Visits
During the Summer months from May to September there are organised monthly visits to places of woodworking interest.
The visits include makers workshops, timber yards, tool suppliers, exhibitions, manufacturers and museums.
Future Programme.
May 2010 - In May 2010 we held a visit to Benchmark Furniture and Tyler Hardwoods both near Hungerford. Both these visits were highly interesting and our hosts gave excellent tours of their businesses. The visit was attended by 7 members who all thoroughly enjoyed the visits.
June 2010 - Unfortunately there was no visit in June.
27 to 29 July 2010 - New Forest Show - the Fellowship is assisting with stewarding in the woodworking marquee and will have a small SFW stand. Members are encouraged to volunteer for stewarding duty for part of the day (the bonus being a free entry to the show for the remainder of the day)
August or September - It is hoped to organise a visit to a member's workshop either in August or September.
News of recent visits - 2009
Index (click links to goto): -
September to Colin Waters' workshop
August to the Barnsley Workshop
July to Hugo Egleston and Craft Study Centre
May to John Cain's workshop
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19th September 09 - Visit to Colin Waters’ Workshop
This visit was put on as an extra for the benefit of Furniture and Cabinetmaking magazine. Following an email sent to F&C back in December 08 a staged photo session was set up at Neil Hiscox’s workshop. A small article then appeared in the February issue with a photo showing the late Martin Cheung’s collection of Lie-Neilson planes. Andrea Hargreaves, the deputy editor, then asked if she could attend a Fellowship workshop visit. Unfortunately, she was not able to attend the visit to John Cain’s workshop in May, so we added an additional visit to Colin’s workshop. Sadly only 6 members plus Colin attended. This was rather a disappointment as we were hoping for a larger gathering for Andrea to photograph and give a good impression of the Fellowship. However, Andrea took a number of photographs and asked us a lot of questions about our involvement in the Fellowship and the nature of the woodwork we do. So if you’re disappointed that your photo is not in the article when it appears you only have yourself to blame.
You may remember Colin did a talk on the building of his workshop at the January meeting 2008. His workshop is a little unusual in that it is above his garage. It has low side walls and a 50 degree angle on the roof. It has a fairly substantial floor to cope with the weight of the machines he has. This floor also incorporates a trap-door to bring materials etc up into the workshop. To do the lifting there is a steel beam with a chain pulley winch which was essential to manoeuvre the machinery to the upper floor.
The heavy machines; table saw, band saw, and planer thicknesser are fed from 16amp commando sockets. The smaller machines, lathe and radial arm saw are fed from 13 amp sockets. Being above an extended double garage space is limited although the workshop is very well organised to make the most of the space; even down to the band saw which is situated at the top of the stairs having an extending table going over the stairs. Dust and chip extraction is done via ducting going down to the extractor situated in the garage below. This is fine for the workshop but Colin’s car does get covered in fine dust.
The garage also houses a good stock of timbers on steel shelving opposite which is a purpose made rack for large panels which hinges out to give better access.
You can ask Peter Guyett yourself how he got that large plaster on his head. It wasn’t at the workshop visit though.
Report by Roger Hardwick (Back) -
19th August 09 - Barnsley Workshop
13 members and one guest were privileged to be offered the chance to visit to the Edward Barnsley Workshop on 19th August 2009. Our host was the workshop manager and designer, James Ryan.
Background - James started the tour outside at the drying sheds and it was very interesting to hear how the workshop has changed from Edward Barnsley’s time to the present. The workshop was built in 1910 by Geoffrey Lupton, who had been a pupil of Ernest Gimson for about a year. Lupton also built the cottages in the lane and was mostly a builder. The workshop made all the metalwork and fittings for the buildings and furniture at that time. Edward joined the workshop as an apprentice in 1919 and helped Lupton with the work to build the Library at the nearby Bedales School (where both Lupton and Edward had been pupils). In 1923 Lupton emigrated and Edward was able to buy the workshop with a loan from his father Sydney. Edward’s father died in 1926 and he inherited many of his clients as well as those of Gimson, who died a few years earlier.
Woodsheds - The drying sheds were much the same as they were in 1910 although in those days they would have been stacked with much more timber. Edward had much greater access to good quality English hardwoods than is the case today. James gave the example of two butts of English walnut drying in the sheds which are the only two to become available in the last ten years. The workshop has also benefited from investments that Edward made in Cuban mahogany and macasa ebony – this stock is still being used and would not be available today nor would James purchase such woods today for ecological reasons.
