A Bench Joiners Story of Skill, Social Media and Generational Trade - Meet Sal

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Sal, a skilled bench joiner from Nottingham, whose passion for woodworking runs deep through generations of family tradition. Sal opens up about her journey into the craft, painting a vivid picture of the artistry behind handmade joinery and the everyday challenges of sourcing quality materials.

She shares what it’s like working side by side with her father, offering a heartfelt glimpse into the dynamics of a family-run trade. Sal also champions the push to empower more women in skilled trades, and reveals how social media has become a powerful tool in growing her business and connecting with a wider audience.

From preserving a traditional craft in a modern world to celebrating standout projects that make her proud, Sal’s story is full of insight, passion, and purpose. Plus, don’t miss the quickfire round at the end—where we get to know the woman behind the bench with some light-hearted, personal questions.

Key Takeaways

• Sal grew up in a family business, learning joinery from a young age.
• She emphasizes the importance of handmade craftsmanship in her work.
• Sourcing materials has become more complex due to local closures.
• Working with family can be challenging but rewarding.
• Sal is part of a movement empowering women in trades.
• Social media has significantly helped grow her business.
• Traditional skills in joinery are at risk of dying out. 
• She takes pride in notable projects he has completed.
• Sal enjoys sharing tips and insights through social media.
• She believes having a trade is a valuable skill for the future.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Sal's Journey

02:55 The Art of Handmade Joinery

05:57 Family Business Dynamics

09:01 Innovative Projects and Custom Requests

12:07 Social Media and Business Growth

14:55 Challenges in the Trade

16:46 Working with Listed Buildings

17:55 Personal Insights and Quickfire Round

23:30 Future Guests and Social Media Presence

25:06 Thanks for listening

Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:11)

I'm Sal, a bench joiner from Nottingham.

Speaker 1 (00:14)

Thanks for sharing your time with me this morning. know you're probably very busy. ⁓ thank you. So yeah, let's just get straight into it. Tell me a little bit about how you got into your trade specifically, because it's not just typical joinery, is it?

Speaker 2 (00:32)

No, so I've always grew up in the family business, working alongside my dad and sweeping the workshop and doing like little bits in school holidays. And when I was at school, I was helping him, even if it's you know, tidying up, tidying his office or stuff like that. And I left school, started lockdown and because of the COVID pandemic and everything. then I went straight, straight into working with him. I just wanted to do it and started helping him.

just like every so often. And then when the restrictions started to lift and then got an apprenticeship and then went to college one day a week to do the course and everything. So that's basically how it all started. And then I've been doing it, I think it's coming up five years now since I've started. wow. Cause obviously the pandemic was about five years now. So yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:20)

didn't time fly?

Speaker 2 (01:22)

Yeah, it goes past.

Speaker 1 (01:24)

⁓ So like we've just touched on, your specific trade isn't your everyday joinery. Can you tell me what a typical day looks like for you and what you work on?

Speaker 2 (01:34)

Yeah, so basically I manufacture things. So we produce and make everything all ourselves. So a lot of things you can buy in nowadays and it's like already manufactured, but it's like done all on a machine and computerized and everything, but we do it all by hand. So we'd stood on a machine, pushing it through and pushing the timbers through and stuff. it's all like handwork and handmade. So like we specialize in drive gates ⁓ and we put in the description that they're all handmade because we

you know, take the time to make them all by scratch and stuff. it's not just standard like knocking a bit of wood together and stuff.

Speaker 1 (02:10)

Yeah. Wicked. So there's a lot of precision then in your trade. With it being very precise and handmade, what sort of tools do you need? Say if somebody wanted to start up themselves, what would be a basic set of tools that someone would need to do your kind of role?

Speaker 2 (02:27)

You would need a good set of hand tools like chisels and planes and stuff like that, like old school hand tools. But you will need, if you want to do a lot of manufacturing stuff, you will need like the basic machinery. So you need like a mortar saw and a planer and just the standard little bits to get you started. And then you can build up over time to get the like bigger machines, like CNCs and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 (02:49)

Okay.

So effectively you'd end up really needing a sizeable workshop then.

