Bespoke Joinery

The difference between cabinetmaking and joiney is that joinery is usually fixed in situ, whereas cabinetmaking is typically free standing. Linked by construction, joinery and cabinetmaking have much the same joints. At one stage, cabinetmaking workshops changed from using solid timbers to employing veneered man-made board. Around the time that that occurred, I moved to working in joinery workshops and embraced the joinery field.

“We particularly wanted a skilled craftsman who could design furnishings in a classical style using native New Zealand timbers. The end result has thrilled us.”
David B. Collins, Rainey Collins Wright & Co

The joinery tradesmen I was fortunate enough to work with shared their knowledge with me and I experienced ‘Journeyman’ status. Joinery is a trade as exacting as cabinet making but on a larger scale, and the skills employed are similar. For example, in setting out a staircase and full handrail, the basic skills of mathematics, geometry and technical drawing are again required.

After straying into the joinery trade for some years, I finally set up my own workshop, and steered my work interests back to cabinetmaking. On occasion I still overlap into the joinery world, (see the Panelled Room case study) and it is fortunate that both of these two fields are closely related to the trade of woodcarving. Woodcarving is an interest I’ve had for years, and fortunately worked with three very talented carvers whilst in London, UK.