Bespoke Oak Framed Norwich City Shirt

Over the last few months I have been designing and making a 2" deep box frame to display a signed Norwich City football shirt. It has taken a few months to build because I was secretly making it for my mum, she had no idea! This meant I had no real deadline to meet. When I had other jobs to do this project kind of got pushed to the side for a while until I had some free time to work on it.

The idea was to make a deep, breathable frame for the shirt to hang freely inside. I wanted to make sure no condensation could build up on the inside of the frame as this would harm the shirt.

A little about the shirt.

My mum is a HUGE Norwich City fan. For her birthday last year she was given the shirt by a friend of hers who managed to get it signed by the complete premier league promotion winning squad. Her friend that got the shirt is a cousin of the Goal keeper. So this is a very special shirt and I felt it needed something interesting and eye catching to display it in.

This is what I came up with:

Following my signature style of work, I used my multiple changing cube design, hand cut and finished from solid pieces of oak. I cut a unique profile into the oak to hold the clear perspex into tightly so it cannot move, a 1 inch thick area for the shirt to hang freely inside of and a 3mm rebate for a backing board.

I used a 45 degree angle on the corners with a hidden spindle inside each joint for extra strength when gluing. I also chose to use a decorative joint called a butterfly key. These small keys lock both sides of the joint tightly to one another and stops them from separating while looking gorgeous.

I made an oak hanger for the shirt which was fixed from the inside to the top part of the frame.I also added a majority of small holes in the sides of the frame for air circulation so it could breathe easily.

The backing was also handmade using 3mm thick strips of oak which I run down in a table saw to the thickness required and made them into a panel to fit the frame.


I will share a few photos of the build from the first marking out to the finished piece:

This is what I started with, 4 pieces of oak I prepared to 60mm x 40mm. This is the unique profile marked out and ready for removal.

This image shows the profile cut out, the cube design cut into the oak and the 45 degree angle (no spindle).

A quick test fit for square and angle fitment. This image also shows the cube design quite well.

All the sides rubbed down and edges softened. The oak hanger location being marked out to the frame.

3mm oak backing board panel made and fitted to its place.

The glue up, clear perspex fitment and butterfly keys driven home.



The finished frame:

                                                          Finished with the shirt mounted, ready for display.




I am so happy with this frame. It is like nothing I've ever seen before. It easily draws your attention straight to it when you enter the room it is displayed in. There has been a lot of praise for this from everyone that has seen it. Pictures really don't do it justice!

It has also had offers made from Norwich City fans which I unfortunately had to turn down. This was a gift for my mum. It is currently hanging in the middle of her living room where it looks completely at home!

Solid Oak Chest

Things have been a little quiet from myself for a while unfortunately. Many things have accounted for this including a big shape up in my place of employment, mountians of extra work in said employment, a house move and general life. I am suprised at how quickly time has flown by! I am a little disappointed at myself for letting my oak work live on a back seat and leaving it there for so long.

That time has now come to an end. I am back in the zone and scribbling down ideas and designs I'm going to tackle next and it is a great feeling. Why I let it go for these past few months I do not know!

So about this Oak chest.

I have a good friend that does genuine medieval reenactment and he casually asked if I can make a chest for him to carry all his armour, as he uses a large hold all bag at the moment which is not very authentic. So I agreed I would make him a chest. I set about with a few drawings and joint ideas to which he swiftly said no to. He wanted a very strong square box with a lid sat on top, but... with no joints that could be seen.

I suggested maybe a hidden dovetail joint which is not very 15th century I know, but it will be very strong and not visible like he wants. Downside to this idea was the 45 degree angle which the dovetails are cut into which was not used back then. I went through all the basic box joinery with him and he stopped on a lap joint and wanted that, which was easy for me but not very strong at all. So I then suggested fitting dovetails into the lap joint creating a lapped hidden dovetail joint.

A bit complex but ideal for what he wanted. Very similar to the hidden dovetail but modified to fit into a lap joint. The dovetails get hidden from view once fitted tightly together and the box from above looks lap jointed.

If I have lost you with all these joints I apologise. A quick run through with picture of what I did.

I started with these lovely air dried boards.