Speaker 2 (02:55)

Yeah, you'll need a workspace, like you can start off in a garage, but you'll need like, it will get to a point where you like running out of room and you need more room and stuff. So we've like, we've been doing that, like getting bigger and bigger and then we're downsizing now and then we're getting bigger. Yeah, it's, it's like a circle.

Speaker 1 (03:11)

I've seen on a couple of your stories where you're having to mend ⁓ the extraction duct. ⁓

Speaker 2 (03:18)

That's annoying that is. It's more tape than pipe now it's got to that point.

Speaker 1 (03:24)

It looks like it's been put through the ringer anyway. It's used a lot.

Speaker 2 (03:28)

Yeah,

it's used, like every day it must be used, so every day there's a new hole as well.

Speaker 1 (03:35)

I guess you got to keep the workshop tidy though, haven't you? So what aspects of your trade do you enjoy the most?

Speaker 2 (03:45)

I like seeing a job go from start to finish, especially if you fit in the job as well. like with the gates, ⁓ it will come in in a pack of timber, so like long lengths of timber. And then we've got to plane it up and make the gates out of it. And then when we go fit it and they're like in front of the customer's house or whatever, that's like a big thing because it's like you've seen the whole process of it going through. So yeah, I like to see things like that. And then when they send pictures, when they've been painted, that's like, yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:13)

Where do you tend to source your materials from? they all local?

Speaker 2 (04:21)

We used to use a local timber merchant that got taken over by Jusons. But now they've closed down so the one in Nottingham is no longer there. So we have to order it in from Sheffield I think it is. And there's one in Sheffield that we use and we to order packs in now so we can't just go and pick up for a job. Before we could drive over and pick up so much timber for what we needed for that job and then bring it back.

now we've got ordering packs because obviously it's got to be delivered in and stuff. ⁓

Speaker 1 (04:51)

Yeah,

worth the travel and basically buying books.

Speaker 2 (04:56)

Yeah,

and then you've got to think about like how long it's going to take for it to arrive and their delivery times and all that. So you got to work all that in now.

Speaker 1 (05:04)

Yeah.

So how do you find working with your dad then? Is it just your dad in the family business?

Speaker 2 (05:13)

So my mum does some of the office side at home and then me and my dad are in the office and we just do all the manufacturing and stuff together. ⁓ We've had people working with us before and my cousin used to work with us but it's come down to just me my dad now and we're just getting on each other's nerves all the time. We get on, we get on but sometimes it's tough but it's good. It's good to have a person there who you know and you can work well with.

Speaker 1 (05:39)

Definitely, knows your ins and outs and like your patterns of how you work and stuff. I it's nice to have that support. Definitely.

Speaker 2 (05:47)

Yeah, it's good to have someone to fall back on if you need them and stuff.

Speaker 1 (05:53)

How

long she's up in the trade whilst we're on the subject?

Speaker 2 (05:57)

a

long time. in his 60s now, yeah. He's been doing it since he was younger. My granddad was a bench joiner. wow. And I think I'm the fourth generation. I think my great granddad was as well. Wow. And he started off doing boat building and stuff because he's from Kent, so he used to boat building and stuff like that. And then he's just got different things in line and stuff. And now we mainly do drive gates, but we do doors and windows and...

We do all sorts for our loopbox.

Speaker 1 (06:28)

And are you busy?

Speaker 2 (06:29)

Yeah, with it's been quiet and then it's been busy and then it goes quiet again, but it's, there's always people want stuff like manufacturing and stuff. It's never going to be like the end of anything because everyone's always going to want something made like that. So yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:45)

Yeah. And do people come to you for kind of outside the box creations and just ask like off a whim, would you create this for me?

Speaker 2 (06:57)

Yeah, we do have, again, on the gates, we have some people that come with designs that they want certain, like designs in the gates. I think my dad's done initials in gates and stuff like that before. Because we have set gates that we do, but if they want a design, we can make it to their design that they have. But we do get people come in with, like, I had a guy the other year with a bench seat, like a seat of a bench. OK. And it was from...

