Business Hour
Although always destined to use his hands, it took Will Firth a few years to decide which creative direction to take
From his small workshop in Scorton, near Garstang, Will Firth handcrafts beautiful things from pieces of wood. A highly skilled woodturner, Will has developed a product range which retails across the UK and even in Paris, and he also creates exquisite bespoke pieces as individual commissions.
Will started his company, William Firth Woodcraft, less than three years ago. Even though he is still only 27 years old, Will’s journey has been a long and varied one, with many twists and turns along the way.
“My grandfather and father were both very practical and creative, and I always knew I would follow in their footsteps and do something with my hands,” says Will. “For a long time though, I wasn’t sure exactly what that would be.”
Growing up in Blackburn, Will spent many hours in his parents’ garage, helping his father restore old cars. He also heard many stories about his grandfather who, having retired early from his job in the Sheffield steel industry due to ill health, was advised to find himself a non-strenuous hobby.
Will takes up the story: “He made himself a woodturning lathe out of an old gear box and taught himself how to turn wood. What started as a hobby developed into him travelling to shows and fairs and selling the wooden goblets he loved to create.”
“I didn’t see him work very often because he stopped when I was still quite young, but I’ve always been inspired by his story.”
On his mother’s side of the family, there was a keen interest in music which simply added another idea to all those already lodged in Will’s crowded brain. After school, he went to college in Manchester to study music technology, only to become disillusioned on completing the course and deciding to change direction.
Inspired by the happy hours tinkering on cars with his dad, Will went to Myerscough College to follow a motorsports course, and this led to his first proper job as a mechanic for a local garage in Blackburn.
From there, he moved on to a cycling shop in Bolton and began working on bikes instead of cars. “I enjoyed working on bikes because, whereas cars are viewed as a necessity by many, bikes are more of a passion for people,” says Will. “It felt good to be working on something that was really meaningful to someone else.”
Despite dedicatedly restoring the cycles of many keen and even professional cyclists, there was still a nagging doubt in Will’s head that he had found his true vocation. One day, as his grandfather was becoming frailer, Will asked if he could take his old lathes and have a try at woodturning.
“Just like grandad before me, it started as a hobby,” he explains. “I was still working, but I set up a makeshift woodturning workshop in my parents’ garage, next to the old cars, and started making things.”
One of the earliest things Will produced for someone else was an end-grain chopping board which he made for the fifth wedding anniversary of some friends. “It took me a long, long time but they absolutely loved it, and they still use it now!”
It was then that Will and his partner Jess started to think that woodturning could become a viable business proposition. Will explains: “Jess comes from a very entrepreneurial, business-oriented family, and that was the catalyst for me. She really believed that, with my creative skills and her business mind, we could make a success of it.”
William Firth Woodcraft came to be in November 2016. Will had left his job by then and the search for a workshop was underway. He eventually found his current premises in Scorton, and now everything that is produced there is 100 per cent handmade by Will.
For the retail side of his business, he specialises in kitchen utensils, turned bowls and plates, candle holders and chopping boards, including a range of end grain chopping boards similar to the one which kickstarted the business.
He also produces items for the brewing and hospitality industries and has completed some high-value commissions for several clients across the UK. He loves to create individual bespoke items for clients who are looking for something beautiful for their homes or workplace, from tiny walnut bowls to larger sculptures and even furniture.
“With individual commissions, I have to really think about what the customer wants and how to best achieve it. The craftsman in me has to find a way to work with the wood to achieve an end result which is both beautiful and long-lasting,” says Will, who has definitely found his niche at last.
William Firth Woodcraft
07710 263435
www.williamfirthwoodcraft.co.uk
