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Greg Batt, Woodworker

@ghbatt

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Making sawdust, sharing lessons and enthusiasm for Woodworking. I work with @woodwhisperer at @twwguild, and help with @woodworkingmorningshow

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This was not part of the plan.

Joining @twwguild was the single best thing I have done in my development as a woodworker. I joined 7 years ago because I felt stuck, and wanted to learn how to build better furniture. They seemed to have the best plans online, so I bought one.

Getting to take a live class with Marc was already more than I expected when I joined. Somehow that led to taking on a behind the scenes role helping with the Guild. In August I actually became a regular part of the channel through the @woodworkingmorningshow. That last one still feels a little surreal.

I'm incredibly grateful to @woodwhisperer and @nicolespag for trusting me with a small part of something they have spent nearly 20 years building, and for giving me the opportunity to contribute to a community that has given me so much.

The plans I bought were great, but I realized the Guild is a lot more than just project plans. It's a community of woodworkers sharing what they know, encouraging each other, and pushing everyone to improve. A huge part of the woodworker I am today came from that.

Come hang out with us every Friday on YouTube for the Woodworking Morning Show at 10 am Central (12:30 pm Newfoundland time 🙂)!

www.thewoodwhisperer.com/wms/ by @ghbatt

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a month ago

Six chairs, done.

After making my dining table in February, I knew chairs would be next.

My starting point was obviously the Maloof low back, but this was different from my first build a year ago. With that chair I was trying to copy Maloof as much as possible. I wasn't confident enough to make decisions, or change things, I just wanted to stick with what I knew would look good.

This time I had to change things. The dimensions had to change to fit the table, I had to use leather seats, I had to remove the arms from 4 of them. I made all new templates from scratch, which helped make these chairs feel more mine.

While the look is obviously Maloof, I tried not to copy, but to express what the chairs looked like in my head. The slip seats were a new one for me, and I gained a lot of respect for upholsterers. Definitely something I want to add to more furniture in the future.

I tried to be intentional with my lumber selection in these chairs. For example, each front leg was cut from the scrap from the back leg blank. This helps make the colour and grain consistent. The backrest and arms all came from one board, so they look cohesive when viewed as a set.

The walnut was purchased at @wurthmcfaddens in St. John's, thanks for letting me pick through the stack for the perfect boards. The carving was done with @kutzall discs and rasps. The finish was @osmocanada polyx in gloss. The leather was from @tandyleather .

Thanks to @sabrinabatt3 for always supporting me and encouraging me to push myself. Hopefully this dining set is deserving of the amazing meals you make.

Thanks Kyle @camber.atelier for letting me pick your brain on chair building. Your advice on using a carving knife was essential.

Thanks @woodwhisperer for your courses in the guild on the sculpted rocker and dining chairs. I took lessons from each to get this over the finish line.

Thanks to everyone who commented, reacted to stories, or just followed along. I appreciate the support. by @ghbatt

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2 months ago

I started this bar cabinet in December 2024, and it’s easily the most intentional piece I’ve built so far. The original inspiration came from a 1950s Osvaldo Borsani design (last photo), but I took it in a different direction to reflect my own style and techniques I wanted to try. I even built a miniature version first as a proof of concept—some things changed, but I’m really happy with how it turned out.

The piece is made almost entirely from walnut. I wanted the grain and colour to be as intentional as the design, so every panel is either bookmatched or continuous grain. The back cabinetry was built so the grain on the sides flows continuously through all three levels and is bookmatched. The front is wrapped with continuous bookmatched grain, and the fluted panels were cut by hand and mirrored across the centerline.

The drawers are white ash with hand-cut dovetails. The legs were sculpted by hand with rasps and the footrest has a brass accent that was inspired by @woodwhisperer ’s bar stool class I attended in February.

And of course, thanks to my wife @sabrinabatt3 for talking me out of tossing this thing into the fire pit more than once, helping me carry yet another piece of furniture into the house. by @ghbatt

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a year ago

After finishing my dining chairs I wanted to build something smaller (and preferably only one), but still keep working on my carving and shaping skills. When I saw the Torrent C-table by @camber.atelier last year, I filed it away as an idea I wanted to try at some point, so this was the perfect time for it. Thanks to Kyle for giving me permission to play with his design.

