Woodsh'Ed269

Whilst it was great news that the aviation industry was finally back on the up towards the end of 2021, it meant that our little wood adventure has had to slow down considerably. It certainly hasn't stopped though, and has been ticking away with all sorts of little projects whenever there's a free moment!

The latest one wasn't so small and we can't wait to see it set up in its new home. It's a custom made meranti table for a Kamado Joe ceramic charcoal grill.

It's only a matter of time before a similar set up is found in our own garden...it might be quite a bit longer before we manage to replace the Weber with a KJ though. One day....;-)

The Woodsh'Ed269 forest is spreading far and wide! Have you spotted any of our sustainable wooden Xmas trees in your neighbourhood yet?

One of the large trees was modified for someone today to include some little shelves. Someone else has converted theirs in to an advent calendar!

We'd love to see how you're using and decorating yours this year! Please feel free to share and tag us to spread some more sustainable Xmas love!

The weather has changed in the last week and it’s no longer like working in a sauna with no off button in the Woodsh'Ed269 😅.

We’re feeling extremely lucky that the chief carpenter has been called back to handle the flying type of planes instead of the woodwork kind for a while, but that doesn’t mean there’s any rest in the sh’Ed!

Christmas is just around the corner and it will be time to get the trees out again any minute (or redecorated for those who never put them away;-)), so the production line is up and running again!

Feel free to get in touch if you’d like a set of sustainable hand made wooden trees for your garden / porch, or perhaps a star for the wall to string fairy light round! We’d be delighted to help to you bring some natural festive joy to your home this Christmas 🎄

Spot the difference ;-)

It's always the simplest looking things which end up being the most difficult. Who'd have thought a star could be so tricky?! The chief carpenter knew it would be, but ever the optimist I convinced him it would be fine....!

Calculating the mix of angles was a nightmare and the first attempt ended up looking like something from Spongebob Squarepants! But after a day away from it, some revised calculations and a cup of patience, we eventually got there. I'm sure there will be plenty of beautiful baby photos to come from this newborn photography prop!

Here at Woodsh'Ed269, business is a little slower than before as the chief carpenter has finally been called back to work and has traded the woodworking sh'Ed for an 'office' with a much sunnier and less dusty environment!

Sincere thanks to those customers who are patiently waiting for orders which have been delayed somewhat due to either our change in circumstances or the current supply (or lack) of wood. We're hoping to get everything finished by the end of the month so we can get back to our roots and get some Xmas trees out again!

If you're interested in some Xmas trees for your front porch / garden / inside the house, please feel free to get in touch to reserve some. (The final design might be slightly different to below, but the general idea remains the same). Due to the sharp increases in wood prices over the course of the year, they'll be dhs350/set of 3. Pick up is from Mira Community within 7 days of notification, before being offered to the next customer.

It’s great to see what we create in Woodsh'Ed269 getting put to good use!

These display stands were put straight to work the minute they left the sh'Ed, showing off this fabulous array of sunglasses.

If you'd like to see if we can help you with a small display stand, or anything else for that matter, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

If you like the look of these sunglasses, check out

One less stress for a mother of a busy little boy who wants to be involved in everything in the kitchen with this modified IKEA step stool, making it a safe learning tower.

With kitchen cupboards in Dubai often notoriously hard to reach, the inclusion of the gate means that not only is it safe when an inquisitive little person is using it, but when it's open, the adults in the house can still make good use of it as a step too! Genius!

W is for Woodsh'Ed269! And (hard) Work... and Wow!... and last, but not least, William.

This one was a labour of love but we are delighted with the end result and hope William and his parents will be too!

Our own kids are somewhat disappointed that their names all begin with curvy letters as they love the idea of having one of these too! Ed and I, on the other hand, are breathing a sigh of relief ;-).

Another customised beech wood stairgate made and installed, stained to match the reddish colour of the staircase as close as possible.

This one is a trifold gate which, when open, fits neatly in the space between the staircase and the door frame. It should keep the upstairs area safe from unwanted guests of the 4-legged kind ;-).

The hamster mansion, along with a maze house to suit a Russian Dwarf hamster and a sandbath box, has now gone to its new home.

It has a drawer that can be filled with shavings and pulled out to be changed; an acrylic front for hamster entertainment and a wire top to allow for good air circulation. Jasper is one lucky hamster!

We're going to have to try and make time between projects to make one for Jazz, our newly adopted Syrian hamster too! He tested this one out so must be wondering when he's moving house too :-).

The hamster accessories continue - but this one is at least for a live one!

Some Russian dwarf hamsters may be too small to climb up through the hole in the roof, but Syrians will manage no problem at all. It's a fun exercise maze for them, but also offers them a nice hideout when they want some peace and quiet.

If you have any requests for wooden pet accessories, don't hesitate to get in touch and we'll see what we can do!

Warning: contains an image that some people may find disturbing!

Just a week or two after making a little hamster maze house, our super model Rosie sadly passed away.

Being part of the Woodsh'Ed269 family, she had her own little hamster coffin made on the same day and was buried in comfort and style alongside her mum, Tina, under the frangipani tree.

RIP Rosie.

When IKEA product dimensions just don't cut it...

This custom-made open storage shelving unit for under the sink in a spare bathroom means all the cleaning products no longer need to be left on the floor and can at last be tidied away. Simple but effective.

If you have an awkward space to fill and would like something custom-made, feel free to get in touch to see if we can help you too :-).

Having some fun in the sh'Ed today making a little hamster maze house, which Rosie, our model here, very willingly tested out for us.

We'll be making a full size multi-level house for a hamster shortly, and this kind of maze house will make a lovely cozy den area inside it for the hamster to hide away in.

