Celebration of Craftsmanship exhibition

I paid a visit to the Celebration of Craftsmanship exhibition in Cheltenham today. This annual show is recognised as the premier furniture show in the UK. Photography is not allowed but with a bit of persuasion  Jason Heap the organiser let me take these pictures on my mobile. The show was bigger than ever this year and there was some very fine furniture. My photos really do not do it justice.

This was one of my favourite pieces by Adrian McCurdy, it was a small piece and had a certain rightness.
It was hand hewn and still bore the tool marks of the adze.

This sideboard came from the Barnsley Workshops and was a magnificent piece. The oak and brown oak were feathered in layers so that when the shaping was done it produced this unusual striped effect. The drawers fitted absolutely perfectly with no wobble detectable at all. Some of the other makers on show had drawers which fell a long way short of this perfection, which was a shame. The compound curves fitted perfectly and must have been a real challenge. This piece was on sale for £78,000 and had already sold!

I entered five pieces in last years show, unfortunately  I ran out of time  to make any for this year, I'm  spending too much time making tools! This was one of the pieces I entered last year which was made from wood bought from the workshop of the late Alan Peters. It is one of the nicest pieces I have made.