Forty years I’ve spent with a chisel in my hand and splinters in my palms. If there’s one thing that really winds me up, it’s seeing decent folks spend their hard-earned cash on “oak-ish” rubbish that’s held together with nothing but glue and a prayer. People come into my workshop …
A Guide to Oak Furniture Finishes: Choosing What Lasts
Look, I’ve spent forty years picking splinters out of my palms and watching “trends” come and go. I’ve seen enough flat-pack rubbish to last a lifetime. People buy that cheap stuff, it falls apart in two years because it’s basically cardboard, and then they wonder why. If you’re buying proper, …
Oak vs Pine: Why One Lasts a Lifetime and the Other Just Fills a Gap
Forty years I’ve been at this. Forty years of breathing in sawdust and picking splinters out of my palms. I’ve seen every trend come and go—from the orange-stained pine of the eighties to this modern “disposable” rubbish that’s basically just compressed cardboard and hope. Folks walk into my shop and …
Solid Oak vs Oak Veneer: What You’re Actually Paying For
I’ve spent forty years of my life covered in sawdust and wood shavings. If I had a pound for every time someone asked me why a “real oak” wardrobe from one of those massive retail parks costs eighty quid while mine costs five times that, I’d have retired to a …
A Proper Guide to Buying Oak Furniture That Actually Lasts
I’ve spent forty years covered in sawdust. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t cheat time — and neither can furniture. Most shops these days sell what I call “firewood in a box.” Thin, flimsy, held together by prayers and cheap cam-locks. Proper oak is different. It’s …