Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking – Melbourne’s Best…

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2018 Open Day & Hand Tool Event – Melbourne’s best…Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking         

I first met Alastair Boell at Melbourne Timber & Woodworking Show, 2006 I think. He was very interested in our tools, he knew all about them, said he already owned quite a few of them.
I just wanted to share some of my experiences with Alastair.Passionate hand tool skills and a love for wood…I get the feeling that Alastair is secretly an American disguised as an Australian. He did his significant woodwork education at the world renown North Bennett Street School in Boston Massachusetts. I guess that is where the transformation came. Although, spending 8 years in Japan was also an influence on his design skills.
His DNA is North Bennett Street School, USA woodwork teachers & craftsmen, USA hand tools, Shaker furniture (and boxes), black cherry, rock maple & walnut… the list goes on.
Every year Alastair would visit our wood show stand and buy more tools for his fledgling woodwork school. He started it in 2007, in Box Hill. Years back I had the idea to bring the Hand Tool Events that Lie-Nielsen ran in the US to Australia.  Alastair was the first to put his hand up to participate.
He does have vision, he brought Christopher Schwarz out to Australia to teach in his school. Others have been Tom Fidgen, Hank Tyler, Peter Galbert, Lionel Seibert, and this year, Steve Latta. See his spectacular list of instructors here.

Couple years back Alastair ventured off to Pennsylvania USA to buy some wood. Did he ever, a full container load of the most beautiful cherry, maple & walnut you have ever seen. All de-barked by Alastair on site in the US before it was packed & shipped to Oz. Now he owns his own saw mill.

Alastair and Jacqueline Boell have built what I think is Melbourne’s best woodwork school over the last 10 years. He once told me the classes he taught personally in an average week, it was a massive amount of hours, day & night, they both deserve success, they have earnt it. Since the original hand tool events Alastair has now incorporated his own Open Days. They are great weekends, full of high quality woodwork advice, tools, demos and like minded enthusiasts. This year it is Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th June, 10am to 4pm.
                                      It is a must attend weekend, check out the two day program here, dont miss it.
David Eckert – Henry Eckert Toolworks – Made in Adelaide
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