Tim Stead was born in Cheshire in 1952. He studied sculpture at Trent Polytechnic and completed his education with a post-graduate diploma in Glasgow School of Art in 1976. In 1979 Tim fitted out the visionary Café Gandolfi in Glasgow, his first large-scale commission. In 1980 Tim and his wife, Maggy, bought a farmhouse in Blainslie, in the Scottish Borders. The house and workshop lay at the heart of Tim's family life and work. Over 20 years, the house, known as The Steading, became a constantly evolving artwork.

After a decade of using hardwood for making sculpture and furniture, Tim began to feel increasingly strongly about trying to put something back and conceived the ‘Axes for Trees’ project. Tim made a sculpted wooden axe head for each day of 1986, raising money to contribute to the purchase of the first community woodland in Scotland, Wooplaw Community Woodlands. These woods are now well established, and function as a role model for other community woodlands, as well as creating a natural backdrop for a wide range of community activities. In 1999 Tim was awarded an MBE for his contribution to national woodland restoration and community participation.

Notable commissions include: a throne for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Scotland in 1982; the screen, lectern, communion table and chairs for the St John’s Chapel St Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen in 1989; a wooden reconstruction of Skara Brae for the ‘Scotland Creates’ exhibition at the MacLellan Gallery Glasgow in 1990. In 1993 Tim exhibited the Botanic Ash at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, a celebration of a 200-year old Ash tree.

His last project was the cladding of the Millennium Clock Tower in 1999, a collaborative project with Eduard Bersudsky, Jurgen Tübbecke, and Annica Sandström. The Clock is now on permanent display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Tim died of cancer in April 2000. Despite his short career, he left a large body of work, most notably The Steading and its unique interior.