This past week or so

This past week’s work was diverse and I must say I like it that way. I sold a rocking chair and Phil was going to a wedding in London and so as I type this he will be in a village in Gloucester unwrapping it from blankets and setting it up in its new home. I sold two more nesting cavities made from laurel for birds to occupy  in Herefordshire and I made 2 more spoons for the commission I have for the 35 spoons to be shipped next month to the USA.

This chair came from the carboot sale here at Llandygai I tool the whole thing apart, restored the original French polish finish and reupholstered the seat with more cushion for comfort. These were working chairs for offices and factory foremen and managers, bosses and so on who had desk jobs intermingled with the working people of Britain’s workforce. I like the way it looks and feels at home by the Aga cooker in the kitchen.

When my wife makes cardigans for our grandchildren and I land the job of making hand made, non-lathe-turned buttons. The redwood buttons here came from a Giant Sequoia planted just outside the workshop by Queen Victoria at Penrhyn Castle.

Philip testing canes for strength. I don’t recommend this for anyone but it does show the resilience of straight-grained oak. Of course we filmed too. More canes came from the bench and I am developing more on the new projects we have planned, but the highlight of the week was seeing the conclusion of the mahogany tool chest that ended this past Wednesday online. This was and is an extensive project for any woodworker and I cannot wait to see the gallery of completed tool chests over the next year. The pine tool chest above is the one I completed in the US earlier this year. Dimensionally it’s the same as my new mahogany one but not so deep front to back.