings of a huge composting system, our willow beds need cutting and more planted, we’ve got a hedge to be laid and hazel to be coppiced and two allotments to be knocked into shape. We’ve got a water collection system to be built into a new covered work area that needs building, so there’s plenty there to pick and mix from and will suit all ages and abilities. This site specific, supervised work will be undertaken during weekdays and at weekends.
 
If you'd like to learn a bit more about our plans and think you might like to contribute and / or get practically involved in this exciting project we would really like to hear from you !  If it's not for you or you're already committed to other projects, please pass this on to someone who may be interested. Please get in touch via email at [email protected]  Thanks !