Hand woodworking

As much as I enjoy fixing the largest piece of wood I can find onto my lathe and making the shavings fly, there are also advantages – and a great deal of satisfaction – to be had from working in a smaller scale. These two furniture fittings are a perfect example of what you can achieve There is a wide ...

This project is unusual in that it involves two very different techniques – turning on three centres, and turning a composite block. It produces an unusual and very attractive piece For some time now I’ve wanted to make a receptacle for holding sea salt and pepper and spices for seasoning fish and meat before cooking. I’ve put up with small ...

This handy kitchen bookstand holds even the largest cookbook conveniently to hand and open at the right place, yet it folds flat so you can store it out of the way when you’ve finished creating your culinary masterpiece. I needed to edge-join two oak boards to get the desired width for the front panel. Cut the boards to length and ...

If you fancy a change from making bowls, candle holders and the like, take a look in the kitchen for inspiration. You may even win Brownie points from your other half! Turning for the kitchen Rolling pin Egg timer Spatula Coffee mug tree Kitchen roll holder Pestle and mortar Trivet Bread board Cheese board Herb chopping board and mezzaluna Bread ...

This was an opportune commission to receive as it fits very neatly into my ongoing series about turning treen for the kitchen. It’s a traditional meat carving platter, properly known as a trencher. A few weeks ago I was approached by a lady who asked me to turn something useful from a piece of wood that had been lying around ...

What do you make for the youngest member of the family… something that isn’t a toy, yet is personalised in some way? How about a small stool with a “birthday” coin inlaid in the top? This project is equally suitable for a boy or a girl. The coin selected dates from the year in which the youngster was born. The ...

This is one of a pair of memory boxes that were commissioned as gifts for my clients’ grandchildren. It’s pretty straightforward – four dovetail joints, a base and a tray. And then there’s that curved lid. (By Michael Forster) The box measures 370 x 280 x 150mm, and my clients wanted the grandchild’s name inscribed in the lid. Well, my ...

When you ask newcomers to woodturning what they would like to make, they almost invariably say a bowl. In this article I’m going to make a bowl in cherry with an undercut lip, using just one tool The bowl featured here is turned in cherry. When selecting fruitwood it’s quite difficult to find a well-seasoned blank that doesn’t have faults ...

The Woodworking Gurushows us how a wooden spoon can be transformed using simple applied carving. 1. For this project, you will only need a couple of knives to get you started, a pencil and something to chip carve – it doesn’t have to be a spoon handle but I intend to focus on this as I have developed my own ...

Spalting is a by-product of the rotting process that affects all wood to a greater or lesser extent. It’s caused by moulds and fungi, and can create many different and beautiful colours and patterns in the wood. This makes spalted wood highly prized for its looks, especially by turners While there are many examples of wooden artefacts that are a ...