Instagram

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I have just recently revisited Instagram. I set up an account a few years ago and promptly forgot about it. Now I want to showcase my woodwork which has become a serious hobby for me - scan the QR code to access my Insta page. I have no intention of becoming an Influencer and making money by selling my work. Instead, my pieces are for family and friends as gifts (or payments!)

Much work goes into making an oak table. Finding the right sized tree is of course the first option - all my oak tables come from my Dad's farm in Ballingate, Co Wicklow. It is usually my brother Joe who cuts the slabs, as he is a far better chainsaw operator than me. A long period of drying follows, and it is pot luck as to how cracks will form during the drying process. Next is levelling with a router followed by lots and lots of sanding until a smooth table top is formed. I mostly buy iron table legs on-line, this makes getting a level table a lot easier. The last stage is filling the cracks with resin and polishing off the final product. A huge amount of time goes into each piece, though I am getting better and more efficient with every job. I see some of these types of tables making big money on-line, but these are made by professionals who have a lot more gear than me. 

I have shown/boasted about some of my pieces in this blog before, but Instagram is the place for my work from now on. I have quite a lot of pieces planned for this autumn and winter - in addition to table tops, I also want to create a side table, bread/cheese boards, and also to try my luck with ash. 

The beginning.