Get set for Melbourne hand tool event!
Demonstrations, displays, an evening movie event, and tools and timber galore are just some of the offerings of the free hand tool event that will take place 22–23 November, 2025 at Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking (MGFW) in Blackburn.
Visitors can expect to learn from demonstrations of:
- Perch stool making
- Windsor chair making
- Fitting an 18th century drawer
- Lathe work
- Hand cutting dovetails
- The art of Japanese kumiko making
- Shaker boxmaking (steambending timber)
- Sharpening and using hand planes
- Woodcarving
- French polishing
- Frame making
Tool sellers and experts will include:
- Lie Nielsen Australia
- Vesper Tools
- Tetsu (Japanese antique tools)
- Hand Tool Preservation Association of Australia
- Pop’s Shed
- Alasdair Davidson Fine Tools
- Independent secondhand tool sellers
A selection of air-dried, furniture grade timber milled through MGFW’s tree salvaging program will also be available to purchase. The program aims to promote the ethical sourcing of specialty timbers and allows local councils and communities to recycle trees. A range of species is on offer.
On the Sunday MGFW will host a movie night with a show of Carving the Divine, a documentary shot over a six year period which looks at the traditions and practice of busshi, the Buddhist sculptors of Japan. Book tickets here.
The event takes place 22–23 November at Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking,14 Cottage Street, Blackburn, Victoria from 10am to 4pm.
