Richard Hurt started out as a 1-man-band Business producing fitted furniture for kitchens and bedrooms. He found success in his philosophy of using the natural structure of the wood in his designs and the business went from strength to strength.
In 1994 his interest in being at the forefront of technological and design advancements in the industry led him to move from overhead pin-routers to CNC routers and made him one of the first CNC companies in the area. This unique offering caught the eye of local businesses who needed more efficiency and accuracy and soon his skills were in demand from the industrial sector. From this point onwards the business grew rapidly, expanding from one to two warehouse units, increasing in staff, and purchasing a second machine which could produce more complex components.
In 2002 Richard changed the name from Richard Hurt Woodworking to Cutting Edge (Woodwork) Limited to reflect the business’ technological capabilities and desire to continue to be at the forefront of woodwork design and machining. This is a philosophy maintained to this day with the company regularly investing in new machining tools, software and scanning equipment to provide better services to our customers.
Today Cutting Edge Woodwork provides a complete design and Manufacturing service allowing us to take a project on from any stage from prototype to ready to machine and anything in-between. The company supplies a wide range of sectors including rail, construction, audio, and retail on a business-to-business basis but still welcome customers who are looking for a bespoke service. Specialising in the complex we find solutions that work for our customers.
We have worked on projects ranging from intricate one-off items to complete office fit outs and production runs of high-end products for the retail market. There is very little we’ve not had a go at and it is this experience which we bring to every project we undertake.
Many of our workforce have been with us for numerous years and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the business. The company has also invested in developing people; our Workshop Manager has progressed from being a Joiner’s Lad with the company over 20 years ago to his current position and our 3 and 5 axis operators have worked their way up from similar positions with no previous training. This investment in the workforce has created an enthusiastic and loyal team who really understand the whole process of manufacturing.
We still value traditional joinery skills employing bench joiners to support the machining work by preparing materials, finishing, and assembling as required. Our team have a deep understanding of wood, its qualities, strengths, and weaknesses as well as a wide variety of other materials.