Bespoke Furniture Maker
Located on the North Yorkshire Coast above Robin Hoods Bay, in a sanctuary that is my workshop. Inspired by the foreboding North Sea, an ancient moorland landscape and the local coastal folk, I make bespoke handmade furniture using only traditional hand tools.
Whether you’re looking to commission a piece of fine furniture or have a fun day or two learning the skills of working with traditional hand tools, take a look around and let me know if anything tickles your fancy.
Big Details, Big Impact.
Using traditional tools and joinery techniques handed down through the ages. I source rough sawn timber from local sawmills which I grade, flatten and square. Primarily a furniture maker but also as a woodwork tutor, I pride myself on making and teaching skills to a new generation of potential makers.
This is my latest commission for the local St. Stephens Church in Fylingthorpe, Commissioned by Rev. Michael Waters for the Church Vestry.
The traditional style was inspired by many elements within the church, the huge panelled Vestry door with its strap hinges, the ecclesiastic arches found throughout the Church and the stone pillars, there may even be a church mouse lurking somewhere within! all culminating in a wardrobe for the ages.
Small Details, Big Impact.
Thoughtful details elevate furniture, and don’t always need to be visible, it’s what you don't see that often sets a piece apart.
Perfect flat planed surfaces, a blind dovetail, a wedge tenon or a piston fit drawer, to the casual looker they are invisible. Secrets shared between a maker and the owner, not everyone needs to know, there’s no need to shout about quality when you know it’s present.
Adapting to your world.
Whether I’m making a bespoke piece or adding to an existing interior, furniture needn’t always make a bold statement, sometimes it’s a subtle blend is better. Here we see a stand-alone sideboard which needed to align with a contemporary kitchen. The Ash adds warmth and complements a pair of shallow shelves I’d made previously to replace the MDF originals. The design also complements the kitchens linear style with a thick worktop and aluminium handles, but by including the olive grain in the Ash I’ve softened the hard lines and added natural texture.
Bold Contrast, Hidden Gems.
Walnut on Sycamore, two of my favourite woods to work with, both cut like butter. Both woods yield to the blade meaning less trips to the sharpening station! They may not be the most popular of species but as the chippy down the road tells me, there are always better alternatives to cod - Oak is the woodworkers cod!
Two hidden details revealed here; the piston fit drawer relies solely on the precision of the maker to slide in and out smoothly and consistently, no rails, no runners, just precision. Whilst the beautiful contrasting blind dovetail obscures the paler sycamore when the draw is closed.
Hidden details only the owner will truly appreciate.