Full circle!

Coffee table in English oak.

The top of the table - a beautiful effect created by the book-matched timber.

This book-matched walnut coffee table is made from the first tree I milled into boards. The timber came from a client's woodland about half a mile away from the workshop. The video below shows the walnut being milled:

After milling the timber was put into storage here at the workshop, until last month when it was finally ready for use. At the client's request a beautiful book-matched coffee table has been created from their timber, so the tree has now gone full circle, returning in a more useful and beautiful form!

WIN A MIRROR! We have a winner!

As some of you who follow our facebook page will already be aware, our competition closed at the end of October, and we now have a winner! Congratulations are due to Sarah McCallum who won with the following wonderful entry:

I prefer to use a local maker because they take pride in their products, value their customers and keep traditional crafts alive. Plus, it's a fantastic opportunity to support talented local makers who produce beautiful creations crafted with integrity, individual style and skill that will stand the test of time and add beauty to our lives every day.  

We had a close runner-up with Leigh Tunnadine's entry:

I prefer to use a local maker because... it keeps it real ;)  - Thank you Leigh! 

 We have decided to share all the entries with you here, because they were wonderful! So here they all are, in no particular order: 

Sue: I prefer to use a local maker because it's easier to develop a good relationship with them (vital in the commissioning process),deal with any snags and to purchase more items to go well with what I already have. Of course, in doing so I am supporting the local economy and reducing my carbon footprint by buying local, too.

Dave Ashby-Styles: I prefer to use a local maker because it is good to support local small businesses and at the same time you get the personal touch, which is oh so rare these days!

Sarah Bowen: I prefer to use a local maker because they're a welcome antidote to mass-produced imported goods. You get to link the maker with the finished product and end up with something unique and special!

Philip Lovemore: I'd prefer to use a local maker, because mass produced furniture lacks depth of caricature and is only designed to last until the next stytle or range comes out. Where as a local maker will produce something more like a piece of timeless art and will be something your children and grandchildren are likely to enjoy.

Sheena Louise Mapson: I prefer to use a local maker because.... then I can pay with my Bristol Pounds  ; 0

Martina Mackintosh: be it a butcher or baker or candlestick maker everyone knows local is best

Alistair Mackintosh: I am very vocal, about my love of local. Even to my wife, I says to 'errr, you can't beat Jim Sharples Furnitu-errr . Works best with a Bristolian accent!

Gill Porter: I prefer to use a local maker cos I can send the stuff back with a small ecofoot print if I dont like it !!

Bridget Page: I prefer local makers!

Angharad Sharples: I prefer to use a local maker because (in no particular order) 1.) So the profit goes straight to the well deserved maker of the product. 2.) as its better for the environment.

Competition: WIN A MIRROR!

In November one lucky person will become the proud new owner of an original Jim Sharples Furniture mirror*! All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is to complete the following caption:

“I prefer to use a local maker because...”

Come and make friends with us on facebook and post your answer to our timeline, or if you prefer just post your sentence here.

Competition closes 31st October 2012 and the winner will be chosen from the best answers!

(*Approx. 50x35cm waney-edge mirror, collection only from the workshop.)

Made in North Somerset festival

This afternoon we're taking part in the Made in North Somerset open doors event, so if you'd like to see how local hand-made furniture is created then now's your chance!

Chat to the Chelvey Designer Makers (including Jim Sharples Furniture and Rohan Scadding Design) and see what processes are involved, from designing, timber selection, machining and jointing through to finishing and completed pieces.

Feel free to pop down to the workshop at Brickyard Wood Barns between 2pm and 4pm. We look forward to seeing you!

Address:
Brockley Lane
Chelvey
Backwell
Bristol
BS48 4AB

We will also have an open workshop on Saturday 6th October as part of Made in North Somerset.

Busy times! An update of recent work

The last couple of months have been pretty busy here at the Brickyard workshop! Here are some of the projects that have been leaving the bench recently...

