Tom Aylwin

Welcome.

I design and make high quality, handmade, one-off furniture to commission. I use well sourced British hardwoods and relish combining them with a client’s ideas to make something truly unique.

Please call or email to discuss your project without fee or obligation.

Exhibitions 2013

Sussex Guild – Parham House 8th & 9th June, Pashley Manor 24th & 25th August

Latest news and updates

Member of the Bespoke Consortium

The Bespoke Consortium is a newly formed group of artisans specialising in bespoke commissions for homes and interiors. A southern England-based initiative, the members aim to share resources and promote the benefits of commissioning unique bespoke work as a more individual, creative, sustainable alternative to imported or mass manufactured solutions. Membership is limited to one artisan per discipline although the group is keen to co-operate with supporters who share values. The group currently has experts in tile, stone, paint, paper and wood and is looking for an artisan blacksmith to join them.
For more information visit www.bespokeconsortium.co.uk or email: info@bespokeconsortium.co.uk.

March exhibition at Henry Paddon gallery, Eastbourne…

Sussex inspired coffee table and Jewellery boxes on show at the Henry Paddon gallery in Eastbourne. I will be showing a coffee table called ‘Flint II’ and  a pair of jewellery boxes – ‘White Cliffs’ jewellery box and ‘Cliff Sister’ jewellery box. All three one-off pieces are part of my ongoing work to make pieces of furniture about Sussex.

Table completed

Here is the completed dining table at the clients home in London…

Crafts Council listing…

Tom Aylwin -’bespoke furniture maker’  has been accepted for entry in the directory of furniture makers at the Crafts Council. A great resource for designers, makers, interior design, architects and private clients.

4 metre [extending] dining table

My current project is an extending dining table that grows from a round 8-seater to a long 20-seater. The client has chosen ‘olive ash’ as the timber. The ash, from a tree felled on an estate in the North, arrived this week and a long day of milling has revealed some good colour and attractive figure in the grain.

Timber conversion

The ash is converted from slices of log (otherwise known as waney edge through and through boards) to square section using planing machines. The british hardwood is then stacked to allow it to ‘settle’ before further milling. This helps ensure it stays flat – crucial for the ‘extra leaves’ of the table.

Making the extending mechanism

While the table top ash is ‘settling’ the sub structure is built. This involves making the sliding components of the extending mechanism. The overall shape is made so that the sub structure cannot be seen up to 3 metres away (my stipulation!). This will give top of the dining table some lightness and elegance.

Fine tuning

A combination of router and hand plane are used to create the grooves and sliding keys. Precision and patience are key here as is a note of the seasonal weather conditions to allow for timber movement.

coopering the cones…

This round table stands on a central conical pillar within a pillar. The outer splits in two as the table is drawn apart and extended.

Selecting the timber for the table top

Olive ash has in it an array of colour from light yellow to pinks to greys to browns. My plan for the top is to show this off in all its random beauty. Unfortunately this isnt a case of playing pick-up-sticks and placing any old lengths of ash together. To get an even spread of grain shape and colour over the entire 4 metre table took a day of chin scratching.

• Boxes

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