Recent Projects

Whisky Longboat

Completed in September 2024

Another interesting and thoroughly enjoyable project to make a display piece for four Highland Park whisky bottles.

This set can be collected individually but the original display longboat for all four bottles is very hard to come by.

I was tasked with making a similar longboat from European oak with a couple of specific tweaks for the customer, e.g. two heads and tails instead of four heads.

Weaving Heddle

Completed in August 2024

I didn’t know what a rigid Heddle was until a customer asked me to make one!

Here are a sample made from olive, oak, and holly.

Shelving Unit

Completed in July 2024

A shelving unit made to bespoke dimensions and requirements that will be hung on the wall in a kitchen area.

The unit has been sealed with shellac over paint to match the kitchen bench (see below).  It is made from good quality birch plywood to resist movement due to humidity close to the cooking area.  Dovetail joints have been used to hold the pieces together for added strength.

Oak Bedframe

Completed in June 2024

The drawers have been assembled with castors for easy access and oak veneer on the drawer fronts.

All the mortice and tenon joints, fittings for the sides and the slats with a central support have been completed.

Dowels for the drawbore mortices have been handmade from oak – you can put a square peg into a round hole!

The design process involving several conversations with the customer has been completed, covering dimensions, drawers and wood type, etc.  This is a unique and bespoke bedframe, handmade to the customer’s specification.

Trophy Plinth/Base

Completed in April 2024

Another unusual, but interesting, request this month: to make a wooden base for a trophy.

The wood is from a very old yew tree grown locally in Nottinghamshire and will have plaques for the prize category and annual winners added on the top.  

Kitchen Bench

Completed in March 2024

Strangely, a similar project to the previous one, with the addition of a back rest and drawers instead of baskets.

The customer wanted the bench to be painted to match the other kitchen furniture, so softwood over a frame is great for strength and keeping costs down.

The drawers have been made out of good quality plywood, they are not on runners so they can be easily removed for access to their contents.

Hall Storage

 Completed in January 2024

A simple project to make a storage unit for wicker baskets to contain hats, scarves, gloves, etc. in the hall.

The storage unit was made from softwood as the customer wanted it painted. Plus, it had to be strong enough to enable a person sitting on it to put on and remove shoes.

Wall Hanging Crosses

Completed in December 2023

An interesting project to make six wall hanging crosses. They have been made from Red Cherry (x2) and Olive wood (x4).

This is surprisingly difficult … turning wood that is regular with straight(ish) sides into rough crosses that look natural.  I would normally do the reverse!

Quilting Tools

 Completed in November 2023

I hadn’t heard of a quilters Clapper!  They are used to press seams flat where pieces of material have been sewn together.

This is a bespoke project to make some unique tools.  We  made an oak prototype clapper that was trialled for size, grip and weight. The real clappers are made slightly longer with one from zebrano wood, the other from Thuya burr.

There is also a Hera marker and a pointy-tool, both made from some beautiful thuya burr wood to match the clapper.

Floating Bedframe

Completed in October 2023

An unusual request to make a bedframe that appears to be floating, how could I resist!

The bedframe includes space for storage underneath, even though there doesn’t look like there is any support.  The only complication was that it had to be fixed to the wall to prevent tipping.  This was agreed with the client before the build. 

Kitchen Cupboard

 Completed in September 2023

This project is to make some vertical dividers that fit into an existing kitchen cupboard.  These will store baking trays, shallow pie dishes, etc.

In addition, three drawers require internal fittings to hold wine bottles.  These are made from beach and designed so the bottle labels can be seen easily.

Table Extensions

Completed in August 2023

This is a fairly simple project, to provide two extensions that can be added to either end of a dining table.

The extensions will be covered when in use, so the top can be made from strong plywood to resist distortion.

The tapered legs are secured with two wing nuts onto bolts, so that they are easily detachable for storing when not in use.

ToolBox

Completed in July 2023

This special toolbox is made out of ash, the main box, lid, tray and infills to hold the tools have all been completed.  Box or finger joints have been used on the corners to add some character, and there is an internal rail that will support the tray.

The whole box has been waxed to give it some protection and it emphasizes the grain superbly. 

It should serve the customer well for many years to come.

Customer Project

Completed in May 2023

This is a beautiful decorative piece that could be displayed on a wall or used as a table mat.

