Illawarra Woodwork School
Illawarra Woodwork School is based in Wollongong NSW Australia, 1/1 York Place, Woonona 2517. Illawarra Woodwork School was started in 2005 by Robert Chapman and Stuart Montague joined Illawarra Woodwork School in 2012.
If you’re wanting to start learning traditional woodwork, and you don’t know where to start, this is the course for you. This Woodwork course provides the foundations for woodwork projects which introduce you to the workshop surroundings, teach you how to use a variety of hand tools and provide basic timber selection knowledge. We have a range of first projects such as a sushi tray, mirror frame, wooden mallet, chopping board and a timber box. The application of different finishing techniques for timber is also included. This course will give you an understanding of woodwork terminology and techniques so that you can tackle your own projects with confidence in later terms. Class sizes are kept to 6 students to ensure a maximal learning experience and are 3 hours duration. The classes follow the NSW state school term dates and each term is generally 10 weeks in length.
The Illawarra Woodwork school also offers #WELOVEWOOD weekend workshops & 5 day workshops in Mid-century chair making, spoon carving, wood carving and greenwood furniture making. These workshops are taught by in house tutors or by Australia’s finest woodworkers such as Carol Russell ,Hape Kiddle & Brad Van Luyt.
Cost:
New Student: $730 + $120 materials fee per term.
Existing & ongoing Students: $730 per term.
STUART MONTAGUE | teacher | director
The classes are taught by Stuart Montague who has been making furniture for over 30 years and is a third generation furniture maker. Stuart has a trade background as well as a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Tasmania with a major in Design in Wood. This allows him to have a diverse background, from traditional French and English furniture through to contemporary furniture. Stuart has exhibited both nationally and internationally with some of his pieces held in private collections. Stuart & his wife Suzanne are also the organisers of the Illawarra Festival Wood which began in 2017 at the iconic Bulli Showground. The South Coast Woodworkers group began in 2019 with a meeting at the school’s workshop and held their inaugural exhibition ‘ Coastal Woodworks’ at the Illawarra Festival of Wood 2019.
Exhibitions
2020 Furniture Defines the Home | Studio Woodworkers | Bungendore Woodwork Gallery
2019 Coastal Woodworks | South Coast Woodworkers | Illawarra Festival of Wood | Bulli NSW
2016 Tree Cycle | Royal Botanical Gardens| Sydney
2001Bungendore Wood Works Gallery | Bungendore
2001 Refurnished |Wollongong City Gallery
1998 SOFA Exposition |New York City USA
1997 SOFA Exposition |Chicago USA
1997 Artists Make Furniture |Long Galley Wollongong University
1996 SOFA Exposition |Australian Government Stand |Chicago USA
1996 See the Light | Centre For Contemporary Craft
1995 Lauraine Diggins Fine Arts Gallery | Sydney Melbourne
1995 Beaver Galleries |Canberra
1995 SOFA Exposition |Miami USA
1994 Furniture & Fish with collaborating artists|Stuart Montague Solo Exhibition| Sydney Brisbane Melbourne |David Jones (Aust) Ltd
1994 Crisp Galleries | Yass NSW
1993 SOFA Exposition |Chicago USA
1993 Stuart Montague Solo Exhibition | Sydney Brisbane Melbourne | David Jones (Aust) Ltd
1992 SOFA Exposition |Chicago USA
1992 Christmas Show | Despard Street Gallery | Hobart TAS
1991 Wave Piercing Art | Salamanca Arts Centre |Hobart TAS
1990 Dick Betts Gallery| Hobart TAS
1989 Tasmanian Woodcraft Exhibition | Forestry Commission of Tasmania| Hobart TAS
Workshop Tutors
Hape Kiddle
Hape, who is an in-demand woodcarver and sells out workshops across Australia, will help you produce a personalised Whale Netsuke, inspired by the surrounding stunning and creative South Coast.
See more on Hape and his work at hapekiddle.com
Bradley van Luyt
Brad has been a bush regenerator for 20 years and a spoon carver for nearly 10.
I combine the two activities, carving spoons and other utensils from the woody weeds I cut down in the bush. Spoons from privet, spatulas from Box Elder, butter knives from Poplar. All invasive weeds in the bush and all good spoon wood. With my craft I hope to reacquaint people with their local natural areas and make them aware of the natural resources they have around them. Say no to disposable plastic. Say yes to the wooden spoon!
Carol Russell
Carol has been working with timber for most of her adult life. Beginning in 1987 with small furniture projects and antique restoration Carol spent time learning from craftsmen who were prepared to share their knowledge. She worked as a furniture maker, focusing on small commission projects and exhibiting her work in galleries in Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney. Carol also loves to teach woodwork to children and adults, encouraging them to experience the pleasure of creating something with their own hands from some of our beautiful Australian timbers.
Edward Oliver
Ed has just completed his trade with the Illawarra Woodwork School in 2021 and now is a certified cabinet and furniture maker. Ed has always been interested in woodworking from a young age. As a child he built tree houses and catapults and during his HSC Wood project During his high school he made a wooden sculpture out of a tree branch for HSC. At school he was involved in the restoration of a heritage horse drawn cart and restored a small sailing dinghy. He really enjoys working at the woodwork school teaching classes and making a wide variety of furniture. He has especially enjoyed pursuing green woodworking, (making chairs and stools from a freshly cut down log) which we have been running workshops on. He is currently working on building a wooden boat.