This post shows examples of some woodworking projects I've done over the last 10 years or so. Some readers of this blog have asked about custom work- in short, I don't take orders, unless offered sufficiently vast sums of money to compensate for taking a fun hobby and making it into work, or you happen to be a close friend or relative.
Baby's Rattle
This was a present for the daughter of a friend, and a chance to have a go at something I'd never done on a lathe before: turning a loose ring. I also used it as a teaching project for a student who is also learning some woodworking from me. I did the first ring, to see how to do it, he did the second.
I then carved the name in by hand with a narrow gouge.
Mortar and Pestle
A Christmas present for my wife. The mortar is one piece of spalted birch, from a tree that was taken down in our apartment yard this year. I turned it while it was still green, then waxed it, left it to dry for a month, then finished it off on the lathe. The pestle is maple, left over from the desk legs.Productive Procrastination
I started writing another book in April 2008, then decided that a decent computer desk was necessary before continuing. It has a thick elm top, with natural curves, and maple legs and rails.The front legs are jointed through the top, and wedged in place:
The rails are buttoned on, so if necessary the whole thing can be dismantled. Three large holes in the top allow wires to be organised a bit, and the sockets underneath can be flipped to left or right.The extension cord runs in a groove up the back of either back leg.
Now I suppose I'd better get writing that book…
Canteen
This was commissioned by my father as a Christmas present for my mother, to house their silver cutlery. It took about 200 hours to make. The animal motifs on the top represent my father (lion), my mother (antelope), my brother (elephant), my sister (rhino) and me (fish), a reference to a set of carved wooden napkin rings we used to use.The carcase is birch ply veneered with cherry, framed in walnut. The drawers have cherry fronts and ash bodies, and are lined with baize. The handles are walnut, with cherry veneer faces, and I turned them on a lathe at Plektra (Ruusankatu 8, 00250 Helsinki), the best woodworkers' shop in Finland.
The inlaid pictures are in a range of woods, and reclaimed ivory from old piano keys.Cutlery drawer inserts:
Each piece of cutlery has its own niche, in frames of walnut or cherry, built onto frames made when the canteen itself was still in the workshop (you can see them in the pictures of the drawers). The frames slide snugly into the drawers.
Spoons:
Forks:
Lectern
This was made entirely from off-cuts; leftover birch ply from Grace's cot, leftover pine from building the storage-room, leftover oak from making a grave marker for the family dog, leftover oak veneer from a bowmaking experiment. I did buy two bolts though. The idea for making this came last year when I got my copy of Tobler's In the Service of the Duke, shown here in its rightful place.The lectern has a range of positions and heights, and can go completely flat for displaying laptop screens etc.
Jewellery Tray
This was made for my Mum, who asked for something to keep some of her most-worn jewellery in order. It is made from one central price of solid cherry, which is surrounded by a frame to make it more stable.Grace's Cot
When I found out that my wife was pregnant, I immediately thought of making a cot. I didn't like the idea of my child spending the first few years of its life behind bars, so decided on pierced panels, with trees and animal motifs. The tree at the cot head is based on the one at the end of Fior di battaglia. The cot is built from solid cherry and birch ply, and has adjustable bed height, and a drop side.
Occupied!