Completed Work

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As a child, the owner of this piece remembered it with a base section which has since been lost. My task was to design and make a very sympathetic base section which would match the top part of the cupboard and rekindle those happy childhood memories.

Firstly, this involved sourcing the correct oak with which to make the piece, then carefully calculating, setting out and drawing the correct design for the new base section. The piece was then made and polished to match as close to the original colour and patination of the top section as possible. The series of photographs record the gradual process of both making the new piece and the polishing involved in achieving the final result.

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On rare occasions I am asked to undertake the conversion of pieces, and at the request of this customer the piece you are about to see was converted into a secretaire bookcase. The proportions and the quality of this piece were so right this is exactly what was discussed and done. As you will see, this piece required the usual restoration and then the conversion of the top drawer into a secretaire and the top section into a gothic glazed bookcase.

Once the depth of the top carcase had been reduced by the correct amount, the cornice was then altered to match. The mahogany panels were removed from the door frames and the frames converted to form two Gothic glazed doors which were glazed with old glass. Shelves were then made and fitted to complete the top section.

The drawer was converted into a secretaire with the original drawer front now forming the hinged fall. The new drawer fronts and fret panels of the pigeon hole interior section were veneered in satinwood, part of the base interior and fall lined with green baize to complete the overall process. With the conversion now completed, the alterations were then polished and matched out to blend in with the original colour of the piece.

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This particular customer had bought two magnificant bronze figures. They wanted to have designed a column for each to stand on. Having talked through their requirements, the proportions, balance and moulded sections were designed.

All the component parts were made in a modern board material to ensure stability. The main columns were assembled first with the plinth sections added afterwards. The tops were then made with the relevant mouldings and fitted into place on top of the columns. Half round and fillet mouldings were then added to the sides of the columns about six inches below the top to give them proportion and balance.

Finally the columns were marbled with patterns and designs chosen from an extensive pattern book to match the décor of the different rooms in which they were placed to display the bronze figures.

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This customer had an extension built onto the side of a listed building incorporating a new kitchen and an upstairs room. In the kitchen were two large vertical columns which had been built to support the roof section of the extension where the customer wanted a breakfront dresser to be designed and built.

I met with the customer to talk about their requirements and then produced the agreed design. The plinth section was made in one piece and installed first. This was the foundation on to which the rest of the dresser was built.

The base section was made in three separate pieces. Its proportions were determined by the large central drawer which was made to look like two drawers and held a large cutlery tray from another dresser. The two outer sections were “L” shaped to take advantage of the alcove space behind the two columns.

Once the two outer base sections were fitted, the large middle section was slid between these two cupboards and fixed. The breakfront top of the base unit was then fitted and screwed into place.

The two outer top sections were fitted next. These were also "L" shaped and had glazed doors. The middle top part of the dresser was fitted along with adjustable shelves. The top and bottom cupboards were also fitted with adjustable shelves supported by brass plated clips in slotted brass plated strips.To complete the overall effect, period brass reproduction handles were fitted.

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This customer owned a small bow fronted cabinet which was originally a commode and had been converted at some stage into a cupboard with a middle shelf. My task was to make a replica of this piece and create a pair of cabinets to be used as bedside cupboards.

Having taken all the necessary measurements and selected the appropriate materials, the various parts were cut, i.e. the sides, base and mid panels, top and back. Further machining and a considerable amount of handwork was required to form the parts of the cabinet. It was then assembled as the sequence of pictures show.

The next stage was to form the curved panels to match the curved doors of the original. This was done in two stages; first the flat panels were cut to an approximate size, slots were then cut at several intervals along the front face of each panel to almost through to the back. This enabled the panel to be flexed to the correct shape while strips of wedge shaped pieces of wood were glued into these slots. When dry, these were cleaned off and the panel cut to the final size and solid mahogany applied to the edges. These edges were cleaned off and the panels finally fitted to the cabinet and correctly shaped.

The next stage involved the selection of the mahogany curl veneers from my old stock and veneering the panels to as near a match as possible to the original cabinet. The veneer on the edges of these panels were cut back to enable me to inlay the ebony lines and cross band in mahogany veneer. The doors were fitted and hung and to finish, the cabinet was polished.