About Us

 Dad’s Shed

Dad’s Shed started many years ago through my hoarding of anything that could be remotely useful at some stage. I would frequently be found in the shed either tinkering, or making something that was needed, which, invariably, didn’t work out, or was such a Frankenstein result that it frightened all who gazed upon it. Over the years, I slowly improved at building various things, then, life got in the way, and it all stopped, but I still had a love for all things timber. There was, and always will be something about the warmth and feel that timber possesses which always captivates me.

Years later, my daughter's boyfriend gave me some scrap timber (that turned out to be red gum), just in case I needed it for something. So, I left it in a corner of the shed. Months later, while cleaning up the shed, I came across that same piece of ratty-looking timber but could not bring myself to toss it, so, I dusted off my tools and went to work. That ratty-looking piece of timber became a beautiful mobile planter box that we still use today, 5 years later, and it still looks great! My wife has a friend in a wheelchair who loves gardening but can’t due to her circumstances, while the two were chatting one day, my wife showed her friend pictures of our planter and offered my services. So, more boxes were made with the ability to customise to certain needs.

I then moved on to other projects, while shopping one day with my daughter, she looked at a very expensive cutting board, looked at me, and said that I could make one of these for her and it would be heaps better than the one in her hands. So, after a few tries, I made her a cutting board from a blend of red gum and tassie oak. In turn, she bragged to her friends and offered my services. This was the start of making cutting, serving, and charcuterie boards out of whatever scrap timber I could get my hands on.

After some time, with friends and family encouraging me, I launched Dad’s Shed in April 2024 with a display of custom-made designs and some ready-to-go items.

I’ve become somewhat philosophical about my woodwork. I remember hearing a sculptor talking about how he selects his timber and the design. He said that “the design or sculpture is always in the timber;” all he does is remove the excess. It took me a bit, but I get it now, I don’t feel the same about my designs, but, timber for me, has a connection to life and to us especially, scrap or reclaimed. I have since realised that often, we can be like that timber, dirty, scuffed, and feel unwanted, however, as we travel through life, we are trimmed, shaped, and sanded just like the timber until we become what we were always meant to be: something beautiful, unique, and with purpose.

So, I suppose that the reason for Dad’s Shed is to take that which seems broken and without purpose and bring out the intrinsic beauty that is in timber and provide it with a unique purpose.