More photos added to Gallery

Hi,

Busy doing all sorts, a late night last night. I had my first evening class, a good night all went well, a good lesson for me. I've added some better photos to the Gallery and put sold on one of the first pieces sold from the Gallery.

I'm removing some watermarks from a very large Oak Staircase, this is quite a big job and plenty of the marks...not good. It is going well and when it's done, with the owners permission I'll put pictures on here, hope so...

Have I mentioned a surf board coffee table, well it's cramped up, early days yet, but will be on here in the next few days..

thanks for looking

all the best

Jamie

The End ?

The End ?

This piece started off on the floor of the workshop, just under the crosscut saw. I had just finished the build of the student bench, the top was clean and clear. I was thinking about going home, started the usual tidy up, clearing around the saws, up the corner of the shop and was picking up these offcuts, bin or...what.. The wall space up the corner was crying out for something, it's just a plain white wall.
And these offcuts are just beautiful, there are numbers on the ends of some, these were sorted into lengths and I used a black marker pen to note the usable lengths of each piece. Grey colour, from being outside at home under the temporary workshop ( remember that? ), some of the pieces still had evidence of the glue and plywood left from when it was staging, building platforms between the boats. A rusty old nail sticking out of one, a screw head in another and the timber yards red painted sort code, evidence of plenty of different uses.

I grab some newspaper, couple of sheets on the new bench and start gluing these piece's together, then as I'm doing this I decide to stamp my mark into one on the front and one was already on the back of another, from showing someone what the 'mark' looks like in some end grain.

So I'm now making an art piece that's going on the wall  up the corner, made from timber that has been around a while. When the timber was first delivered to Sealine some twenty something years ago, it could have been part of a boat, that could have gone anywhere in the world. Used as structural floor timbers, or framing behind a cabinet, strengthening timber in the fibreglass hull, it could have been anything...

And I've used all the good stuff for work at home, benches, the student bench, the metalwork bench, and the lathe bench. Now the ends are being used. So far zero waste apart from the dust from the saw and some shavings in the extractor from planing the wood down to make it smooth enough to use on a bench, we don't want splinters...not if I can help it.

Here it is in the corner of the workshop..

The End?

In all its rough glory...

Next time, a commissioned piece, the workshop classes have started...lots going on

I welcome comments and feedback, if you've got this far, then it's easy enough...

all the best

Jamie

Getting on with the jobs in hand...

Snow, beautiful...

So I'm writing this about the workshop over the last couple of weeks. The problem is Blogger has been down as far as uploading pictures, and if you already follow my blog you'll know that I like to take photos and put them on here. Loads of people are complaining about it, so hopefully Google (who own Blogger) will get the problem sorted out. There is a sort of fix, where you install Google Chrome, but lots are against this, for whatever their reasons.

Here's the Gallery area including shelving...

The workshop is improving, I have to make it safe for customers to walk in, I don't want people to get too close to the benches and machines. I have a Gallery to the side as you walk in and needs to be, as accessible as possible for customers to look at my work. So as I was telling one of the other artists about the fence idea, then someone, knows someone who can help, for the price of me turning a glass blowing block, this is one of the tools used to shape the glass.

This is the fabulous fencing...hinged so that I can change its orientation

This is some of the old timber from up the garden, soon to be turned into another bench.

The extra bench is for workshops and courses, I'm going to use all scrap timber to make the bench, and the vice will be off my bench. Mine will have the one bought from famous auction site, last year. The owner was from Worcester, and was clearing out an old shed. The 10" vice is a Parkinson's Perfect with quick release lever and will be a great addition to my bench. From what I've read, Parkinsons was bought out by Record around the 1940s.

I think the timber for the bench will have to be put through the planer, I don't want students getting splinters off the legs or rails, and I'm sure I've got some old varnish that needs using up. So, in all it will be a pretty good bench, There is some of the chipboard shelving left over that will be used for the top of this bench and the other bench that I need to make for my metalwork stuff.

Here is one of the Large chunky candlesticks I have been turning...

Just giving the rough stuff a bit of burnishing..

Here are four of the Large Chunky Candlesticks, complete with price tags. 

I just love the chunky simple shapes, on a timber that has split due to drying out, these would be just at home  on an old refectory table or outside on a shelf or table going silver grey...but could quite easily be painted and distressed.. up to you..

My Mitre planes are polished up and sitting in the bottom of the cabinet

come and have a look if you want..

I'm working on some classes and short courses that people can come and learn how to make something, so keep coming back, details will be on here soon.

And there are more things to come off the lathe...

Thanks for reading

All the best

Jamie

Happy New year...Jamie Hubbard Creative Woodwork

And if you are new to my blog, welcome.

