Blog

"We urgently needed some lockable storage at our home for both our own use and for our guests ... Richard is always such a pleasure to work with and make the process really easy, and we can highly recommend him."

I received a phone call from a local farmer who had volunteered to help the local parish council with a project to gain recognition of an old airfield site on farmland belonging to the Prideaux-Brune estate in Padstow dating back to World war one

They are old style sash windows that slide horizontally which were quite rotten and he wondered if they could be repaired as opposed to being replaced with new ones, he removed them from the house and boarded up the openings whilst they were in the workshop

Shelves made from 18mm oak melamine board from Egger and a roll of matching iron on edge banding some twin slot shelving including the rails and supporting brackets.

This workbench is based on the Roubo style and is a split top version where the top is composed of two halves that allow for woods natural movement - Roubo was a True craftsman and many benches today are still based on his style. The decision to make a new bench stems from a desire to create a bench that is not only practical to use but beautiful to look at with joints that would be strong but also decorative.

This week I have been asked by a customer to re-make two rocking horses for their play area at a holiday park near St merryn

The result from book matching the boards for the tray bottom actually blew me away with how it ended up looking once oiled and waxed and although it did take a lot of careful planing, sanding and elbow grease I think it was well worth the effort

Everything was sanded really well down to 320 grit so silky smooth and then applied three coats of Liberon finishing oil sanding in between coats and finally waxed everything with three individual coats of black bison wax followed by some heavy duty elbow grease to ensure a really good shine 

This week I have been making a very stylish Butlers tray with stand - which is so useful for many different situations in the home, it could be used in the lounge for a tray of tea or as a piece of furniture to put some flowers on in the hallway, it could also be used in the bathroom or nursery

The finished stool is a perfect addition to the deckchair and it would encourage you to spend so much time relaxing and i think that personally I would have to have both of them for a day on the beach

I have been busy in the workshop this week designing and making a really nice and very comfortable Deckchair in readiness for the long awaited summer months

During my project of restoring the fire surround i have learnt a lot myself and although i had the confidence to complete a project like this i thought it might be a good idea to pass on to others what i have learnt

It is a very beautiful piece that you don’t see today and is really worth the effort of being restored, the carvings and workmanship are incredible and i am very fortunate to be in a position to be asked to take on this challenge.

On putting it up on the bench the top parted from the surround slightly and i could see a wooden dowel pin between them and there were steel screws in the back which gave me the thought that i should try and part these two pieces to make it easier for me to manage and which in turn would make it easier to deal with each component as an individual piece - however i did question myself if this was a wise thought, but i made a decision to do it anyway - i must be brave !

This week i have been machining some beautiful oak in my workshop to match the fire surrounds missing components, a lovely part of doing this is the smell of the wood in the workshop - its beautiful !

I invited my customers to the workshop to see the finished project and they were so happy with the results and can’t wait to get it installed into their house - so once this happens i will get a final picture to post for you all

The Old Wool barn at Talskiddy near St Columb was originally almost derelict when the present owners took it upon them selves to bring this wonderful building back to its original condition and honestly they have done such a wonderful job. The only thing not finished by the builders for some reason was the oak stair case finishing and this was where i have been called in to help.

When working on site it is so easy to ruin the edge of any chisel, it used to cause me so much hassle but now with my new set up it is so much easier to restore their edges

I love combinations of wood and metal so decided that a wooden seat and back support were required with these chairs but what wood ? - well there is only one really suitable for outside - CEDAR

"Richard built units for us in our shop in Padstow and we are delighted with the result. He was on time with delivery polite, helpful and completely delivered on the brief he was given. We would certainly use Richard again and would happily recommend his work" —Lynne Cornish from Jam Industries

When a previous customer of mine called to ask if i could help out with a project that he had been told would be very difficult, i was very intrigued to learn more about it and a site visit was arranged...

My mission this week is to make two benches for a 1.5-metre dining table. The client’s brief is modern, simple, textured and painted in monochrome colours.

Prepping the timbers and sizing the components, ready for construction

Prepping the timbers and sizing the components, ready for construction

I have finally after many discussions regarding colour choice finished the dining room benches this week and they are now ready for delivery!

An in-store adaptable wooden shelving unit for Rural Urban. Breakdown of the project, the process and the client's reactions!