Traditional English Woodwork

Traditional English Woodwork Sharing 40 years making and researching traditional furniture and woodwork. Inviting new projects.

25/05/2026

Over recent weeks have been looking back at some of the many tables we have made, and the original period ones that inspired them. Long ones, heavy ones, round ones, ..... Here is a taster, which would you choose? Loads of information on all of them in the posts.

Trees and Timber, Mahogany 2: John Wesley' sidetable.When John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, was born i...
22/05/2026

Trees and Timber, Mahogany 2: John Wesley' sidetable.

When John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, was born in 1703, mahogany was virtually unknown as a commercial timber in England. By the time he died in 1793 it was one of the most popular. Prior to the 1721 Navy Stores Act which ended tariffs on the tansatlantic timber trade, mahogany barely registers in import records. In 1723 imports valued £695, by 1750 it reached £30,000, a significant sum at the time. Mahogany's rise was spectacular. It is no surprise then, that mahogany was the timber requested for this sidetable commisioned for Wesley's house in London when it was re-furbished. Mahogany was well established when Wesley built the house in 1779.

The rapid rise of mahogany's popularity is understandable. It is a beautiful timber and sometimes truly spectacular. It can be highly figured, 'flame' and 'curl' boards or veneers from the crotches around branches particularly so, and yet it is generally quite stable, forgiving to work, finishes well, and takes on a fantastic polish. It also carves crisply, is reasonably durable and resistant to worm, and grows to a huge size. As it became increasingly available in a country where prime native timbers had not been abundant for centuries, joiners, cabinet makers, and their fashion following clients must have been delighted. Whilst mahogany's rise in popularity was fast, it did not arrive straight into the spotlight, and it did go on to have a devastating impact on the environment. We will pick up on that in another post.

Back to John Wesley's side table. It was commissioned for the dining room of his London house whilst being refurbished and interpreted for visitors. Much of the furniture is original, but we were proud to be asked to make this table and a bed that were not easily available. The top came from a stunning board found in a London timber yard. It was looking weathered and forlorn on top of a huge stack, as if abandoned there for years to keep the weather off the clean joinery stock underneath. We gave it a chance and never regreted it.

The table was a delight to make. Apologies for the ropey photos hastily taken on delivery. Fortunately you can also veiw it virtually through an online tour of Wesley's house, unfortunately its a bit hidden behind an open door that the technology can't close for you 🙂. Of course, if you are in London at all, it is also possible to see it in the flesh.

Virtual tour - The Museum of Methodism & John Wesley's House https://share.google/DGh5Iyhlcw30BzP3e

Table Talk 14 (and Trees and Timber, Mahogany 1): Then along came mahogany (a tale of tariffs, deals, defence spending, ...
16/05/2026

Table Talk 14 (and Trees and Timber, Mahogany 1): Then along came mahogany (a tale of tariffs, deals, defence spending, global trade, and controlling waterways, three centuries before Donald Trump).

All the tables shared to date in this series of posts on tables commissioned in the past have been made from European timbers. Most of it locally grown, sawn, and seasoned, plus the occasional boards from across the English Channel or North Sea. The Bazilian Mahogany for this 18th century inspired pedestal dining table had a much longer journey to get to the workshop. It seems fitting make it the last 'table talk' post for now because in it kind of captures a moment in the pattern of timber use in British furniture. From the early 18th century, a whole host of 'exotic' timbers joined the woodworking cast, and centre stage in starring role has to be Mahogany. Mahogany's impact was such that furniture history, in seeking tidy generalisations, has traditionally seen the 18th century as heralding the rise of 'The Age of Mahogany' (a bit simplistically, perhaps? 🤔).

Britain was an importer of timber from surprisingly early times. Back at least as far as the 13th century, imported 'wainscot' oak and softwood 'deals' from mainland Europe were commonly used where they could easily be carried. Easily carrying timber, until the middle of the 18th century involved boats. As a result, in London, and ports along the southern and eastern coasts facing Norway, the Netherlands, the Baltic, and France, imported timber was well known. It could often be cheaper than harder to access homegrown wood, and without too much trouble it found its way up the many navigable British rivers that flow west to east. Adam Bowett has penned some great research on all this.

The arrival of Mahogany on the workbenches of British woodworkers is a fascinating story. It involved all the factors mentioned above: tariffs, deals, defence spending, global trade, and controlling waterways. Its a tale that warrants more than can be shared here and we will try and touch on some of it through sharing a few more mahogany commissions over the next couple of weeks. But for now, in a nutshell, the 1721 Navy Stores Act was a pivotal moment. Designed to stimulate trans-Atlantic trade and protect vital naval supplies, it removed tariffs and offered various sweeteners. Check out Adam Bowett's work for loads more on that.

