Magazines

No-one could have been more relieved than UK Squad trainer Christian Notley that the contest to find the young maker to represent the country at WoldSkills in Brazil was finally over, and in this issue we look at the selection competition which cruelly saw three very talented young men reduced to one who was judged to just have the edge over the other two. We can testify to the narrowness of the victory. Spoiler alert here: our cover star Edward Harringman, said afterwards: “Being selected for WorldSkills São Paulo 2015 is an incredible honour for all of us, and is something I’ve been working towards personally for over two years. I’m not sure I would be as hungry for success and driven to be the best I can be if it wasn’t for exposure to competitions – and I would love to bring back the gold medal.” Read about the selection, then consider how important this competition is to the future of fine woodworking in the UK. Good Woodworking and sister magazine The Woodworker are pledged to support this competition, surely the benchmark of best practice for young woodworkers. Elsewhere I talk to an artist who uses laser-cut wood in his designs, we look at the intricate carving of a Rajasthani family, Michael Huntley makes drawers, Martin Aplin recreates a Prairie House table, Mike Jordan constructs a windowed cottage door using ledge & brace techniques, Les Thorne turns a jewellery stand and Andy King tests a Charnwood bandsaw.

Andrea Hargreaves, Editor