Crafts / Craftsmen / craftswomen (craftspeople, I suppose)

Went on the wheel for the first time last night. Managed to make a plant pot and a bowl.

Not perfect by a long way.

Pics or it never happened

Ta dah!

1 Attachment

• IMG_0848.MP4

That looks good for the first time mate - a little bit of practice and you don't look back

This might be a bit lengthy/picture heavy, as I've not posted in here for ages, and have been doing a lot of joinery work on Annelis recently, and a few other odds and ends. I don't get on the internet very often, but maybe I'll try to make some more regular, smaller posts in the future. Sorry!

Firstly, here's a bit of an update on the interior fit-out on Annelis. I've mostly been working on the construction of the Galley:

I built the built the structure a while ago, from mostly softwood, with the visible joinery in mahogany, and grooved plywood panels (this is designed to be easily removed in the event of having to lift the diesel tank from beneath it)

We managed to salvage this maple from a house, which was having it's worktops replaced (I don't know why anyone would ever want to replace perfectly good, 45mm thick maple worktops?!). The first job was processing it back down into boards, and regluing it into slabs big enough to cut into the sections we required.

Then cutting out the 4 pieces, and joining them together with big mitred lapped joints:

I made a fibreglass/carbon fibre fridge box and lid, which is built in to the underside of the for'ard worktop, and there's a top-access food-storage locker under the aft worktop. I wanted the lids to be nice and flush to maximise the useable workspace, and I wanted them to be very snug-fitting, so no food-bits etc fall down the gaps:

I'm not sure on the handles yet, these are just prototypes. I think I want something a little more elegant...

In the first photo, you may have noticed the knife handles sticking out of the block in the worktop. Building this in to the galley was an important consideration, because I've sailed on dozens of boats, which never have adequate/safe storage for sharp knives (and I appreciate nice knives- like any other tool)

The aperture, in which the stove will swing on it's gimbals is lined with planished copper, which was a bit of an experiment, but I'm quite pleased with the results, now that it's dulled down a bit. I'm hoping it will turn a nice shade of green eventually:

Currently I'm working on making the cupboard doors. The bottom panel is going to be louvre vents, and the top will be a grooved 12mm plywood panel. These louvre vents are a far more complicated bit of joinery than you might imagine. It's taken me 2 days just to make the frames, which are currently gluing overnight.

Here's a little stop-frame animation, showing the proscess of making the mortices for the louvres. There are 144 chiseled-to-fit joint components in these 2 doors! (You might notice that I managed to break off one of the teeth, which are very delicate short-grain, until the louvre slats are glued in. I glued it back with 5 minute epoxy, just to hold it in position, before assembling the doors using cascamite).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7vR3H_SuEE&feature=youtu.be

We've just had 3 massive douglas-fir poles delivered, which will, in the coming few weeks be transformed into 7 new spars: 2 masts, 2 booms, 2 gaffs, and a bowsprit. This photos was taken at the yard, selecting the poles we wanted (marked with the yellow rings) from a shortlist of about 30 trees.

That's enough about that boat for now! These are my first two attempts at making some half models. The first was a gift, and the second a commission.

I've also been working on the Mary Amelia this past week. The last Bawley still to work commercially. Built in 1914 for cockling, and now used for mussels, by the simper family. There was a bit of recaulking, and unglamorous maintenance stuff, but they also asked me to engrave the the inside of the transom, which I rather enjoyed.

She was only out the water for a couple of days, but I'm going to build a wooden box for the cockpit, and finish off neatening up the carving, afloat, next week.

Right, that's definitely enough for now, I'll try to keep it to less of a barrage, and more of a trickle, in the future!

Yes. But what a lovely barrage.

Mind boggles. And marvels. Mostly marvels if I'm honest.

INCREDIBLE work. The thought and detail is wonderful, as is the craftsmanship. Lovely to read.

Magnificent.

Thanks for the kind words. This is part of the timber selection process for the next job- building the new masts and spars for Annelis.

More to follow...

I am opening my woodwork and painting studio, along with 400 other printmakers, carvers, leatherworkers ceramicists etc at Thames side studios next month.

https://www.lfgss.com/events/2933/#comment13604046

Saffron Frameworks, the bike builders, have their shop on the site. Loads of stuff to see so worth a ride down.

Amazing wood work skills. Must be challenging working with such small space allowances

Ok, so it's nothing compared to the skills on show here, particularly 'Annelis'....!
As it's the summer holidays, I am helping my wife spruce up her pre-school, Thorn Grove's Little Acorns, by making an outdoor storytelling chair....nope, I'd never heard of one either!
Anyway, I decided to repurpose some old scaffolding planks and bits of pallets....first picture is slung together, and the second one has had some sanding, but is awaiting final sanding, embellishments, and a coating of some sort, probably some decking oil that I have left over......total cost, less than £20.

2 Attachments

Very nice. Just needs a cushion

I was 'advised' by the wife not to add embellishments....! So, I've given it some extra sanding, and used some wood reviver to replace some oils before waxing tomorrow, hopefully.

2 Attachments

Very nice, mate. Now you need to wear this, whenever you sit on it.

:0)
Unfortunately, it's not for me......it's a storytelling chair for the school.

Every time I start to tell a story, my Tourette's kicks in and I'm all 'once upon a fucking time, long, long a cunting go....'

The kids love it though!

Following on from my previous post (#534) I've been turning those trees into spars.

Josh made these videos showing some of the process:

https://www.facebook.com/ketch.annelis/videos/1802395786456783/

https://www.facebook.com/ketch.annelis/videos/1791186890911006/

the main mast, both booms and the bowsprit are done, but my digital camera died, and I'm waiting for a few rolls of film to come back, with more spar-making photos. will update soon!

It's not something I've tried before, but firing up the forge and having a go at knife making today. Starting with this old chisel, as a blank. More to follow...

1 Attachment

Awww yiss!

I'm looking to do a forging workshop sometime next year. Have been hammering around on cold metal sheets for quite some time now. Time to heat things up.

The original went predictably wrong, so started again womith a bit of round bar. It's getting there now...

1 Attachment

I made a side table - we couldn't find anything narrow enough from a shop and I fancied a project anyway.. It's walnut. It'll be one of a pair once I get round to making the other one.

That looks like it fits into the room well. Bravo!

Thanks :)

That's super nice!

I can see that with one or two nice plants on it as well

Very nice. I think walnut is my favourite wood, and the proportions are very elegant.

I've been working on something a little different recently... I've made some foils, and a carbon fibre centreboard case, for a racing dinghy. It's foam cored- not something I've tried before, but it's actually quite an easy way to make something strong, light and pretty. Will have to do a back-log post again soon. Lots of projects finished recently, including the spars for Annelis.

This photo was taken just after laying the top layer of cloth on to the wet resin. It looks a bit better than that now! Finished pictures soon...

2 Attachments