Sadly the original tiller on this Moody S31 had presumably fallen overboard, as it had been fitted with a tiller from a different boat. Needless to say it didn’t fit properly, sat far too low and hit the cockpit sides, making it very difficult to comfortably sail!
I was commissioned by the owner to design and construct a new teak tiller, that would be both a perfect fit, and a beautiful addition to the boat. A mock up was first made, using the owner as a dummy to ensure the shape and size were ergonomic, and the perfect position for the owner, a little like adjusting the seat and pedals in a car! Then a jig was made up, and multiple layers of teak veneer were bent and laminated together to begin forming the new tiller. For added strength channels were machined through the centre of the tiller, and stainless steel rods inserted, before the final layers of teak were added. Once the glue had cured, the tiller was planed by hand to give a smooth, rounded and elegant shape. The owner was extremely happy with the new tiller, and told me it had not only transformed their sailing experience, but enhanced their boats appearance too, the teak complimenting the deck and other timber around the boat. It was an interesting and pleasing job to undertake... It doesn’t seem to matter how big a house is, there’s still never enough room for all of your “stuff”!! So making the most of any available storage space is essential... Aside from making a great home for wizards, under-stairs cupboards are usually awkward affairs that always seem to involve crawling in, and you can still never reach right to the back..!
Here’s a great example of what’s possible to make that awkward space a lot more practical. I started by cutting a triangular hole in the existing wood panelling, and then fitted a partition between the existing cupboard and the new one. Runners were then fitted to the floor, and a matching drawer made to perfectly fit inside. The panelling that had been cut out was reinforced with a plywood backing, and fitted with hinges to become a door. So that hard to reach space is now perfect for shoes, wellies or anything else triangle shaped! Of course if you’d like a creative solution to your storage problems, then get in touch... This was an interesting commission, a custom made wooden shop sign for a local hair salon in Southsea. The owner particularly wanted real wood as it’s warm and welcoming, but also wanted the sign to stand out, literally!
Starting with a plywood backing board, the letters were laser cut for accuracy, stained, varnished and mounted on 50mm dowel pegs. The salons flying birds logo was all cut by hand, and Like the letters layered with dowel to give a proper 3D effect. Fine details were added using a combination of watercolour, marker pen, and antique gold highlighter. It measured 5 meters long overall, getting it up in one piece was fun! My artistic skills were really put to the test with this job, but I was really happy with my hard work, as was my customer and his many clients. It’s a privilege to know my work is on display and being admired by people, even if they don’t know it’s my work! Wooden decking is a great addition to any garden, but after a few years it can begin to deteriorate. Here is a perfect example of a wooden deck I replaced last year, after the original had become just a little rotten! I started by dismantling the old deck and found I was able to salvage some of the original structure, mainly the handrail uprights and oak edge cladding, but otherwise the entire deck was replaced with new treated timber.
I used 6”x2” joists for the supporting framework, all through bolted with galvanised coach screws, with additional cross braces and uprights which I bitumen coated and concreted into the ground. A layer of plastic damp-proof coarse was then attached to prevent water ingress into the joists, and new 5”x1.5” treated deck boards were fitted. I gave these several coats of decking oil on all sides, especially the end grain, to both help preserve the timber, but unlike a paint or stain, allow the boards to fade to a beautiful natural silver colour, in keeping with the other timber on the house. If you’d like any carpentry projects undertaken in your garden, including decking, walkways, handrails, steps, raised planters, boarders, trellis, fencing, the list goes on and on.... then get in touch. This was a really interesting job I was asked to undertake a couple of years ago, a customer had a split level living room in their house, divided by just ordinary wooden balustrade. However being keen on oriental designs and with an artistic eye, they wanted something more ornate, they just weren’t sure how to achieve it? So they asked me to help them come up with a design, and then construct and instal new fretwork panels...
Taking inspiration from some very ornate wallpaper, after various sketches, templates and deliberation, we settled on a design. I then constructed the panels from square pine batten of various different dimensions, to give a more complex 3D effect. I used half-lap joints throughout, with epoxy resin and concealed fixings, although they may look delicate they are anything but! Initially we started with the two main central panels, before moving onto the stair panels, and to further enhance the design I also machined rebated panels into the upright posts, and added ornate finials. My customer is extremely happy with the finished result, however many months later they’re still to decide on a colour scheme, and exactly how much gold leaf they can afford...! This is ‘Phosphorus’ my little plywood dinghy whom I built for my boat building apprenticeship, a few years ago now, out on his maiden voyage! Every student in my class had to build their own version of this dinghy, known as a “one sheet skiff” as it’s mostly made from a single sheet of 6mm plywood. Of course mine had lots of embellishments, mahogany capping rails, an inlayed after deck, bronze fittings, the list goes on...
I always thought myself a good carpenter until I started to study boat building, boats are an entire world away from flat-pack furniture and endless sheets of MDF. I learnt to use exotic timbers like teak, mahogany and iroko, all manner of different joints, adhesives, techniques, not to mention my new found love, and growing collection of wood planes...! I now put these skills to good use, everyday on every job, and personally feel my skills, knowledge and perfectionism make me a very good carpenter indeed. Of course if you’re looking for someone to help your dreams of carpentry perfection come true, get in touch... One of the biggest problems with carrying out alterations in a period property, is matching the often very ornate skirting boards, architrave, picture rails etc... modern houses are so boring by comparison. But sadly you can’t just go out and buy matching mouldings off the shelf.
In this customers house, they removed some old fitted wardrobes only to discover the original skirting boards had been hacked off!! This is where I came in, using a sample from the original boards, I was able to machine new ones that matched perfectly, and fit them to... Having an appreciation for period properties, and an eye for detail are just some of my many skills, so if you need help with anything similar let me know... The companionway on this 20 year old Moody was getting a little tired, the textured deck moulding and later addition of black non-slip tape we’re looking really quite sad! The owner wanted something a bit more classy, so I was asked to construct and fit new teak deck panels...
Starting with MDF templates to confirm size and plank pattern, solid teak planks were machined to size and glued over a layer of epoxy and glass cloth. Once cured the seams were caulked, and then the panels sanded smooth, before being glued down onto the deck. They looked beautiful! Teak is a beautiful timber, with very fine straight grain and full of naturals oils, making it perfect for boat decks. If you’d like anything similar constructing for your boat then get in touch.. |