Welcome to New Life Woodworks. An Isle of Wight (Cowes) based company dedicated to bringing new life into old wood.
Over decades of working aboard ships I have developed a passion for all aspects of wood working and wood care.
To save the world one block of wood at a time. We aim to achieve this by reworking and refinishing old wood instead of chopping down living trees.
It all started 25 years ago, in the Caribbean, on a replica 17th Century Galleon. The galleon was used for daily tourist cruises and that was where my love of wood began. Through daily maintenance and yearly refits I learned how to paint, varnish and most important of all sand.
During this period, I have worked on various types of sailing vessels, made out of wood, steel, fibreglass and aluminium. The vessels have all spent time in refit yards, where I have had the privilege to watch, help, learn from and banter with a large variety of highly skilled craftsman.
Over the years I have become passionate about working with wood, specialising in the cosmetic side, and I love creating things. I strive for quality, in how something is made, how it is finished and probably the most important, how well it lasts. I have also learnt the most valuable lesson regarding finishes; the end result takes time. If you rush or cut corners, the results are always compromised.
To that end I like to use the best. This includes power tools, all with dust extraction, to help in getting that amazing finish, and to leave work areas as clean as possible.