Andrew J. Wainwright - Fine Woodwork

Andrew J. Wainwright - Fine Woodwork Andrew J. Wainwright handcrafts fine furniture in Kitchener, Southwestern Ontario. Pieces are designed and built on a custom basis.

Beautiful wood, combined with traditional joinery, ensure the pieces will be enjoyed by generations.

The finished piece...
02/26/2016

The finished piece...

First I applied a dark brown "ebonizing dye" to the base, this stuff makes magic markers look weak! Then I put the firs...
02/20/2016

First I applied a dark brown "ebonizing dye" to the base, this stuff makes magic markers look weak! Then I put the first coat of oil on the cherry top, one of my favourite moments in woodworking. In an instant, the full depth and grain of the wood are magically revealed.

The first picture shows the router set-up I used to create the large bevel on the underside of the top, and the second s...
02/17/2016

The first picture shows the router set-up I used to create the large bevel on the underside of the top, and the second some of the hand planed details on the bottom edges of the top itself. Then I set the top on the base, always an interesting moment. Time for some finish: it will be interesting to see how the ebonized base goes with the cherry top!

After sanding the top flat, I laid out the locations of the cut-outs for the legs. Rather critical! After cutting out ...
02/13/2016

After sanding the top flat, I laid out the locations of the cut-outs for the legs. Rather critical! After cutting out the bulk of the waste with a router and pattern, each hole was bevelled to a 5 degree angle, to match the slope of the legs. This entailed careful use of file, scraper and sandpaper. The clearances around the holes have to be very even.
I then made a prototype of one end of the top, to model and refine my vision of the piece. I added a few subtle chamfers to the underside, and then was ready to proceed with the top itself.

Glue-up is a nerve wracking process for woodworkers. It is a make or break time where hours of meticulous labour and fi...
02/09/2016

Glue-up is a nerve wracking process for woodworkers. It is a make or break time where hours of meticulous labour and fine materials can be lost in a matter of minutes.
I try and plan carefully, have whatever tools and materials necessary on hand. Still, no matter how many times one "dry fits" a piece, the glue adds another element...
In this case, all went well. Note the tapered cauls I made that conform to the radius and taper of the legs.

The top of this table is to be cherry. I wanted a particularly attractive piece as I feel this design showcases the top...
02/06/2016

The top of this table is to be cherry. I wanted a particularly attractive piece as I feel this design showcases the top. Sorting through my lumber collection, I came across a spectacular board: 17" wide, 10' long and somewhat incredibly, with only 1/16" of cup. The latter is important as this top is relatively unsupported, so starting with a naturally flat piece results in a naturally stable top.
After highlighting some of the grain patterns, I cross cut the board, carefully trimming it to size to best show the grain. I then flattened and planed the boards, gluing the two halves together.

The "pairs of legs" are joined together by longitudinal stretchers. These are joined with sliding dovetails, a joint wi...
02/01/2016

The "pairs of legs" are joined together by longitudinal stretchers. These are joined with sliding dovetails, a joint with very fine tolerances. I cut the sockets first, then shaped the tails to fit. Next I lapped in a centre cross-member to add support to the top at its widest point. The table will now stand with no glue, very satisfying!

I cut the tenons on the table saw, slightly over size. Since they have no"shoulders", it was critical to work very care...
01/29/2016

I cut the tenons on the table saw, slightly over size. Since they have no"shoulders", it was critical to work very carefully shaping the curved transitions to the full width rail, fitting them to their respective mortises with a hand plane. All turned out well, and I risked taking a picture of them balancing on top of each other! No glue at this point.

I've learned to roughly scale my sketches to ensure proportions are accurately represented. Still, I drew the table out...
01/26/2016

I've learned to roughly scale my sketches to ensure proportions are accurately represented. Still, I drew the table out full scale to make sure I was pleased with the shape. The legs seemed a touch small (their diameter was determined to some degree by the thickness of the rough lumber I had), so I ended up scaling the top down by about 15%. Such drawings, and often prototypes, are an important part of the design process to me.

The legs turned out well, and the mortises are nice and crisp after removing the sacrificial blocks of cedar...
01/22/2016

The legs turned out well, and the mortises are nice and crisp after removing the sacrificial blocks of cedar...

I've started on my first piece of the New Year. It is to be a coffee table, fairly contemporary in design, and whose sh...
01/19/2016

I've started on my first piece of the New Year. It is to be a coffee table, fairly contemporary in design, and whose shape came to me some time ago.

The legs will be turned round, and their mortises for the tenons of the understructure have to be very precise, as they are completely visible. After squaring up the hard maple blanks, I cut the mortises with a router, finishing them with a chisel. A lot easier to do this while the blanks are square! I also cut a shoulder for the top of the leg, and chamfered the blanks to make the turning process faster.

Finally, to protect the edge of the mortises from tear-out while turning, I wedged in little blocks of sacrificial cedar, visible in the close-up.

Long overdue photos of the dressers!
09/03/2015

Long overdue photos of the dressers!

Address

Kitchener, ON
N2C1L6

Telephone

+15195759043

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