woodwork – 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 #2 2026

Graeme Skinner — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:05:32 +0000

Made from Beech, Steamed Pear and Burr, with Sapele splines in the mitres.

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 6

Graeme Skinner — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 09:22:30 +0000

A box from three nice pieces of wood, the oak lid and holly band are from a local Cumbrian source, the walnut is the remnants of a plank I purchased many moons ago. It was finished in oil and several coats of wax. Outer dimensions are 27cm wide, 16cm deep, and 9cm high.

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

Box 4

Graeme Skinner — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:34:47 +0000

Another box, this time with a shaped removable lid made out of Tiger Striped Oak, the box itself was made from Jesmo (that’s how the wood was marked when we bought it 20+ years ago though now there are no references online to Jesmo wood), it also has Maple cut into the corners and Steamed Pear for the base.

Box 3

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

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