Carving A Wooden Trivet - Pierced Design

The other day I saw my wife struggling with a hot pan and laying out two trivets to keep the big roasting dish off the table. 

I decided it was a perfect project to make a new trivet. I loved making one a few years ago and it was the perfect magazine article for Woodcarving Magazine. I spoke to my editor and said about different design, making it in a different way. 

I built a Medieval Carved Chest - With The Wrong Wood!

This last week I set myself a tricky project. A carved medieval chest.

I was given the idea by someone I met who was into LARPing (Live Action Role Play), they are always after props and items to make the experience more real. He showed me some of the bits and bobs they have and I saw some chests in the background. I thought it would make a fun project and be a great source of material for an article in Woodcarving magazine (which I try to write for every issue at the moment). 

To keep costs low I carved it out of some brilliant quality pine boards that I have. 

What a mistake that was! 

My Sisters Kitchen Upgrade - New Doors, Drawers & Extra units

The weekend before last I took a trip with my dad up to Manchester to visit my sister. 

 It wasn't just a social call though - we were there to upgrade her kitchen!

Making a Gate From A Yew Log - Green Woodworking - Part 2

 So with some chunks of yew at my house it was time to break them down a bit smaller. When I've worked with sweet chestnut a froe is a handy tools for this.

The knotty yew wouldn't entertain this idea though. So it was axe and wedges for every piece. Intruth I could have donw with soem bigger bits, as it was I ended up using quarters for the styles of the gate when really it would be better to hew something square from something bigger. 

Big Cut Roof Job In Wales - Internals First Fix

One of my favourite jobs in carpentry is studding. Trouble was we had a fair bit to do before we could get there. 

The lovely old floor boards had seen better days (and better trades) so we decided the first thing to do was cover them with ply to make them a bit flatter and a bit stronger. 

Oak Floor For Mum

This weekend just gone I fitted an oak floor with my brother. It's for mum and dad in their dining room, they've lived in this house for nearly 40 years now! 

I prefer to glue these floors down rather let them float as it feels more solid. Mum wanted to bead round the skirting but when she left the room we took it off anyway - a much better job! It'll still need beading round the fireplace. 

Larder Unit

Yesterday we visited my brother and sister-in-laws place for the first time in ages. It was to meet their new baby (A tiny baby girl) and was lovely to chat and catch up. 

It was great to see the kitchen I built from scratch in use and full of produce! It was a monster of a unit with huge doors and drawers.

The can rotators inside the unit are available via my Esty store or you can email me if you'd like any!

I think they picked a great colour and the whole kitchen really seems to work with the central island. I've asked them to send me some pictures of the whole thing when they get chance so I can share it on here.  

Carving Photo

I got my daughter to take a couple of photos the other day when I carving, I needed a few with both of my hands in the shot for a magazine article I'm writing. She also took the one below, and unusually I quite like the photo of me so I thought I'd share it. 

I feel lucky I enjoy my time in my workshop working so much, and I get to make many interesting things, it's always changing and challenging. I know that in a few years what I do will probably have evolved even more and be something completely different, but for now I'll enjoy what it is. 

And I feel fortunate that my children can see me do it, spend time with me while I do it, it's lovely to hear them play outside while I'm in there. 

52 Weeks Of Carving

 I have kept my other blog sawdustinmysocks running for well over 10 years, sometimes I've put quite a bit on there and sometimes it's gone quiet.

This year I'm using it to document a challenge I've set myself where I'm trying to carve something every week to really develop my carving skills, something I've wanted to dedicate time to since I started to train to be a carpenter. 

I'm posting every week on there what carving and craft work I get up to and how I'm trying to learn the skills that I want. I'm enjoying the process and although it's a hard goal to set myself, I think that to do something like this every week is a great way to learn the skills and muscle memory needed. 

My new workbench is my latest project I've finished and I'm enjoying having it in my workshop - where I spend so much of my time! So if you're wondering what I do in the evenings my other blog has the answers - hopefully time better spent than watching TV. A few hours carving with a good audio book is sheer bliss! 

My workbench might be a bit over the top but let me know what you think! 

Homestead Maths

I put this on twitter the other day so apologies if you've seen it already. 

This morning she was frustrated trying to figure out Greek gods from a poem and 16 pages of maths.