It was from a sports arena that he used to go and watch a sport at and he wanted it making into a bench for him to use. So I had to like make the seat into the bench and stuff. um, that was like an experience that I had cause he was, he was over the moon with it, but it was like, he brought it in. He's like, can you make a bench? And I was like, yeah, of course.

Speaker 1 (07:43)

⁓ Wow, that sounds good.

Speaker 2 (07:46)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's sometimes things are like different like that and you just get, but you just want to like do everything really and try and make everyone happy and stuff. So definitely. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:57)

Cool. So you told me, or I've seen rather, prior to today, that you were creating a bit of an office. Is that part of like an expansion or is it just to make your life easier?

Speaker 2 (08:08)

So,

well, we've not had an office in the workshop we're in at the minute and it seems to be we just have a shelf with all the paperwork on and it's it's full of dust and stuff and you're looking for pieces of paper and you're like, I just can't find anything. So we've built an office because ⁓ my dad's friend has moved into our workshop as well. So because he's a guy on his own, so he's like, sharing the workshop and stuff. we've basically got an office to share and it's going to be, you know,

better for us we can go in there and be on the phone and stuff because at the minute you have to go outside to be on the phone because you can't hear anything with the machines on. We've got to have somewhere early but it's just been a long time coming but it's still in the process of building but we're getting there.

Speaker 1 (08:44)

Yeah.

Awesome. Awesome. I've also seen that you've got a link with a brand. Is it Fisher?

Speaker 2 (09:01)

Yeah, so I did a podcast with Fisher. I recorded that in November last year. And then that got released earlier this year. But that was just out of the blue thing. They were just looking for somebody to come on and I just put myself forward. That was like a jump out the comfort zone thing. Yeah. I just put myself forward and then I drove, I think it was Staffordshire. Okay. I think it was Staffordshire. So I drove down there into a studio. Nice. And recorded that.

Speaker 1 (09:31)

Okay. Have you got sort of a link with that brand now afterwards or?

Speaker 2 (09:36)

Yeah, ⁓ they gave a load of workwear and some tools and stuff so I can tag them in social posts and stuff like that so it produces more stuff for them and that.

Speaker 1 (09:49)

I saw ⁓ International Women's Day was a big one for you as well, was it not?

Speaker 2 (09:54)

Yeah, it's been so much like this year. So we have like a chat on Instagram with a load of girl traders in the store and they put on there about B &Q were doing a like thing for women in trades and they wanted people to go for like put themselves forward and you have to travel down to Southampton. Oh wow. And do like a photo shoot and stuff for them.

But it was strange because they had to be in like normal clothes, but you had to have a tool with you to like represent your training and everything. So when we was going there, we like didn't know what to expect and stuff, but it was a good experience. They got to meet other female trains as well. And it's, they're going to make a big thing out of it. And there was little kids involved as well. So there's like younger people in younger generation and stuff. So it was, it was good to get everyone together and make the big thing out of it. So I think they're just going to keep releasing things over time. It's not just like.

Women's Day. It's going to be overtime as well.

Speaker 1 (10:57)

Well,

that's good because I've seen certain people on socials mention kind of how they're not kind of keen on the hype of a singular day to celebrate women. So it's good to know that such a big brand like B &Q are going to be continually supporting instead of just doing that singular day.

Speaker 2 (11:20)

So they're going to like put it in their stores and we have to sign like a consent thing say and can it go like Internationally as well. So, you know showing it all over and stuff. So that was quite good. So no, they're going to be out there and stuff. Yeah

Speaker 1 (11:35)

And I bet it was really nice to talk to all the other women as well, I wanted to.

Speaker 2 (11:39)

Some

people in on social media platforms and then some didn't do that. So it was good to get to know different people and how they got around doing work and stuff. So there was like a few from different trades. It was on a two day thing. So there's half of us went on the Saturday and half went on the Sunday. So I didn't get to meet all the people, but they like did to put it all together as it was all there together. So it was quite good how they did that.

Speaker 1 (12:07)

Yeah, with that big picture with your sat.

Speaker 2 (12:09)

Yeah,

that's Half was the Saturday and then half was the Sunday and just put it together.

