Wall Mounted Shoe Rack

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For Many people to problem of where to store all your shoes in a narrow hallway or a cluttered under stairs cupboard is very real and this handy wall mounted shoe rack made from reclaimed pallet wood could be the perfect solution. This one can hold up to five pairs of shoe and measures 100cm in width but I have made many that are much wider and also some that are narrower, they work very well in multiples one above each other in a cupboard or hall.  They are easy to install just six screws attach the rack to the wall.

 

 

These racks can be made to order or you can buy one from me at any of my local markets

From Unwanted Pallet to Wall Mounted Wine Rack

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When I am on the markets one of the items that seems to attract the most attention and comments is my wall mounted wine rack.  They are made from pallet wood and designed to hang on the wall or sit on a flat surface either inside or outdoors.  They are able to hold up to six bottles of wine and store six glasses underneath

The construction process is fairly straight forward, it all starts of with a pallet, the type in the first picture is the idea but other types of pallets can be used.  You need to strip off the slats (carefully to minimize damage and wastage) then using one or two of the support struts create the sides by cutting them to size with  an angle at the top.  After a good deal of sanding the main body can be put together and I generally use self tapping screws as they are easier to adjust and don’t split the wood.  Attach a slightly wider piece of pallet wood for the shelf, big enough for the wine bottles to sit on and attach the dress strip along the front.  Probably the most complicated step is the cutting out of the section that will hold the glasses but once this is complete and attached you have a pretty niffy wine storage solution

I sell these for £40 each and always have at least two for sale at every market. In the past I have also made them to hold four gin bottles and two balloon glasses and I have even made one capable of holding a dozen botttles.

 

Large Pigeon Holes to Order

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I am often asked to make pigeon holes but this request was to make a bank of large pigeon holes for a local crafter Susie Faulks Designs She is a very talented textile and product designer and works from my her home in Brimscombe, in the Stroud Valleys of Gloucestershire.

The design was dictated by the dimensions of the scarves that would be stored within.  As they unit would be quite large I was unable to use reclaimed wood, so I went for sustainable pine furniture boards instead.

After a lot of careful measuring (and a bit of maths) I had marked up all the boards ready to cut the slots for the full lap joints that would give them stability and style. Once everything had been cut and slotted together the outer casing was attached using hidden head nails and a solid back and front strips attached to finish it off.

Susie asked for them to left in raw wood to match the decor of her beautiful workroom.  Here they are in situ ready and waiting for her new range of 100% cotton scarves.  Susie has now painted them and they are full of stock

  

If you are looking for some bespoke storage for your workshop, studio or home please drop me an email or use the contact form and I  will be happy to discuss your requirements

Perfect Pantry

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In this project I was required to build a custom pantry in an alcove in a brand new kitchen, the aim was to use a set of solid pine doors that had been sourced on freecycle.  The first challenge was to cut the doors down to size as the space required 4 doors and the doors were way to wide for the job. Ass they were 6 panel doors the plan was to cut each door down the middle support and then add a new strip to support the door panels, this is a little scary but with a perfectly straight brace and a circular saw the job was done, the support strips were cut directly from the leftover door panels.  Once the doors had been prepared them the job of building the framework began.

This was fairly straight forward as the size of the doors and the framework had been worked out in the design stage so I was able to us standard thickness structural pine to create a sturdy and true frame, the one hitch was that there an existing power point just off centre of the back wall.  Once the frame was in place the internal panels were added and painted to match the walls.  Then the shelves where cut from 18mm birch plywood, these were fitted with screw in battens so that they could be relocated if the spacing did not work in the future.  

The spacing of the shelves was dictated by the clients needs and proved to be perfect.  This is exactly why a bespoke build is the best way to go when building storage.  The final touch was to paint a blackboard shopping list on one of the internal panels.

If you are looking for a storage solution then please drop me an email or use the contact form and I will let you know what is possible

A Wall of books

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One of my most requested services is to build storage solutions and the most popular items are bookcases. This project was one of the biggest I have built in some time.  The client had just moved into a new apartment and needed a large amount of storage for their books, cds, dvds and paperwork.  To keep costs down I elected to use 18mm hardwood ply as the client said that they wished to have it painted and also for the structural qualities that plywood has.  The whole bookcase consisted of 8 shelves and measured 210cm high and 170ccm wide so it took up almost all of one of  the walls available in the soon to be office/workroom.

