Finzean Bucket Mill CIC

26/05/2026

Leather working course with Birse Community Trust - BCT

Just a few places left……….

Here at BCT we are passionate about keeping traditional crafts alive and we are therefore delighted to welcome Fin Scott back for two more traditional leatherwork courses at the Old School Finzean. The first is Belt Making on 31st May, details below
Belt making workshop
31st of May, 10am to 5pm.
Finzean Old School
£50 per person
Booking Essential: https://www.ticketebo.co.uk/lonelylarchleatherwork/belt-making-lonely-larch-leatherwork-31st-may

In the workshop we’ll be making belts, we’ll start with a “belt blank” (a long strap of rough leather) and cover all the processes required to make belts. Again we’ll cover many of the basics of traditional leatherwork including cutting the leather, tooling designs into a portion of your belt, dyeing your belt preparing edges and burnishing them so they have a finished look, riveting, hole punching and attaching hardware (buckles).
Hardware, leather and all the required tools will be provided. Bring along a picture or design you want to adapt into tooling, nothing too complicated - lots of lines close together is difficult. Feel free to email me ([email protected]) before the workshop if you want to check the suitability of a picture or design you want to adapt.
We will be using leather dye with a chance of spattering onto clothes (stains do not come out) so if this worries you bring old clothing/whatever you don't mind risking dyeing. Some parts of the workshop will also be quite loud with everyone using mallets.
Tea and coffee will be provided, please bring a packed lunch.
Booking link in comments.

19/05/2026

The first of our sessions to promote the heritage building trades to the craftspeople of tomorrow is now available to book on. Will Napier, from Adams Napier will be our first speaker, with his experience of working on heritage building projects, talking about the condition of the Ballogie Souter’s (Shoemaker’s) Workshop, conservation statement and project delivery. We are very excited to open this up to aspiring surveyors, architects, heritage building specialists and all those interested in caring for our A-listed buildings in the future. To book:
https://www.ticketebo.co.uk/bct/ballogie-souters-conservation-project-site-visit-for-aspiring-building-professionals-session1
To be part of this project contact us or follow the link to our JustGiving page.
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/savetheshoemakersworkshop
Thanks to all our funders who have made the Souter’s Workshop project possible, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, The Garfield Weston Foundation, Museums Galleries Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council, The Strathmartine Trust, The Pilgrim Trust, The Architectural Heritage Fund and numerous generous individual donations of money and volunteer time. Thank you.

10/05/2026

In exploring ways to make a circular supply chain, today we are on the north coast at looking at small scale charcoal production, with a keen eye on producing and adding value to our future waste sawmill products.

When we'll be needing to do plenty of forge work in the future, making charcoal in-house is one of the many things we can do to build a genuinely sustainable and low-carbon local supply chain. Beyond burning charcoal, there are some exciting uses for charcoal, particularly with bio-char, a compost addictive.

04/05/2026

Free lime mortar and lime pointing taster sessions with the Birse Community Trust - BCT on 30th May - details on the poster.

Still a couple of places left on the free lime mortar taster sessions - booking essential, see below. Link in comments

28/04/2026

Join our team!

We are recruiting for our first paid role as part of our work to repair and return the Finzean Bucket Mill to working order. We are seeking an experienced blacksmith-fabricator to join our team.

As this role will be grant-funded via different funds, we expect this role to begin on a probationary self-employed contractor basis before moving to an in-house employed role.

The provisional start date is 1st August 2026, subject to work schedules. This role may begin some weeks sooner or later, by mutual agreement.

The primary focus of this role will be upon making mechanical repairs to the mill, such as machining bearings and undertaking specialist works like cast iron welding. The role will also require work in a number of other building craft disciplines as required, such as dry stane dyking, joinery and general site maintenance with some public-facing elements to the role to be expected, such as public mill tours on open days. Teaching and tuition, of both apprentices and course attendees can also be expected in time.

Further information and applications for this role can be made by emailing [email protected] by 31st May 2026. All data will be handled according to our GDPR policy, a copy is available on our website www.bucketmill.co.uk.

Please send a CV and covering letter highlighting your experience and suitability for this role.

12/04/2026

Last week was a monumental week for our project to repair and return the Bucket Mill to working order.

A visit from Keith Threadgall Sawmill Services. saw us work through thirty tons of European Larch to produce all the material we need for upcoming repairs to the mill's sluice gates and lade, and the construction of new footbridges to safely access the sluice gates.

All this work brought sawdust back to the mill for the first time in a decade or so. This pilot will help us put together a solid business plan for operating a modern mill of our own in time.

Please note: the Bucket Mill is not normally open to the public. Please sign up to the newsletter on our website to get news of open days when we run tours for the public. Keep off timber stacks.

11/04/2026

Thanks to everyone who came along to our first craft course, which was delivered by the wonderful Paul from Green Aspirations Scotland at the Birse Community Trust - BCT's Old School.

This course made use of brash from some recent tree pruning and felling about the Bucket Mill, where we made use of the waste material and turned some of it into useful besom brooms.

Sign up to our newsletter at www.bucketmill.co.uk to catch updates for other craft courses.

10/04/2026

The last log of our week milling with Keith Threadgall Sawmill Services. ended with a huge oak that has been down at the lower Finzean Sawmill for a fair few years.

We've milled 30 tons of logs this week, a huge push forward for our project to return the Bucket Mill to working order. We now have enough material for a lot of upcoming repairs along with some material such as fence posts and boards which will be available for sale - more on that soon.

Huge thanks to Keith and his impressive mobile sawmill outfit for putting in some long hours this week and to Ben at in Elgin for all the helpful advice.

A polite reminder: the Bucket Mill is not normally open to the public. Tours and open days are run occasionally, or by prior arrangement for larger groups. Keep off timber stacks.

08/04/2026

Milling European Larch for repairs to the Bucket Mill.

This week we have Keith Threadgall Sawmill Services. Sawmilling Services in to mill up our recent delivery of Larch, which are being turned into material to renew the mill's wooden lade and waterwheel and provide material to build a transportable compost toilet.

Progress!

07/04/2026

Great film about coppicing from Green Aspirations Scotland who came in to deliver our recent Besom Broom course.