Speaker 1 (12:15)

Yeah. Clever. Do you use your socials much? Do you find that it's a big part of your business, of your family business?

Speaker 2 (12:25)

It started as I've grown, because to start with, only had about 100 followers. I was just going to do it as my portfolio for college and, you know, like show my work and stuff. And I didn't think I'd get anywhere. And now it's like starting to grow and grow. I'm like, oh, like confidence is coming out everywhere wanting me to like show their stuff and that. So I've had quite a few this year that have caught in touch and said they want me to be like an ambassador and stuff. Wow.

and it's trying to remember and I've got to get the time to film the content and stuff so it's quite hard to juggle it sometimes. Yeah. But there's quite a few jobs that are coming from it as well so on my TikTok I've shown a load of my gates on video and I had a few people come forward like where can I order these from, can I get in touch and I'm like giving it all out and stuff so. Awesome. I've had a few people around Nottingham who have saw it and I've got some jobs for them and I've done some jobs for them now so.

That's great. It has brought jobs in, is good. I feel like I'm getting somewhere. Yay!

Speaker 1 (13:27)

It's crazy how useful it can be from all angles. There's so much opportunity from it, isn't there?

Speaker 2 (13:34)

Yeah,

you can get anything, like if you just put your mind to it, you can just do anything.

Speaker 1 (13:39)

then it's about finding the time to commit to it, it? That's half the battle.

Speaker 2 (13:45)

Yeah, so a lot of the time, like, I'll not get a chance to film if I'm like rushing a job or something, but if I've got a bit of time, I'll just set the camera up and just show, or if I've got like a top tip, I tend to do that a lot, like straightening timber or how to do something, because a lot, guess so many people ask me questions and it's like, it's easier to just show a video than try and explain it over like messaging and stuff,

Speaker 1 (14:06)

Definitely. It's nice that you've kind of figured out that easier option that works for you, but also gives the answers and the results that the other people are looking for. Yeah. Yeah, that's great.

Speaker 2 (14:19)

Some

people do come forward, there's like a couple of girls who wanted to get into like bench joinery and stuff. So they have like come forward about how to get into the college courses and they don't want to be the only girl on the course and all that. So and I can relate to that because I was the only girl on my course and it wasn't like it wasn't the best. There's only about six or seven of us in the class, but they said that was going to be the last class ⁓ for apprenticeships. They wasn't going to offer it anymore in Nottingham. So.

I'm not entirely sure why it's gone like that. I it's just dying down or whatever, so nobody wants to do it.

Speaker 1 (14:55)

That's such a shame because all these specific, like precision hands on trades, like old school, so to speak, it's so sad to see or hear that they might be dying out because it's an art, isn't it? Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:11)

I mean to do my final exam, the practical one, I had to travel to Leeds to do that because they didn't offer it in the college where I was at, in Nottingham. And I think the site, if you did site, I think you had to go to Stoke-on-Trent for that as well. So it's just, yeah, it's not very, it's sort of like nobody wants to do it. Nobody wants to get into it, but once you're in it, it's quite good and it's a good skill to have, like all the development stuff.

Speaker 1 (15:38)

It's like people say if you've got a trade, it's always something you can fall back on.

Speaker 2 (15:42)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so it's so much good to have.

Speaker 1 (15:45)

Definitely. Can you kind of think of, I like to know sort of their most challenging jobs that they've done or one that they're maybe most proud of.

Speaker 2 (15:59)

I did do a big front door for a big place in the center of Nottingham. It was like right in the center. And as you can like park there and as you walk into like Nottingham town center, you have to walk past it and you have to walk by like, yeah, I made that door. But it's quite, it's quite a big door and it had all moldings and stuff on. So I think that was like one of the big first jobs I did, like where it was like on my own. I didn't have any really help from it. It was just like, just cracked it up.

And then I went to fit it as well. that was another thing. But yeah, that's probably one of my most proudest jobs that I've done because it's like there and I could just walk past it like, yeah, that's brilliant.