And once it was complete it certainly didn’t take them long to fill it up.

If you are looking for a bespoke bookcase or shelving solution please send me an email or message and I will be happy to discuss your requirements,

 

A Sandwich Chalkboard

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Today’s project was to make a sandwich board for Medulla hairdressing a local hairdressers. She is relocating to a brand new salon in the recently refurbished Five Valleys Shopping Centre and wanted a new A board to place outside the salon to help attach customers.  The board will have graphics added to it shortly.  

The frame is made from 40mm pine routed to fit the 9mm marine plywood and then painted with a chalkboard paint and varnished with an antique pine satin stain.  The client requested leather handles to help carry the board in and out of the salon, these were made from leather taken from an old belt.

And this is what the board looks like now that the signage has been added

 

Bookcases, Hall Shelves, Pigeon Holes and Plate Racks

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Its been a busy week with plenty of commissions and a few new ideas to try out at the upcoming markets.

 

Recent Projects

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Over the last few weeks I have been very busy making a myriad of interesting items and commissions and thought I would share a sample of them with you all.  As the weather has been lovely lately I have been asked to make garden benches, planters and tables.  The need for outside parcel boxes has increased with the recent lockdown and my mail order business via Etsy and Ebay has kept me in the workshop making batches of trugs and caddies.

Over the last couple of weeks I have also started to hold stalls at the local farmers and craft markets so it doesn’t seem as though things will be slowing down in the near future

Stay safe and hopefully I will see you at Stroud Farmers or Cirencester Craft markets in the coming weeks

Fill your house with made to measure furniture

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Every now and again a client comes along that wants a whole room full of furniture created from scratch. This is the best possible scenario for me. It allows me to design pieces that fit the clients brief and fit together in harmoniously. The client was keen to use as much reclaimed wood as possible but they were very happy for me to use various thicknesses of birch plywood to construct the framework and drawers. The key piece in the whole collection, and my favourite, was the desk made for two. The clients needed to be able to hide away their computers and printer along with storage for files and stationary. So the drawers where made of plywood and faces with hand cut and routed mahogany which came from a 6 seater dining table. I added a full length riser to hold both monitors and provide plenty of storage space.  The cupboard and bottom drawers have cut-outs for cables and power supplies

The room also needed a piece of furniture to house a small fridge and microwave and also allow it to be used as a mini kitchen. This piece is made from a lovely old oak kitchen table which I picked up off the side of the road. The framework is made entirely from a reclaimed pine wardrobe and incorporates their existing chest of drawers

Using an old pine bookcase to create the top and drawer fronts I made what appears to be a chest of drawers but each of the four drawers is designed to hold shoes or boots.

I have also built a set of storage shelves made from 15mm plywood dressed with oak strips to hide the plywood.  

All items have been stained and varnish to help them blend.  

I have a five drawer corner dressing table to complete once the lockdown is complete.  The drawers have been made from 112mm plywood faced with the same mahogany as the desk and has a reclaimed oak table-top made using the side panels of an old Victorian oak wardrobe. I will post pictures once it has been istalled.

I thoroughly enjoyed this project and I love it when I can build large items of furniture.  I would be happy to help you with your storage solutions so please send me an email, text or message and I will be happy to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs and I will try to design a stylist solution for you.

 

Custom Made Rustic Garden Bench

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Every project starts with a basic line drawing to show the client and to help with the discussion regarding the overall look and feel of the end product. In this case the design and the final bench were pretty much the same.

The bench needed to be big enough to seat three people or one person lounging across it. It also needed to be made from reclaimed wood and there was a spot in the garden where the hedge formed a natural arch which dictated the size and shape of the bench.

Using two reclaimed pieces of scaffold boards as the seat I built a framework out of structural pine and the back rest and arm rests were created from some well weathered hard wood pallet planks. The arm rests had been extended and enlarged to enable them to hold a cup and saucer or cocktail glass

The back rest has been decorated with a pair of hearts to enhance the design and turn this into a love seat.

I love making big pieces and I am always happy when I am able to make a garden bench from reclaimed wood. If you are looking for a special piece to decorate your garden them please drop me a message or email  and I will be happy to make you a sstatement piece