I have been busy this month experimenting with range of furniture designs - playing around with contrasting colours, faceted legs and spindles and by creating more contemporary styles using traditional techniques. These pieces are all made in my outdoor workshop in the woods using hand tools.
The ancient techniques of green woodworking still have a lot of advantages over modern methods. I can walk into the woods, fell a tree and five minutes later be turning it into a piece of furniture. It doesn't require the capital outlay of buying in seasoned timber, nor of buying machinery or paying for electric. By using hand tools to cleave (split) and shave the wood down to its finished form, I am guaranteeing that the grain is followed and that the strength and natural curves are maintained. No metal fixings are used. Instead the furniture is held together with oak pins and wedges and by exploiting the shrinkage of the green wood onto dry tenons. Furniture made in this way should last generations.
Two of the items below are for sale, and I have other furniture in stock.
Email p.ditchfield(at)yahoo.com to enquire.
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| Elm seat, Cherry legs and Ash stretchers FOR SALE £250 |
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| Elm seat, spalted Beech comb, Ash legs and splindles FOR SALE £390 |
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| Elm seat, Ash comb, legs and splindles |