Speaker 1 (16:39)

I love that. It's like, I'll have to figure out where that is. Well, you'll have to tell me off camera. It's like when a builder or even myself as a decorator, you drive past the house and it's like, ⁓ yeah, I worked on that one. worked on that one. So that was ⁓ your favourite one, the one you're most proud of. Can you think of a challenging one that...

Speaker 2 (16:55)

It was not so much. Yeah.

Jobs that are like windows where they've got to have, if they're finished with building and they've got to have the specific mouldings and you've got to have everything like for like and it's got to be exact. think that's the most challenging thing because they've got to be right. And if you've got building control or, you know, like the cats will come in out to see it. It's just, you've got to make sure they're right. Otherwise they'll just turn it down and you've got to start again. So, ⁓ it's got to like...

And we've got so many, we've got a box about this big and it's just full of cutters to put on the machines to make mouldings. So it's like finding the right mouldings and getting it right and so many try pieces and stuff. So I say that's like the most challenging when you've got to do stuff for listed buildings and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 (17:46)

Okay, and do do much work on listed buildings?

Speaker 2 (17:49)

Yeah, we've recently done a full window renovation for a property in Calverton in Nottingham. Wow. And it was I think it was an old factory of some sort. And they were turning it into two flats. So they wanted all the windows replaced. But because it was listed, they had to be like all wooden windows and they had to be the same. So we ended up taking them out and then like measuring them and then making it to put back in and stuff like that. it was quite good. And we was all on it. So was all like working together to get it done because they

There were so many of them in there, was quite a big place. But yeah, we got it all done.

Speaker 1 (18:25)

It sounds like a lot of process, like check in and say, measure twice, cut once, so to speak.

Speaker 2 (18:31)

Yeah,

yeah, then you've got to dry fix it together and then if it don't go together correctly, then you've got to take it apart. And it's so many times to put it together and take it apart, you got to do in the process. But if you get there, it's all worth it.

Speaker 1 (18:44)

That's

the main thing. That is the main thing. So I like to do a bit of a quick fire round as well. just to touch a bit more about you as a person, it's just totally random, bit of fun. ready? Driver or passenger?

Speaker 2 (19:01)

Yeah, I'm ready.

A driver.

Speaker 1 (19:06)

Yeah, don't really like being a passenger then.

Speaker 2 (19:09)

I

prefer to drive myself somewhere. Always in my van.

Speaker 1 (19:12)

I'm the same. Yeah,

definitely. Hand tools or power tools? ⁓

Speaker 2 (19:21)

I'd ⁓ say hand tools because you can do a lot with hand tools. That's quite hard actually. No yeah I'd say hand tools because if you've got to think about your batteries being charged and stuff and somewhere for electric so your hand tools you can always use so yeah I'm going with hand tools. Gotcha.

Speaker 1 (19:31)

Ha ha.

Awesome. To your coffee.

Speaker 2 (19:46)

I'd say tea, but I'm not ready to see your coffee drinker. We'll go with tea. No, I'm more of a water and hot chocolate person. Fair enough. Yeah, we'll say tea because it's alright.

Speaker 1 (19:58)

Fair play. A sunshine holiday or a cold holiday?

Speaker 2 (20:03)

⁓ sunshine all the way. I the winter. Yeah, I hate the winter. Sunshine is just, yeah, that's the one.

Speaker 1 (20:04)

It's kind of a no brainer.

holidays booked yourself this year?

Speaker 2 (20:15)

Yes, I'm going away in the middle of June. I'm going to New York with my friend because we both turned 21 and end of May started June, so we're going to both go away. So I've got so much to look forward to, to have a week off in the sun.

Speaker 1 (20:29)

Yeah, you've got to something to look forward to for sure.

Speaker 2 (20:33)

Yeah, you've got to make sure these things are booked.

Speaker 1 (20:36)

and

they book them in ahead. Yeah. I got to a point this year where I was booking into September and I'm like, I haven't got any time off.

Speaker 2 (20:44)

Yeah, it's like you need need that just you just need a week where you can just like no work Turn the work phone off. That's it

Speaker 1 (20:49)

Absolutely.

⁓

That's another struggle, isn't it, with being self-employed? You've got to remember to factor in time for yourself, haven't you?

