On the 20th of August, the Arbortech courtyard in Perth Western Australia was once again transformed into an outdoor art gallery, with staff members showcasing their talent and pieces of work in the 2016 Arbortech Woodworking Competition. Family members, friends and colleagues gathered to view the wood creations that were all crafted using the Arbortech Woodworking range of products . To say "woodworking revolution" is an understatement, as the pieces in this year's competition were nothing short of stellar. So much so, that a number of pieces have already been sold to the public.


Amongst the experienced staff woodworkers, there were a few new and nervous additions to the Arbortech family this year: Max, Ramesh, Jana, Ade, Patricia and Alicia –"The Novices". Although new to woodworking, they all gave the tools a go and were all equally shocked by how easy the Arbortech woodworking tools were to use and even more shocked at what they could do with the tools. "We aren't kidding when we say the Arbortech tools give their users the 'Freedom to create the Impossible' says Patricia, our talented Graphic Designer and creator of the "Lagoa", a beautiful, layered plywood tray.

Lagoa by Patricia Saito

Max, another Novice and the company's Management Accountant goes on to say "I was a little nervous before using the Arbortech TURBOPlane , I have not had any practice using it. I was afraid I would take too much wood off and there would be no way to fix it. But I was very surprised at how fast I got the hang of it – it was actually the most enjoyable part of the project: using the TURBOPlane.  I also used the Arbortech Power Chisel to carve the design and TURBOShaft to carve the holes to install the fin – they were also fun to use – surprisingly, it all went as I envisioned (it is a true testament to how user friendly the tools are – I have never made anything out of wood before)."

Hollow Plywood Surfboard by Max Stroevoy

On another note, the more experienced staff woodworkers did not fail to surprise either, showcasing their perfected techniques, talent and creativity.  A testament to this is Matt Cormack, our Product Designer who has been with Arbortech for over 20 years. He carefully sculpted his piece out of Plywood. The challenges lay in the fact that the project was small and the wood was fairly unstable which resulted in small pieces breaking off. Despite these challenges Matt managed to pull off a beautiful piece of woodwork called "Manta".

Manta by Matt Cormack

Now for the rest of the pieces:

The Flame by Sven Blicks

Sven's candle holder piece was initially inspired by the internal pattern that looks a lot like a flame.

Cheese Board by Ramesh Yadav

Ramesh is a Novice woodworker and wanted to try and get used to using the Arbortech tools. He used a combination of the Contour Sander,  Mini-Grinder  and Industrial Woodcarver to create this Jarrah.

Gadget Tray by Anton

Carved from Plywood, Anton created his gadget tray using a combination of the Industrial Woodcarver , MiniTURBO and Contour Sander.

The Dark Knight by Steve Erringtonk

Steve was inspired by his sons when he created this carefully "Power Chiseled" portrait of Batman aka "The Dark Knight."

"Moon" by Lilly Qin

Inspired by her love of wine and moonlight.

Mobile Station by Peter Tashjian

Peter was inspired to make something useful and functional out of wood. His mobile station even has a hollow part to enhance the music from his speaker phone!

Bookends by Christine Taylor

Christine was inspired by the flowing curves of Jolyon Yates work when she decided to create these beautiful bookends made out of Laminated Veneer Lumber.

Peanut Bowl by Nora

Carved out of beautiful Jarrah wood, Nora used a combination of the TURBOPlane , Industrial Woodcarver and Contour Sander.

Great White by Bill Ginn

Bill is an experienced wood carver and it shows! He really wanted to challenge himself this year by creating a realistic piece of a Great White shark out of Salmon Gum that he got from Lake King.

Vessel by Kristine Inkster

Made out of a Red Gum Burl and filled with black Epoxy, this stunning piece is perfectly smooth thanks to the Contour Sander!

Skin Deep by Stephen Marsh

To think this masterpiece originated from scrap wood! Carved out of Marri this sculpture is an abstract form of the human pelvis. The composition and detail is perfection.

Joy of Carving by Rocky

Carved from a hard wood root, this organic bowl was crafted with the Power Chisel , MiniTURBO and TURBOShaft.

The Stressed Out Fish by Ade

Ade made this during a very stressful time in her life when time was limited. The fish is swimming alone amongst tangled seaweed - representing the many responsibilities she had.

RIBI by Boro Trpevski

Another fine piece, made from and inspired by the texture of Plywood. Tools used included the TURBOPlane ,  MiniTURBO , TURBOShaft, and Contour Sander.

Totem of Light by Barry Fitzpatrick

Designed to carry candles in the grooves, this unique piece was crafted from Huon Pine that had been underwater for many years, making it unstable and difficult to work with. In the end this contributed to the overall look and aesthetic of the final piece.

Arborcat by Victor Garzon

Victor wanted to make something fun for his cat Tigey. He used Gum Tree and carved the words "Tigey" with the Arbortech Power Chisel .

Denmark Dreaming by Junior and Bronwyn Linke

A combined effort by Junior and his wife Browyn, they are going to add this beautiful piece to their garden, They used Hickory and all of the Arbortech tools!

I Saw the Sign by Caitlin Grist

Caitlin was inspired by her best friend giving birth to her first child, Sadie.

twisTABLE by Jana Blicks

Saving the best for last - obviously this piece won 1st place, but I bet you wouldn't believe this won first place in the NOVICE category!  Jana was initially inspired by the Arbortech creation of the Twist Candle.