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14 Cottage St
Blackburn, VIC, 3130
Australia

0413 537 490

The Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking was founded by Alastair Boell in 2007. After graduating from the world renowned North Bennet Street School, Boston (USA) Alastair felt that there was a great need in Australia for an educational facility that focuses on traditional skills. 

The Guild is committed to preserving and advancing craft traditions in furniture making. We are also committed to promoting a greater awareness and appreciation of
craftsmanship. In our classes we emphasize the skillful use of hand tools and power equipment and an informed use of appropriate materials. We are passionate about what we do and want to share information, ideas and skills with all our students young and old, from beginner to advanced.

People

Des King

Tom Beattie

Des King.jpeg

A former Australian Army officer, Des first came into contact with the Japanese culture when he was selected to attend a 12-month intensive Japanese language course at the then RAAF School of Languages at Point Cook in 1974. In 1978 he was sent to Japan by the Army for advanced Japanese language studies, consisting of one year at the United States Department of State Foreign Service Institute in Yokohama, and one year in the Office of the Military Attaché at the Australian Embassy.

Des left the Army at the end of 1986, eventually moving to Tokyo to live, and work as a free-lance Japanese-English translator. He continued translating business after his return to Australia.

Woodworking had been growing into an increasingly serious hobby for quite some time, and in April 2008, Des began a 12-month post-graduate course in tategu (production and fitting of doors and windows, and especially shoji) at the International College of Craft and Art (Shokugei Gakuin) in Toyama, Japan. The course was entirely in Japanese, and comprised mostly practical work, with only a limited amount of theoretical studies. After building the foundation in making shoji, Des turned his focus to the intricate patterns that can be made by kumiko within shoji. This became the central theme of his work.

After completing the course in March 2009, Des returned to Australia and set up a workshop in the Gold Coast.

Des has published three books on making shoji and kumiko patterns, and is currently writing and making patterns for his fourth book.

http://kskdesign.com.au/

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