010 — Rycotewood Year 1, Done!
It seems like just last week that we were all in the mill for the first time being introduced to all the machinery by Joe. At least it feels that way until I start looking back over all that happened in that year.
Our first design and make project was a model of a seating piece for use at the RAF Museum in Hendon, north London. The museum has been undergoing massive redevelopment to coincide with the RAF centenary this year (2018).
I’m thrilled to have had my model on display in the gallery space at the museum and was so glad that it was well received by staff at the Exhibition launch. Obviously it would still be amazing if my model became a reality for people to sit on and enjoy, but who knows, maybe one day.
The sides were made from laminated veneer to create the curve and then each slat in the top was individually fitted.
Around the curve each piece is tapered along its length by seven degrees, curved in profile and is rounded on the ends to fit the curved rails. In real life it’d be an ideal job for CNC.
2018 saw another important anniversary, that of Rycotewood itself. It’s meant an exciting exhibition at the Brookes Glass Tank Gallery, but for me it’s meant I’ve really felt my place in the history of Rycotewood, I’ve learnt more about it than I probably would have done, and as a result I’ve felt what an amazing privilege it is to be able to study my craft here.
In the February half term I was fortunate enough to get a weeks work experience with renowned maker, and general furniture guru, Philip Koomen. His workshop is the fairy tail, twee workshop of your childhood dreams. But it’s the people there, their skills, and the work they produce that makes it what it is.
It was humbling to meet and work along side Philips maker, Dan Harrison. Sat here now, months down the line, I’m still processing the skills he has. I’d be happy to come somewhere close. One day.
In the brief time I spent there I helped Philip prepare parts for a commission and learnt a lot about the wood drying process while loading Philips onsite kiln with Oak from a customers land, ready to be made into furniture for them. Lovely to get experience of different parts of the process, different parts of the cycle.
One of the things Phillip encouraged me to do while I was there was to take some time to consider my values and my goals in life, including setting myself a 5 year plan to help focus my development.
And I did, at the time do this. In the last couple of months, as the arrival of our first child draws near, my plan has become more streamlined to….
- Provide for our child (by..) 2. Being the best craftsperson I possibly can.
Simple as it is, it has proved a helpful mantra in recent months to keep me pushing.
Philips advice then, and support since has been greatly appreciated — thank you!
We visited the workshops of Gaze Burvill before making our RAF models, with Simon, Charlie and the team helping us greatly to think about the design considerations for successful outdoor furniture.
Later on I was asked if I would design and make some literature stands for Gaze Burvill that would be used at their summer events, including at RHS Chelsea Flower Show! This was a great little project and I really enjoyed working with a live brief, doing research that informed the sketched ideas that I sent to them.
With the design signed off after some changes back and forth it became a great lesson in making for batch production and jig making. They initially wanted six holders for A4 size and later two more at A5.
They were happy with the end result I think and they looked great at Chelsea where their stand won a gold medal & best trade stand. Someone told me the awards are all won in the details and I like to think my humble little stands played their part!
For the last couple of months I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Saturday team at Oxford Wood Recycling. Along with just spending more time around wood, which is always fun, it’s been useful to get to know customers and spend time helping them with their projects. It can be like solving mini design problems whilst also helping them find the right wood to use, which is great for my design skills.
And then there’s my part time weekday job for Hallidays Joinery who make high end bespoke fitted furniture, cabinets and paneling for their clients. They have a small longstanding team who have kept me very busy. Because the team is so small they’ve had me making from day one, which has been great for my experience.
I also found time to make a console table (my final project) made from American Cherry, a nod to my great uncle Roy, furniture maker and inspiration who is a lover of Cherry. And Curly Maple, because, well, Curly Maple! It was a good excuse to dip my toe into the world of steam bending wood, and involve a mix of machines and hand cut joinery.
Reflecting on it, its something that is clean, simple and some have said elegant. That’s probably a response to the busyness of life right now I think, but it’s also my style of sorts, in it’s infancy. I think lots of people can relate to the busyness of life generally, and designing furniture that helps shape our lives (as all furniture does) and point it gently towards a path of calmness is probably no bad thing. And hopefully quite welcome.
The end of June saw the end of year summer show at Rycotewood. When I’d applied to the course it was after the show last year, so I hadn’t been before, so I didn’t really know what to expect.
My parents and in-laws all travelled from their respective corners of the country to be there and it was great to show them around the college and for them to see everyones furniture up close.
Seeing everyones work made me reflect on my own and ponder what I want to achieve next year. There are a lot of great designer makers to look up to, and I’ll be chasing them down next year for sure!
So that brings us up to the summer. Alongside working my two jobs I’ve also had a workbench at the Sylva Wood Centre which is a great space for crafts people to start and grow their business. I’d visited a couple of times before to attend a course with Paul Sellers and with Rycotewood at Oxford Artweeks.
I’ve really enjoyed my first few weeks there and I’m looking forward to a busy summer getting a small insight into the world of a solo designer maker. So far I’ve delivered to one happy customer and I have three further prospects which I hope to be working on soon.
This is some of what I’ve done this year ( it feels like a lot), but none of it would have been possible without the support of all the tutors at Rycotewood but especially Joe, Drew and James.
And I couldn’t do any of it without the support and belief that flows from my wife and best friend Louise.
Thank you
