Wicken Workshop - About

About me

Having a couple of woodworking antecedents I was given my first tenon saw at the age of five, a Spear & Jackson that's still in service four decades on, and I have enjoyed carpentry ever since. Until recently this has been purely on a DIY hobby basis, making and repairing items around the house or on small boats whilst developing a deeper interest in traditional woodworking methods. From small items such as garden planters, spiceracks and bookshelves to larger pieces including plywood dinghies, boat furniture, gates, garage doors, camping kitchen, double cabin bed and various frames and shelves, I've designed and built a varied range of pieces. Some worked well, others I know could be better today. Some of these designs will feature in the 'Shop' section, either as stock items or made to order. A few larger and more unusual jobs helping friends and family have included installing a false wooden floor in an art gallery as part of an exhibition piece, replacing a wooden garage floor on brick pillars, beam and boarding a trailer chassis, building a trade counter and divider plus building stage scenery and props.

I've always enjoyed messing around in boats on open waters aswell as the sedentary pace of the inland waterways and over time I've renovated a few craft from kayaks and dinghies to small cabin cruisers. Ply, deal and GRP have always been a request for Santa! I find fun in small boating and fixing them. Much of my free time in recent years has been spent on the canals and rivers of the North West. From small dinghies, to open fishing boats, trailer sailers, cabin cruisers, kayaks and narrowboats, I have a good understanding of the use and maintenance of many different types of vessel, having built plywood dinghies, repaired GRP craft and constructed items for steel-hulled boats. I sail singlehanded much of the time and hold a VHF with DSC radio operator's licence if required.