Benchmark Furniture: Toolbox Talks and Workshop Tour

This is a BIID CPD Provider Event from Benchmark Furniture

A series of conversations on Thursday March 10th 2016 between Interior Designers and companies who are experts in their craft, and who share our values and our love of making. Our Toolbox Talks provide better knowledge and understanding of materials and skills in each area of excellence allowing more creative and effective commissioning.  Artisans of Devizes and Clayworks, both experts in their fields of stone flooring and clay plasters, like us believe in doing things properly. We will all talk through the processes of our craft and what is necessary in our toolbox.  This is an informal day of talks with lunch provided and the opportunity to tour the workshops and discuss specific projects with our experts in the afternoon.

The Talks:

Artisans of Devizes will share their in-depth knowledge of natural stone; the basic geology and mineral make-up of the most common stones used and their suitability for different applications. They will provide tips on what to look out for and the questions to ask when specifying natural stone as well as useful troubleshooting advice.

Clayworks are an award winning manufacturer of naturally pigmented and environmentally friendly clay plasters.  They will share their story and talk to us about the extraordinary interior design solutions that can be achieved with clay plasters such as mimicking polished concrete, traditional plasters and stukko and the specialist application skills required.  Learn about the wide variety of colours and textures and how best to commission bespoke designs.

Sean Sutcliffe, Benchmark’s MD  and a furniture maker for over 30 years, will give an interactive talk sharing samples, notes & sketches to provide a better understanding of wood  with particular emphasis on finishes and maintenance so that you commission more effectively.  

Workshop Tour:
This tour is an opportunity for interior designers to gain a better understanding of the processes involved in furniture making and specialist joinery from tree to finished piece. Starting in the mill you will learn about the importance of timber selection in terms of colour, grain, character and structure and see how it is prepared and planked. Moving into the main workshop you will see the different stages of making from the 5 axis CNC machine through to the hand-cutting of joints by our master craftsmen. From there you will visit the Spray Shop where you will learn about different finishing techniques. Along the way you will visit the Metal workshop and see how we work with non-ferrous metals such as pewter, copper and zinc. The tour will finish with the Design Studio where you will gain an insight into how n we develop bespoke designs from initial briefs and sketch proposals, through samples and mock-ups, full CAD drawings and modelling, to the completed design.

Timings:

10:15  Coffee & welcome
10:45  Talks kick off
13:30  Lunch
14.00  Workshop tours and informal discussions.
15.00  Afternoon tea

Travel Arrangements

Benchmark is situated between Newbury and Hungerford and is easily accessible from the M4.  If travelling by train from London there is a direct line from Paddington to Kintbury.  There will be courtesy cars at Kintbury station meeting the 9.18am train from London, arriving 10.17am.  Return transport to the station will be available as required.

Numbers are limited, so early booking is advised.

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