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Southampton Carpenter

southamptoncarpenter

Traditional standards. Traditional tradesman. Traditional service. I have been a carpenter for over 40 years, 5 year apprenticeship as a boat builder, 2 years as a wood machinist, then a spell repairing furniture and manufacturing reproduction antique clocks. I spent a further 15 years working in a therapeutic environment passing on my skills, before setting myself up as a self-employed carpenter/joiner. As you will appreciate, I undertake a wide range of projects, so scrolling through the site map may well direct you to past work that may be similar to your requirements. The preferred way to contact me is by using the contact page on this site. However you can always ring me during normal working hours. Lead times vary depending on the time of year; small jobs I can often do promptly. I cover Southampton and I am also happy to visit Winchester and Salisbury areas, but a small fee will be charged.

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My latest carpentry projects around Southampton

Wardrobe doors from Pallet wood

July 31, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

Door made of recycled pallets

A project undertaken by Suzanne Carr. This will one day be the norm , upcycling materials; in this case pallets into sliding wardrobe doors. Unique and stylish I think this is a brilliant use of reclaimed wood I helped Suzanne with some of the technical issues that arose but apart from doing some machining of the pallet wood the doors were manufactured and installed by Suzanne.

“I am really pleased that I became involved in this project and would be very happy to advise you if you are considering something similar.

‘Having had quite difficult experiences with rented accommodation over the years, I have always felt very appreciative to now be living in ‘my’ house, owned by a housing association…

… I approached different skilled trades; carpenters and blacksmiths, to see if my idea was possible – I had found an image of a door online I really liked and used it as inspiration, made from horizontal wooden planks sat in a rectangular steel frame.

… I phoned round some carpenters to see if there was anything that could be done and was lucky enough to come across Ian Stone.

He had such confidence in my project and such a passion for sustainability and using reclaimed materials, it gave me renewed determination! He also really brought it home how important using recycled alternatives is for the planet, not to mention that you end up with something different and individual.”

Suzanne Carr , Hampshire

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Oak Slips in Southampton

June 7, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

Often it is the case that the mitre joint on a cill opens up. This happens a result of shrinkage usually after a prolonged spell of dry weather. The joint will remain open and this will allow moisture to penetrate over the winter months. Wet rot will follow.
A simple cost effective remedy is to insert Oak Slips. In this case 3.5mm thickness, Oak being a superb weather resistant material will remain in place without rotting for many years to come. By doing this the mitre joint always a weak spot will remain intact preventing wet rot to get a hold.

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Timber flannels

June 7, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

I was pleased to be able to save this door. An original 1950s exterior back door, apart from the area of rot immediately below the glazing the rest of the door was sound.
The rot had taken hold along the base of the glass rebate because the glazing beads were no longer keeping the water out. The area of rot had penetrated 20mm into the door, so timber flannels were inserted after routing out the rotten timber. Not only was this cheaper than a replacement door and fitting, but there is also the environmental cost which I and the customer I am pleased to say took into consideration.
I have no statistics on the carbon footprint of an exterior door, its not only the materials used that have to be taken into account. There is also the manufacturing – packaging -shipping- transport to warehousing and retail then the disposal of packaging and the old door ; it all adds up. Without a doubt repairing over replacement is something we all have to embrace. World overshoot day every year creeps back a few days and this simply cannot continue indefinitely.

Learn more about Earth overshoot day.

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Circular windows

May 25, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

A opportunity arose for me to undertake some circular work. The window in question had been re-glazed approximately 10years ago.
Unfortunately the glazier did not measure the bend correctly and had to fit the glass ‘off centre of the bend’. This resulted in the glass having to be forced against the rebate and pinned.In turn this meant that the glass was under pressure to spring back to its original form. There is a certain amount of give in curved glass but it will always want to return, just like a spring.
This pressure to spring back resulted in the glazing bead between the two pieces of glass to break at the joints. I suspect when the glazier formed a mould for the replacement glass he/she took measurements from the inside and did not include the depth of the rebate. The piece was 24mm short on the length, the precise depth of both rebates.
I fashioned a new mould by taking out the second piece of glass which fitted correctly and transferred this shape to a piece of plywood.
The glazing bead between the two pieces was repaired using Oak tenons that were slipped into mortices that I cut out and glued.
Once I had the replacement piece back from the manufactures’ it was a simple case of fitting.
There is always a moment of anxiety when offering up a bend but this one fitted like a glove.

