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See glimpses of ongoing projects, the courses, the atelier and much more on Atelier Espenaer’s instagram feed.

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A coffee table top I made for a client a while ago

A coffee table top I made for a client a while ago. The client had already made a metal frame herself, so she approached me to make a table top for her frame. I found it so cool that she had made the frame herself and offered her to do a workshop with me to learn to make a smaller top for the bottom section of her frame, whereas I would make the bigger part you see pictured here. She was very excited and though she wasn't able to finish her part completely (I eventually did that part too), the two planks she worked on did end up in the smaller table top.

It's stories like these that make my work particularly fun and satisfying. I like helping fellow Amsterdammers create a genuinely personal space with custom and one-off work and locally sourced materials. And I appreciate it when they choose a local craftsman like me (instead of, say, tax avoiding transnational corporations producing non-descript, non-durable items en masse for masses 😜)

I made the table top out London plane salvaged from trees on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam by @stadshout. Fully handcrafted, that is, with handtools only.

Yesterday I got myself a truckload of new lumber (

Yesterday I got myself a truckload of new lumber (see my stories today) and the occasion led me to have another look at my current collection. On the top photo you see a piece of purpleheart and on the bottom photo you see walnut (on the left) and mahogany (and some oak in front). All three pieces, and many others, I had acquired from a retired woodworker some years ago, and I like the idea of using wood that was originally part of the stock of an older generation of craftsmen. Currently no plans for the pieces, but who knows what they will eventually turn into? :)

The fabulous radial pattern of London Plane appear

The fabulous radial pattern of London Plane appearing here on the edge of a commissioned table top I made a while ago. The plane was salvaged by @stadshout from trees that once stood on the famous Leidseplein in Amsterdam. 🌳♻️

Participants of Course Eén in the process of lear

Participants of Course Eén in the process of learning to dimension stock by hand (with facemasks and at 1.5m distance from each other).

Thought I'd share a bit of my other passions too o

Thought I'd share a bit of my other passions too occasionally, so here's a work from my 'Come cade la luce' series. This series is entirely dedicated to the essence of photography, light, or to be more precise, how light falls on earth. 'Come cade la luce' is Italian for 'How the light falls'.

Come cade la luce - Ma ora non c'è niente da pensare.
Ali Qapu palace, Isfahan

The light box for the workbench after a coat of li

The light box for the workbench after a coat of linseed oil. Haven't had time to continue with the project as I have been busy with other stuff, but I hope to finally do the final bits and hang the lamp.

A shot from the workshop: the tool panel for my ha

A shot from the workshop: the tool panel for my hand planes. I have a number of other planes (and even more for course participants), but the ones I use most are the Stanley jack plane (nr. 5) and the two smoothing planes (nr. 4) by Stanley & Nooitgedagt. The Stanley block plane I use too regularly for chamfers and endgrain shavings. The nr. 6 foreplane I hardly ever use, preferring the nr. 7 jointer (not pictured here)

The first coat of oil is always exciting. Even if

The first coat of oil is always exciting. Even if you know what the aesthetic effect of oiling is from tons of earlier experiences, it is still awesome to see your work in its finished state. Using boiled linseed oil here. ✨

The parts are joined and the lightbox is almost do

The parts are joined and the lightbox is almost done! Next: finishing ✨

A full shot of the serving board I had made a whil

A full shot of the serving board I had made a while ago as a gift to @jortstatema for his new home. Here it's still untreated, but I later finished it with raw tung oil. For glimpses of the making process take a peek in my feed.

Tried this 'Old Friend' a while ago: gin, campari,

Tried this 'Old Friend' a while ago: gin, campari, elderflower liqueur and fresh orange juice (though the original asks for grapefruit juice). On the tart, bitter, and dry side of things initially, but the more you sip, the more you start to taste the sweet notes of elderflower too.

All the teeth for the box joint (for the workbench

All the teeth for the box joint (for the workbench lamp) have been cut. Time to join the pieces!

A serving board in the making: chamfers really add

A serving board in the making: chamfers really add a nice touch 👌

Shots of the cutting process of the box joint earl

Shots of the cutting process of the box joint earlier this week (the same one you currently see in my stories).

Glimpses of the making process of coat rack Versch

Glimpses of the making process of coat rack Verscheiden. Small pieces of scrapwood can turn into something beautiful and useful when joined together.

Verscheiden is a small coat rack made out of vario

Verscheiden is a small coat rack made out of various types of wood in varying widths. Even the pegs differ in width, thickness, and wood type and this diversity is what the coat rack is actually named for ('Verscheiden' means diverse or various in Dutch). Here it is floating in the hallway of Het Ambachtslab. Can't guarantee it will float in your home...

Verscheiden is currently still available in my webshop. For details, see my previous post or head to my website for even more pictures and info.

Details of my (so far) one and only coat rack, 'Ve

Details of my (so far) one and only coat rack, 'Verscheiden', made out of 6 different hardwoods. The pegs fit into the board through blind mortise and tenon joints.

The result of the first stage of the making proces

The result of the first stage of the making process of the workbench lamp: four dimensioned parts consisting of pieces of scrapwood. I will now move on to cutting the joints.

Participants of Course Twee working on mortise and

Participants of Course Twee working on mortise and tenons. 💪

Glimpses of the glue-up of a serving board. 👌

Glimpses of the glue-up of a serving board. 👌

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