About Colin Baker & Talking Point Woodwork

Please allow me to introduce myself, Colin Baker.  I started my working life as a carpenter and joiner, and then moved on to construction management; since retirement I have gone back to woodworking, wanting to explore the functionality, texture, grain pattern and colour of timber.  Also how it has been used through history.

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I am based in March, Cambridgeshire, and since retirement due to my love of woodwork and the craft, have been making bespoke items that either I enjoyed, have been challenged, or have been commissioned.

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I have always had an interest in history, especially local history passing through the fens, from the bronze age to the Romans and Norse visitors.  I have recently been crafting items for Viking re-enactment groups, including cups and serving platters - please see my gallery for more information on this.

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It's all about making things for both children and adults to handle (not made of plastic!) that can return to the cycle of life.

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I have also taken Viking and Roman equipment into local primary schools for them to touch and handle and ask questions about.  The items children seemed very interested in were my handmade nails.

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One of my main objectives was to get people talking about objects and timber, and how they affect their own personal lives, hence the name Talking Point Woodwork.

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March having been one of the largest railway marshalling yards in Britain (before the Beeching cuts) led me to recycle railway sleepers into bowls using resin to fill cracks and holes, developing into using larger pieces to creating seating (again resin filled) with recycled angle iron legs - these can also be viewed in my shop and gallery.

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My most recent commission was for 4 wood turned heads to fit into historical Russian spent aircraft missiles, which can also be viewed in my gallery.

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If you are interested in my work and would like order anything I've got in stock, please visit my Etsy shop, or to discuss bespoke commissions or school visits (within 20 miles of March, PE15 only for school visits), please don't hesitate to contact me directly by email.