oak

10 Ideas for Using Scraps of Oak

bespoke furniture, France, furniture makers, oak

10 IDEAS FOR OFF-CUTS OF WOOD Do you have a slab of lovely oak lurking in your garage and can’t bear to burn or bin it? Do you have a left-over wood from your newly fitted kitchen worktop? Not sure what else it’s good for? Guest Blog Rosie Ellis of Artisan Central recently asked me…

Sorry We’re Closed ! Why France Shuts Down for August

bespoke table, France, furniture makers, oak, sawmill

Confused about Summer Opening hours in France ? For Brits visiting France, business opening hours can cause confusion and downright frustration. Not only do we have to contend with 2 hour lunch breaks, but whole weeks of closure for the holidays. The idea of 24/7 shopping and getting whatever you want, anytime, still hasn’t reached…

The renovation of Notre Dame after the 2019 fire

The Renovation of Notre Dame : Does France have enough Oak Trees?

fire, France, furniture maker, Notre Dame, oak, oak beams, oak trees, roof, roof structure

THE RENOVATION OF NOTRE DAME: AN ICON IN FLAMES It was an appalling and riveting sight to watch France’s beloved Notre Dame burn last Monday evening. The inferno that raged through the Cathedral for over 12 hours destroyed its’ spire and roof, but spared the iconic twin bell-towers. The shock and devastation at this awful…

I Love Old Woodworking Machines

France, furniture, furniture maker, oak, old machines, sawmill, scierie, wood yard

I Love Old Woodworking Machines & Sawmills & Sawdust &……… Anyone who follows our Facebook page knows that I have an emerging passion for photographing old woodworking machines. So being one half of Makers Bespoke Furniture, I find it more than a little exciting every time we get to go to a sawmill, or a…

bespoke kitchen units handmade in France

A Bespoke Oak Kitchen for a French Manoir

bespoke kitchen, furniture makers, oak, oak kitchen

A Bespoke Oak Kitchen Earlier in the year I posted an article about the making of an oak kitchen island for a beautiful old manoir very near to us here in the Mayenne region. We also made an arched window for them with a wooden shutter. Our clients were thoroughly delighted with both their shaker…

Glueing up a table top

furniture makers, glueing up, oak, table, table top

I hope you like this short time-lapse film of us putting together a table top. Two minutes doesn’t really do justice to the actual 30 minutes of sheer physical effort that goes in to putting each of our table tops together.