2023 Projects and visits
Posted 12 January 2023 A small trophy requested by Aiysha in London. I am not sure of the meaning behind the inscription - "Nutcracker of the month". I am guessing at some kind of monthly office competition. It is made from a single piece of spalted beech, and is about 7 inches tall. More acorn trophies are available to view.
Posted 17 January 2023. Update 26 January Two cricket balls requested by Jan on the Wirral. Turned from olive ash (the darker, olive-like wood at the centre of the trunk), and spalted beech, full size (2.8 inches diameter). More sports trophies.
Posted 17 January 2023 Slightly unusual items for us, but Michael in Pickering requested some ear-ring stands and a necklace stand. These are the result. Two are made from ash, the third (the darker piece) is from elm. The necklace stand is about 12 inches tall, the ear-ring stands about 6 inches. As with all our pieces, variations in size, design and choice of wood are always possible. Why not have a look at some jewellery boxes we have made?
Posted 20 January 2023 Back in September 2022, Pat in Derbyshire requested a keepsake urn in the shape of a chess king, hollowed out inside. Her daughter Julie liked it, and asked for a pair making for herself, king and queen. Here is the result; each 9 inches tall, both made from walnut. The base is a friction fit, and separates to reveal that the pieces are hollow.
Posted 24 January 2023. Updated 18 February 2023. Hazelnuts, just one of a number of pictures on the new fruit and nuts page of the Woodlands and trees section of this site. Mainly cones and nuts at present, with the odd catkin, and some oak marble galls thrown in.
Posted 26 January 2023 Luke in Clontarf requested a pyrographed Hellman's mayonnaise bottle, on a plinth. Apparently on a night out a friend announced his wife was expecting. To celebrate they wanted to make a presentation - the only thing available was a mayonnaise bottle on the table. There are now 9 children in the group of friends, each celebrated the same way, and Luke thought he might make the joke a little more formal, with an engraved plaque to go on the plinth with all the children’s names.
Have a look at more trophies and pyrography.
Posted 8 February 2023 Miguel in London asked whether we could make a trophy base for a silver cup. With some checking on sizes and wood preference via emails, we settled on a design, and decided on using an exotic wood blank I had in my store. I think it is almost certainly mopane, a South African wood, very dense, deep reddish-brown with black streaks. Very attractive.
Have a look at more trophies, and plinths in particular.
Posted 10 February 2023 Although we stopped making summerhouse finials in 2021, there was an unusual request from Kevin in Lanarkshire for a one-off acorn finial, no base required (one of the reasons we stopped making them was the non-turning work involved in making the bases), to be covered in leadwork, to fit on a lead covered roof.
I turned the finial in opepe, with 5/8" deep coves intead of beads, to allow the lead to be formed into them. The leadwork was done by Craig McCamley at CJM Leadwork Specialists in Glasgow.
Posted 12 February 2023 This cup was requested by Ian in Norwich, for donation to Drayton Junior School. It was prompted by an act of kindness witnessed by Ian, from one of the children at the school.
The cup was turned from three pieces of ash, then assembled to make what you see. The school logo and dedication have been pyrographed onto the wood - burnt with a fine hot wire stylus.
Have a look at more trophies, and trophy cups in particular.
Posted 20 February 2023 Prompted by the massed ranks of snowdrops in the garden and in the woods, I have been updating the Woodland Plants page, in the Woodlands section of this website. Not a true native to Britain, probably arriving in the 16th century through horticulture, and noted in the wild by the 18th century. Nowadays such a welcome site in the winter months.
Posted 1 March 2023 A large oak box, about 9 inches in diameter, with straight sides (unusual for us), and a loose fitting lid. A rose is pyrographed on the lid. This box is for sale.
Posted 9 March 2023 Two House science trophies, for Wakefield Girls High School. Art in Science and Science Investigation are the sub-categories for the trophies. Yew was used for the test tubes and flasks, and oak for the plinths. These are amongst our more popular school trophy designs, frequently requested.
Posted 13 March 2023 A drinks tray made in ash, to hold a wine cooler and glasses. Requested by Dom as a birthday gift for Steve. The outside was pyrographed with five toasts - Cheers, Prost, Salud, Salute and Sante. A dedication was added underneath.
Posted 20 March 2023 A trophy requested by Candy for Parklands Golf Club in Northumberland. The disc is 10" diameter, lightly pyrographed with changeable plaque. The shield is coloured in ink, so as not to completely obscure the wood grain as paint would. The trophy is made from beech.
Have a look at more disc-shaped trophies.
Posted 20 March 2023 A cakestand made as a wedding gift for Molly and Sean in Scarborough. The inscription pyrographed around the base reads ...from this day my hand is always yours to hold and my heart forever yours to keep.
Have a look at more cakestands, and commemorative gifts.
Posted 25 March 2023 Having lived in Ryedale for 35 years, I had never visited Peasholm Glen in Scarborough, until this week. The Glen Tree Trail has some mature, very rare trees growing there. They were difficult to identify with very few leaves at this time of year, and only two with marker posts. I returned home with just a few cones, wingnuts and catkins to add to the Fruits and Nuts gallery. I will visit again, but next time with the informative Peasholm Glen Tree Trail leaflet, which identifies 29 rare trees, 5 of which are Champion Trees. I may take some peanuts as well - there were lots of squirrels there, which run up to you rather than away from you, obviously used to being fed. Perhaps they should not be encouraged?
Posted 31 March 2023 Four small crowns, made for my granddaughters, who had created a board game based on Kings and Queens. In four different woods to identify each player - African blackwood, chakte viga, pau rosa and box. Resting on an oak tray. ¾" diameter.
Posted 21 April 2023 Two mantel clocks, the one on the left is burr elm, the one on the right is burr oak. The elm clock has a 65 mm quartz insert; the oak clock has an 80 mm face. These clocks are for sale.
Posted 21 April 2023 Four small pots, 2 in oak, 2 in spalted beech. Suitable as holders for pens, pencils, toothpicks, skewers, more or less anything longer than 4 inches. A small oak dish for rings, jewellery, coins, keys - any small items you need to keep handy. And a stand for a wine bottle. These items are for sale.
