Meet Rob Woods, a woodworking enthusiast who discovered their passion during the COVID lockdowns in 2020. Three years later, this newfound love has evolved into a successful bespoke furniture-making business. Rob Woods finds inspiration in the transformative process of crafting unique pieces from raw timber, embracing the lessons learned from failures along the way.
Fantasy weapons carved for MCM Comic Con, London!What started as a hobby quickly turned into a job for Rob during COVID lockdowns.Inspired by the weapon of the Grim Reaper, this piece was carved out of reclaimed scaffold board using the Mini Carver.🔨 Mini Mjölnir 🔨Another piece for Comic Con! This Viking shelf was made entirely from MDF and then primed, painted and finished with Polyurethane.You can purchase his custom furniture on Etsy or through his website.Carved using Arbortech Tools.
How did you get into working with wood?
I kind of just fell into woodworking. In the summer of 2020, when the COVID lockdown was in place, I took some time off the day job to work on my mental health. I had a couple of pallets in my garden and decided to have a go at building a mud kitchen for my 3-year-old son. I hadn't touched tools of any sort before this and instantly fell in love with it. Fast forward 3 years, and I now run my own bespoke furniture-making business.
What inspires your creations?
Creating something out of nothing. Taking a piece of raw timber, assessing its unique characteristics, and thinking outside the box to transform it into something useful or fun that someone will get many years of use and enjoyment from.
Embrace failure! In fact, do more than just embrace it; welcome it!
What would you tell your younger self starting out on your artistic journey?
Embrace failure! In fact, do more than just embrace it; welcome it! You learn more from the things that go wrong than you do from the things that go right, so fail often and
What is your favorite Arbortech tool and why?
So far, I'm loving the Mini Carver. It's great for the smaller, more intricate work but has the power to tackle bigger projects too. I love how little resistance there is when carving; it's possible the term 'cuts like a knife through butter' came about when someone used this tool for the first time!
If you were a type of wood, what would you be and why?
I would say Oak because, like the oak tree, I am also estimated to have been on the planet for about 65 million years… give or take! Sorry, I wasn't sure if that joke would work; hopefully, it gave someone a laugh.
My actual answer is the Australian Buloke, as I feel like I am resilient to anything life throws at me!