Alcove shelving and cupboards

Multimedia TV wall, with hidden cupboards and drawers on soft-closing runners. This project was complex and involved working closely with audio-visual installation engineers in order to meet the client's specifications.

Kitchen alcove storage

If you'd like to see more pictures of thes projects please visit the "fitted furniture" section of the gallery  at the Jim Sharples Furniture website.

Solid oak fitted alcove cupboard and shelves

These solid oak shelves and cupboard where fitted for clients in Bishopston, Bristol.

here is the family at the top of Strumble head, west Wales. Just had a fantastic week in a holiday cottage.

The new Stihl MS880 chainsaw

The video below is from a couple of weeks ago, and shows me using my new Stihl MS880 chainsaw for the first time...  with a 6-foot guide bar on the Alaskan chainsaw mill.

This was a wind-blown tree near Blagdon, Bristol. The base had been badly effected by the parasitic fungus Perennipori Fraxinea and was mostly rotted out.

To see more videos, please go and have a look at my YouTube channel: 

Jim Sharples Furniture on YouTube

English copper beech tree on the Wood-Mizer

A copper beech tree was being felled just up the road from the workshop and the tree surgeon, Ben Swift, wanted to save some from the firewood pile. In a skills exchange I have milled the timber with Rohan Scadding, it will be dried and seasoned at which point it will be ready for use in making. Ben then will be able to select a couple of boards for himself for a dining room table.

Please check out www.sawnbristol.moonfruit.co.uk for further information on my new venture into milling timber.

White display cabinet and storage

Here are some pictures of an unusual piece of furniture that I've just completed. The client, Mrs P, said that "Jim took my idea and improved upon it". She felt that this made purchasing a piece of furniture a more interesting process. 

I found it interesting to work with the material (MDF, sprayed to a matte white finish) as I normally only work in solid timbers. I am pleased with the unique contemporary design, which has received a lot of positive feedback - both in the workshop and once in situ.

 

Waney-edged mirror

I made this English oak framed mirror recently for a client, and particularly like the area of poppy oak in the top left. Standing at 2 metres high, and over half a metre in width, it is the largest mirror I've created of this style.

Mirror including stand: £250.

English oak shelving

Here are some brown oak shelves with through tenons that have been pegged.

The brown oak was created by fungal infection in the tree, giving lovely character to the timber. 

New chainsaw!

Using the new chainsaw for the first time, milling some absolutely lovely ash.

We thought the olive figuring looked like a fish. Do you see anything?

Both the olive ash is created by a fungal infection in the trees. It gives some lovely character to the timber.

Butterfly leaf dining table

Butterfly leaf extending dining table in English oak. 

Wine rack table

Wine rack table with two drawers in English oak:

Processing an ash tree

These pictures show the fun I had on Monday just gone with a friend Bob Slade. We turned a wind-blown ash tree into useable timber.

The landowner got the large branches processed into firewood and I got 12 boards of beautiful English olived ash. Really hard work but a great day. I hope to do more processing of timber like this.

Pieces of bookmatched English ash

Here are some pieces of bookmatched English ash that I am going to use for a bookcase to go in the faithroom at the new South Bristol Community Hospital.
 
These are the finished end boards to the bookcase.

Gluing some table legs

These pictures show the gluing up of dining table legs, the morticing of the legs, and the final finished through joint in the leg.

English ash kitchen

I am currently making an English ash kitchen for clients in Bristol and the images show the pull handle detail on the drawers. The four drawers are made from book-matched Olive ash and add great feature to the centre of the base run of unit (double unit, this set of drawers, double unit).
 









These pictures show the English Ash lipping to the Birch plywood carcass that I am making for the whole kitchen. I generally use Birch ply for the carcass as it is a very durable and quality material, accepts a good finish and looks good and light as an interior carcass.

Coffee table for sale!

 








Here we have two pictures of a low coffee table/bench/something. Made from London plane and English yew. I had my eye on the piece of London plane for a while and finally got round to making this just to make something with it. The yew legs are dovetailed into the London plane.


This item is for sale for £450.