Well; Xmas is over and the new year has most definitely begun, with quite some gusto it must be said. So far I've hardly noticed how fast it's moving as I've been highly engrossed in just doing my own thing but, Sarah and I have decided it's time to get the t'internet ball rolling and branch out our services as far as possible. We've both decided that there's only so much work that can be had through word of mouth and, whilst the little markets we did before Xmas were quite a lotta fun and mildly profitable, neither of us really want to be spending every weekend in the cold and wet being hustled by people that, often, are really just looking for a bargain and don't have that much appreciation for how much time and effort is actually put into making the products in the first place. Don't get me wrong - there are a lot of people who do appreciate the time and effort and it is always good to get direct feedback from people who weren't expecting or are surprised to see something a little different or a little better made than most of the imported plastic junk many stalls will be selling however, the internet has so much more scope for marketing and potential to try new ideas and turn them into a sustainable practice and - all from the comfort of your own home. Maybe we'll just do craft fairs rather than local farmers markets in future

    Anyway, down to what I've actually been doing; I've just managed to finish some shelves that were started sometime before Xmas - I've still got to give them their final sanding and then treat and polish them but, so far I'm very proud of the result. 

Shame about the quality of the pictures, I'll try and get some better ones when the sun is shining.

I also managed to do a couple of bedside cabinets, again - they still need waxing and polishing and the smaller one is going to be fitted with draws but, everyone that has seen them in their unfinished state has liked them and I am very happy with the (not quite end) result. The Elm that I've been working with has caused me quite a lot of trouble; moving, twisting and splitting quite literally before my eyes but most definitely worth the amount of effort I've had to put in to get them together. 
As with all my current furniture it is held together by just the joints in the wood - no glue, nails, screws or any other form of fixings is used in construction. I do have a small reserve of antique nails but, as they are over 130 years old they couldn't be relied upon to add much strength anyway. I will use them in something but purely for aesthetic quality.

After trying to get my head round cutting 36 dovetail joints in warped wood (this is the 1st time I've made a draw using nothing other than the  wood) I  decided to take a quick break from furniture and have started on an Alabaster dish/ candle holder and a very small piece of Jade for a necklace. The Alabaster we found on a small beach on the north coast of Somerset and is an absolute joy to work with. The dish I am working on has so far taken about 4 hours and will probably take about another hour to finish sanding and polishing. I will add some more pics when it's finished and hopefully will be able to capture the full beauty and warmth that this material offers when it is worked - the piccies on here just don't do it justice as the opaqueness and translucency makes it very hard to photograph. I was speaking to a very talented carver last year who reckoned that a 1 tonne block of this stone will capture the light in exactly the same way as this piece does, if you shine a light through it the whole block will glow and many people say "it appears to have a life of it's own".

    Anyway, that's enough rambling from me for now, besides which; I can hear a set of dovetails calling me.

Benjamin Boyland