Where would I be without carpenter Jaap, who gave me all this lovely teak? My stock is running a little bit low, I’ve used all the best pieces. Now I have to ask myself: What do I want to make, how do I want to make it, what bits of wood do I have left, can I make what I want with it? Well, not always. Sometimes I have to adjust a plan because I don’t have the suitable materialsIn the study, below the windows, I have made a low bookcase with an integrated desk with drawers. I wanted to make the top out of one piece, but I only had some very thin wood left, so I glued strips of leftover wood to all the edges to make it look more robust. In this picture you can see I’ve moved the staircase to the right, which I think looks better.
I made the desk chair after an example of an early 20th century secretary’s chair. As I wanted to use teak again, I had to cut a thick piece of wood into thinner ‘slices’ by using the circular saw. Not my favourite job, I’m always a bit anxious when I’m using that machine. Both the backrest and the seat have been carved out by using a rotary tool which makes for a very comfy desk-chair. Update 2019: It is funny reading this 16 years later. Over the years I have acquired many more tools and have learned to use them. Although I will always have a healthy respect for power tools like the table saw, cutting slices like I described above is now a simple task I often do.