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Derek Jones

lowfatroubo

Full time furniture maker, tool maker, writer and Furniture Lead at London Design & Engineering UTC
Pic 1. A few days ago a 10kg package of carefully Pic 1. A few days ago a 10kg package of carefully selected premium quality bog oak left my workshop in Newhaven East Sussex for a machine shop somewhere in Ohio It’s not the first time this has happened - see pic 2. The first samples I’m privileged to be in a position to make beautiful functional objects now and then. It’s not than unusual, lots of people get to do it. I’m also fortunate to be in a position to pick the projects I want to work on. Again, not unusual, lots of people get to do it. This project however is something I just couldn’t keep to myself. These boards have a fascinating story - 5000 years in the ground a couple of metres below sea level, excavated, buried again and re-excavated (not a real word) cut, dried and then set aside for something special. Pic 3 & 4.The next time you see these boards they will have been converted into saw handles on new Bad Axe Joiners Saws. There’s enough material here to make 12 handles but you can’t buy one of these saws. Book a place on the Saw Sharpening Seminar with Mark Harrell during @london_iwf in October and this is what you can build. Provenance is everything and part of the deal in securing this material was to agree to keeping a record of everything that gets made from it. If you want to be part of the story use the link in the bio to find out more about the course and secure a place in history. 28 Oct – 1 Nov. Cherry handled #9s are still an option. #bogoak #joinerssaw #badaxe #londoniwf
Up and at ‘em this morning - a most agreeable ou Up and at ‘em this morning - a most agreeable out-and-back along the cliff tops at Peacehaven
Combined age of 140 only one of us is 21, today. Combined age of 140 only one of us is 21, today.
And the list keeps growing… London Internationa And the list keeps growing… London International Woodworking Festival Saturday 2nd November 10.00 - 17.00 - £10.50 Friday 1st November preview session - 14.00 - 17.00 - £5.50 The link in the bio will take you straight to the ticket office Saturday you’ll gain access to the main bazaar - a gathering of the most entertaining and influential practitioners of the craft from around the globe all under the same roof. You’ll have the opportunity to meet and greet and rub shoulders with like-minded folk from a variety of woodworking disciplines and specialisms. You’ll be able to get hands on with the tools on display from leading brands such as Lie Nielsen, Veritas, Bad Axe, Aurio and Lamello as well as a range of supremely talented smaller scale artisans - see the list below. And if all that isn’t a good enough reason to join us we’ll also have a variety of breakout masterclasses, lectures and demonstrations to choose from which are all free to attend. Follow @london_iwf for regular updates and spread the word where you can. #londoniwf #ldeutc #woodworkingshow #handtools @classic_hand_tools @lienielsentoolworks @lostartpress @1snugthejoiner @sawsharp6 @Ianparkerstudio @windsorworkshop @lacabraenlaescalera @nigelmelfiplanes @arnold_richard @veritas_tools @ibtc_lowestoft @suffolkwoodveneers @the_london_furniture_school @seanhellman @skelton_saws @odiesoil.uk @the_quiet_workshop @oscarrush_ @phillyplanes @sfww.uk @furnituremakerscompany @lowfatroubo @gsharptools
Another restoration project completed today. It’s been fun these last few weeks reconnecting with a line of work I thought I’d left behind. And if similar projects came my way, I wouldn’t complain. #neversaynever #restoration
Done. Took me about 2 hours overall. I’ll post t Done. Took me about 2 hours overall. I’ll post the sequence in comments - there’s nothing ‘insta’ about this gram What’s next for this table ? I’m going to use it as talking point when I start teaching the T Level Furniture course @ldeutc in September and maybe even a project. Unless anyone wants to make me an offer ! #furnituredesign #notacrickettable #lowfatroubo #newhaven #furniturerestoration #gplan #onefortheteam
Happy at last to announce the London International Happy at last to announce the London International Woodworking Festival 2024 ticket office is now officially open for business Saturday 2nd November 10.00 - 17.00 - £10.50 Friday 1st November preview session - 14.00 - 17.00 - £5.50 Eager beavers can use the link in the bio to take you where you need to be or you can read on to find out what’s in store… Saturday you’ll gain access to the main bazaar - a gathering of the most entertaining and influential practitioners of the craft from around the globe all under the same roof. You’ll have the opportunity to meet and greet and rub shoulders with like-minded folk from a variety of woodworking disciplines and specialisms. You’ll be able to get hands on with the tools on display from leading brands