About Quentin

Quentin has been a woodworker since 1987, working in vintage car restoration, traditional cabinet-making and carving, antique furniture restoration and boat-building.

What I Do

I am able to repair and recreate ash frames from schematics, photos or dilapidated frames to copy, or alternatively design and build custom one-offs. High quality dashboards, door cappings and interior detailing in traditional or exotic woods, or even stingray skin if you’re feeling extravagant, can be created.

There isn’t much in the world of restoration I’ve not dealt with, from decorated ostrich eggs to intricate ship models to building carriages for cannons, piecing together near destroyed chairs, chests, vitrines, tables – you name it. From french polishing knitting needles to recarving over 100 missing pieces prior to stripping and repolishing a snooker table made for Queen Victoria’s jubilee.

Projects

I was lucky enough to be part of a small team assembled by my friend Phil Clabburn to restore a 1936 64’ RAF high speed Air Sea Rescue launch, HSL 102. After many years languishing as a houseboat, it was cleared of the resultant junk and bodges, shot-blasted clean and dried out ready for resurrection. With original plans the boat was faithfully returned to it’s pre war condition, capable of near 40 knots and worthy of a relaunch by the Queen Mother. After the success of 102, a trust was formed and the next project chosen, MGB 81, a 71’ wartime gun boat, in similar condition. As before, returned from a bare, holey hull to full 45 knot capability. Once back on the water, we returned with the Dunkirk Little Ships to France for the 60th anniversary of D-day. As jobs go, storming around the sea, helming a 70 year old boat, showing a clean pair of heels to most modern equivalents, isn’t too bad.