8:50am Thursday 15th July 2010
By Gill Oliver
Anyone who complains that young people are lazy and lack commitment should meet Jack Clifton. Since the age of 16, he has been solidly grafting — mastering a trade, building up a business and displaying an impressive level of drive and determination along the way.
A bespoke joiner, Mr Clifton specialises in crafting wooden fittings and furniture such as staircases, kitchens, summer rooms, doors, windows and wardrobes.
His explained: “I design and make beautiful things to go in people’s houses. I can craft just about anything made of wood and tailor it to fit a client’s needs.”
He sees his work as a collaborative process.
“Usually, people have an idea of what they want, but they ask my opinion because I have a good eye for what looks right. I come up with some ideas, do some drawings and they add their input.”
Mr Clifton, 24, fell into joinery more by accident than design.
He explained: “Like many students, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and was wondering whether I should go to university.
“But since I was always very good at maths and being creative at school, I decided I would rather use my talent to create things and learn from someone with a lot of experience, instead of from books and tutors.”
As a result, he left Wheatley Park School at 16 to sign up for a four-year apprenticeship with Abingdon-based joiner Martin Wyatt.
During this time he studied a carpentry and joinery course at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College through block and day-release.
For the first two years, he managed on £90 a week, although that later rose to £160. When he was 20, he decided to strike out on his own and set up Jack Clifton Joinery, a decision he has never regretted.
“I wanted to design, as well as make things and I work better when I can make the decisions and plan it out myself,” he said.
His biggest projects have been extensive work on two houses — one in Wootton, near Abingdon, the other in north Oxford.
“The house in Wootton belonged to my dad and was the first job I did on my own. I made two oak staircases, an ash kitchen and ash roofs and windows.
“At the other house, in Moreton Road, I designed and made 30 internal doors, 28 sliding sash windows, external doors and various other pieces.
“I’m now making a curved mahogany staircase with a steel railing for another house.
“There won’t be many of these around, which is important to me, because I try to make all my work unique.”
The fact he has not had to advertise during the past four years suggests he must be doing something right.
“My work has come by word-of-mouth, although I have just got myself a website and am listed in Yellow Pages for the first time,” he said.
When he started his business, he struggled in rather unsatisfactory conditions.
“My dad’s shed was my workshop. It wasn’t much fun, as it was too cramped.”
The result was that two-and-a-half years ago he set up a workshop on a nearby farm.
“I grew up in Garsington, so I already knew the village and the owners of the farm,” he said.
It was a real slog for him to acquire the equipment needed for his business.
He explained: “I have had to save up bit-by-bit over the years and buy one machine at a time. I am just about there now. It has been quite hard, but now I am set up for life.”
Although creative people often find the routine administration that goes with running a business challenging, Mr Clifton takes a philosophical attitude.
“It comes with the territory, if you want to work for yourself. Being self-employed has pros and cons. The pros are that I can have days off when it suits me, and you can earn more money — if you do it right.
“But you can’t just slack off when you feel like it, and sometimes I work very long hours. When I have lots of work on, I work during the day and then in the evenings I do the paperwork and price-up other jobs.
“It can be really tiring, moving heavy bits of timber and joining them together, so I am pretty shattered by the end of it,” he added.
However, he has no immediate plans to take on employees.
“Maybe in five or six years’ time, when I am 30, it would be nice to have a team of three or four of us. But at the moment, I am taking it a step at a time.”
Name: Jack Clifton Joinery Established: 2006 Owner: Jack Clifton Number of staff: One Annual turnover: Confidential
Contact: 07984 466325 or 01865 361748 E-mail: jackclifton86@googlemail.com Web: www.jackcliftonjoinery.co.uk
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