Craftsman Richard Law’s workshop is a green tarpaulin cover in a woodland glade. His toolbox of chisels and axes would be familiar to his medieval forefathers and his materials have literally fallen at his feet.

The beech, ash and sycamore which surround his workshop in Strid Wood, on the Bolton Abbey estate, he turns into traditional rustic furniture.

And in winter he burns the “Flying Shavings” – the name of his bucolic business – to keep himself warm.

Richard, from Farnhill, is proud to call himself a bodger – the ancient term for a craftsman who prepared the legs and spindles for chairs ready for assembly.

“At first I called my workshop the Bodger’s Shop, but people got the wrong meaning and thought it meant a botched job,” he said. “Of course, it doesn’t. “Bodgers were very skilled craftsmen, so I changed the name to Flying Shavings to prevent any more misunderstandings.”

His stable of crafted items made from green wood includes chairs, stools, footstools, bird tables, ladders, benches and rolling pins.

For porridge lovers, he’ll make you a “spurtle” for stirring it, and for gardeners a “dibber” to plant out seedlings.

In the winter months, Richard, 56, whose work is on show at an exhibition at Strid Wood Visitor Centre, sells logs and produces charcoal.

He works on two lathes – a pole lathe and bowl lathe – both operated by a foot pedal attached to flexible timber branches which provide the tension. His workshop is a series of timber A-frames, covered in poor weather by a green tarpaulin.

He is situated next to the footpath to the Strid, the narrow gorge through which the River Wharfe pours. So he ends up making items on the spot for passers-by.

And for those folk fascinated by the craft, he holds workshops where he has guided people in making items ranging from footstools to magic wands and swords.

With Christmas on its way, Richard is making wooden Father Christmas tree decorations and a model deer made from tree thinnings.

People wanting to see more of his work should log on to flyingshavings.co.uk.