I then ripped down the boards and hand finished the edges for a perfect join and glued them up.

After sanding smooth and cutting to size I then set about marking the lapped hidden dovetails.

An example of how the joint works once chiselled out.

Once everything was cut out, I made the chest base which was cut to size and lap jointed to the bottom of the 4 sides. Everything fitted nice and tight so out came the glue and clamps to glue everything up.

After checking the squareness I letting it all dry over night. The next day came the first coat of oil and making the lid. (sorry no pictures of the lid making)

After everything was complete and 3 coats of oil were applied the end result was this.

The lid was slightly wavy which you can see in the pictures and my friend loved it.

I finished this the day before he took it to his first event this year which was a close call to get it done in time.

The idea I last heard was he wants to fit leather straping for hinges and a buckle type fitting to secure the lid down. I think once the leather is fitted it will totally transform this already very beautiful chest into something very unique which is my ideal finish to a project.

One last thing to do before it is finished. I am trying my hand at wood burning and engraving as he would like his genuine family coat of arms embedded into this chest as it is made to last. This chest might well be passed on through the years which makes me even more proud to have made this.

I will be sure to update this as soon as progress is made to it.

Finished coffee table.

I have completed my most recent coffee table project with amazing results. A simple design with stand out features make this a coffee table that stands out in any room it will be placed. The huge knot that takes over the whole of the top is a gorgeous feature that you just cant help but admire.

You can see in the sunlight that this coffee table is very unique. You can never get these colours and patterns in the same place like this again. The large knot really makes this coffee table. But looking round this piece you will see other amazing lines and colours throughout the whole table.

The rounded edges on the legs and angled feet give this table a simple but eye catching appearance. Hand cut mortice and tenon construction makes this a fully solid and sturdy coffee table. The gorgeous whole waney edged top is held down using screw and button method. This allows the top to naturally move without twisting the table out of square.

There are some very beautiful medullary rays (silver grain) running horizontally on the inside of the legs that just add to this tables large list of unique features.

I really enjoyed making this coffee table and I am over the moon with the end result!

Etsy Shop now open!

My unique handmade solid oak furniture is now available to buy direct from Etsy.

My shop is http://ryondesign.etsy.com

Check back often to find new items for sale.

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Like/Follow me to see items currently in production and all my plans and ideas. Get your name down before anyone else for something you like before it goes up for sale!

New Gallery Pictures

I have another coffee table in my gallery. This one is a definite one of a kind piece. Everything you see on the gallery page now is available to be made. Remember no two pieces will ever be the same and I want to keep my products as one of a kind pieces. Similar... but never the same.

As they are made to order anything and everything can be custom. Length, Width, Height, Finish, even the Design if need be.

Think of anything you want made. You know that you will never find what your thinking of in the shops. I could make those thoughts reality. That's what I want to do! I don't want to make bog standard furniture!



Lets create something amazing!

Solid oak?

The term Solid oak in furniture should be as it sounds... Solid.

But...

I keep finding myself looking at handmade furniture in shops which are listed as a solid oak table or solid oak chairs that are not solid oak. Solid in my mind is made using one whole solid piece of timber, not many strips glued together to form a thicker piece.

This one table I have in mind was listed as solid oak. It was a lovely looking kitchen table, pretty grain patterns, a strong 2" thick top, and straight chunky legs. Very nice. But it was not solid like it says it is. Upon closer inspection every section of it was strips glued together. The whole table and it was £1300. I was a little disappointed to be honest, which I keep finding myself when looking around at "solid" furniture.

Maybe it is just because I know I use fully solid timber for my work and maybe expect things to be the same.

Quality made products will far exceed products of "not so good" quality. If any of you are out and about, have a closer look if you are thinking about buying solid wood items. Maybe you are totally happy with these types are products and if so, Fantastic. But just keep an eye out for things that are not what they say they are.

Frankenstein furniture.

As well as wanting to make gorgeous new oak furniture from scratch I have recently started thinking up ideas which will combine many pieces of furniture together to create something different. Not necessary beautiful furniture, again just going with a different feel.

