Page 90 - 2010 - AOUT
P. 90
s month AIM is delighted to introduce Graham and his father used to go on at him to “get rid of all those
Ann Marie Simpkin to our readers. They are specialists great big machines and start making miniatures” he
in the making and marketing of scale dolls house floor said it was more challenging, used less wood and
tiles and miniature shop fittings. It is also a delight to demanded higher levels of skill and accuracy.
see that miniature skills are still being passed from one Eventually, Graham was worn down and he agreed to
generation to the next in a traditional manner. give it a try. He spent three weeks with his father,
Graham Simpkin was apprenticed as a joiner/ learning the how and why of miniature tables, chairs
cabinetmaker and worked in this trade for a few years. etc. Graham loved it straight away; it seemed to
Later, he worked in the automotive industry as a combine his love of working wood with the enjoyment
manufacturing craftsman, mostly programming of working to close tolerances as in engineering.
industrial robots and setting up and maintaining Graham went home and started to sell off his large
automatic assembly lines. He always kept on with the tools and set up a miniature workshop.
woodwork and had a workshop full of large machinery
including a monster of a pattern makers lathe over 12 After the first training session at his dads, in early
feet long. 1992, Graham started off by making a batch of kitchen
type tables and small side tables, nine in all, and took
His father lived in London and supplied some of the them off down to London to get
shops there with miniature furniture that he made in some “constructive criticism”
his small garden workshop. Every time Graham visited from his father.
Artisans In Miniature 90
Ann Marie Simpkin to our readers. They are specialists great big machines and start making miniatures” he
in the making and marketing of scale dolls house floor said it was more challenging, used less wood and
tiles and miniature shop fittings. It is also a delight to demanded higher levels of skill and accuracy.
see that miniature skills are still being passed from one Eventually, Graham was worn down and he agreed to
generation to the next in a traditional manner. give it a try. He spent three weeks with his father,
Graham Simpkin was apprenticed as a joiner/ learning the how and why of miniature tables, chairs
cabinetmaker and worked in this trade for a few years. etc. Graham loved it straight away; it seemed to
Later, he worked in the automotive industry as a combine his love of working wood with the enjoyment
manufacturing craftsman, mostly programming of working to close tolerances as in engineering.
industrial robots and setting up and maintaining Graham went home and started to sell off his large
automatic assembly lines. He always kept on with the tools and set up a miniature workshop.
woodwork and had a workshop full of large machinery
including a monster of a pattern makers lathe over 12 After the first training session at his dads, in early
feet long. 1992, Graham started off by making a batch of kitchen
type tables and small side tables, nine in all, and took
His father lived in London and supplied some of the them off down to London to get
shops there with miniature furniture that he made in some “constructive criticism”
his small garden workshop. Every time Graham visited from his father.
Artisans In Miniature 90
