A recent commision was a bedside cabinet, made in a similar style to the clients existing bedroom furniture which was probably Utility Furniture, old and very well made, my client wanted something similar and at a reasonable cost, the existing furniture was made out of veneered board, probably ply, I settled on solid Sapele throughout except for the door for which I cut veneers and booked matched them to tie in with the originals, the cost of solid sapele was comparative to vennered sheets which would have been wasteful.  

Refurbishment of a 1960s 1970s closed balustrade staircase, refitted with new newel posts, handrails and spindles.

A small job but one that needs to be done properly, the worn bullnose of the tread is cut away in a dovetail shape which holds the new wood in place, when glued this forms a strong joint, screws are added but are not really necessary.

Painted wardrobes with solid Oak internal drawer unit, cabinets made in MDF, doors in Tulip wood with mdf  panels.  Painting by Steve Dibben, painter and decorator, Glastonbury. 

Its been a busy time in my little workshop, more table leg frames for Mr van den Bosch, another Bubinga coffee table; a recently married couple commissioned it as a wedding present to themselves and finally a pair of table/display stands made using the left over wood from the other two jobs, they are currently on display at the Court House Gallery, Somerton, which is also hosting its annual furniture prize on the 16th July.

Recently completed kitchen refurbishment, new Ash worktops, new oven, sink and tap with two new purpose made cabinets either side of the oven and existing pine cabinets painted with Farrow & Ball paint, MDF  V grooved wall panels and new stainless steel splashback.
Pictures, before on the left, after on the right.

Thanks to all the people who came into the gallery and had a chat about my work and watched me cut a few dovetails.

I`ve been making more table leg frames for Alardus Van Den Bosch which he will be displaying at this years Celebration Of Design & Craftsmanship at Cheltenham, the exhibition runs from 16th to the 25th August, its well worth a visit with some exceptional furniture on display. 

A bad craftsman blames his tools, or so the saying goes, but good quality tools certainly help and some can even inspire you to do good work. If you would like to see some of the lovely tools pictured below and meet me, I will be demonstrating hand cut dovetails at the Court House Gallery, Somerton, Somerset, during Somerset Art Weeks September 26th & 27th Friday & Saturday, you can even have a go yourself!

I was asked by Alardus van den Bosch (www.alardus.co.uk) to make a table leg frame to support one of his intarsia table tops, the design is not mine, I had to copy one he already had, I changed it slightly with a hexaganol top fixing block instead of the round disc on the original. I also joined the hexagonal centre block so that the joint was on two corners instead of in the middle, this disguised the joint and made it less conspicuous.