I’m going to do my best to get a regular monthly email out to you all. An important part of what I do is connecting with clients, so please encourage me to get on this computer and write to you. I hope you’ve all had a cracker of a year so far.
William Bayliss’ Passing
Recently, one of Australasia’s strongest makers, William Bayliss lost his life in a motor vehicle accident. William worked for Evan Dunstone at Dunstone Design in Canberra. He was an inspiration for me and my work. I have regular catch ups with Evan who acts as a mentor to me and William would often lend his helpful and cheerful expertise in furniture making matters. His passing has been devastating for both myself and the wider furniture maker community. Rest in peace William, take care on those roads everyone.
Christmas Gifts
In preparation for Christmas, I’ve got a few batch projects on the go. If you’re looking for a gift, my Prismatic chopping boards or Elodie side tables may be of interest.
Please get in contact if you’d like to place an order, I’m only taking orders this week on the chopping boards. They are in locally grown Blackwood, with Walnut feature strips. I call them Prismatic. I’m not sure if that is a real word but I do like the way the light works off the strong beveled edges.
These will be shipped in the second week of December and there are two options available:
Option 1: One large chopping board. $195
Option 2: A set including the chopping board, four coasters, and a cheese board. $295.
Excluding shipping.
I’ve made a few instagram videos which you can check out here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCxUhdivbPm/?igsh=MW1rcGlxNXpucXZsaQ==
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCztnx7If1Z/?igsh=ZDF3OTJsNHJ2aTJk
The Story of the Swan and the Workshop
It was early evening and, after a hard day in the workshop I was taking my shower, just as the sun was starting to set. With the window open, you can hear sounds from the road and I heard this almighty clatter of pots and pans, followed by the lights in the house cutting out.
Something was drastic, noise and power outage must be important so I raced out of the shower completely starkers. The boys were equally shocked by my sudden appearance and a massive blue light coming from the workshop, illuminating its entire roof. I didn’t see the light but certainly heard the noise. After throwing on some clothes we set to work getting to the bottom of this mystery and in a few minutes settled on the only reasonable answer which was that it unequivocally belonged to the supernatural.
I quickly checked the workshop for any signs of electrical faults, turned off the power and declared the whole experience – out of this world and proceeded to check the skies for any other evidence supporting our case.
The next day I was traipsing around the workshop and to my disgust found a huge black swan lying on my spare timber heap, with a gaping hole in its side. It’s long, sorrowful neck hanging down the side of the timber pieces. I have a picture but I daren’t share it. There is a transformer box on the road. The swan must have flew into it, received an instant death shock and was subsequently hurled onto my workshop roof, before falling onto the wood stack below.
I was equally amazed and saddened. We buried the swan that weekend and have planted blueberries on top.
Elodie Side Tables
Once again, I’ve just finished a small batch of stunning Elodie side tables. Crafted from your choice of beautiful locally sourced Blackwood or Walnut.
These tables work wonderfully nestled into a sofa or armchair. They also function very nicely as bedside tables.
I designed these side tables during the pandemic, just before we moved back to New Zealand. A time of strange beauty, cocooned with my family. These tables are named after my daughter, Elodie Anderson.
Many inquire about the technique used to create the texture on the leg ends. It’s not achieved with a spinning machine tool or hammer. Instead, a small gouge, carefully sharpened to a mirror finish, is used to slice tiny pockets out of the end grain, leaving a burnished surface that needs no sanding.
These tables are available here.