If you need something made for your four-legged / furry family members, feel free to get in touch to see if we can help!

That's the stair gate installed and ready to do it's job containing mischievous little bodies!

If you have an awkward width or fitting and a standard commercial gate just doesn't fit the bill, feel free to get in touch; we'd be happy to customise one to fit for you too.

It's 40+ degrees outside, so goodness knows what the temperature is inside our garage, but there's no stopping us at Woodsh'Ed269.

We have a custom made stair gate under way at the moment. The beech is going to be stained dark to match the railings in the house and once the fittings have been added, it will be ready to be installed in its new home.

We recently made these beech wood frames for teepee tents that are going to be used by the customer for sleepover parties. What a lovely idea!

Have a look in the comments for the transformation once they've been set up for the party - the frames themselves are completely hidden, but they look beautiful!

Only in Dubai would you be able to fit half a dozen of these in a room though! 😉.

It might be the summer holidays, but there's no rest for the wicked of Woodsh'Ed269!

Between stools, dog ramps and mud kitchens, there's been time to get some more learning towers done before moving on to some more new projects. This wooden one even got personalised!

Thank you for your help with the stencil for that Cha Ruki - very much appreciated! I wonder else we might be able to collaborate on in the future :-).

If you have any wood requests, personalised or not, we'd love to hear from you and help if we can!

This mudkitchen is going to keep someone occupied over the summer. It just needs a (toy) Thermomix added and they'll be set for many years to come!

Happy birthday, Meena - we hope you have a wonderful day and can't wait to see what kind of birthday cake you make!

Oh, the simple things in life.... This little stand is ready to bring joy to some newly untangled necklaces in its new home :-).

The base doesn't look anything special from a distance, but it's a piece of meranti (usually used for outdoor furniture) and the grain is beautiful and so different to pine!

It will be interesting to see what colours will be raised from it if it's waxed...

What a treat to have made this bar table and stools out of teak.

Sometimes people can be fooled in to thinking they're buying a good quality, hard-wearing piece of furniture, but in reality it's a soft wood which has just been painted or varnished and it just has a thin layer of a harder wood on top. 6 months ago, I would never have known or understood the difference myself!

That's not going to be the case for the customer taking this set home though - it's pure teak and it is beautiful! The feel, the grain... who'd have thought wood could stir up emotions and spark so much joy!!

Teak is not cheap - it's one of the more expensive types of wood around - but it is worth every penny, and highly recommended for anything going outdoors.

If you fancy having something handcrafted for your home or garden, feel free to get in touch - we'll be happy to quote and hopefully help you personalise your space!

Another little one can now safely help Mummy or Daddy in the kitchen with this learning tower.

The learning tower is a piece of furniture that allows your child to stand higher, so they can safely reach a kitchen counter, sink, or climb to see a dinner table. It provides a safe space for the child to explore and be involved in all sorts of home activities, like cooking, personal hygiene, or cleaning.

This one is for a very inquisitive child who is still very young, so we added an extra protective bar in the middle which locks in to place once she's in so that she's nice and safe.

This was a nice simple project for a customer who wanted a board from which to hang a growing collection of medals. There's enough space left on the top half for a personalised message to be added, and it's set up at the back to be able to hang it on the wall. We're looking forward to seeing it fully decorated :-).

The simple looking items are often the ones that are the most work, and painting the wood to get a good white finish usually takes as much time as making the item itself!

This white leaning shelf ladder is finally ready to go to its new home though, where it will be fixed to the wall to make it nice and secure.

How cute is this little tiered bookshelf!? It even comes complete with handles to move it around nice and easily.

If you'd like something tailor made to suit your needs, don't hesitate to get in touch. We can't do everything, but we're happy to give most things a good go!

It's lovely to see how pets are taken care of as much as children in some homes.

This ramp has been made for 2 dogs with back issues whose owner clearly wants to protect them as much as possible.

The ramp will have a non-slip carpet added and will enable them to climb safely up to the sofa / bed / wherever else they are allowed without the risk of them damaging their backs by jumping.

We can't wait to see this one in action!

If you need anything for your furry family members, don't hesitate to get in touch :-).

We're chuffed to bits with these saddle seat stools made from Beech wood.

Luckily Edzard Schacht has the brain power and patience to calculate all the different angles and the engineering required to work out how to make a curved seat without a band saw!

They are super solid; you certainly wouldn't want one falling on your toes...!

They're going to be painted for the new owner, but personally we love the look and feel of these as they are in raw wood.

If you'd like to push our woodworking skills to the next level and have a project for us to attempt for you, don't hesitate to get in touch - we're game for most things if you are!

We've been custom making trellises at Woodsh'Ed269 this week with pine, treated with a colourless sealer to protect them from the elements.

They're now ready to go and be put up and brought to life with some colourful bougainvillea. They can be frame side forward, or the other way round - either way works, depending on how much plant life you have to work through them :-).

If you need something custom made for your home or garden, feel free to get in touch and we'd be happy to see if we could help!

This simple tiered planter, made from a mix of meranti and pine, is going to look quite different in a few days once it has been filled with greenery!

It's been made to make the most of a pretty small, narrow space and should do the job nicely, as well as add some colour to brighten up the area too.

If you're interested in a planter to fit a specific space in your garden / your balcony so you can grow your own herbs / add some colour, feel free to get in touch - we'd be only too happy to custom make something to suit your needs too.

This 'library ladder' has been sent off to its new home, but it s going to get some abuse when it gets there...!

The new owner wants to give it a more distressed look so whilst it's all planed to ensure everything is straight, it was left with a slightly less polished finish so that it can be roughened up and given a more aged, worn look.