This afternoon building a chicken coop, marking up parallel lines, taking measurements &first time using the jigsaw on her own. Perfect apprentice.

I love how useful they've become and how they like to help. I can now set her to finish putting in screws or mark up timber to be cut. It's a lovely way to spend time together. Carpenters daughter. 

Pirate Treasure Chest!

Our children never ask for much, normally their requests for presents are quite random (last year one was a treasure map). This year the boy asked for a  treasure chest, we searched online but didn't really like (or could afford) anything we saw, so time for me to contribute to Christmas (my wife does so much!). 

We decided that it would be ideal if it could double up as a toy box, but I might have got a little carried away with the dimensions as it's a proper treasure chest size! 

Kitchen Island

One of my regular customers contacted me the other day about some work they wanted doing - they needed an island unit for their kitchen. 

They had already chosen some granite for the top and needed a base. We discussed their requirements then I priced it and made it to their specifications. As it was painted I made it using tulip wood (which takes a finish brilliantly), with good quality ply for the shelves. 

 

This was it ready to go, finished woodwork in my workshop. 

Really pleased with how this turned out. I also shortened their kitchen table as well (altering the frame and the top). The unit seems to work well in the room. 

As well as my Etsy products I also have another commission I've been working on which I'm really keen to share with you all soon!

Who else could do with a unit like this in their kitchen?

Making A Shave Horse With My Daughter

 I have an axe head I bought a while back that still needs a handle. I've looked at buying one online to match but can't find anything that I think will fit or that I like. So I want to make my own. Now I have plenty of tools that I can make one with but I know from experience that a shave horse is the easiest way to hold and work it. 

Now I have made a couple over the years (one for my brother and one for myself) but I sold mine when I had nowhere to store it after we moved here. I've decided that even if I just chuck a sheet over it it'll be worth having it outside. I also had a few lengths of less than straight 4x2 so this seemed a good use of them. 

Odd Drawer Unit

A week or so ago I picked up a random selection of drawers from my mother to make a unit for her. 

And as last week was half term where my wife was at home I could get cracking in the workshop.

Unusual Commission - Miss Matched Drawer Unit

My carpentry has pretty much ceased during lockdown, but I have got an unusual commission to try to fit in around childcare. 

This one is for one of my toughest customers - my mother!

Workshop Helper

My younger daughter spent some time in the workshop with me this afternoon.

D: "Why do you have a radio on?"

Me- "sometimes it gets a bit boring, it helps pass the time."

D: "it won't be boring if you've got someone to talk to..."

I love that they take such an interest in things like this!

There are some serious advantages to working from home when I can.

Growing up I was always around my parents when they were working. Both would work from home most of the time and they would both also go and work at other farms as well at times. Basically one of them was always at home and it was a nice constant to be relied upon.

It also meant that we (my siblings and me) got involved with everything when we could or when we were old enough and could see what they did each time. I have great memories of this as a child and hope that our kids will have something similar.

Did you watch your parents work when you were young?

Making An Insulated Pantry Door

The pantry project is moving forward!

I've decided to upgrade the door to this storage room. What I want to make sure is that the kitchen stays warm and the pantry stays cool. Having a door with insulation in it and having it well sealed will help me do this.

This video is quite carpentry based but shows how I went about making a new door. Not traditional construction but hopefully a few will find it interesting!

Let me know what you think.

Helpers In The workshop

I love that my work fits around the children and I love that they can sometimes see me making things for customers.

Little helper in the background

 Sometimes they like to come in and watch. The little man especially loves to come in and chat to me as I work.

New Workshop Roof

As I mentioned in my last blog post, the workshop roof has been leaking for weeks now and has been slowly driving me mad.

It only seems to drip when I'm stood under it, and then it only hits my neck! But seriously it needed sorting before something bad happened and water got into the wiring or wrecked my tools.

Oak Floor In Manchester

What a busy weekend! 

I'm sure as many of you know I don't like to leave the village unless I have to (managed 6 weeks without leaving it last year at one point).

But sometimes I do - mainly for family. I visit my parents farm quite often, but I'm not so great at going to see my sister who lives in Manchester. She's great at seeing us and spending time with the kids and I'm terrible at going back up there. It is a three hour drive though but I still feel guilty.

With her partner, they've just bought a house and are in the process of doing it up. One area that's having a complete overhaul is the living room, and one thing they really want is an oak floor to set it off.