Welcome to my workshop -  tidy isn`t it !

Actually it is my virtual workshop which is featured in my book Electric Woodwork. See books.


A small workshop is like a suitcase  -  you pack in exactly what you need and it forces you to decide on the priorities. Read about "My workshop" from an article in
Traditional Woodworking 1995.

How long have you been in this workshop ?

Eight years. My first was a converted cattleshed in 1973 which cost £1.50 a week to rent.

How is your working day split up ?

I usually rise about 7.30am and prefer to "surface" by working at the computer before engaging in practical  activity, depending on work priorities.

It has taken me many years to go with my bio-rythms and shake off the nine-till-five regime. Some days I just cannot work and might play music or go off fishing; other days I work for perhaps 14 hours.

Which tool or piece of equipment do you use most ?

Probably the router, bandsaw and radial arm saw.

What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment ?

It will be no surprise to say the router because of its sheer  versatility and precision.

Which woodworking item would you most like to own ?

I could do with a drum sander. Perhaps when I begin to slow down I would like a CNC router and just sit back and watch it work.

What project are you most proud of ?

An unusual rocking chair I designed in 1973 on the back of a scrap of paper. Orders for this particular chair have trickled in over three decades which is very satisfying considering I had no proper marketing strategy. I still sell the odd one even now. It always evokes interest, seldom indifference and combines simple sculptural lines with practicality.

What project gave you the most problems ?

I was once asked to convert a massive 65" diameter butt of bubinga, which a client had brought back from Africa, into a coffee table. I surface skimmed the end grain with a router, almost melting the cutters. I had to employ several blokes to arduously hand sand the top flat in three hour shifts. The end grain was like steel and it was a nightmare getting an acceptable finish. It took four blokes to lift it ! 

What wood do you most like to work in ?

Ash in the solid combines rigidity, resilience, strong grain and good workability. It is reasonably priced, durable and acceptable to my clients.

What would you improve about your workshop if you could ?

Install a really efficient dust extraction system serving each powered machine.

Have you a woodworking philosophy ?

'Less is more'. I resist drowning a piece in 'craftsmanship'. The simplest solution is often the best although difficult to achieve. Decoration is superfluous as structure is the main aesthetic in my work. I try to avoid pre-conceptions. Each design is a solution to a series of questions about form, function, structure, material, technique, etc. I am interested in bringing the past forward. Tradition without innovation is stagnant and innovation without tradition is frivolous.

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