Our inspection this week is to a another garage-based shop in Great Britain. We visited YorkshireStewart, whose facilities are “just a half mile or so from the rapidly eroding boulder clay cliffs of the East Yorkshire coast.”
Here’s a map to identify the location of those of us that were daydreaming about shop class while we were in geography class.
In this shot it’s apparent that there is no small measure of wonder being manufactured there. This is a wooden rocking motorcycle made by Stewart for the Christmas gift of his grandson Sam. The detail of this project is astounding. There is even a tiny wooden sparkplug sticking out of the block.
Stewart enjoys box and cabinet work, as well as carving and turning. His work is featured in a Flickr Wooden Box Group. His handle there is Voigtlander, but it was pretty easy to sniff out his identity based on the photos posted on Lumberjocks. I’d venture to say that there are no other exact duplicates of his unique natural-edged lidded box anywhere in the world.
Debbie has occasion to inspect the totally organized hardware storage in Stewart’s shop. I was taking notes too.
A shot down the length of Stewart’s work area, which is just wide enough to “Swing a cat”. PETA, please note that no actual cats were use to measure the shop’s circumference. The usual inspection tape measure was sufficient.
After a close look about, it’s time to close out this week’s tour with a suitable cup of tea.
Thanks for allowing our visit Stewart and for sharing your great projects with Lumberjocks around the world. Be it ever so humble, this a great shop and a definite winner. Stewart your passing certificate awaits.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.


























22 comments so far
Dorje
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1743 posts in 478 days
posted 341 days ago
Great shop Stewart! Good work Douglas and Debbie! Your travels are impressive – regular globe trotters.
Stewart – what’s the plane on the bench under the #6 Fore plane?
-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA
MsDebbieP
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11909 posts in 642 days
posted 341 days ago
The trip was wonderful and I really enjoyed touring your shop.
The organization of hardware was inspirational.
Thank you for letting us come visit – and for the wonderful cuppa’
:)
Congrats on the Pass
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Thos. Angle
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3236 posts in 444 days
posted 341 days ago
Neat shop, Stewart and thanks to Douglas and Debbie.
-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon
CharlieM1958
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4168 posts in 700 days
posted 341 days ago
It’s a right manly shop, Stewart! I especially like the high-tech labeling system on your hardware storage,
Debbie, you must be subjected to very close scrutiny when you go through airport security in that outfit. :-)
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Karson
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12887 posts in 882 days
posted 341 days ago
Stewart, a great shop and great work comes out of it. Thanks for the visit. And Douglas and Debbie thanks for being our guides.
Charles I thought she hitched a ride on Santa’s sleigh.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
Lee A. Jesberger
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2750 posts in 461 days
posted 341 days ago
Stewart
Quite an organized workspace. If you can’t find it here, you don’t have one!
Great space.
Good job Ms. Executive Director, and Mr.Travel Agent Director (Doug, “the bordnerizer”).
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
jockmike2
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4129 posts in 728 days
posted 341 days ago
Quite the work place Mr. Stewart, a lot of very beautiful woodwork exits that shop. You should be very proud. Deb and Doug an outstanding job “over there” showing the wonderful digs of a wonderful woodworker. My congrats to both of you. mike
-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com
mot
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4837 posts in 518 days
posted 341 days ago
Nice tour guys! Congrats on the pass, Stewart!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
MsDebbieP
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11909 posts in 642 days
posted 341 days ago
Company Jet fellas, the Company Jet :)
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
scottb
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2940 posts in 808 days
posted 341 days ago
nice shop and nice organization wall… I too am taking notes (and making totes)
I forgot the old-time measuring devices were marked out in vagaries and colloquialisms.
a hairs bredth, a baby step, half a step, spitting distance, the aforementioned “just enough to swing a cat”, and a stones throw.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Douglas Bordner
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2550 posts in 545 days
posted 341 days ago
Scott, make me a tote too! I need one for a #5. Say, wait a minute, I’m a woodworker, I could probably make my own (Thanks, cckeele for reminding me)!
I bought one of the Woodcraft knob and tote kits in bright red lacquer some years ago before I had a table saw and the whole arsenal. Time for them to go…
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
WayneC
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5685 posts in 578 days
posted 341 days ago
Scott, so just how much room do you need to swing a tabby? (Sorry Deb)
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
cckeele
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76 posts in 354 days
posted 341 days ago
A good run for Santa’s Workshop, and they said the Northpole, huh..
-- All donations should be made out to me and in the form of wood or tools ~Chris
Douglas Bordner
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2550 posts in 545 days
posted 341 days ago
I’ll bet it gets suitably chilly there by the sea. I was shocked to learn that Stewart’s shop is north of Amsterdam (Like I said, daydreaming about something other that geography in class).
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
Dadoo
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1536 posts in 472 days
posted 340 days ago
You know, if ya tie their tails together, you can swing two cats at the same time!
Nice shop Stewart! I’d love to visit England sometime just to quaff a couple of yards in an olde pub!
-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!
jpw1995
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347 posts in 779 days
posted 340 days ago
Ya know what they say…. There’s more than one way to swing a cat.
-- JP, Shelbyville, KY
YorkshireStewart
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636 posts in 382 days
posted 340 days ago
It’s a strange feeling – being so exposed; revealing ones secret places to the world!! I must thank Douglas and Debbie for their visit and kind comments. I must say it was painless – I hardly knew they’d been.
CharlieM – I’m glad you think it’s manly.
Dorje – I’ll get the details of the plane tomorrow.
Lee – i do try to be organised but the timber offcuts do take over at times.
Scottb – Thanks for the reminder about measurements! Do you have “A good yard” meaning a little bit over an yard? On a different scale, the media use football pitches for area; then for bigger areas: “The size of Wales”. Height is in Nelson’s Columns or Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Bulk can be “A slack handful” Enough already.
Thanks to all for your comments .
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.
Douglas Bordner
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2550 posts in 545 days
posted 340 days ago
Thanks for the additional anglophilic unit conversion data Stewart.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
YorkshireStewart
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636 posts in 382 days
posted 335 days ago
Dorje asked about the plane in the picture & I finally got around to replying. There are no markings on the plane body but the cap iron is marked Alexr. Mathieson of Glasgow. The iron itself says WP Ward Warranted cast steel. I imagine the plane must be a Mathieson but it would be nice if it was marked as such. It’s 15.5” long x 2.75” wide and has a nice feel to it.
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.
Wayne
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20 posts in 455 days
posted 335 days ago
Slightly off topic but I thought some may be interested to know that the saying “Not enough room to swing a cat” has nothing to do with tabbies, it refers to the “Cat o’ Nine Tails” which was the whip of choice for exposing an antipodean convicts backbone back in the good ol’ days. It’s also the source of the saying “let the cat out of the bag” because once the whip was unbagged some poor bugger was in for 200 strokes of hell.
We banned the Cat o’ Nine Tails from use in public schools back in the mid seventies. :)
Great workshop Stewart !
Douglas Bordner
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2550 posts in 545 days
posted 335 days ago
=:^•
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
MsDebbieP
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11909 posts in 642 days
posted 335 days ago
nice piece of history info, Wayne.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)