A new member for the workshop

Introducing our latest workshop recruit, designed and built to deter lowlife and scumbags attracted by our new-found juxtaposition to the building site which is the Edinburgh tramline to the airport.

This is Eddie pictured, on the right, at 4 weeks with his brother.  He is a Bouvier des Flandres and is in the process of growing apace. In a few months time all matters of workshop security are to be addressed to him.

He is named after Belgium’s most famous son ( and possibly the worlds greatest ever racing cyclist…. sorry Lance) Eddy Merckx.

Our part in the Wych Elm Project

Talking with Ian Edwards of the Royal Botanic Gardes, Edinburgh, I got the back of my legs slapped because I have not yet mentioned our participation in the Wych Elm Project.  This then is my attempt to rectify the omission.  With my colleague Sharon Kirby and the kids at Kaimes School, Edinburgh, we developed and installed an Acheivement Tree outside the school library.  It incorporated two of the planks from the Botanic’s Wych Elm as well as examples of timber from other native species.  See www.wychelmproject.org.uk for more details including a forthcoming exhibition at the Botanics.

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Chester draws

Just a few of the chests of drawers (and similar-type pieces) I have made over the years.

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SFMA Exhibition

I showed a console table, in cherry and ash, and a pair of chairs, (native cherry}, at the annual Scottish Furniture Makers Association Exhibition in Edinburgh in October.

I have recently completed a set of 6 of these chairs in native cherry, (which, in Scotland, is called “gean”).  Because of its scarcity, and the demand for it for fine cabinetwork, one of the big yards down south (Duffields in Yorkshire) has now classified cherry as an ‘exotic’…. and priced it accordingly!  These chairs are £750 each.

The console table is partially inspired by the early sixties Maserati sports-racing car known as the “birdcage”.  Its incredibly low bodywork meant that the wheel arches rose dramatically above the bonnet line.  In my table, the floating top kicks up above the tops of the legs.

This console table, in cherry and ash, is for sale at £1175.

display stands

A couple of years ago, I made a series of stands for displaying information boards for Historic Scotland. These were different sizes (dependant on the size of the boards) and are in use at Torphichen Preceptory, Seton Collegiate Chapel and Aberdour Castle and are all in oak.  Following on from these earlier this year, i made a much more free-form stand for Ecclesmachan kirkyard.  I used Yew as its heartwood is the most durable of native timber for outdoor use.

Seton collegiate Chapel

Ecclesmachan Kirkyard

oak sideboard

 

This was my biggest piece of 2007 and built from a couple of truly massive (3 foot wide) planks of French Oak.  It goes with a dining table made from the same log which had  previously been commissioned by the same customer. Using planks from the one tree is the best chance we have of obtaining uniformity of grain and colour throughout the ensemble.

elm sideboard

dining table with 2 chairs

In elm with burr top to table and burr seats on chairs.

In case the straight edge to edge jointing of boards is considered to make life too easy, this detail shows the curved jointing between adjacent burr elm boards. The advantage confered by curved jointing when working with burrs is that it allows the retention of patches of burr which would be lost with straight-edge jointing.  For the technically minded, a mating pair of curved edges is produced by copy-routing from matched MDF templates.  For the sinewy curves involved in this table, the templates themselves can be produced quite successfully with one single cut with a  portable jigsaw provided sufficient confidence is displayed. (All rather cryptic but these hints might prove helpful if you’re thinking of trying it).