Much of the wood I use will have been air dried for a number of years, and have been given a period of acclimatisation to bring the moisture content to the correct level for indoor or outdoor use. After this process the boards of wood will be ready to work.
Working with and around natural grain variations in the wood, I will select areas which will form components within the piece. These boards are full of rich character, with wavy and curly grain and beautiful changes of colour, which bring individuality and interest to each piece. Once the wood is cut down to the sizes required for the piece, the process of marking, cutting joints and making begins. This is a great part of the process, shaping the wood by hand and seeing the form of the piece develop.
Often the methods I use are traditional - I will hand cut dovetails and use hauched mortice and tenons instead of modern machine jointing methods. But I also incorporate newer techniques and blend them with the old, working always to produce an item of quality you can see and feel.
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