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WIRRAL LIFE TALKS TO MICHAEL MORRIS OF JAMES OLIVER JOINERY
Tell us about you and James Oliver Joinery ?
My name is Michael James Morris and I am a sole trader and 100 % responsible for all the bespoke work that is carried out . I am a time served traditional bench joiner . My passion is bringing quality hardwood materials that start life as a rough piece of timber and turn it into beautiful & functional works of art that are made to last a lifetime .
James Oliver Joinery was named after my two sons . My dream would be to have them both work with me when they are older . I would love to pass on the skills I have learned so they can continue to keep the name and business going in the future .
What made you decide to start your own business ?
Prior to starting my own business , I had been in education learning my craft . The gentleman I served my time and with who taught me everything I know was nearing 80 years of age and with covid on the horizon he decided it was time for him hang up his tools and sell up . At that point it was either sign up for jobseekers or step outside my comfort zone and take the biggest leap of faith to offer my services and go on my own . Luckily I ’ ve never looked back in the 3 years of working for myself .
Where does James Oliver Joinery come from ?
My dad was a painter and decorator by trade and in 2014 he very suddenly passed away aged 46 , this as you can imagine affected me deeply . I already had 2 sons as mentioned called James & Oliver . I would of loved to have had the opportunity to work with my dad but sadly it never happened , this is why I would love to involve my sons in my business when they are old enough . The skills and work ethic I can teach them is so important .
How do you work sustainably ?
I buy my products straight from the hardwood importer , mainly consisting of European prime grade oak that still has the bark left on the planks . Buying straight from the importer lets me decide what is needed for each bespoke job reducing as much waste as possible . At that point it ’ s in its roughest form , I then plane it up and produce all the components I need .
Any offcuts from installations are all used in some way , even a clients son producing a jenga tower from old spindles . My oak shavings go to a local butcher who has a smoker and makes all his smoked meat with it . Can you tell I hate waste ?
What experience do you have in the industry ?
As mentioned in an earlier question , I served my time for 7 years with a great mentor , that taught me old and new woodworking techniques . I am now into my 4th year trading and have over 100 staircase renovations under my belt . I would also like to point out that I work alone , everything from my first introduction to you to oiling your finished installation you deal with only me . That is important to me for customer care and continuity .
I ’ ve had first hand experience of the machines at my leisure but first we had to master the hand tools . These machines , the planer thicknesser , spindle moulder , mortise & tenon never had computers that they come with today . Old Victorian mouldings you can no longer buy off the shelf , I was making my own cutters and producing exact replicas bespoke . Whatever we made we also then went and fitted so had plenty of onsite experience too . We made things as simple as a wooden sash window - curved bay windows , staircase renewals and staircase renovations . Internal doors - external doors . Spoilt some would say .
A lot of the industry ’ s timber is mass produced and nothing like it was 30-40 years ago so in a way I ’ ve always felt privileged to work with natural solid quality woods from all around the world .
What makes your staircases different from all the rest ?
Well , when we talk staircases , to me they are a luxury item but when the time comes to upgrade we should naturally want it to be the best it could possibly be , right ? The hallway is the first thing you enter into when you walk into a house and the staircase being one of the first features you ’ ll see . So it ’ s very important to have that wow factor for yourself & everyone to see and witness .
During my time I noticed a gap in the market , near all oak staircases today are made from engineered oak which is basically a mass produced timber with no real character or features other than its constructed of oak . It can feature unsightly joins in the
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