There are not so many sawmills now and the workshop can pick up the odd butt which does not interest sawmills although transport and cutting has to be arranged. The advantage of preparing the stock for air drying is that James can specify the range of thicknesses he wants the butt sawn into – these range from 1.25 to 3 inch thick boards. The drying rate at Froxfield being on a south facing escarpment is faster than the norm and the wood dries at about 9 months per inch of thickness to about 14% relative humidity. It is worth laying in stocks of quarter sawn oak as this is not generally available commercially.
The boards are cut outside to rough component dimensions and then taken inside to a room with a dehumidifier and allowed to dry until they stop moving. Gauging when the timber is ready is very more a matter of experience and the workshop rarely has any problems with this process.
James was asked what timber suppliers he used and although they use a selection across the UK he said he has had good and helpful service from Tyler Hardwoods near Hungerford and from Associated Timbers near Lincoln. The latter mill large butts to his specification.
Machine Shop – there was no electricity available in Froxfield until 1955 and prior to that the only machine was a petrol driven circular saw. Edward knew machinery would change the nature of the work of the produced but for economic reasons he had to accept the change. He quickly adapted his designs which became more detailed, having more curves, mouldings and inlay work - generally a more refined style. The machinery purchased in 1955 was all brand new from Wadkin. This was not changed until after James visited and worked in Sweden for two years and had the opportunity to use state of the art woodworking machinery. The workshop now has a sophisticated Altendorf circular saw and a high-precision Butfering belt sanding machine. The latter can be used to “calibrate” MDF boards to an even thickness and flatness prior to veneering so allowing the veneered boards to be re-sanded to an accuracy of 0.1 mm.
The workshop recently invested in an Interwood 8’ x 4’ bed heated veneer press which could only be installed into the press room by disassembling the machine and manhandling as components. This machine allows a craftsman to veneer in one day what would have taken two weeks to veneer. The glue goes off in 3 or 4 minutes. Besides the press the workshop also uses an Air Press vacuum bag system.
The favoured glue for veneered work is urea-formaldehyde and the product used most often is UL 39 with a variety of hardeners which allow shorter or longer pot-lives. An “extender” is sometimes used as a thickener to stop penetration through to the surface of more porous veneers.
(Note – Borden urea-formaldehyde glues are made in the USA by Hexion. They are available in this country from Hallmark Fraulo, 55 – 56 Hillgrove Business Park, Nazeing Road, Nazeing, Essex, EN9 2HB. Tel 01992 899 025. UL 39 is a cold or hot cure glue and is suitable for bag press use. Hallmark Fraulo will sell in 5 litre size packs as minimum. Colin has a data sheet in softcopy if anyone is interested).
Bench Workshop – The apprentices undertake a three year apprenticeship and are typically chosen from the best of the students leaving the furniture courses at colleges such as Ryecotewood or Bucks University. Some may have undertaken an apprenticeship elsewhere in joinery or carpentry. The initial objective is for them to relearn the basic skills of sharpening, planning, tuning handtools and to follow a programme to practice making a frame and panel door (see right picture), fitting a drawer really well (James said this depends on having an accurate carcass). We saw the work of first year apprentices Rob, Josh and Matt. Matt was making a mantle clock case from ripple sycamore laminated veneer and ebony. The objective is to extend and hone their handtool skills to the level expected by the Barnsley Workshop.
Andy, a second year apprentice, was making a dining chair in cocobolo (see picture right). This was to a complicated curved design which used domino loose tenons to join the back legs to the back and side rails. Each apprentice has to make at least one chair during their apprenticeship.
James showed us a complex compound curved sideboard where cross grained 2 or 3 mm veneers overlapped a solid hardwood block core. A box scraper had been used to shape the internal surface although the exterior curved surface would be machined using a guiding cradle and power plane – very complicated and highly experimental but it will good to see the finished product (apologies - your reporter omitted to take a photo).
We thanked James for an excellent tour and for giving his whole morning to our visit. The Fellowship made a donation to the Edward Barnsley Educational Trust as a small token of our thanks.
Members repaired to the nearby White Horse public house (known locally as the pub with no name as it does not have a name board). We had an excellent lunch in the sunshine and talked about our visit and all things woodworking. A very fitting conclusion to an excellent day.
Report by Colin Waters (Back)
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15th July - Visit Report to Hugo Egleston’s workshop at Lasham and the Craft Study Centre at Farnham
Hugo Egleston’s Workshop – there were 11 Fellowship members in the party that visited Hugo on 15th July. The workshop is set in quiet village in rural Hampshire and is a most idyllic setting. Hugo was very welcoming and enthusiastic to show us his workshop and talk about his work.