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Window cill replacement

May 6, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

This started as a small area of rot in one of the corners. But once I started It became apparent that the whole cill had perished.
The exterior walls had been rendered and the interior walls plastered after the window had been fitted. It would have meant either a re- rendered exterior wall or a re-plastered interior wall if any attempt was made to remove the window frame, so replacement was not an option.
The property which is a grade 2 is situated 100meters from the beach. All new work was finished in a marine primer and marine grade paint will be used.

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Shoe Rack with Drawers

February 28, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

Made from American Oak this handy piece of furniture answers the question of where to put those shoes that otherwise clutter the hallway.
The two drawers above the rack serve to store scarfs, gloves and other miscellaneous items. The overall depth is 250mm so it does not intrude into the passage.
Finishing oil was used to finish off the piece bringing out the ‘flavour’ of the wood and giving hard wearing protection.

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Mopstick Handrail

February 28, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

This Softwood Mopstick handrail with black brackets fitted to an elderly gentleman’s staircase in Southampton. As I have said in past posts none of us are getting younger. The customer gratefully informed me that having this handrail will enable him to remain in his home of 55years.He was finding it increasingly difficult to manage the stairs. The handrail will be finished off in white by his wife – a mere 91 years old!

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Sash window rescue

January 21, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

About ten years ago these two sash windows had double glazed units fitted after the original glass had been removed. Because the original rebates that the old glass sat in was not deep enough, the contractor machined them so that they became deeper and allowed the thicker units to be fitted. This meant that the joints were reduced and their strength compromised – these sash windows should not have had double glazed units fitted due to their construction; there is just not enough stock to be able to do this. Also the rebates were not painted prior to the glass being fitted which meant that the sealant used did not adhere to the timber. Add to this the inadequate timber beads, the end result was a weakened window at the joints and the opportunity for rot to take hold once water ingressed into the rebate, due to poor adhesion of the sealant. Also there was no throat (a groove that stops capillary action taking place) underneath the bottom rail.

Some sash windows can be successfully retro fitted with slimline double glazed units but not all; it depends very much on the thickness and width of the stiles (side members) and the top rail (meeting rail).
For those windows that are too slim or too narrow, single glazing remains the only option. After all, box sash windows manufactured in the early and mid part of the 20th century or earlier were not designed to accommodate such double glazed units, just like a car built in the 1970s was not designed to accommodate air bags or many other modern features we now take for granted.
This is where secondary glazing comes into its own, with or without brush seals on the parting and staff beads and along the meeting rail. As I have mentioned several times in previous posts, thick curtains will certainly help.

With these two sashes, I managed to replace the bottom rail and glazing bead, along with the bottom 1/3rd of the stiles. The question of weakened joints I have solved by using an adhesive as the sealant between the glass and the frame at the bottom of the rebate – not ideal because if these units need to be replaced once they blow and mist up (and all double glazed units are destined to do this, even if its years down the road) then removal may be a challenge. As you may guess, I am not a fan of double glazed units in timber windows. Normally you can strengthen joints by: 1. inserting a wooden slip, which can be seen in one of the images that accompany this post, 2. inserting a loose Tennon, or 3. inserting two wood screws that secure the stile to the rail, but on this occasion there is not enough stock to undertake any of these options.

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Conservatory replacement.

January 12, 2019 · by southamptoncarpenter

A tired conservatory originally built approximately 50 years ago. The roof had been replaced about 15 years ago but not to a good standard.
The customer a 95yr old uses the conservatory during the summer months ‘to sit and relax in’ and wanted a timber replacement. Joinery grade Redwood finished with a white primer, and a Hardwood cill for the main structure was used with 24mm double glazed units and a triple wall 16mm polycarbonate roof finished the job off nicely. All the window frames and the cill I manufactured prior to installation.

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Unpainted Crown Cap Handrail

December 18, 2018 · by southamptoncarpenter

This crown cap handrail was left unpainted so that the grain and beauty of the wood can be seen, with this in mind I took my time selecting the wood for a clean straight grain without any knots.
The sweep from the bottom of the stairs to the top is unbroken therefore there are no breaks in the handrail on the corner or where the pitch changes. This is important for less mobile people who need the reassurance of something to get hold of for support whilst going down or up the stairs.
The wall that the handrail is fitted to is a stud wall, made up of plasterboard tacked to a timber frame so in effect a hollow wall. I used a specialist fixing to fix the brackets one which ‘balloons’ out behind the plasterboard and into the cavity. All in all a neat and tidy job.
Crown Cap is not used so much these days I have only one supplier who stocks it, and only in soft wood. I do have cutters to machine crown cap myself although such a small run would not warrant the time it would take. I think crown cap is easier to use as a handrail particularly if ones grip is not what it used to be. Also it can be screwed directly to the wall rather that hung on brackets, that’s useful if you are restricted on space.

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