Blog Archives
Oak Church Font Cover
This piece is finally complete with Brass Cross and is a complementary addition to the Church.
Read MoreChurch Font Cover
Just completed the Hand Made Solid Oak Church Font Cover. The PCC required the tone of the Oak to be a dark hue to match the existing Church furniture. This was completed by a method called fuming which is achieved by the fumes given off by an ammonia solution that then react with the tannins in the Oak. This process gives a far better result for staining such wood as Oak with a lovely even finish. I am still waiting to fit the Solid Brass Cross that will embellish the top of the Font Cover as soon as I receive it and install it I will upload further images so keep checking for updates.
Read MoreBespoke Oak Church Font Cover
The font cover is progressing well. It has been a challenge as the stone font itself is an irregular octagon and the cover I have had to make to suit the irregular shape. This has caused several challenges especially with the centre column as this has to be a regular octagon and all of the eight legs attached to this column will have to be adjusted so that they sit exactly within the centre of the octagon segment. Some of the legs have had to be made slightly longer than others to disguise the irregularity of the octagon shape. Here’s a picture of the cover assembled dry (i.e. not glued up). The legs still need to be diminished in four dimensions and the centre column still has to have the top turned . Keep checking for updates on the completed piece.
Read MoreOak Font Cover Commission
Just been awarded a commission for a bespoke solid Oak Font Cover. I would just like to thank the PCC for choosing Mark Bridges Carvers and Gilders Ltd to create this piece of ecclesiastical furniture to adorn their Parish Church. I will keep the blog updated on the commission and maybe a few photos as the work progresses so keep checking for updates.
Read MoreRestoration Joinery
These pair of seventy year old solid English oak gates were in need of some sympathetic restoration to the bottom rails and styles . Wet rot had seriously damaged the bottom rails and to such an extent had caused structural failure to the mortise and tenon joints at the bottom of the styles. I was left with no choice but to completely replace the bottom rails with air dried oak and then scarf joint new sections onto the ends of the styles with hidden Oak pins used to strengthen the joints . New mortise and tenons were made exactly how the old ones were formed using oak dowels that were draw bored to pull up the shoulders of the tenons. The ends of the tongue and groove boarding had to re-fixed with stainless steel screws that had been counterbored first and Oak pellets inserted over the top of the screws and cleaned off flush. The gates were extremely well made seventy years ago and all the joinery restoration work I carried out was done using the same traditional methods. The gates are constructed from 60mm thick solid English Oak and are over 6ft high and wide each gate which makes them immensely heavy […]
Read MoreCabinet making, Wood carving & Gilding
Just finished a commission for a private client who wanted a solid Mahogany folding table top for his boat. The timber I used was African Mahogany from sustainable forests. For stability the centre section of the top was made up from two pieces of timber using the biscuit joint method and all ends of the table top leaves were cross banded again for stability but also hides the end grain so it is aesthetically better. I chose to use a PU adhesive in the joinery construction as it is impervious to salt water, chemicals and extreme temperature ranges. I then hand carved the name of the boat with incised lettering to the centre of the table top. After I had completed the carving I proceeded to oil gild the incised work with 23½ ct gold leaf. This has a stunning effect with the lustrous hue of the Mahogany and is complimentary to the solid brass hinges. The surface finish that I used is a tabletop hard wax oil and I applied a minimum of five coats all over. My clients were over the moon with the finished product which makes me extremely happy as I take great pride in my work.
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