As for the table commission that all the above ramblings started with, there is plenty more on that here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CrMGf58qD/

Table Talk 13: Big and round.The top for this circular table on a square cut baluster pedestal base was made from a sing...
07/05/2026

Table Talk 13: Big and round.

The top for this circular table on a square cut baluster pedestal base was made from a single plank of a huge oak that grew in Ockley, Surrey. At over three feet wide and three inches thick it contains hundreds of years growth. We know it was felled in the 1980s but have never got round to counting the growth rings – a task for another day as the remaining boards from the tree are currently buried at the bottom of a stack and not the sort of thing you want to move too often! Some of the remaining boards are around three feet wide and eight feet long - so if you know anyone who would like a truly exceptional table complete with the story of the tree it came from, it would be great to hear!

The two bearers under the top of this table run right across the width of the board in a dovetail housing joint helping to keep the top flat. They are not glued or fixed other than by the dovetail joint, allowing the top to expand and contract with changes in humidity. A top of this width can move quite an alarming amount with the changing seasons. The design was based on a rectangular one in the kitchens at Hampton Court that also inspired private commission for a large rectangular table around 10’ long, 4’ wide, and a hefty 4” thick. You can check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AMZPtjjnd/

Table Talk 12: Long and taperingThe heaviest table commissioned to date went to one based on a table in the kitchens at ...
05/05/2026

Table Talk 12: Long and tapering

The heaviest table commissioned to date went to one based on a table in the kitchens at Hampton Court – there is a link to it in the comments. The longest one is this one, based on a copy of tables from the Great Hall there, but clocking in at nearly 20’ in length, about 50% longer. A private commission for a client that loved the base design, a distinctive feature that appears on both the Hampton Court Tables and one in the library at St Paul’s Cathedral. There is a link to more on that in the comments too.

The top was formed from three planks running the full length ‘coffin-boarded’ – a technique used on many of the tables we have made that makes the most of the tapering way that trees grow. Rather than cutting parallel sided boards from the log, which is almost always wider at the foot of the tree than higher up, it is cut to the greatest possible width each end and the direction of the boards alternated – the wide end of one next to the narrow of the next. It is a technique that yields much more timber from each board and an attractive asymmetry to the top. It would have taken at least one more board, possibly two, if this top had been made from parallel sided boards.

Table Talk 11: Oak Table, Hampton Court Palace.This oak table was one of a number of lovely commissions for Hampton Cour...
01/05/2026

Table Talk 11: Oak Table, Hampton Court Palace.

This oak table was one of a number of lovely commissions for Hampton Court Palace. It was made to match four period ones that lined the long sides of the hall, two on each side. The curatorial team at the time wanted a fifth one to take the place of the head table on the dais at the high end of the hall.

They are an interesting design, the date of which we have never been sure of. They are certainly a lot younger than the hall itself. When studying the originals to make the copy, it felt that they were two pairs with slight differences. How much older one pair might have been than the other is an interesting question, but all four tables were certainly in the hall as far back as the 1890s, something proven by the variety of images shared here. The copy we made was clearly dated and documented 😊

The hall at Hampton Court dates back to the sixteenth century and has obviously gone through many iterations over the years, whilst the interpretation of it with these tables is a totally valid one, they have since been replaced by a style more in tune with the Renaissance origins of the hall and arguably more in keeping with the backdrop of Henry VIII’s ‘Abrahamic’ tapestries (though from the 19th century images the tapestries were there throughout the time these tables were in there). These tables had been re-located to a later wing of the palace the last we time we saw them.

Establishing a date for this table design remains an interesting pursuit. Shortly after the commission, whilst visiting the library at St Pauls Cathedral, a table of different dimensions, but with almost identical design details was spotted. It is so similar it has to have come from the same workshop and/or designers’ specification. It is effectively double the width and seems to have held a glass cabinet containing a model of the cathedral for many years. It can be seen in images dating from the 1930s, and on the current cathedral website. Hopefully one day we will find out who made them.

There is at least one other table of this design - we know that for sure because we made it! We will keep that for another post though.

Towering over the already substantial 14th century Eastgate through Warwick's former town wall is the impressive 15th ce...
30/04/2026

Towering over the already substantial 14th century Eastgate through Warwick's former town wall is the impressive 15th century St Peter's Chapel. Hundreds of people must walk under it daily without realising its also an Airb&b you can stay in. It was not what was anticipated when walking up to it after my son said he had booked somewhere for us to stay together. Like almost any old building, after six centuries or so there have been changes, but its full of great features, including stone floors of patio proportions with wear inches deep in places.