He explained that he had trained at the London College of Furniture and then worked for Sandy Mackilligin at Putenham for three years before moving to Lasham with to two fellow woodworkers from college where they set up in a rented workshop on Lasham airfield. Hugo left the partnership when an opportunity came up to buy some old farm buildings, also in Lasham, from Winchester College.
Since those early days Hugo has converted the buildings into a home, handtools workshop, machine shop, display room and wood store.
Hugo has been self employed for 30 years but only briefly has he had enough work for more than himself. He nevertheless has a continuing supply of commissions to keep fully employed.
Hugo was working on a coffee table in English cherry and showed how the intricate leg joints fitted a lower shelf that would have a cross banded skirt. The timber was from one of three trees that Hugo had bought in the early 1990’s as fine standing specimens. He had the wood machined to boards which he had air dried in his wood store. The final drying is achieved in a cabinet which uses an office fan and small dehumidifier – Hugo says this is simple but extremely effective (I am just thinking whether I could find room for one?).
Hugo obviously enjoys working with his hand tools and extolled the virtues of Lie Nielson planes as well as the Veritas low-angle planes which he said were excellent for dealing with difficult grain and could be adjusted easily to give very fine cuts.
All of the machinery is second-hand but it is all very substantial with heavy cast iron tables.
In the photograph to the right can be seen the table belt sanding machine which has a traversing table enabling large boards or panels to be sanded. The end of the box at the base of the sander is the drying cabinet – timber is roughly cut to size and then left in the cabinet for several weeks to reduce the moisture content before Hugo starts the manufacture.
We saw three examples of Hugo’s finished work, opposite you can see a bedside cabinet, one of a pair, in English walnut and the underside detail of a chair (cherry I think). There was also a large yew dining table which was a speculative piece – this can be seen on Hugo’s web site.
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Craft Study Centre, Farnham – we were welcomed by Professor Simon Olding who gave us an introductory talk about the background to the Craft Study Centre and how it started as an idea of a group of leading crafts people to create a permanent site for the collection and display of leading British craftspeople’s work. He explained that at Farnham there was not enough space for a permanent display of the furniture collection although they hoped to obtain funding for an extension which would enable the furniture to have permanent home. There were pieces by Katie Walker and Matthew Burt on display and Matthew has made some of the permanent furniture used by the centre.
The garden bench above is such a piece.
The manager of the collection, Jean Vacher, showed us a slide show of the furniture pieces – (she has sent me CD of images of the furniture which can be made available for members use but not for publication). There are pieces by Ernest Gimson, Eric Sharpe, Edward Barnsley, Neville Neil, Richard le Trobe Bateman, Sidney Barnsley, Romney Green, Gordon Russell, Peter Van de Waals, Alan Peters and Guy Martin. I will show the presentation to members at a winter meeting. We did see some examples of the woodturning collection which Jean has in the Centre reserve collection – there were examples of work by Chris Pye, Jim Partridge and others (I should have taken notes!!).
The woodturning collection and SFW members – guess which is which.
The current exhibition at the Centre, until 25th July, was by Gareth Neal who makes furniture and artifacts to show the shape within a structure using CNC machining.
Report by Colin Waters (Back) - 23rd May 09 - visit to John Cain's Workshop
12 members of the Fellowship were present at the visit to John’s workshop in Basingstoke.
John started the day with a tour of his house to see the pieces of furniture that he has made. We saw some very fine work indeed all executed to high standard. Here is a selection of photographs of John’s furniture.
John had also made a fitted wardrobe in one bedroom with sliding shelves and he had added similar shelves to an existing wardrobe. Much of the material for these projects was salvaged from and office that was shutting down. It was to a far higher quality than one would expect for built in furniture. John and Jan are selling their house so the new owners are going to get a real bonus! Many of the interior doors were made by John in Oak.
The box in the picture above was not on display because John had given it as a present to his doctor but we saw another version of the box which he had made for a charity auction later this year.
John has a workshop detached from his house and is a converted garage now dedicated to his workbench and machinery. In the last newsletter there was an article by John about the construction of his workbench made with a solid maple top. This can be seen in the next picture.
The main machinery comprises a Startrite planer/thicknesses, bandsaw, tablesaw, morticer and router table. The latter being the most recent addition to the workshop.
We all had an excellent day and many of us stayed until late into the afternoon chatting to John about woodworking and looking at his tools and jigs.
Many thanks not only to John but also to John’s wife, Jan, who put on a most delicious buffet lunch. Sadly, John is leaving the area and moving to Devon but hopefully he will continue to keep in touch with friends in SFW. Maybe a workshop visit to Devon in the future!
Report by Colin Waters (Back)