The Mighty Oak

Hi, my name is Ben Broadley and I’m a designer and maker based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. I studied sculpture at university and then went on to train in carpentry and joinery.

You can contact me any time on 07933 212605 or email ben.broadley@the-mighty-oak.co.uk

Scroll down for some examples of my work.

It was during my time studying sculpture at art school that I first became absorbed in the relationship between material and process. Through experimentation I learnt how to control and manipulate materials and this allowed me to realise my ideas more effectively. Aesthetics, balance, form, juxtaposition were key considerations to my practice and I continue to be mindful of them today. You have to work with the material as well as control it. For the most part you control it but at times it controls and informs your decision making. There is a constant dialogue between material and maker.

I later found my way in to the world of timber as a carpenter and then as a joiner. Whilst still utilising my design skills I have found enjoyment in the additional attribute of functionality.

Creativity coupled with craftmanship.

I have worked with a variety of materials over the years but timber has intrigued me the most. It is the most challenging and unforgiving. It is the most reactive, continually moving and responding to atmospheric conditions. When you cut through it with a saw you can release tensions stored within it making it move. You have to read the grain to get the best results when machining it.   

I love the way it arrives to me in such an unrefined state. Literally a slice of tree with the bark still on. Then it’s a case of making sense of the stock and selecting and machining the sections and sizes I require. From there is shaping, jointing and assemblage before the sanding and finishing of the piece. It can take as long to finish a piece as it does to construct it.   

The beauty of timber is that no two pieces are the same. The variety of grain pattern, figure and colour is astonishing.