Made in Britain
Ambrose Vevers transforms the raw beauty of sustainably sourced, unfinished timber into elegantly crafted and timeless heirlooms of tomorrow
We visit woodworker Ambrose Vevers at his Devon workshop
Ambrose Vevers nostalgically recalls spending hours as a child happily playing in the small woodland that his family owns on the edge of Devon’s wild and beautiful Dartmoor National Park, and which now provides the raw material for his craft. Where once he may have practised balancing on old windfall trees, these days he rescues them to live on in his skilfully made pieces that celebrate and pay homage to the enduring beauty of the timber. ‘Sourcing my wood in this way is very rewarding – knowing where it has come from. I own a small sawmill which lets me convert logs into usable planks, and by going through each step, from tree to furniture, it is more fulfilling and makes me intrinsically more connected to the land,’ explains Ambrose, who manages the woodland in Ashburton sustainably - coppicing, felling and replanting trees in a natural cycle. It can take two years from felling for the milled wood to dry ready for the carpenter’s touch, but his is a craft of patience.
From a young age, Ambrose had access to ‘scraps of wood and tools, and I got to play around and make things quite early on,’ he explains, pointing out in the corner of his workshop tools that he has inherited from his grandfather and father, and which are still put to use in the practice of his craft. ‘My whole family is quite creative and we encourage each other, but there are many great makers and lots of creativity happening in this area.’
He studied 3D Design at Falmouth University, but it was an old family friend, Fred, in his eighties, who taught Ambrose traditional woodworking techniques using hand tools. ‘He encouraged me to use these skills, and I am largely self-taught, learning through making,’ Ambrose explains.
His timeless and classic designs, with their simple lines – from stools and chairs, to chopping boards and spatulas made from the locally sourced ash, cherry and oak - have gradually evolved over the last ten years, with portions tweaked and making processes improved with practice. ‘I’ve recently been exploring different finishes and adding hand-hewn textures, which has been exciting and adds a depth to my work,’ Ambrose explains. ‘I make pieces that are designed to be used every day, and the hand-tooled finishes on my furniture will gain a patina and become even more beautiful with age.’
Elements of Japanese design and the aesthetic philosophy of wabi sabi - finding beauty in imperfection and the effects of the passage of time - have also been woven into his work. Such as the Japanese technique of scorching wood - yakisugi - which, alongside preserving it, ‘draws attention to all of the knots and details in the grain.’
In the peaceful surroundings of his barn workshop, nestled on a hilltop next to his family’s woodland and enjoying stunning views out over Dartmoor, it is no wonder Ambrose is inspired to work with this natural material. Building the barn was his first solo project on finishing university - ‘a baptism of fire’, which took him a year to complete. ‘But I learned so much from doing it and being thrown in at the deep end; it gave me confidence in working with wood. Each tree species works differently,’ he explains.
Last year he was chosen by homeware and fashion brand Toast as one of its New Makers, ‘which really helped me through the lockdown and opened up my business to new customers. A lot of my customer base was local before.’
He has a steady custom for more ‘practised’ pieces, such as his chopping boards, butter
Far left: Ambrose uses a rotary plane to turn pieces of wood into round tapered chair legs and spindles. ‘They are quite rare tools as they aren’t made anymore. I didn’t know much about them before I was given a set, but they are amazing to use – like big pencil sharpeners – and have definitely driven my style in a certain direction, with simple rather than decorative legs and elements,’ he says
Left, from top: Ambrose uses a mix of Japanese and British traditional woodworking tools, among them some of his father’s and grandfather’s old gouges, chisels and draw knives; he carefully trims off the tops of the tenons on a stool – ‘I have been producing this style of stool since early on, but it has slowly evolved over about eight years and I have made so many that muscle memory kicks in and you know the split second you are going to make a mistake and stop in time – it is almost intuition’; the scrub plane creates a wonderful hand-hewn texture on a piece; the maker’s mark is scorched into every item
Above right: The burnt wood finish on his spatulas and chopping boards, as well as giving a beautiful dimension to pieces with the varied grain details, has a function, too, as it means they are less likely to stain. Finished with oak tanned leather loops, they are like small works of art
Right: When scorching wood, the softer wood grain burns faster leaving a raised, tactile surface
spreaders, stools and benches. ‘I’m more efficient at making them now,’ he adds. ‘For the first few years I was selling mainly one-off chairs and bespoke pieces as I gradually found my style.’
It is the processes that carry an element of risk that he enjoys the most, Ambrose admits. ‘Such as steam bending; most of the time it works well, but it’s unpredictable and occasionally the wood dramatically snaps, and you just have to be philosophical about it. Or with scorching, it is risky burning a piece of furniture that has taken days to make, but it adds an element of drama to my working day,’ he adds, with a wry smile.
Inspired by fellow furniture designer and maker Gareth Neal, Ambrose has more recently brought heritage crafts into his work. In a collaboration with master basket weaver Hilary Burns, he has created the Hilary’s Chair, with a woven willow seat, and has plans for further collaborations.
Off grid, with energy generated by solar panels, and a wood-burning stove for heat and to boil the kettle, the barn is also from where Ambrose teaches his furniture-making weekend courses, which he started five years ago.
‘Teaching my courses has really helped me to evaluate how I make things myself, and pushed my craft forwards,’ he explains. ‘It feels great sharing my knowledge and inspiring people to use their hands creatively. They are often surprised by what they can make and it is so fulfilling seeing them smile at their own achievement.’
Ambrose’s obvious passion and respect for the material of his craft, as he explains the qualities and properties of various tree species, shines through. ‘What appeals to me is that it is a material that can’t be completely conquered. I enter a flow state when using sharp hand tools. The muscle memory kicks in, and subconsciously I know which direction the wood wants to be cut. It’s a wonderful meditative feeling that brings me pure enjoyment. But then the wood sometimes misbehaves, hidden cracks appear, the wood tears and you have to change your approach or start again. There’s a lifetime of mistakes and skills to be learned.’