About
WooDinh Craftsmen is a specialist manufacturer of bespoke furniture and homewares including stools, benches, book stands, cutlery holders and more.
This company was founded with the Japanese philosophy of “Quality First”. We prioritise quality over delivery turnaround times and strongly believe that rushing projects from start to finish is a quick and easy method to wasting both time and money.
We believe that the mark of a true craftsman is as follows:
- The quality of work is directly related to the care and intention of the maker
- The use of technology and power tools is not mutually exclusive with the usage of hand made joints
- There is inherent value in handmade joints and manual techniques, much larger than is directly visible.
We stand by the quality of our projects, if you’re not satisfied with the finished item, we will try to rectify it or remake the parts required to fix it.
Founder History
As a former forensic structural engineer, I have directly felt the effects of the short turnaround times and demanding KPIs. Each and every day was forever chasing the demands of the three parties. Clients wanted projects back faster with the highest quality with flexibility to make changes whenever they felt it needed. Bosses wanted more projects done in less time and done in one go. I wanted to take my time to ensure that my work was correct.
This was an impossible battle and led to my departure from the industry and drove me to commence my long-standing desire: to take up woodworking in some form. Thanks to free TAFE in Victoria, I had that chance with the Cert II in Cabinet Making and Timber Technology. The first day that I picked up the tools, I fell in love with the field that I had been long waiting to enter.
I have had many experiences during TAFE but my biggest takeaway was this, rushing or even just trying to force speed into my work was a great way to destroy the quality of the work. My very first toolbox is a testament to this. In this project, there are 8 dovetail joints, with a clear delineation in quality of them. Where I have rushed, you can easily see gaps and mistakes. Where I haven’t rushed, the quality of the joints is vastly superior (albeit not bad for a first time).
Since then I have made it my guiding principle to never rush anything I do. As Winston from John Wick says, “How you do anything is how you do everything”
Commission Process
We work on a commission basis where we can negotiate the particulars of any project you have in mind.
- 01Submit a short brief describing what you would like made, any timber preferences, the conditions it will be situated in (such as the room lighting or environment) and size requirements.
- 02You’ll be contacted about this and we will enquire about any further information that we may require.
- 03From there, we will create a rough sketch and/or a digital render of the item to confirm that it matches what you’ve envisioned.
- 04A quote will be drawn up and once the materials deposit is paid, we will set about making your project.
Hand-cut joints take longer. Every piece is quoted with its own timeline.
Enquire about a commission