I will soon be setting myself a small challenge to have a go at this idea. I am thinking everything I will use must be pre owned and only obtained at places like car boot sales, freecycle or homeless charities like Emmaus. A small amount of cash per project and a limited number of pieces to use.

So for example. I will have £20 to get 3 pieces of furniture from Sundays car boot sale. Then create something by combining them all together.

I am thinking this side of what I'm creating only using recycled materials. Nothing new at all. Apart from glue and maybe fixings!

Some very crazy things running through my head with this in mind at the moment! Lets get this started!

Coat Rack

After only just noticing that me and my partner have an ever increasing pile of coats laid across the top of our shoe chest in our hallway I thought the time has come to make a coat rack. I wanted to make something quick, simple, different and interesting. It didn't take me long to cut and shape something out. I chose a dried 30mm thick oak board with an attractive grain pattern. I shaped the corners different from each other also for something unusual. This is what I came up with:

Once sanded smooth I decided on only oiling the raised face side of the oak and the outside edge. A clear wax coat for the rest of it. The idea being a darker warm coloured face sitting on a lighter back. As if the front has been fixed on after.

I had this finished and waiting to go for a good few weeks while trying to find some hooks to use with it. I didn't want to go for new, bright and shiny hooks in a light finish. I was more looking for old, patina, worn, dull. At the start I was thinking a distressed bronze but after seeing a few examples I thought the golden bronze would not suit the look I was going for.

So a darker finish was the way forward. Many charity shop visits and car boot sales later nothing seemed to appear.

I had a massive stroke of luck when speaking with my partners mum about the hooks. She had an old coat rack in the shed with hooks matching what I was trying to find.  They were perfect. I could finally finish this small project that I though would take maybe two days to make, find hooks and put up. It was more like 6 weeks.

I gave the hooks a little scrub in some warm soapy water and dried them off thoroughly before mounting them. I decided on placing the hooks unevenly again for something different. And finally the finished project (before fixing to the wall) photographed by my partner Louise. (See her blog here http://www.dearestjackdaw.com/ )

Bench refresh.

I was asked by my partners Gran to take a look at her garden bench as she was worried about it collapsing if someone sat on it. Sure enough it wouldn't have taken much for it to collapse under a little weight. The bench itself had two cast iron ends with wooden slats bolted to each of the ends. The slats were rotting at the bolts which meant it was not very safe at all. On top of this many of the slats had been replaced before, but only with softwood.

So I obviously said I would sort it out for her. I didn't want to have it collapse with her sitting on it one day very soon. I showed her what the problem was with it and she gave me permission to do what I wanted.

I had no doubt that Oak would have looked great with the black cast iron ends.

We were invited up for a lovely roast dinner at the weekend so I thought I would get the bench done while we were there and this is the result:

Looking fresh, bright and new. It has made a massive difference to the overall appearance and strength using Oak. I used new stainless steel dome headed bolts and used a wax coating on the end grain to seal it up a little. I left the rest as it was as the oak I used was green. I just scrubbed it with a hard brush and some warm water. I used green oak as the bench is always going to be outside in the elements,so with no finish applied the oak will not require any maintenance and will turn a lovely silver over the years.

I am very happy with the way it has turned out and now safe in the knowing that my partners Gran will have a solid garden bench to sit on with friends while they enjoy the sunshine and the garden.

Mallet!

I have been looking for a while now at getting a nice wooden mallet for fine chisel work instead of using a heavy hammer. While on my search for a decent mallet it seemed that all I found was either way to over priced for what it was or very cheap and tacky which and would fall apart after a few projects.

So I decided to make my own! That way I could make it to what I wanted it to do and what I wanted it to look like. I had a rummage around it my stack of small oak off cuts and found a nice chunk of kiln dried 4x2 and a perfect piece for a handle.

I started by cutting the head to size and giving it a 5 degree angle on each end. I took the handle piece and a plane and started to taper it gradually testing the grip until I was happy with the thickness. Next came the measuring and marking out as the idea was to make a mortice right through following the exact sizes of the handle and ensure a perfectly tight fit. I marked the center of the head, top and bottom and sent a 4mm pilot drill through the make sure the hole was straight before sending a flat wood bit through to remove most of the waste.

