craft – Graeme Skinner

Box 5 – writing slope

Graeme Skinner — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:37:27 +0000

This one took a while as I could only work in short bursts. Made out of Sycamore (apart from the pen tray insert and tenon pegs which are walnut wood). There’s a 1946 farthing set into the lid, as this is a 80th birthday gift the pen was also turned from the same Sycamore.

Moonshot

Graeme Skinner — Mon, 04 May 2026 11:41:37 +0000

Well, more precisely one small step…

This is a small step to be used in the kitchen to reach those higher shelves, made as a housewarming gift for a friend. It’s made from oak (with the exception of two small walnut pegs), the joints are all hand cut as I wanted to try and see if I could do them all without assistance the text on top was engraved on the laser. I decided to add some rubber feet to stop it sliding around.

Dimensions are 36cm wide, 16cm deep, and 21cm high.

Box #3 (Kai)

Graeme Skinner — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:24:12 +0000

When a friend lost their beloved pooch I decided to make a little box to keep some of his ashes in, I ended up making a personalised lid with a dog tag on, and made a sliding lid for a change.

Lid is made from Wenge and the sides from Ash.

Shall I prepare the guest room…

Graeme Skinner — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:48:11 +0000

Well, the best laid plans and all that I decided to have a practice making a box using mainly hand tools (I’ve still not sourced a planer thicknesser that I can use/afford) so I shaped an off cut of Elm for the lid which was good fun, then dimensioned some Maple for the sides by hand and shaped the sides. The workshop was rather cold when I wanted to glue it up so I ended up using a large cardboard box and a fan heater pointing into it to keep the glue at a reasonable temperature to work/go off. Sadly I was rushing too much and didn’t check the box was square when I clamped it up and stuck it into the cardboard box, so when I returned today to finish it the box wasn’t square and the lid didn’t fit correctly. Still, you live and learn

Box 8 2025

Graeme Skinner — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:55:55 +0000

Or maybe it should be called a tale of two workshops I started this box some time ago as a birthday gift for my dad, unfortunately our landlords decided we really should live somewhere else so before I could finish the box I had to dismantle the workshop and finish it in on the edge of a bit of wood surrounded by packing boxes we haven’t had time to unpack yet

This one is made from quarter sawn oak and wenge, I’ve not used wedge before but it was interesting to use.

Box 7 2025

Graeme Skinner — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 15:57:15 +0000

Box made as a wedding gift using sycamore and walnut…..

Dimensions – 29cm wide 8cm high and 19cm deep

Box 5

Graeme Skinner — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 18:54:31 +0000

I had a piece of Burr Oak which was calling out to be used, so I decided it would make a nice box lid inset. The sides we made from Maple with some Purpleheart splines in the corners.

Closed dimensions 15x15x15cm

Writing time

Graeme Skinner — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 14:54:53 +0000

Well, not really, decided to try turning a pen, the wood was from a tree that came down in storm Arwen in 2021, the box is from some oak offcuts.

Box 3

Graeme Skinner — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 14:40:29 +0000

Another box burr lid with oak hinges, sides are from steamed beech.

Memories

Graeme Skinner — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 13:52:48 +0000

Memory box time, this one was made as a wedding gift for my niece, and was made from three different woods – Walnut for the two side pieces, Ash for the front and back pieces, then Oak for the lid. For the hinges I used some more of the Walnut, no metal fixing were used on the actual box, though screws were used to fix the name plate inside the lid.