I am often asked, where do
you get your wood from? The answer is that I pick it up from all sorts of
places. But most of it comes from Whitten Timber (no relation), just up the
road from where I live, which, to say the least, is very handy.
The name WHITTON - a short history
The name WHITTON - a short history
Recorded in the spellings of
Whitten, Whitton, Witton, Wytone, and possibly others, this is an
Anglo-Scottish surname. In England it is locational, or possibly topographical,
from any of the places called Whitton or Witton, such as Whitton le Wear in
County Durham, or Whitton in Northumberland, Lincolnshire and Suffolk. The
place name is derived from the Olde English byname, Hwita meaning 'white', and
'tun', - a farm or enclosure, and was originally given to those who dwelt at
such a place. The Scottish name holders also have locational origins of the
same meaning, and derive their name from an area known as "The lands of
Whitton", in the parish of Morebattle, Roxburghshire.
WHITTEN TIMBER
WHITTEN TIMBER
Whitten Timber, has a long
history on the Grand Surrey Canal. Since 1919, Whittens have been serving
Peckham. They are a family-run business,
supplying the very best in natural timber and timber-based products.
In the early days, the soft wood purchased to machine and sell, arrived at Eagle Wharf, in long barges. These had been pulled by horses up the tow paths of the Grand Surrey Canal, from the Surrey Docks at Rotherhithe, where the timber had been shipped from around the world. Pictures of the canal and the barges can be seen around the warehouse.
Before you even enter the warehouse, you can see a few examples of Oak tree roots: they resemble giant wooden stars, plucked from the ground, rather than the sky! And I’m sure, if they were polished or even just left as they are, they would be at home in any art gallery.
For me, the best part about Whitten Timber, is the wide assortment of strangely and beautifully shaped hard woods that are available, in particular those pieces where the bark of the wood is still attached and where the whole life span of the tree is exposed. The great thing about wood like this, is that no two bits are ever the same and that every resulting piece of carved work is unique.
One thing worth remembering though, is that you need to visit the Warehouse on a regular basis and take a look around to see what new treasure you can find; stock is always changing, which makes every visit exciting! Sometimes these treasures can be found in one of the large off-cut boxes, leaning up against a wall or just in the middle of the floor.
If you visit on a busy period, it won’t be long before you hear the loud cry of “Service” over the tannoy as a queue customers gather at the tills clutching bits of paper with hand drawn diagrams and measurements of their latest DIY project. Or, “Mind your backs” as a speeding trolley loaded with timber moves towards you. There is no better place to buy timber in Saff London, with knowledgeable and helpful staff.
THE CARVING
A favourite wood of mine is Yew. Yew trees are sometimes referred to as 'The Guardian of Time', due to their length of life. I purchased a piece of Yew from Whitten Timber a few weeks ago. When I bought the wood, I didn’t really have an idea of what I was going do with it. To be frank, I only went into Whitten Timber, to buy some white spirit, but I ended up going out with this piece of wood. An occupational hazard I guess. This is always happening. I was attracted to this piece of Yew because it was free standing and I liked the shape.
In the early days, the soft wood purchased to machine and sell, arrived at Eagle Wharf, in long barges. These had been pulled by horses up the tow paths of the Grand Surrey Canal, from the Surrey Docks at Rotherhithe, where the timber had been shipped from around the world. Pictures of the canal and the barges can be seen around the warehouse.
Before you even enter the warehouse, you can see a few examples of Oak tree roots: they resemble giant wooden stars, plucked from the ground, rather than the sky! And I’m sure, if they were polished or even just left as they are, they would be at home in any art gallery.
For me, the best part about Whitten Timber, is the wide assortment of strangely and beautifully shaped hard woods that are available, in particular those pieces where the bark of the wood is still attached and where the whole life span of the tree is exposed. The great thing about wood like this, is that no two bits are ever the same and that every resulting piece of carved work is unique.
One thing worth remembering though, is that you need to visit the Warehouse on a regular basis and take a look around to see what new treasure you can find; stock is always changing, which makes every visit exciting! Sometimes these treasures can be found in one of the large off-cut boxes, leaning up against a wall or just in the middle of the floor.
If you visit on a busy period, it won’t be long before you hear the loud cry of “Service” over the tannoy as a queue customers gather at the tills clutching bits of paper with hand drawn diagrams and measurements of their latest DIY project. Or, “Mind your backs” as a speeding trolley loaded with timber moves towards you. There is no better place to buy timber in Saff London, with knowledgeable and helpful staff.
THE CARVING
A favourite wood of mine is Yew. Yew trees are sometimes referred to as 'The Guardian of Time', due to their length of life. I purchased a piece of Yew from Whitten Timber a few weeks ago. When I bought the wood, I didn’t really have an idea of what I was going do with it. To be frank, I only went into Whitten Timber, to buy some white spirit, but I ended up going out with this piece of wood. An occupational hazard I guess. This is always happening. I was attracted to this piece of Yew because it was free standing and I liked the shape.
After a week or so of going
over some ideas and thinking about it, my wife Judith suggested Sun, Moon,
Stars. One problem though – it’s hard to get horizontal words to look right, as
they run vertically along the timber. I tried several typefaces, but none of
them seemed to work as I’d hoped.
In the end, I contacted my friend Julie Rezac - letter cutter and artist. She said “Let go of the type style iron grip and play with the letters.” And Julie was right. I left the comfort of the digital font and went to the layout pad and pencil. As a relative newcomer, it’s sometimes about my lack of confidence in the process of drawing the letters freehand as, to me, they never look as good as I’d like, but I’m sure that will change with experience. It’s like anything in life, I guess..... to be good at something, you have to practise and practise.
However, I gave it a go and did it all freehand, with the help of some French curves, some layout and carbon paper, all of which helped me transfer the letters onto the wood.
In the end, I contacted my friend Julie Rezac - letter cutter and artist. She said “Let go of the type style iron grip and play with the letters.” And Julie was right. I left the comfort of the digital font and went to the layout pad and pencil. As a relative newcomer, it’s sometimes about my lack of confidence in the process of drawing the letters freehand as, to me, they never look as good as I’d like, but I’m sure that will change with experience. It’s like anything in life, I guess..... to be good at something, you have to practise and practise.
However, I gave it a go and did it all freehand, with the help of some French curves, some layout and carbon paper, all of which helped me transfer the letters onto the wood.
See the process below:-
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| ADVANCE STAGE SKETCHES |
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| I USE CARBON PAPER TO TRACE THE IMAGE ONTO THE WOOD |
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| THE PROCESS STARTS BY CUTTING A LINE INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE LETTER |
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| THEN THE CARVING BEGINS, CUTTING IN FROM BOTH SIDES. |
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WHEN ALL THE LETTERS ARE CUT, THE WOOD IS SANDED DOWN, UNTIL SMOOTH AND CLEAN
|
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| THE LETTERS ARE THEN PAINTED USING AN ACRYLIC PAINT, NO PRIMER NEEDED. IN BETWEEN THESE TWO IMAGES, THE WOOD IS SANDED AGAIN TO GIVE A SHARPER EDGE TO THE LETTERS |
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|
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| BEFORE AND AFTER |
www.whittentimber.co.uk
