Workshop News
So what’s been happening in the workshop this week. Well Keira and Chris are both getting to the end of the wall hanging cabinet project. They have both done an amazing job. Crisp jointing. Perfectly fitted doors and a fast developing beautiful oiled finish. I’ll be honest and say that I was expecting this level of progress from Chris as he has had plenty of experience in making things from wood before he started the course. Keira on the other hand has surpassed our expectations. She came with no woodworking experience and is already producing this exceptionally high level of work. This is testament to the way the course is set up and the dedication of Graham Loveridge our head tutor, but the main ingredient is Keira. She has had to save hard to fulfil her ambition of becoming a cabinet maker. She isn’t going to let this opportunity pass her by and this shows in her attitude to learning. She is hungry for knowledge and she backs this up by working every available hour in the workshop. Keep it going Keira!
Grahams masterclasses are gathering momentum. Last week he ran a series on inlay. His skills were tested as he demonstrated cutting in string lines both by hand or with the router. For those of us who have worked closely with Graham we knew that both would be perfect. They were. This week the masterclasses move down into the machine room as he demonstrates the use of the spindle moulder when shaping components. Take a look at the Waters and Acland Instagram feed for daily updates.
Our head maker Tim Smith held a Q and A session looking at the making challenges of his current project. These sessions are a great opportunity for our students to quiz a real master of his craft.
We went on a couple of visits to timber merchants this week. Chris and Keira were on the look out for native ash and cherry whilst I had my eye on some beautifully clean Oak for the pro workshop. Finding timber befitting of the quality of work we do is never easy, but happily we came up trumps this week. Lets follow the progress of this new timber over the coming weeks. Tim and Angus will certainly set the standards in the pro bench room and I’m convinced that Chris and Keira in the student bench room will also do the timber justice as they both embark on their first self designed projects.
As well as the beautiful sideboard a set of six chairs are coming together in the pro bench room. Our Morgan chairs are always admired in our showroom and it’s great to see another set nearing completion. The next task is for Jimmy Todd a third generation saddler to clad the seats in bridle leather. The leather is gorgeous. The stitching excellent and the end result is a seat that will last for hundreds of years.
Kyle is so close to completing his collectors cabinet. Just the handles and the oil finish to go. Come on Kyle, we can’t wait to see the final results. It’s going to be special. Award winning?
An important element of what we do in the furniture school is preparing our students for future employment. Not all our students are here to begin a career or start a new one as a cabinet maker, but if they are we will help them on that journey as best we can. Other workshops know the quality of work that we produce and they understand that anyone who has attended one of our courses will be well trained and at the very least be highly skilled with hand tools. As I always say, the hand skills are the key to quality work. Master the hand tools and the rest won’t hold any fear. Anyway, back to the point I am trying to make. We get enquiries from workshops looking for apprentices or improvers and if possible we try and match one of our students with these prospective employers. This week Kyle spent a day in a workshop that specialises in subcontracted fine furniture making at the highest level, with an eye to landing some work experience or even better a position as an apprentice when his course is completed early next year. Good luck Kyle. This is a fantastic opportunity to further your skills.
