Celebration of Craftsmanship Exhibition

 I'll be exhibiting at the Celebration of Craftsmanship at Cheltenham this year. I had originally planned to create a free-standing four sided display, with a small wall cabinet on each side. Due to the demand for tools this year I only managed to make one!
It has a curved front in figured ash with an olive ash carcass.

The other pieces are a selection of boxes from stock, here's a little dovetailed box in birds eye maple and walnut.

The last of my boxes from the salvaged wood from HMS Victory.

This is the box I made alongside Jim on the one to one training last week. It turned out nicely but no better than Jim's.

I lined my box with bottle green pig suede, which I think goes really nicely with the olive ash.

I attached the lid with a pair of Andrew Crawford's Smart Hinges. They are very discreet and easy to fit as long as you take the time to set up the router table accurately.

If you can find the time to visit the exhibition it's well worth a visit. http://www.celebrationofcraftsmanship.com/contact.aspx

One To One Teaching.

I've just finished a very enjoyable two days, one to one teaching in my workshop. This is a lot easier than carting everything to West Dean College to teach and I get to sleep in my own bed. The only disadvantage is the small size of my workshop means I can't teach a group.
Here is Jim trying out my new Sauer and Steiner smoother to do some finishing planing. It worked very well with no tear out on the rippled ash and is very comfortable and friendly to use.

The two days were spent making a dovetailed box with a frame and panel lid. I had machined all the parts beforehand and made a box alongside Jim so I could demonstrate the techniques involved.
The carcass was made from quarter sawn olive ash and the solid panel was figured walnut.

I doubted whether Jim would be able to finish the box in two days but he did so with an hour to spare. They were 10 hour days with only a short break for lunch but never the less he did very well to get it done. What is all the more remarkable is that apart from making a dovetail alignment board before he arrived Jim had never cut dovetails before and indeed had never made a piece of furniture in his life!!

The dovetails were cut straight from the saw with every one fitting first time with no adjustments, which is more than I can say about the dovetails on the box I was making!

Jim did all this work himself, including perfect fitting hinges, no wonder he's smiling!

'Inspired' Furniture Exhibition

I visited the 'Inspired' exhibition which was really nicely displayed at the Ashton Court Estate near Bristol. Sue Darlison, the organiser, is pictured above in the upstairs gallery.
The outdoor bench below, is one of Sue's pieces, it has a curved seat and looks better in the flesh.

I really liked this jewellery chest by Erich Fichtner which was made from Irish elm and black walnut. The price tag of £1,000 was very reasonable considering the work involved.

A really quirky trademark cabinet by Cadman cost £7,500. It is bigger than it may look at about 6' tall.

This is the first of John Makepeace's work titled 'cushions', again my photography doesn't do it justice.

An attractive piece in solid bog oak, a wonderful wood, by Will Self.

A sculptured chest by Waywood had a wire brushed finish and was created with CNC technology, amazing stuff that leaves me way behind!

A bow armed easy chair by Nick Crossling is simple,very attractive and comfortable. Cost £1,750

A bureau in charred oak by Knut Kilmmek at £6,000.

Another by John Makepeace combining aluminium and leather with wood, yours for £6,500.

A wacky table by Makepeace in limewood and slate, not to my taste or budget at £17,800!

A triangle chest in walnut and zebrano with interesting use of grain by Martin Urmston at £2,500.

A side table and lamp by Kevin Stamper.

The whole show featured furniture which was immaculately finished, restrained in design and packed with subtle details (with the exception of the Makepeace table!). My favourite was this delightful and delicate settee by Tim Chadsey which shows that in the right hands less is definitely more.

Workshop Tip For Marking Out.

Next week I'm doing some one to one tuition for a couple of days and we'll be making a dovetailed box in olive ash with a walnut panel. I've had these offcuts of wonderfully figured English walnut for a few years and this seems like a good time to use them. When I'm looking for a specific size I find it very useful to make a negative template from card, it's amazing how a small movement can change the look. Below is a shot of the same piece in a different position. When I'm happy I just draw round the inside of the template and cut it out.

If you are looking for a book match you can mark the halfway point on the template and line up with a mirror to see the potential result. Book matches can change even more dramatically and you can get some wonderful effects.

I've been very busy with tools lately, I'd expected a slow down with the holidays but it's been the opposite. I'm making a batch of high angle smoothers from solid Lignum Vitae, this has great mass in the hand and is the ultimate material for wooden hand planes.
It's one of those woods which responds rapidly to direct sunlight, it can make the transition from medium brown to dark green in a days exposure! I intend to keep them out of the sun so that the new owners have the choice. Other quite startling woods such as Pink Ivory and African Padouk also change from their vibrant hues to something much more reserved. And you can't call yourself a woodworker unless you've been caught out by leaving something sitting on a board of American cherry when the suns out!!

Dream Workshop!!!

Glenn Livingstone from Woodjoy Tools sent my these pictures of his new workshop which is still under construction after three years work. He has used 100 year old pine from his property and it looks very spacious and pretty as a picture. Oh how I wish I had one like this!

Glenn's tools are very nice and well thought out, I know I own a few, and always seem to get good reviews in Fine Woodworking Magazine. Check out his website http://www.woodjoytools.com/

Full Set of Planes to Dallas Texas

Quite a few of my customers have acquired a full set of my planes, usually one at a time. It's unusual for someone to buy a full set in one go, particularly as this is their first purchase.
They range from 5" right through to 17".

The four larger planes are made from rose bubinga and they are a lovely colour, particularly the 13" jack plane seen below.

I try to make all my planes from quarter sawn stock so that any wood movement is from side to side which stops the sole of the plane from cupping. It also looks rather nice as you can see from these two pretty backsides!

The mini smoother is in Bocote often referred to as Mexican Rosewood and although it's not a true rosewood it's has stunning colours. It's also very comfortable to hold and with the blade bedded at 52 degrees is great on figured wood.
The planes were posted today and I hope they see plenty of action!

Hitting the Finish!

I'm working on a batch of hammer handles from my stash of wonderfully rippled ash. When all the sanding is done it comes to my favourite part, the first coat of finish.

The olive coloured wood comes from the centre of the tree and it's rare for the ripple to go that far in.

The white ash is from the outer part or from younger trees where the wood is all white. The figure really pops but you have to see the wood as it moves to really appreciate it's depth.

Here's my favourite, where the handle has a combination of both white and olive. The line between the two is quite distinct which makes it all the more stunning.

The finish I'm using here is melamine lacquer, I hand rub on two coats and then cut back with 600 grit before a thinned finish coat. This much harder and more durable than French polish and is more durable and quicker drying than oil.

A box of 59 handles, to match all the heads I have left.  I've had quite a run on these lately.