On here I will be going through some of the items being made in my workshop at the Ruskin Glass Centre.

Every now and then I will be covering some of the work that I will be doing on our house.


So while you might have been taking some well deserved time off over the Christmas and New Year, Lynn, myself and the girls were in and out of the workshop, taking some of the smaller bits and pieces over. Then on a couple of occasions my brother Stuart, came over in one of his trucks and we filled it up to the top of the sides, then off to the workshop. So before I forget I'd like to thank Stuart, Lesley, Dean and Adam for their help.

One of the many things that I have had to sort out is the insurance cover. let me tell you that that, in itself is a bit than a pain, but after all the shopping around it came down to the insurance company that most of the others in the building use. But I'm glad that I did the comparisons, there was a huge difference between some of the premiums, so it was well worth the effort.

I have had all sorts of checks, the reason for this is the workshop is owned and run by the Ruskin Mill Trust, and part of my tenancy agreement is that I have students (aged between 18 - 25) with learning disabilities for at least one session of work experience per week. I'm looking forward to this, and I think that the session could be broke down into small chunks of time, cleaning and checking work on display, keeping the workshop tidy. Onto assisting with making some of the work, keeping a check on some of the tools, just to see if there are any chunks out of chisel edges that may have been used in a class or workshop.

I've moved into what I feel is a pretty well set up workshop space as far as, there are plenty of double sockets around, lots of light through the windows and roof, the walls and underside of the mezzanine are all painted white and there is a sink unit up the corner. Toilets are located in the passageway down the hall, so, all in all a pretty good space.

Down the left hand side as you walk in, there are alcoves between the supporting pillars and in the first large alcove I have put some shelving to display some of the work being made. Stuart had some old flooring, 40mm chipboard from his works, that was not needed, so I jumped at the chance of having it, and you can see in the pictures that it works really well. I didn't want just plain long shelving...So I thought back to a picture I saw on Twitter of Laura Jane Clarkes shelving in her living space in some disused toilets in Crystal Palace London.



Anyhow the new name for the workshop is...

Jamie Hubbard Creative Woodwork

So this is the entrance to the building, my workshop is in the middle of the shot,

on the outside corner of the building...

 

all the best

Jamie

 

more pics to follow when Google Blogger have sorted out their problems.

It's been about a week now, and Google Blogger still have not got the button for downloading pictures working, I'm soory about this but it is out of the authors hands...


all the best
Jamie

Last post for 2012...

So, an eventful year.

One that has ended with the start of my working full time in my own quite large workshop. In fabulous surroundings with a really positive and forward looking group of people.

As I write now, there are more things in the car, ready to be moved into the shop, shelving. That will be just inside on the left in an alcove that could have been built for the job. I'm fitting this tomorrow, so don't expect to see many people on New years day. But that's one of the reasons I like the place so much, because just as you feel it's time to lock up, or your standing there in between jobs, someone comes in and there is another person or couple or family that are keen to see what you do, learn how to make something or chat about the similar one they had or parents had.

Whilst the house is on hold, it still feels like home and will take a bit longer than we thought, but it pays to be patient and with patience come more improved methods or storage or something really special, so I would like to thank Lynn and the girls for their patience for the last few months and with me through the next few months as we go on the next journey into 2013.

I hope you have a happy new year, and if you get to stop by the workshop, please take the time to tell me if you read my blog.

I would also like to thank my customers of 2012, you have helped me on the start of a journey that I'm sure will continue for the next twenty or thirty years.

all the best for 2013

Jamie

The new workshop...

Finally, after quite a few weeks of waiting, I now have the keys to the new workshop.

I will be based at the Ruskin Glass Centre, Unit 1. A brilliant place for me to be set up and I hope to bring another audience to the centre. Based in old factory workshop buildings, bringing life back into this corner of an old site, in Stourbridge.

Here you can watch glass blowing, cutting, copper wheel engraving to name just a couple of the things going all the time, it's just the best, most creative atmosphere that I have seen in a long time.

I'll be putting more on here from now on, as I start to set up a comfortable, varied and productive little workshop. And make, repair and recycle (or up-cycle) all sorts of wooden items.


Hope you can stop by, there's a great coffee shop too.

All the best

Jamie

Twitter..

Got my old Twitter page running again..I'll still be blogging, but the tweets will be more up to date.

Jamie Hubbard  @jam73e


I've been tidying all of the building stuff away, can't imagine I'll see Clive this side of Christmas, he's got loads to get on with.

Still waiting for news on the workshop, I just can't see past this. I think it will be brilliant, to set up a workshop that will be able to handle my tools, carving, turning, joinery, restoration, polishing as well as driftwood, gardening tools, there is so much that I work, I hope I get it right.

all the best

Jamie