25 Degree Woodworks

In this season of Thanksgiving, I pause in humble gratitude. Grateful to God for the hands, the vision, and the quiet moments that shape my craft. This altar, built in cherry, spalted maple, walnut, and paulownia, is a prayer made tangible.

As I reflect on what I’ve been blessed with, I wonder, what are you most thankful for this year? Do tell in the comments, I’d love to celebrate with you.

Also, soon I’ll be unveiling something special: a bespoke whisky cabinet of great celebratory significance to me. DM me if you’d like to learn more.

For the collector who understands that true luxury lies in mastery and material.

These bubinga boxes were commissioned to house twelve Perceval steak knives each — made for a client with a refined appreciation for rare timbers and fine craftsmanship. African bubinga, among the most visually complex and unforgiving of hardwoods, demands an uncommon level of precision and sensitivity.

Every dovetail in this piece was cut with deliberate restraint — proportioned to complement, not compete with, the figure of the wood. The surfaces were brought to life through a slow, exacting polishing process, layered over several days and finished with a hand-rubbed hardwax oil to achieve a quiet depth of lustre.

Projects like these are rare — they sit at the intersection of design, discipline, and devotion to the material. This is the kind of work that reminds me why I do what I do.

— Joshua Ram | 25 Degree Woodworks

P.S. Scroll to the end to check out the chatoyance.

📸: some pictures were captured by

I'm delighted to share the vitrines I created for 's exhibition earlier this year. Bringing an artist's concept to reality through my craftsmanship was fulfilling. I worked with float glass, cherry wood, and designed bespoke components for incense, candles, and glass tubes.

📸 credits to for the studio shots.

This piece could have been the end of my craft.
But by the grace of God, it wasn’t.

At first glance, this might look like just a beautiful, handcrafted photobooth—cherry wood and custom-machined brass fittings.

But behind the polish is a story most will never see.

I went through a brutal personal season.
The kind that strips everything down to the bone.
The kind that makes you question your worth, your calling, your future, your purpose, your identity.

There came a point where I nearly lost my ability—and my will—to keep woodworking. Not just as a career, but as a part of who I am.

I asked myself more than once, over several builds:
“Is this the last thing I’ll ever build?”

In Singapore, where the odds are stacked against crafts like this—rising rents, disappearing space, endless pressure to be ‘practical’—it felt like the end.

And yet, somehow, I kept building.

Every cut. Every joint. Every shaving of cherry in this project was done with the weight of finality. If this was going to be my last piece, it had to carry my soul.

But the season passed.
Not by my strength—I had none left—but by the providence and mercy of God.

And I’m still here.
Stronger. Clearer.
More grounded in my purpose than ever before.

So no, this isn’t just a photobooth.
It’s a marker in time. A testimony. A declaration in timber and brass.

I don’t build furniture.
I build meaning—from my hands, my scars, and my faith.

This piece, and everything that follows, is dedicated to the God who saw me through.

If you’ve ever faced a season that made you question your purpose, tell me in the comments—how did you find your way?

So these are a couple of Church pews that needed the doors and front panel replaced.

The challenge was to pre fabricate all the parts before arriving on site for a quick installation so as to not interrupt Church activities. This meant measurements had to be bang on with butt hinges that afforded no adjustability and the original pew being quite old with none of the parts being square. Matching the finish was also something that took some trial and error but it all worked out nicely.

Installation was completed expediently and I am quite pleased with the results! It’s always a pleasure to be working in the Church!

Some time ago I was called in to build some holy water fonts, for a local Catholic Church that needed some.

Here are some pictures of the holy water fonts in the shop and in their final home. The fonts are made of White Oak with a stain from Rubio Monocoat and the bowls are marble!

This project led to a little more work in the church which I’ll post soon, so stay tuned!

Some time ago I got an interesting request. It seemed like just fun at the time that I got the request. It was for a dice storage box and tower for playing dungeons and dragons.

I did not realise that this project would save my mental health and help me uncover so much about myself and my purpose. It took me through perhaps the darkest times of my life so far and helped me love myself when I found it hard to. It’s truly a blessing from God that even when things seem as bad as they can be, my hands have been gifted the ability to do work that is pleasing to God. I am thankful for this box.

It is made of Cherry and White Oak with calf leather trimmings. The engravings are involved and detailed and the box is held entirely by just hand cut dovetails. The box was built with only hand tools, right from the milling stage, with the exceptions of the laser engravings.

Let me know your thoughts on the box, do you love it?

Last month I completed and delivered this little cart for a client.

The cart was an absolute joy to build amidst the many things happening around me. It offered me some quiet contemplation to enjoy the peace and satisfaction of shop sounds and scents.

The table is made in Ash with a mitred walnut frame. As I built it, it occured to me that this piece is one that I am building for another distinguished craftsperson (and culinary artist, I’m sure) in his own right, chef . Just this realisation along had me quite excited to see how I could build something that would be used by another craftsperson to do and present their best work. I imagine it’s how toolmakers must feel.

Following the delivery of this piece, I enjoyed a sumptuous meal at and tasted the genius of Chef Jeremy. It was a wonderful meal and I throughly enjoyed it, their service staff definitely demonstrated standards that have set the bar for me to aspire to. Also, I got to enjoy observing my creation in use, living its best life. I left the restaurant that day with a full tummy and a very full heart, blissfully aware of why I do what I do.

I invite you to experience the gastronomic journey Chef Jeremy will take you on, and when you do, I hope you’ll notice my little cart.

A white oak and maple coffee table, that effectively doubles as very comfortable bench for 2. The dimensions are also great for a more intimate living room.

I built this piece with Windsor style tapered mortise tenon joinery. The legs I turned myself, from hard maple. I’ve held on to this 13inch wide 8/4 white oak board for several years now and decided that I’d use it for this build.

I decided on the rake and splay entirely by hand and by eye, depending on just a single bevel gauge and sight lines that felt right to me. The rest was a balancing act prioritising symmetry. I leaned heavily on the things I’ve learnt from Mike Dunbar ( ).

This piece was started from just a phone conversation and the rest was up to me. The entire build process was organic and flowed very nicely. It was very very cathartic to work on this piece amidst all the things happening in life at the moment.

So as the year draws to a close today I thought I’d share with you guys the final build of 2023.

This is a table built from a design that I’ve previously built (with different angles, dimensions and finishings that I’ve since improved on) the legs are angled this way to create some clearance for your knees when seated on a swivel chair.

The table is made in white oak and was an absolute pleasure to build. It is finished in Rubio Monocoat and then waxed.

This table was by far the most satisfying build I’ve had this year, definitely the most memorable.

Happy New Year guys, I hope 2024 is a great year ahead for you all.

As the year reaches its end I thought I’d share another one of my more fun builds this year. This is a study desk in Ash and was an absolute blast to build. The taper on the legs were done manually

As I built this desk I thought a lot about how blessed I am to have found something I love doing so much. At the end of the build, I was thoroughly thankful for the opportunities afforded to me to allow me to do what I truly believe I was put on earth to do.

While my finished pieces are often what I share here, I do wish I could share with you all the joy of the process. I often get so enthralled in the process that I cannot extricate myself from that flow to reach for my camera 😅

Some of these pictures were captured by my client after the table had been placed where it will live, I do greatly appreciate the pictures.

This is a handplane. To create a polished, flat surface, handplanes are precious to what I do. Why? When working with hand tools, handplanes allow me to rough dimension boards taking thick shavings. While at the same time with a differently configured handplane sharpened to a different angle, it allows me to give the wood the finest finish possible - kanna shiage. It is a finish I am most in love with and continue to adorn my pieces with.