- This board was removed from the bathroom of the oldest house in Chittenden County. It will be used to make a beautiful dining table.
Defiance Boards - From Bathroom Floor to Gorgeous Table - Part 1
The project I have just completed has a fun story behind it. As I shared in the latest newsletter, my friends and neighbors, Nicole and Sean, discovered "Defiance Boards" had been used as the floorboards in their old bathroom. Back in the 1700's, certain wooden boards were hidden in places like floors because they had been illegally cut down by Vermonters -they did not want the British using them for the masts of their ships. When Nicole and Sean discovered they were in posession of something so special, they asked me to transform the boards in to a new dining table for them. The ironic fact that I am British but have just become a US citizen was not lost on any of us!
It was necessary to prepare the boards while maintaining their original character. First, I had to mark lines on the boards to see how much yield there was - could I make a 96" x 42" table? Only 78" of straight, clean board existed, so we discussed what to do and decided to put bread-boards on each table end. I then stripped all of the old finish.
I had to "square" the 3 main pieces which was not an easy process, as there were old nails hidden in the boards and I didn't want to ruin the blades of my saw! Next, I sanded the surface being careful to maintain the character of each board. Before glueing and clamping the 3 main boards, I tenoned the edges to help align the irregular surfaces.
More in the next blog...
- The boards were not in great shape
- Fitting tenons prior to glue-up
- 2 boards prepared for glueing and clamping



- Sandra and Jorg’s Farmhouse End-Leaf Table with Chalford Dining Chairs
It Was Meant To Be!
I’ve recently had the pleasure of completing a dining room set and bar stools for a couple who live in Germany and who also have a summer home on Lake Champlain. I'd like to share with you this wonderful story of serendipity...
A few years ago, Sandra and Jorg came in to my Stowe Cotswold Furniture Gallery and we talked for quite some time about the furniture. They were in the process of buying a lake property which would need major renovations. Sandra put my business card in her wallet and there it stayed. During that time, my family and I moved, I closed down my retail galleries, downsized the business and simplified my life.
A year ago last summer, I built my workshop on our new property. During that time, Sandra and Jorg were in the middle of their lake house restoration. One evening they were invited to have dinner with some friends in Hinesburg. They noticed a structure being built next door to their friends’ home and asked what was going on next door. Our neighbor and friends, Nicole and Sean, told them all about me and my furniture making business that would be housed in the new barn.
They were intrigued, but said that they had been to a furniture maker in Stowe the year before and they really wanted their new furniture to be made by him. Then Sandra took out her wallet, pulled out a business card, showed it to Nicole, and said, “This is who we want to make the furniture for our new dining room.” Nicole couldn't believe it when she looked at the card and saw my name!
I cannot tell you what an honor it has been for me to make the Chalford Farmhouse Table, Chalford chairs and bar stools for Sandra and Jorg. The fact that they loved my furniture enough to hold on to that card for so long, in the hopes of having me make their dining room set one day, is one of the greatest compliments to my work that I have ever experienced.
- Sandra, Jorg and friends enjoying their new dining furniture
- Farmhouse Dining Table in Cherry
- Farmhouse Server in Cherry



- Articles
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- Feb 14, 2021Baby Barter
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- Apr 10, 2020Politics as a Hobby.
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- Oct 22, 2018A New Look For An Old Favorite
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- Apr 2, 2018Working With Clients Is The Best Part
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- Jan 24, 2017Happy in Stowe
- Nov 13, 2016Video Demonstrates Sideboard Inlay Technique
- Oct 3, 2016New Splay Leg Dining Table
- Jun 22, 2016Family Heirloom - From Tall Ship in the 1600's to Australia via England
- May 19, 2016Searching For Quartered White Oak
- Mar 22, 2016Check out New Special Project Page
- Feb 23, 2016A Bench of Many Woods
- Jan 4, 2016Antique Restoration
- Nov 13, 2015Adaptable Custom Furniture Design - From Dining Table to Server to Coffee Table
- Oct 20, 2015Dining Chairs - Simplicity and Complexity
- Sep 21, 2015Open Studio Weekend October 3rd and 4th
- Aug 2, 2015Bold Turned Legs Give a Fresh Look
- Jul 1, 2015Cherry Display Cabinet
- Jun 8, 2015Making a Curved Table Apron
- Apr 27, 2015A New Face On An Old Family Friend
- Mar 12, 2015Making A Bowed Door
- Feb 23, 2015Birdseye Maple Table Goes to Local Home
- Jan 30, 2015Walnut Drop-Leaf Sofa Tables Completed
- Jan 14, 2015Steam Bending Wood For Inlay
- Nov 21, 2014OFF TO CALIFORNIA
- Sep 29, 2014Chicken Woodworkers
- Sep 8, 2014Desk for Lake House
- Jun 23, 2014Pencil Post Bed
- Jun 6, 2014Custom Chest of Drawers for a Playwright
- Apr 28, 2014Simple Does Not Mean Easy In Handmade Furniture
- Mar 31, 2014The Challenging Winter Commute
- Mar 10, 2014What A Difference Time Makes in the Natural Aging Process of Cherry
- Feb 17, 2014From Shady Backyard to Bustling Dining Area
- Jan 27, 2014'Tis The Season For Sideboards!
- Jan 8, 2014The Deep Freeze
- Nov 22, 2013Hunting Season in VT - Where is Everyone?
- Oct 28, 2013Defiance Boards - Final Resting Place in the O'Brien's Kitchen - Part 3
- Oct 7, 2013Defiance Boards - From Bathroom Floor to Gorgeous Table - Part 2
- Sep 23, 2013Defiance Boards - From Bathroom Floor to Gorgeous Table - Part 1
- Sep 3, 2013It Was Meant To Be!
- Sep 3, 2013It Was Meant To Be!
- May 10, 2013Middlebury College & the Founders Canes, a Graduation Tradition
- May 10, 2013Middlebury College & the Founders Canes, a Graduation Tradition
- Apr 30, 2013The extraordinary science of the vacuum press
- Apr 30, 2013The extraordinary science of the vacuum press
- Apr 22, 2013The Pinnacle Collection
- Apr 22, 2013The Pinnacle Collection
- Jan 30, 2013Letting The Wood Move You
- Jan 30, 2013Letting The Wood Move You
- Dec 6, 2012Give a gift of artisan furniture from one of Vermont's finest master craftsmen this holiday season, and save an additional 5 - 10%!
- Nov 7, 2012The Sign Is Up
- Nov 7, 2012The Sign Is Up
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- Nov 5, 2012Locally Sourced Lumber-Exclusively Vermont Wood Products
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- Oct 23, 2012Veneering Versus Solid Wood
- Sep 27, 2012Used Machinery
- Sep 26, 2012John Lomas Custom Furniture Expands Chalford Collection
- Sep 20, 2012First commission
- Sep 20, 2012First commission
- Aug 10, 2012Building The Workshop
- Aug 10, 2012Building The Workshop
- Aug 1, 2012Welcome to John Lomas Custom Furniture
- Aug 1, 2012Welcome to John Lomas Custom Furniture
- Feb 26, 2012Magic-Vermont sailing on a calm day
- Feb 26, 2012Magic-Vermont sailing on a calm day