Oxford Wood Recycling

Like many during the lockdown, we saw the opportunity to get creative and put our handy work to good use. It's a pleasure to introduce Chris Boreham, our lead carpenter here at Oxford Wood Recycling. We asked him a few questions about his role and what it is like working here. Q: How are you finding your new job as lead carpenter at OWR? A: So far, so good. Oxford Wood Recycling is a social enterprise providing an environmentally friendly alternative to a skip for producers of wood waste in Oxfordshire, West Buckinghamshire and most of Berkshire.

Oxford Wood Recycling was established in 2005 to address the sustainability issues surrounding wood waste management in the UK whilst providing employment opportunities for people facing disadvantages such as disability, to re-enter the workplace. Oxford Wood Recycling (OWR) was established in 2005 by Richard Snow, Nick Dowling and Helen Porter who had met during a postgraduate Forestry degree at Oxford University. Their mission is to address the wasteful attitude towards wood products in the UK by providing alternative waste management solutions.

The natural rustic look of reclaimed timber will be enhanced with strong yet attractive fixtures and fittings. We have sourced a great selection of cast iron and forged steel fixtures and fittings that make up our extensive ironmongery collection. From humble nails and screws to elegant shelf brackets, hand forged coat hooks to hairpin table legs, our Wood Shop is stocked with inspirational ironmongery that will add strength and character to your woodwork project. At Oxford Wood Recycling we believe that the finishing details are as important as the attention paid to the quality and build of your woodworking project.

At Oxford Wood Recycling we are always thinking of ways of making new in reclaimed wood so there is always something new being tried out on our workbenches! Our current collection of reclaimed wood furniture offers boot and shoe storage units, coat rails and welly boot racks. As a social enterprise giving young people on the bench training opportunities we are always making either one off pieces or small runs of reclaimed wood furniture. These items are not necessarily featured on the website, visit us to discover what is currently on sale at our wood store.

We're always stocked with good quality soft and hard wood reclaimed timber in many sizes. From battening up to 12" x 12" beams in unusual lengths from 1 to 5 metres. Always popular are our 3.9m scaffolding boards, pallet wood, board and fabulous natural edge timber. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff are always on hand to help and discuss your projects. They have many years of experience and a wide variety of skills from general carpentry and construction to wood turning and even coracle making.

Building with wood is as sustainable as it gets and with reclaimed timber it need not be expensive either. Our well stocked Wood Shop has a range of reclaimed construction timber, from roofing battens to 4×2 studwork timbers, bigger joists to garden sleepers, fence posts, old reclaimed floorboards and lots more besides! All our wood is carefully de-nailed before it goes on sale and we can cut it to size for you too. At Oxford Wood Recycling we make it our business to stock reclaimed construction timber to suit your DIY needs.

Oxford Wood Recycling's reclaimed wood shelving offers a range of free standing shelving units and wall-mounted shelves. Handmade by our carpenters in our workshops from reclaimed pallet wood and scaffold boards, our shelving provides plenty of useful storage space whilst providing warmth and texture to your living space or garden room. As well as our standard range we can make shelving to order and hold stock of beautiful live edge planks. Visit us to see what we currently have in stock. Our reclaimed wood shelving has been used in cafes and grocery stores, a great alternative to prefabricated shop fitting units!

If you know what you need, bring your cutting list with you to our Wood Shop and we will cut and sell you what is required for your job. Don't yet know yet what exactly is required? Then our friendly and experienced staff will do their best to help you. OWR's cutting service for wood purchased for our store is one of our most popular activities. There are two main ways that wood can be cut. One is across the fibres of the grain (the blade cuts at a right angle to the length of the timber) which is known as cross-cutting.

Oxford Wood Recycling's reclaimed wood tables offer a modern rustic collection of dining tables, coffee tables and hall console tables. Made from reclaimed timbers in our Abingdon workshops, the designs take their inspiration from traditional English farmhouse and refectory styles. Beautifully handcrafted by our carpenters these tables celebrate the natural beauty and inherent markings of reclaimed wood. All can be finished in a range of OSMO wood finishes to protect and enhance the natural grain of the wood for either indoor or outdoor use.

Oxford Wood Recycling's reclaimed wood seating gives a modern rustic take on bench seating. Made from reclaimed timbers, OWR offer a contemporary bench and a more traditional cider bench. Benches at long reclaimed tables are a practical and cost effective solution to providing plenty of informal seating whether used in or outside. Combine benches with vintage chairs to create a relaxed eclectic look. The reclaimed wood seating range can be finished in a range of environmentally friendly OSMO wood finishes to protect and enhance the natural grain of the wood for either indoor or outdoor use.

At our Oxford Wood Recycling workshops we have developed a fabulous range of reclaimed wood furniture. Handmade and crafted from our own reclaimed wood, this solid wood furniture collection has a distinctive modern rustic feel ideal for both outdoor or indoor living. Each piece of reclaimed wood has its inherent grain, character and markings so that each piece of rustic furniture we build is unique. By making real wood furniture using reclaimed wood we not only do our bit for sustainability and the environment but we are also offering valuable employment opportunities, skills and training.