History of Newman Furniture and what I do.
When I left school, I enrolled in a 2 year full time cabinet making course at the London College of Furniture which I completed at the age of 18 back in the early 1990s. As there were no businesses in our area who had the need for someone with my training, I started Newman Furniture with a lot of help from my father. I set up in my parents garage with my Shopsmith which included all of the accessories.
Using the garage soon became impractical so I rented a small workshop on an old pig farm. I met an interior designer by the name of David Gray at O3 Interiors and he started to give me larger and larger projects. This meant that I had to move to the workshop that I now occupy. I still have my trusty Shopsmith but it has been relegated to a corner of the workshop. It is now used as a lathe, sander and bandsaw as I have purchased more dedicated machinery to do the cutting, planing and thicknessing of timber.
I will make furniture of any size and shape; fitted or free standing. Being traditionally trained, I prefer making furniture out of solid timber but I realize in this day in age this is not always possible. I do use MDF where cost is a factor or even necessary. I can do most finishes lacquer, paint and French polishing.
If you want a special timber, I use a number of suppliers who will do their best to get it from well managed forests. One of our main suppliers is Surrey Timbers in Woking.
We also recycle all of our off-cuts by using them to heat the workshop in winter.
If you have an idea for a project, big or small, then contact me and I'll talk you through the process of how you can turn your dream into reality.
If you would like help with the design of a room or area, 03 Interiors provide a number of services for interior design.
I also make wooden book binding equipment which is retailed exclusively through J. Hewit and Sons in Livingston, Scotland.
How I became a cabinet maker.
When I was very young, my father took me to a timber yard and the smell of the cut timber got me hooked. I made my first table when I was about 6 or 7 years of age. I was always happy when I had a saw and a lump of timber in my hand and have been ever since.