Next job was to clamp down to head and begin the chisel work to remove the rest of the waste wood and to form the tapered mortice. Once I got to the inside edges of my marking lines I began testing the fit regularly to keep on top of the perfect fit I was after. It wasn't long before I was happy with the fit.

I grabbed a bottle of wood glue and a rubber mallet and placed to head in a vice and roughly worked out where the glue would need to be placed on the handle to sit inside the head. I applied the glue to both pieces and started to tap the handle down from the top until it wedged firmly inside the head piece. The fit was perfect and didn't really need and glue but it is in there anyway for added support.

Waited a few hours for the glue to set before taking some sandpaper to it and taking off all the edges and corners. A nice small coat of Danish oil to bring out the grain and a small amount of wax after it dried finished it off nicely.


 This is the finished mallet :

I am very happy with the result, the weight is just right and it looks a hell of a lot nicer than everything else I was looking at. After a few weeks of use it is still perfect. Still looks brand new and still solid.

It was an easy tool to make which I urge people to try making themselves instead of purchasing those on sale at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure many on sale are fine and perfect for the job its meant for just in my mind they just didn't work for my personal tastes. So why not try making one!? A basic tool kit and knowledge is all that's needed. Plus it will surely add to the satisfaction of using a tool you made yourself to complete a project!!

I am starting to design a few more pieces to build.

I have been drawing up a few designs lately for items such as a chest of drawers, bedside cabinets, and bed frames. I am considering making a whole set with the same design for a whole basic bedroom set.

The design I am considering is going to take a lot of time. Every face of every section will be detailed heavily to create a complex piece of furniture that will be amazing to just sit and look at.

This is going to take a long time!

My blog is now my website.

I am now using this blog for my website until I get a full website created to use. www.ryondesign.co.uk will now bring you here!

Thank you for visiting.

A website is beginning to be thought about right now.

A little light reading.

I have been researching and learning at the same time as perfecting my joints in my work. I have been flicking through a great book called Wood Work The complete step-by-step manual. This book shows everything you will ever need. It has very clear images and everything is worded so you instantly understand. From how to sharpen hand tools to building a huge welsh dresser step-by-step.

A great book in my opinion!!

A few pictures now on the gallery page

I have put up 4 pictures of 2 coffee tables I have made in the gallery page.  I will upload a few of my other pieces in the next few days.

Starting it all up.

So... I have finally started to pull my finger out and push forward on my business. Around Christmas time (2010) I began thinking I wanted to make something of myself instead of just having a job that pays the bills. At 27 years old I must admit it has taken a lot longer to come to this point than it should have. I knew that I wanted to create something different using skills that I have developed over the years in the woodworking industry building timber buildings.

I got myself a pad of paper and a pencil and set about designing some furniture. I started with a coffee table that I needed in my living room as the one I had was to big for the space I had. I drew up a few designs and came up with one that me and my partner were happy with. I had the good fortune of having a vast array of tools and machines at my place of work which I could use and a large stack of green oak off cuts that were stacked up ready for being burnt. I swiftly saved all of the wood and set about machining the oak to the sizes I needed.

I knew straight away it was oak that I wanted to work with. I have been involved in many oak framed buildings in my place of work which I really enjoyed doing so oak in my mind was the timber I wanted to build with.

Ever since I started on this first coffee table project I have been amazed at how much I enjoyed doing it. I am not trained as a fine furniture maker but I do have a massive attention to detail that I am committed to uphold. I'm researching and learning through books, magazines and the internet in which I have learned a lot. A big chunk of the information I already knew being in the industry but I am learning and improving on my skills every time I make a new piece.

It has now been 5 months since I started making furniture which have all been coffee tables at the moment which I have been building on the part time basis as I still have my full time job. As of today I have 4 very unique designs that are strong, solid, interesting and different. Very different to anything out there at the moment and I have had a lot of positive feedback.

This weekend has been time for me to get myself a blog and a website domain to get my furniture on show.

This is where I am at the moment. I have many designs drafted up which I am excited about making a start on. I hope to get a handful of coffee tables, a few bed frames and a selection a garden furniture made in the coming weeks/ months all from solid oak.