The Carpentry Show

In this episode, Robin Clevett explores whether demand is slowing across the carpentry and joinery sector after hearing concerns from tradespeople working in the bespoke outdoor build market. Carpenter Josh Richard shares how he currently wins work and generate leads, how demand has been this year, and how far ahead he’s booked. Later, Dan Brown is asked about demand for bespoke carpentry work, what tradespeople are saying about any slowdown, and whether customer attitudes to pricing are changing. We also hear from Richard Wagner, who catches up with Robin about training courses, adapting to different types of work when things are quiet, and what they’ve got planned next.

In this episode, Robin Clevett shares two stories from Carpentry and Joinery centred around apprenticeships. First, apprentice Rhys Mitchell joins us to share his journey into the trade, the lessons he’s learned on site, and what it took to reach the finals of the Screwfix Trade Apprentice 2026 competition. We’ll also hear from Mark Bradshaw, Curriculum Manager at Northampton College, who has won awards for his work Carpentry apprentices. From hands-on projects at Delapré Abbey to the challenges facing apprenticeships today, this episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and real stories from the trade.

Sean Matthews joins Robin at the Fix Radio studios to talk about managing customer expectations and the nightmare of dealing with customers when you try to be accomodating and they take the mick in return. Sean also talks about current work, enquiries and challenges faced recently.

Robin Clevett talks to David Byrne, well known for his top quality domestic outdoor/garden builds about his recent challenges bringing in the work. David explains what's been going on, Why he thinks this is happening, What he will do to keep work coming in and Robin shares his own past experiences taking on higher end and more luxury type garden builds for customers.

Robin was recently accused of plagiarism online - despite never having known about the original work. It got Robin thinking about when it's a case of lateral thinking compared to finding inspiration and also talks about when he's noticed people copying his content for their social media. Robin invites Derek Barrett onto the show as an example of someone who has inspired many online and they discuss both sides and whether it's an overall positive or negative for the trade and online community.