such as Lie Nielsen, Veritas, Bad Axe, Aurio and Lamello as well as a range of supremely talented smaller scale artisans - see the list below. And if all that isn’t a good enough reason to join us we’ll also have a variety of breakout masterclasses, lectures and demonstrations to choose from which are all free to attend. Follow @london_iwf for regular updates and spread the word where you can. #londoniwf #ldeutc #woodworkingshow #handtools @classic_hand_tools @lienielsentoolworks @lostartpress @1snugthejoiner @badaxetoolworks @sawsharp6 @Ianparkerstudio @windsorworkshop @nigelmelfiplanes @arnold_richard @veritas_tools @seanhellman @skelton_saws @the_quiet_workshop @oscarrush_ @phillyplanes @sfww.uk @furnituremakerscompany @lowfatroubo @gsharptools
Rescued this little G-Plan table from the clutches Rescued this little G-Plan table from the clutches of an ‘up-cycler’ the other day. Ended up paying more than I wanted - the potential new owner was going to ‘give the top a good sand’ !! ‘It’s f@%#ing teak veneer less than .7mm thick you moron, have you any idea…’ is kind of what I wanted to say. ‘Do you take cards?’ is what came out. So, for all the decerning armchair furniture historians out there, this is me taking one for the team. Like I need another project! #furnituredesign #gplan #onefortheteam #lowfatroubo #notacrickettable
Been teaching one point perspective @ldeutc this w Been teaching one point perspective @ldeutc this week - can you tell
In between the marking, bench refurbing, planning In between the marking, bench refurbing, planning for @london_iwf and general admin duties this project is moving closer to completion - everything has had a tickle with a rubber and looking glossy. A good waxing will calm things down #restoration #shellac #frenchpolish
Back to an empty workshop and more work refurbishi Back to an empty workshop and more work refurbishing the benches @ldeutc The knock-down design means we can strip them down and resurface the show sides quite quickly. And even quicker with the help Daniel @dee_brightofficial my apprentice technician for the day #ldeutc #lowfatroubo #workbenches
First job - reduce the size and therefore the weig First job - reduce the size and therefore the weight of the vise chops. The quick release mechanism on these units has proved to be unreliable. It could be, as we suspect, the units are not genuine York parts or it could be they were just not up to the rough-and-tumble of a multi discipline, high traffic school environment - it can be brutal at times! The process went something like this: 1. cut a large slice off the bottom 2. cut the rough edge off the top 3. stick the large slice off the bottom onto the top 4. flatten both faces 5. create a leading edge on the inside face so the chop clamps tight at the top - see the cheap-as-chips tapering sled on the thicknessing bed 6. reduce in length from both ends 7. chamfer all round 8. set aside for oiling #shopmaintenance #ldeutc #tlevelfurniture #gettingreadyforseptember #lowfatroubo #workbenches
Having 13 2m long benches at your disposal sounds Having 13 2m long benches at your disposal sounds like a dream right? Yeah, until it’s time to carry out some maintenance When I spec’d these benches out I leaned towards an over engineered approach. It has served us well but I’m making a few changes. Details to come #ldeutc #lowfatroubo #workbenches
Another Public Service Announcement - calling all Another Public Service Announcement - calling all miniaturists and hand tool aficionados. The current custodian of this 1/3 scale Holtey A31 has decided to share the love of hand tools and offer this rare and exquisite miniature 1 ¾” gunmetal thumb plane by the renowned maker Karl Holtey up for sale. The plane, model No. A31, features a dovetail steel sole, a twin thread adjuster, rosewood infill and wedge, and the original Holtey 7/16” iron. It comes in full working order and with excellent provenance. Just so we’re clear, it doesn’t belong to me, but if you’d like to know more, drop me a line and I’ll gladly put you in touch #holteyplanes #A31miniature #handtools #handplanes
There’s a lot going on with this little table al There’s a lot going on with this little table although it’s not obvious at first - apart from the not-so-nice brown oak legs, knotty European oak top and olive ash rails and shelf, which are a little jarring now I’ve pointed them out. Not ruling out a paint job. Lots of things learned on this build that aren’t in the book but don’t let that put you off. #crickettables #lowfatroubo #crickettablesderekjones #lostartpress
Proof of concept - partially flatpack cricket tabl Proof of concept - partially flatpack cricket table. Some tidying up to do before finishing but almost there! Been averaging around 30minutes a week on this project so plenty of time to figure out the next step #crickettable #lowfatroubo #furnituremaker
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