Voting in the Beginners' category is now complete

[Chris Knight]

Please cast your vote for the piece that appeals to you the most. You are invited to comment if you wish and comments will be appreciated. Your judgement is a matter of personal taste, the critical eye of the judges' panel will be aimed more at the technicalities of the entries although you are also free to consider these if you wish.

Byron Black

DarrenW (Withdrawn)

Escudo and Escudo again

RobertMP

bobscarle

seanybaby

stix (Withdrawn)

yellow_lamborghini_2406

mr (Withdrawn)

 

[Slim]

Some great entries here.

I love seanybaby's coffee table, although for me, it would have been better to be just a little less bulky.

RobertMP's sideboard is fantastic, almost too good for the beginner section.

However, I am voting for Byrons Bench. I like the praticality of it. I am also aware of the problems he had to overcome and how well he overcame them. I think however, Byron should have entered th inprover's category.

 

[motownmartin]

All of these entries are superb and they are all different to each other which makes it very difficult to judge, I am not going to say who I voted for but congratulations to everybody for producing a fine piece of work and good luck.

 

[Mike.C]

First of all, all the entries are fantastic and you should be proud of yourselves.

As to who do I vote for. It was really hard to choose, and some might say that my final choice was made for all the wrong reasons.

The best looking entry is Sean's and I would love it in my lounge, but in all honesty there is one entry that stands head and shoulders above the rest, and not because of it looks better then the others (although it is great), but because it was finished "With blood, Sweat and Tears", and that is Byron's. He had the guts to show the world his mistakes, and with prue determination how he put them right. He even showed us the battle scar that the bench received right at the end. Well done Byron, in my eye's you deserve to win. =D> =D> =D>

Cheers

Mike

 

[Corset]

Sorry to be dense (again)how do you cast a vote??

 

[Mike.C]

Just choose the entry you want to vote for at the top of the page and then press submit vote :lol:

Cheers

Mike

 

[Paul Chapman]

I think all the entries in this category are very good and it's been great watching their progress.

Byron's bench was a triumph of determination over adversity if ever there were one. Despite all his problems the finished bench looks good. However, I think it was a missed opportunity in terms of design and thinking through what makes a good woodworking bench. I couldn't work on that bench - in the final analysis it's just a flat top with a vice. Work-holding is paramount in good bench design in my view and Byron's bench simply doesn't offer enough facilities to hold the work. Having said that, some people like this style of bench - it's just not for me.

Escudo's shoe box is delightful. In an era when most people wear smelly trainers it's good that there are people like Escudo about who bother to polish their shoes. Very nicely made and I predict that it will remain as a family heirloom for years to come.

Bob Scarle's bird feeding table is lovely. Very rustic and fit for purpose. Nicely made and I bet the birds love it.

Yellow lamborghini's garden bench is another lovely piece. Very well made and, again, entirely fit for purpose.

Sean's table is quite stunning. I love the bold and simple design.

However, for me the winner is Robert and his sideboard. It not only looks very good but was the most complex of the entries in terms of design and construction. I'm just glad he finally sorted the problem with those breadboard ends.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Vormulac]

What a decision to have to make! All the entries are simply brilliant, and far beyond my meagre skills, so I am not exactly qualified to vote on them, but I shall anyway.

A heavily pared-down selection of my comments:

I loved Esc's polish box, a really lovely, individual piece of work, I can see it being used and appreciated for decades to come.

Sean's table - by 'eck! What an undertaking to not only work on something of such epic proportions, but for it to look so good at the end - wow! (I just wish I had a room big enough to do it justice)

Byron's bench has filled me with jealousy (the good kind!), it looks brilliant and will definitely be a 'user', not just a 'looker' - I want to build myself something like that when I grow up.

For me though my vote goes to Robert's sideboard, the end result is not necessarily something that I believe would get people going 'ooh' at, but for me that is kind of the point, it looks like a gorgeous piece of furniture that anyone might gleefully make use of. There are aspects of Ikea-ish design simplicity (as well as those of far more expensive options), but the overall effect is practical, beautiful, quietly understated and another piece that I would aspire to recreate in the future.

A mildly awestruck "well done!" to all of you! =D>

Vormulac

 

[Pekka Huhta]

Seanybaby's shelf gets my vote. I remember that there were quite many questions of the overly massive construction, but in the real world it is a stunning piece of furniture. World is full of those Ikea shelfs and tables which look like thick timber, but are really just pieces of doorskin screwed together. It is very refreshing that someone actually says that "THIS is what they should look like". A very fine project, and considering that the competition was half about design, it also had very good lines.

Pekka

 

[Escudo]

Well I have cast my vote fellow competitors and friends.

To my mind two pieces stand out - Robert's sideboard and Sean's table. I like them both for different reasons. Top skills and workmanship for the beginners category.

I have however decided to vote for Robert's sideboard.

In my opinion the range of skills required to complete this project were greater than any other in this category and the finished article is so nice in all respects.

I think it will be a close finish between these two, good luck Robert and Sean.

Byron, your bench is great and worthy of mention. You certainly worked hard to complete this and like me you overcame a number of setbacks.

Bob, yellow it seems like we are in the hunt for 4th place. Good luck to you both.

I have enjoyed this competition, next year I am going to enter the advanced section - Which seems less competitive. :wink:

Thankyou for voting for my shoe box.

Cheers, Esc.

 

[OPJ]

Sean's coffee table is the one that gets my vote. Quite an original design and I really like the 'chunky' look as well as quality of the finished dovetail joints - top quality for a Beginner!

I'm also swayed in to his direction for the simple fact he's a fellow college student; albeit at a different college. :wink:

Byron's bench deserves a mention for its finished quality all round and of course, there's Robert's beautiful sideboard, which came in at a close second for me. Just!

And as I mentioned at the Design stage of this competition, the quality of some of these pieces is very high indeed; one or two could have been entered in the Improver's category.

Looking forward 'til next time already.

 

[RogerS]

A tough decision as I liked them all.

But for me the lightness and elegance of Robert's sideboard is the winner.

 

[p111dom]

It's RobertMP's sideboard for me. Love the drawer at the bottom. Would have liked it better had the cupboards been partitioned off from each other but that's just a matter of taste. V good =D>

 

[mahking51]

BB's Bench for me please, I love it and I know how much work and effort a project like this takes.
Well Done!
martin

 

[the_g_ster]

Sideboard for me, awesome, great piece of work.

 

[ByronBlack]

Thanks for all the votes so far it's really appreciated, espeically up against two wonderful projects (the two leading) and escudo's fantastic box. For a beginners category I think the quality is very high - apart from mine that is

 

[tenpin]

sideboard for me....sorry Sean, i really do like the table it's a cracking piece of work but just getting drawn to Robert's

 

[neilc]

Has to be RobertMP for me but not sure it should be in beginners.
Neil