Green Oak Porch Finished

Really pleased with how this porch came out in the end. It really sets off the house. 

Oak Capping

This is some oak capping I completed on top of some brick work a while ago. I was worried about the tanning leaking out onto the brickwork but it seems to be fine a year later. 

Laying A Pre Finished Oak Floor

I've been laying a pre finished oak floor this week and I think it's up there with the biggeest single room I've done so far.

Each run of boards was 10 meters long so getting the first row straight was essential. 

The boards were engineered with a 6mm layer of oak on the top. They were pre finished with oil and have a really good feel to them. All boards were secret nailed down and the tongue and groove were glued to prevent squeaking. 

I've still got lots of floors to lay in this office yet, another 5 offices and all the corridors so plenty more before Christmas! 

Solid Oak Floor

Another solid Oak floor last week. Glued down to concrete, but this time using a Gekko gun and a lot less messy than with a trowel. 

Ready to go down

Cutting station set up with dust extractor

Alex with the oversized gun, my partner in crime on this floor! 

Midway clamp up, always tricky to keep it tight when gluing a floor to concrete

Wedging up the end at the end of the first day, still another room to go

First floor looking good.

Last board to clamp up. with my patented bent bit of metal and clamps set as spreaders

Track saw making ripping easy

cutting under frames so no expansion gaps can be seen in doorways

Between rooms

Second floor nearing the finish

Sanding up, orbital after the big floor sander has finished just to take off the marks left by the drum

More pictures to follow. Managed to do the last bit of sanding today so now it's ready for oiling then I can drop back and do the doors, architraves and skirtings.

Oak Fireplace

A commission from a customer to make a chunky, clean lined fireplace was a nice interesting project that I've been tackling in the workshop in the evenings. 

Planing the timber up to size

Housing joints to hide any shrinkage, loose tenons to hold it all together

All parts ready to assembly

Setting out

Fitted and a happy carpenter! 

I was really pleased with how this came out. I fitted it on interlocking brackets and then glued it to the wall for extra security. The customers were pleased as well and were sending pictures to their friends before I'd even left! 

Oak Sleeper Steps

Last week I installed the steps on some landscaping that a customer was doing in his garden. They'd already started the walls and the sides but were struggling to work out the treads and how to put them in. 

 I had to alter the sides a little bit on the first day, then I stated cutting the green oak sleepers to size to make the steps. Each sat in a 4x2 bracket I screwed to the sides. The idea being that that is just temporary until they get some hardcore packed under each step and then slabs to make the treads on top. I've never built steps like this before but it was what the customer wanted. 

Heavy work, at the bottom of a steep garden but still quite enjoyable in between the rain showers. 

Oak Headboard

Finished an oak headboard for a customer this week. It was a joint project with the customer working with me - not something I normally do but it worked well. 

 We machined the wood from some oak (which we originally thought was pear before we started planing it) that was cut on his land about 15 years ago then stored under cover all that time. 

 It was some knotty stuff but with some lovely figure in some of the wood. When coming up with ideas on what would make an interesting headboard he suggested angled boards laid horizontally and it was a short step to decide to do them vertically with varying angles. 

 The construction was fairly simple as we mounted it all on a sheet of MDF, this gave us a great expanse of surface area.

 Once it was all glued it was trimmed for lengh and a frame added. I don't think I'd attempt this type of construction if I wasn't 100% sure about the moisure of the wood. hopefully there should be no movement from it. 

The head board is tilted back at about 17 degrees

I need to take some better pictures but I'm really pleased with how this one turned out in the end. Something a little bit different but still looks great. 

Fitted Oak Cabinets

Last night I completed fitting some oak cabinets. The customers were really pleased with the results and so was I! 

The finished job

The spaces to fill at the start

The left hand-side space, pieps run down the one wall making fixing tricky

They wanted a floating oak mantle piece like the one I fitted for myself last year

the mantle piece with template behind

Fitting the ply template to hold the bolts

Using resin to fix the bolts and make sure they're stuck out the right distance

Template and mantle on the front to make sure the bolts are aligned. 

Mantle piece fixed on

The only fixing holes, to be filled with an oak plug later

Building the cupboards

The top of the left hand cupboard with extra support where the TV is to stand

The pipe work at the back of the right hand cupboard to hide but leave accessible

An oak back fitted in

The cupboard ready for the door, this one is to store their firewood and the little shelf is to hold their stuff for lighting the fire

All ready for the doors

Simple panel doors fitted 

The smaller unit with a pair of doors

All complete ready for some oil

Oiled up

The finished job.

I was really pleased with how this job turned out. 

I've put in some late nights planeing, gluing up boards and making doors.  It can be tricky to fit in work around looking after the children full time but I think I manage to get a good balance and interesting jobs like this maek it really worth while.

The customers told me to put on my website that "It was worth every penny". Made me feel really pleased with the work I'd done.