Introduction to Wood Whittling, Woods Mill (11/10/25)

Tutor: Danny Manning

During this intensive and fun Introduction to Wood Whittling, students will learn about the best types of ‘green’ wood for whittling, the optimum time and ways of sourcing local sustainable wood, coppicing and basic wood management. During the morning students will whittle a letter knife from a small ‘green’ wood branch and during the afternoon learn the process of whittling a spoon from a small piece of seasoned lime. The session will conclude with oiling and finishing your finished whittled creations. It is hoped that, while at Woods Mill, we will be able to take advantage of any windfall wood on site.

Danny Manning is a basket maker and textile artist based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, and has been a member of the Basketry Association since 2020. He has developed his craft through exploring Sussex folklore, customs and traditional craft techniques, working with his own locally grown willow and unconventional materials found on the South Downs.

Venue: The Classroom, Woods Mill Nature Reserve, Henfield, BN59SD

What to bring: A pair of safety gloves and a whittling set of Knives, Swiss Army Knife (including a hook knife). These are now available on Amazon. It is essential that all knives are sharp and ready to use.

Pack lunch, snacks and drinks for the day. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Other information: Free parking is available at the reserve. Public toilets can be found in the car park and classroom. The classroom is set within the reserve. We encourage you to take a wander during a break or before the course starts.

Public transport: Compass travel. See timetable 100-from-24-07-2023.pdf

Accessibility: The classroom has wheelchair access. If you need any adaptations to make your time with us more comfortable, please email [email protected]

Tickets for this course are non-refundable. Please see our terms and conditions for further details.