Speaker 2 (21:00)

Yeah, I find it quite hard to be fair, like having time off. I always like never have the time off when I'm supposed to and stuff. But I tend to leave the weekends free for doing things that I only work the occasional Saturday if I need to. But it's the weekends are like my time to do go and do all the stuff. No work. Leave that for the week. ⁓

Speaker 1 (21:22)

I agree. So hanging doors or hanging gates?

Speaker 2 (21:28)

Hanging gates, because I know that now. That's done. I do do hanging doors, but you know, there's still fire doors and stuff are quite difficult to do with the special. And you've got like overhead closers and stuff. ⁓ yeah. They can be quite tricky. So we're going to say gates because that's my speciality.

Speaker 1 (21:48)

Yeah, I thought you'd say that one. ⁓ Cats or dogs?

Speaker 2 (21:53)

I'm not really a dog person, no. I know. Yeah. ⁓

Speaker 1 (21:58)

Fair enough, fair enough. Take away or meal out.

Speaker 2 (22:03)

I'd take away. I'd do love a good take away of softens.

Speaker 1 (22:06)

Yeah, what's your preference?

Speaker 2 (22:08)

⁓ I like Chinese, but I like a pizza as well. A pizza is like my thing. Nice.

Speaker 1 (22:17)

And last but not least, football or rugby?

Speaker 2 (22:21)

Football, I play football so it's gotta be football.

Speaker 1 (22:25)

Wicked. Did you watch any at the weekend?

Speaker 2 (22:29)

Yeah, I watched the forest match at Wembley yesterday, but we lost.

Speaker 1 (22:34)

Yeah,

we won't talk about that result. ⁓

Speaker 2 (22:38)

Yes, we'll just leave that.

Speaker 1 (22:40)

Moving on.

If you could be another trade, what would it be and why? ⁓

Speaker 2 (22:48)

That's

quite difficult. quite like watching plasterers plaster. I find it really satisfying, but it's really messy. don't, okay, I get covered in sawdust all the time. I'll come home with sawdust all over my socks and stuff, but I don't know if I could do with the plaster and all that in your hair and stuff like that. I did do a tiny bit of plastering that was quite, it's like only circle about this thing. I was like, oh, I'm proud of that. But yeah, I've watched the plasterer who we sometimes get on jobs and I find it satisfying. How did I?

put it on the stuff, so. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (23:19)

smooth it out.

That's a good choice. Awesome. Now I've got a question that I've not actually asked anybody else yet. Who do you think I should have on the show next or what trade do think I should have on the show next?

Speaker 2 (23:23)

Yeah.

⁓

that's a maybe an electrician or someone that sort of trade because they like there's a lot of complicated well it looks complicated so we put the wires and stuff they might have a good story about things like that yeah yeah maybe a electrician I'm gonna say

Speaker 1 (23:49)

Yeah.

Cool. All right. I'll get my finger out then and see who can find.

Speaker 2 (24:03)

Yeah, see if you can find anyone.

Speaker 1 (24:06)

Okay, so where can people find you on your socials? What's your handles?

Speaker 2 (24:11)

So,

the Ben's Joiners Daughter on Instagram. I have got a Facebook page up and running as well, so the Ben's Joiners Daughter on Facebook. And then I'm on TikTok as well, so just search the Ben's Joiners Daughter, you'll find me. You'll find my little gates and stuff, ⁓

Speaker 1 (24:27)

Brilliant. Well, I'll make sure that your handles and your links and everything are at the bottom of the show notes so everyone can find you anyway. yeah, thanks so much for your time Sal. It's been cool.

Speaker 2 (24:38)

It's all

right. Yeah, yeah, it's been good. Thank you for giving me the opportunity for doing this.

Speaker 1 (24:44)

you're welcome. We'll maybe get you on again later down the road. You're going? Yeah. Wicked. All right. Well, have a great day. I hope you get to enjoy some of the sunshine because it's glorious outside. That's it. Once they're out, that's it. Brilliant. Well, cool. I hope to speak to you again soon.

Speaker 2 (24:56)

I've got the shorts out now, the shorts are out.

Yeah, that's

Lovely. Thank you.