We are delighted to have received a selection of new benches and tables from woodworker Adrian McCurdy.
Adrian McCurdy has worked with wood since an early age. With a background in Fine Art, Adrian’s career moved first from painting to a development of unique wood-skills in furniture and more recently carved panels. From his workshop in the Scottish Borders, Adrian produces furniture using quality local timber and craft techniques both long established and contemporary, often working with storm damaged wood felled by local saw-mills.
Adrian McCurdy, 2021I like to treat each piece as a sculptural exercise with the permutations seemingly endless as to what to use and how it might best combine with other components. Leg shapes combined with top or seat is an obvious case. The shapes collected (over many years) set the boundary of possibilities.
We have also received this charming and unique Cleft oak box with a wooden hinged lid, which you can watch being made (along with other works) in the film below..
“With minimal flattening, the individual pieces are ‘scribe’ fitted together to match. The lid has purposeful friction as it opens. It holds the lid ajar and sounds off a ‘musical alarm’ when opened!” – Adrian McCurdy, 2021
The Spring Leaf Bench and Twisted Low Table both tell lovely stories through their grain and colours.
“After many years of admiring the new leaf growth colours on oaks, I decided to concoct a similar water-based dye… somewhere between green, yellow and light brown. The dye enhances the medullary rays of pure quartered grain and should be protected from direct sunlight or prolonged strong daylight such as under a window. The legs have been purposely made to be branch-like.” – Adrian McCurdy, 2021
“This table is made from oak from the village of Gattonside in the Scottish Borders. The source tree had characteristic spiral growth to the grain. The two-piece top shows twisted form, released by splitting rather than sawing boards. The top is levelled in two directions, but opposite corners are both slightly higher and lower. The large ball-ends are lathe turned, but the leg curves have to be hand shaped from square.” – Adrian McCurdy, 2021
We hope you enjoy this short film below of Adrian cleaving an Oak Log as well as a selection of images from Adrian’s studio…
Adrian McCurdy, 2021In most cases I use wood from trees that have come to the end of their life. When a suitable log catches my eye, I've had it cut to length and delivered to my work place. Not shopping for 'planked-timber' means I can be resourceful with nail-impregnated hedge-trees or the occasional lightening struck park-tree. Storm damage is the norm as large trees become more susceptible to losing major limbs. Bigger trees offer the greater possibilities and are surprisingly less wasteful than smaller trees. Quite simply there is less wastage (unless there happens to be a hidden knot inside).
