Hand crafted furniture from a hand crafted workshop
For most tradesmen, being surrounded by the latest hi-tech gadgets and equipment is a sign of success and progress. Not so for most small cabinet making businesses. All we crave is a workshop full of old Wadkin machines and others of a similar ilk, dating from around 1930 up to about 1965. These machines were made before manufacturers started thinking about cutting costs and corners by reducing the amount of metal being used.
Our Wadkin UOS planer in use with my 1930 Pickles lathe in the background.
Older machines have solid cast iron bases which don’t vibrate or change shape. More modern examples have fabricated sheet steel bases [getting thinner as they get newer] which vibrate and resonate, especially when making heavy cuts. Old machines usually have reliable, servicable electrics and will run with minimal maintenance for many years.
Give us a workshop full of ageing cast iron relics and we will give you a showroom full of beautiful hand-crafted furniture.