I made a few changes design wise. I made the legs a bit thicker to contrast the thinner (beveled) top, and to shift them to a more oval shape, and I carried the leg curve onto the front of the top and base.

The last major change (and the one I like the most) was to keep the Maloof tenons proud on the bottom to act as legs, and hide the front legs far enough inside they weren't visible. This was to enhance the cantilever concept, and make the bottom appear to be balanced on only the back legs as well.

The table is made from a single board of white ash, and this is the first time I've made a piece completely from it. Definitely a different experience than working with walnut, but I will definitely use it more in future projects. I kept the grain straight in the legs, but let it go a bit wild on the top and bottom. The joinery is all Maloof joints.

The carving was done with @kutzall carving tools, along with my @veritas_tools low angle spoke shave. The finish was @osmocanada polyx in satin.

This one only took two weekends, so definitely a refresher after the marathon of chair making. It also inspired another idea for a table I hope to try on the next few months. taken in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador by @ghbatt

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2 months ago

taken in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador by @ghbatt

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3 months ago

taken in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador by @ghbatt

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4 months ago

Turning noise into sawdust.

A grinder, a @kutzall wheel and a piece of walnut are usually all it takes to get me focused on what's right in front of me.

The world can wait a few minutes.
#powercarving #woodworking #woodworkersofinstagram by @ghbatt

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5 months ago

Last weekend I got to spend some time with my dad, and when my wife mentioned she wanted a couple new Adirondack chairs, it felt like the perfect excuse to head back to the New Yankee Workshop and build one of Norm’s classic designs.

Plans are on the @popularwoodworking website for free.

Sometimes it's nice to build a project that isn't overly complicated, and you can just focus on enjoying 2 days in the shop. taken in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador by @ghbatt

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5 months ago

Universal translator is offline...
#woodworking #millennial #startrek #gettingold by @ghbatt

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6 months ago

How to double your WD-40
#woodworking #wd40 #lifehacks by @ghbatt

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6 months ago

It’s easy to spot a Maloof influence.
It’s a lot harder to figure out where it stops.

The base is doing all the heavy lifting on this one.
I started with a simple rule. No straight lines.

Turns out… that’s not simple at all.

The top curves on every edge, with a big roundover and an underbevel that follows it all the way around. That part sets the direction.

But the base is where you find out if the idea actually works. Four legs, all flowing into each other, no straight references to lean on. You’re just shaping and hoping your eye is right.

This started from a picture of a Maloof conference table. I didn’t try to copy it, but I also didn’t avoid it. I leaned into it. Tried to understand what makes those forms work.

From there, it was just iteration. Four versions of the templates before I landed on something that felt like mine.

That’s really the goal going forward. Not just building pieces… but designing them too. Even if the influence is obvious.
Maloof said the builder and designer should be the same person.

I’m starting to understand what that actually means.

The wood was purchased at @wurthmcfaddens, and Glynn Williams was a great help in finding the right material. All the shaping was done with my @kutzall rasps and power carving tools. For a finish, I used @osmocanada polyx in gloss. Thanks to Matt at @east_coast_supply_co for hooking me up with a can of Osmo late in the afternoon and helping me get this project across the finish line. taken in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador by @ghbatt

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6 months ago

Tools are more than just things to me. They are a way to express your creativity, and bring ideas to life. Good tools can become an extension of the person, so whenever I am given a tool that has meaning to someone else I am very grateful.

I was lucky enough to be given the privilege to help a fellow woodworker clean out his shop a few weeks ago. This guy is an amazingly skilled craftsman, but hasn't been able to use his shop for a while and the tools were in need of maintenance and a new home. I'm going to post some of them over the next few days.

The first one is the vintage toolbox from @canadiantire . I am pretty sure these Mastercraft boxes were made by Beach tools back in the day. The paint and metal have held.up beautifully, and it only took a few hours to get it back in like new condition. It seemed fitting to add a maple worktop to the box, finished with @osmocanada polyx in gloss. I used my @kutzall rasps to shape the top, and get a pretty much perfect friction fit.

This thing is ready for another 50 years of service in my shop. Great piece of Canadian hardware. Thanks Dave, for trusting me with it. by @ghbatt

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7 months ago