Local craftsmanship, local timber, local business

Dominic Trimble has been in business for nearly 40 years and is a skilled craft worker who makes and creates functional and decorative items from wood. Based in Geashill, Co Offaly he left school and started working on a building site before serving his time in an old wood turning shop where he spent seven years getting to know the craft where he would spend the rest of his life.

 

Creating project furniture pieces for patient rehabilitation activities kept him busy until he finally took the plunge, borrowed money to buy a lathe and started his own wood turning business. Turning as many items as he could for the first year with coat stands and lamp stands being the bulk of work produced in those early years.

More recently Dominic has stopped woodturning to concentrate on tables, mantle pieces, shelving, sink surrounds, hall stands, cupboards, display cabinets. We are extremely fortunate that Dominic makes time for us and produces our chopping boards. As he says himself “I don’t do standard stuff – no two pieces are ever the same”, you could say each piece is bespoke. Using the ‘old school methods’ where all work is done by hand, Dominic’s range of hand tools go back to the time when he started.

 

“A good supply of quality wood is key to the operation”

Local to Dominic is Clonmore Sawmills where 98% of his wood is sourced, other wood is sourced by word of mouth or opportunity through contacts who are tree surgeons or indeed from naturally fallen trees. Nothing gives Dominic more pleasure than taking a piece of wood from a fallen tree and remodelling it into something new. Sometimes people will give him their wood for him to dry and use and get him to make something from it for themselves. 90% of the wood he uses is beech and ash, choosing sycamore for some items as it is most suitable for pyrography; the art of burning text onto wood, which Dominic uses for commemorative pieces.

Kiln drying his own timber eliminates cracking and warping when items are made and placed in the warmth of a home, this process can take up up to 12 weeks depending on the wood thickness.

 

Over the years it has amused Dominic to see the trend where people move towards MDF products or coloured pieces but switch back to timber, appreciating its naturalness, looks and longevity. Mass produced wood and wood look products won’t ever compete with Dominic’s business, how could it, nothing can compare to locally grown wood and locally hand produced pieces.

 

Married with three children who are all grown up now. His son spent 10 years working with Dominic before heading off on adventures of his own which brought him to Australia. Dominic isn’t sure what the future holds for the business long term and if his son will pick up where he left off but for now, he is happy working away and doing what he loves.