My good friend Paul (or Paul-o as he’s known in Sydney’s Blue Mountains) was over for a visit recently and, like many of us practical types, was keen to get his hands dirty after a few days acclimatising to the UK environment (aka reacquainting himself with our beer).
Well, there I was, reclining to the manner born – I wish – on a window seat looking out over Lake Windermere in the glorious White Drawing Room at Arts & Crafts house Blackwell; never have I seen such consideration in every fitment, whether it be furniture, joinery, ceramics, ironwork or glass. So, coincidence being a fine thing, I am delighted to tell you that this month Dave Roberts writes about a carver who not only upholds…
I expect we’ve all heard of The Terror that followed the French Revolution of 1790, but I wonder how many readers have experienced the very real terror of ‘the job that’s about to go disastrously wrong at any moment’? That was my lot recently as I endeavoured to fit assorted locks and catches to the half dozen interior doors I’d just hung.
The thing about working with wood for 30 years is that it teaches problem solving, an ability that served Andrew Lapthorn very well when he was asked to construct explodable buildings for military training, and when he had to work out the design for his Tripod tables that require sound engineering principles; Dave Roberts reports on this extraordinary maker. Meanwhile Andrea Hargreaves travels to the lovely Lake District to…
Opportunities to learn are ever present in our lives, or at least always round the corner of semi-ignorance. It’s still both surprise and validation when unexpected information drops into the in-tray and immediately opens up a route into a new uncharted territory. Reading the review of Axminster’s new drill stand the other day – which will also take a Trend T4 router – turned out to be a good example in point.
Think of furniture schools and one of the best known in the country has to be that run by designer and maker David Savage in the wilds of North Devon; in this issue Mark Gould sets out to discover the ethos of the year-long courses and what happens to his students when they complete one and try to make a living from the craft. Barrie Scott goes out East again, this time to Thailand where he visits a museum of carvings and reclaimed artefacts…
Despite external distractions like economics and the weather, we like to remain upbeat here at The Woodworker, and hope that every page reflects the pleasure and joy that can be gleaned from the craft of woodworking itself and making things generally. Although we continue with our enforced regimen of belt tightening here at our palatial premises (I've had my car downgraded to a family saloon, and my driver is no longer on 24 hr standby!),…
In order to squeeze in 13 issues of Good Woodworking it is necessary to play a few tricks with time once a year, in this case moving the big hand very swiftly around 14 revolutions, allowing for your March edition to be produced in a scant three weeks. So it is apposite that this one majors strongly on clocks, the almost completely all-wood ones engineered by Bruce Aitken. Dave Roberts sought him out on top of a hill in the…
The March issue of The Woodworker knows no bounds; we have on offer a very nice selection of projects and technical advice to interest and entertain the reader. Storage is always of interest to the the average householder, and great is often the need for wardrobes in the bedroom. Fear not, we have a very stylish wardrobe to make plus a unique take on the classic bunk bed - but this one converts to a loft style work area too!
The March issue of The Woodworker knows no bounds; we have on offer a very nice selection of projects and technical advice to interest and entertain the reader. Storage is always of interest to the the average householder, and great is often the need for wardrobes in the bedroom. Fear not, we have a very stylish wardrobe to make plus a unique take on the classic bunk bed - but this one converts to a loft style work area too!
Our Andy King seems to know everyone, and not just on the woodworking circuit either. Send him to Silverstone and he’s in the pit lane saying hi to Top Gear’s The Stig who lives in the same neck of the woods as Andy – the lengths manufacturers will go to get our attention! Well, the lure of some super-fast cars got Andy’s pulses racing, but it says something for the quality of DeWalt kit that he was…
Although I'm the proud possessor of a Level 2 Bench Joinery NVQ certificate (er, I'm pretty sure I still know where it is), I didn't achieve this qualification until fairly late on in my (ongoing) professional career. Like a lot of us, most of my life has been spent learning the hard way - something my earlier customers would likely confirm - and paying for those lessons learned in extra toil and missing money.
There has to be something wrong with the education system when two talented and dedicated teachers of furniture making become so disillusioned that they desert its box-filling exercises and go private, founding their own schools with a difference. Andrea Hargreaves reports on Peter Sefton’s clever and thoughtful setup that sees his students giving the seal of usefulness and quality to tools that he sells online, some…
In this month's Woodworker we've got some great last minute gift ideas to make, and a load of affordable kit to gen up on. If you're feeling peckish you can turn your pizza into a production and learn how to slice it up into perfect portions with our great serving board.
A while back a reader observed that GW was all furniture, but conversely I am expecting those of you who associate timber with tables, chairs and cabinets to enquire where it has gone lately, but it’ll be back next month I promise. It is, however, interesting to note how many objects that enrich our lives rely on wood for their effect. Take the guitars that we major on in this issue – Shaun Newton restores a…