The wood has been hand cut and individually selected to show some lovely grain patterns.  Types of wood are oak, walnut, cherry and ebony, there are even some faces if you look closely at the grain!

Solar Inverter – Screen

Completed in May 2023

Solar panels have been recently fitted to a local property.  The inverter and batteries  are located in a downstairs toilet and the customer wanted a simple screen to stop toddlers ‘playing’ with the equipment.

Two posts have been made, painted and secured to the existing tiles.

The finished and painted screen has had light bracing added on the back to reduce the flex, yet keeping it light.  The screen slots in to the posts; easy to remove by adults but not by toddlers!

Hall Console Table

Completed in May 2023

The table is complete, with black stain and varnish, it looks very contemporary.

The back and sides are joined to the legs with mortise and tenon joints.  All the internal rails and drawer separators have been fitted with dovetail joints, and the veneer edging has been added to the shelf, top and front.

The solid oak legs have  had the lower section tapered, and the lower shelf has now been fitted, along with small legs to support the length of the shelf.

Table Wedges

Completed in February 2023

A customer had misplaced a number of wedges needed to hold a table together.  Fortunately one wedge remained that could be used as a template to make a number of new ones.

The oak was sawn roughly to size and planed to the correct thickness, then loosely cut to shape on the bandsaw.  To make the correct profile, hand tools were used (rasps, files and planes) finishing off with sandpaper.

Finally, the wedges were stained and distressed slightly to make them look ‘older’ and varnished to match the original.

Bedframe extension

Completed in January 2023

This project was to extend the length of a bedframe.  The bedroom size is limited and so making the bed longer, but not wider, is of benefit to the customer.

The extension pieces have been shaped along the top edge to match the curves of the original frame.  Oak trim has been fitted to match the existing sides, oak veneer has been added and finally stained and varnished to blend in with the original frame.

The central support for the slats has been replaced by a longer single piece. The intention was not to alter any of the  original frame so it can easily revert to its initial configuration, if required. 

Floating Shelves

Completed in December 2022

A fairly straight forward project to make custom length floating shelves to fit within a restricted space in a customer’s kitchen area.

The shelves have had the holes for the floating shelf brackets drilled and all the trims added around the front and side edges.

The shelves are stained matt black to match other items in the kitchen.

Stool Made by Customer

  Completed in November 2022

This is a simple 3 legged stool made by a customer in the workshop.

The base is made from plywood as it will be upholstered and so not seen, although very strong.

The legs were secured with wedges and glued.  Once dry they were sawn off and planed to make them smooth on top.  The legs were cut so they were all the same length.

Finally, the legs were finished with oil and the stool ready for upholstering.

Updated with customer photo now the stool has been covered.  It looks great!

Backstrap Looms

Completed in November 2022

The beams are finished, which means all 24 sets are complete!  This has been a great project to work on, and I hope many people will enjoy being creative with the looms in the future.

They beams have been cut to length and the ends shaped using chisels before smoothing with sand paper.

Started in October 2022

This project is a repeat order for 24 sets of backstrap looms.  You can see one of the initial sets in use.

Each loom consists of a sword, two dowels and three beams.

The swords have been cut to size.  Then  planed to add the chamfers and finally sanded to smooth all the edges.

Large Picture Frame

Completed in November 2022

Now complete and with Pokemon cards on display!

The rebates have been cut for the backing boards and acrylic (which has been delivered this week).

The mitre corners have also been cut and the frame has been assembled.

The completed frame has been stained black and all that’s left to do now is the clear matt varnish.

In Progress – October 2022

Refine Woodwork has been asked to make a large bespoke picture frame.  It will be about 1.7m across and 0.8m high.

Initially, the long lengths of oak have been planed and sawn, then left for a while. Then planed and sawn and left again. This allows time for the oak to de-stress and acclimatise so that any movement (twisting, bending) can then be planed out prior to cutting the rebates and mitre corners.

Ottoman Footstool

Completed in October 2022

This project was to make the carcase of a footstool with a matching tray.  The footstool will be fully upholstered, so making it out of plywood was ideal in order to keep costs low and provide a strong and robust frame.

The ash legs have an oak insert to complement the tray.  The tray is made with an oak base and ash sides.

When not in use the tray can be placed inside the footstool with plenty of storage underneath for magazines, etc.