My name is Jack. I design and make furniture at my workshop in Walthamstow, north London.
I trained in fine furniture making at Williams and Cleal in Somerset, and have 5 years experience making bespoke furniture for local homes and businesses.
I work mostly with solid wood sourced from trees grown in the streets and gardens of London. There are over 8 million trees in our capital, all in a continuous cycle of planting, maturing and felling. It seems important to me that this remarkable local resource is put to good use, rather than chipping our trees and shipping others in from distant lands.
I use hand tools as much as possible in the making process, rather than relying solely on machines and power tools. Working in this way often takes a bit longer, but brings the maker closer to the wood - and the tree from which it came - and, I believe, that the resulting piece of furniture is more likely to have the physical and aesthetic qualities required for true longevity. Instead of ending up in landfill, these tables, cabinets and chests of drawers will remain useful and beautiful for many years to come.