Curved pippy oak desk
Curved desk in solid English pippy oak
Every part of this large hand-made desk is in solid pippy oak (Quercus robur) from Perton Wood in Staffordshire, just outside Wolverhampton. The 'cat's paw' knots in the timber give it the simple, rustic feel that the client was seeking, but the engineering behind the design is complex and sophisticated.
Every joint and every curve was worked by hand, using only traditional tools. The top, with its tapering curve, was fabricated from eight separate segments, each set at a unique angle. The sweeping horizontal rails at the front and back were made up from thin lengths of quartersawn oak pressed on a former to get the right shape. And the fronts of the dovetailed drawers were carefully cut out from the long rail so that when they're closed all you can see is the characteristic ray figure of the oak in a continuous swirl from one leg to the other.
You can read more about the construction of this piece and see the various stages of work by looking at my project log.