Proudly standing in a corner is this 17th century court cupboard. It probably hasn't been there all that long, and like the building, furniture of that age is rarely untouched, but here are some features that caught the eye. There is more detail in the picture captions. Check out: the nailed on iron butterfly hinges for the lower doors, the pin hinges for the upper doors, the scrub plane tool marks inside the lower doors, the sawn surface inside the upper door, the adze marks on the panel chamfer, the fluid spontinaity of the carving, the setting out lines for it, the punch decoration augmenting it, and a misplaced stab with a gouge.

Table Talk 10. Oak trestle-based table with nailed cleated ends.Whilst some tables commissioned have been elaboratly dec...
29/04/2026

Table Talk 10. Oak trestle-based table with nailed cleated ends.

Whilst some tables commissioned have been elaboratly decorated, others, like this one made for kitchen re-enactment in a large house/museum, have been plain and functional. A huge number of tables in the past would have been just like it. Many would have been workstations for food preparation, and the countless other tasks servicing large houses, and even communal dining tables in many situations would have been made to be set up, and set aside as numbers in the household fluctuated and the function of the space shifted from eating to entertainment. Simple tables on trestles that could be easily set aside would have been common.

The wonderful fourteenth century Luttrell Psalter in the British Library includes examples of both basic food preparation tables and diners seated at a trestle based table.

This 1885 picture of R Evans, a wheelwright from Churchstoke in Powys was shared on Ruralhistoria recently. It prompted...
28/04/2026

This 1885 picture of R Evans, a wheelwright from Churchstoke in Powys was shared on Ruralhistoria recently. It prompted a delve back into George Sturt’s book ‘The Wheelwright’s Shop’ that records Evans’ trade in wonderful detail – a firsthand account of a period when it was undergoing huge changes. The picture gives a human face to the characters Sturt describes working for his family business, and the book gives some wonderful insights into what Evans’ daily life could have been like.

Sturt tells of a working day that started at 6.00 am, and winter walks in the dark to get to the workshop that started well before - one of his men daily walking the two miles from the neighbouring village and arriving at times with icicles hanging from his beard. Around 1885 (the date of the Evans picture) the finishing time in Sturt's workshop shifted from 6.00 pm to 5.30, but if overtime was being work they would carry on until 8.00 pm after a half-hour break for tea. Other meal breaks in those fourteen hour days were breakfast from 8 to 8.30 and lunch from 1.00 to 2.00. 1885 also saw Saturday working finishing time shift from 4.00 pm to 1.00. Long days of hard physical work.

A painting in the Tate, ‘Interior of the Carpenter’s Shop at Forty Hill, Enfield’ by John Hill is another wonderful glimpse into workshops of the period. Recording the workshop of his family business using oil and canvas, Hill's brush strokes are a great companion to the printed words of Sturt describing his. Thought to have been painted around 1813, Hill's carpenter's workshop appears a lot more orderly than Sturt’s rural wheelwright shop, and boasts glazed windows! Replacing the simple wooden shutters with glass was one of the first improvements Sturt made on taking over his family business seventy years or so later.

There is so much that could be said about Hill’s painting. A lot has already been written by others, but I feel another ‘visit’ coming on. For now though, check out the tool basket in the bottom left corner with an adze(?) handle poked through the basket handles and compare it to the one resting on Evans’ lap. Evans sits with his axe over his shoulder and there are images of carpenters walking in that very pose with the tool basket hanging over the shoulder from the axe handle. Its almost as if the basket in Hill’s painting has been set down there on the floor after a long walk to the shop – or left at the ready for picking up and shouldering to head out to a job.

Table Talk 9: Mitre-Framed top, turned and carved legs, ogee curved stretchers with turned finials.A recent post showed ...
24/04/2026

Table Talk 9: Mitre-Framed top, turned and carved legs, ogee curved stretchers with turned finials.

A recent post showed the step-by-step construction of a mitre-framed table top. Another recent post covered turned and carved table legs. The ‘bells and whistles’ commission shown here includes both of those, and to elevate things a bit more it also featured ‘ogee’ curved stretcher rails with turned finials connecting the lower ends of the six legs. To add another layer of icing (sadly only just visible in the picture) it also had a central figured oak diamond inset into the table top. From memory the table was about 12’ in length. The ogee curved stretchers are a great way of keeping the lower rails out of the way of feet when seated.

It looks like it was a busy time in the workshop – probably why this sadly seems to be the only picture that was hastily taken before delivery. In the background there is another table with ‘gun barrel’ legs supporting a low table with ‘X’ frame stretchers, and beyond that sections of an oak staircase and a maple ‘coffer bach’.

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