Designing Wooden Surfboards

There is nothing like first hand experience, and through many a surf, some good sessions some not so good times we have refined and evolved our Wooden Surfboards.

We have curated our boards to encompass the various surf conditions and to accommodate the individual characteristics of the surfboard rider.

The Dawn is a classic all rounder. (so named after the Legendary Dawn Fraser )

The Dawn will simply handle everything that is thrown at it; from the almost non existent wave to the holy grail of a clean six footer.

A good paddling board makes for easy wave catching, great sharp turning and fast trimming

The Dawn is the ultimate package.

Made from Paulownia and Cambia Ash The Dawn is the ultimate package

The Gould (aptly named after the one and only Shane Gould is a cleaned up older board that takes its origins from the 1970’s.

With a single fin its a point and shoot board that behaves like a dream.

Its a low entry rocker with a flat bottom and chimed rails.

The Gould has a fuller nose outline compared to other boards compared to modern boards, but dont let its retro vibe fool you, this board can take all sorts of conditions and is suited to all types of surfers.

But dont take our word, come down to our Woodworking Gallery and see first hand how these boards are designed and made with the utmost care.

Of course you can alway take yourself on a creative journey and make one of these beautiful boards yourself . Here’s how you can do it .

We love the curious types so dont hesitate to contact us with a question on our Bywater Design Surfboards

Our Dawn. Loving the 70’s is a good thing

Simply elegant Sideboards

Sideboard/credenza/buffet table, whatever you prefer to call this item of furniture in the house, its importance in the family home never waivers.

The not so humble sideboard , orginated around the 18th Century and became a more commom household item during the 19th century when households became more propserous , and the accumulation of material items grew.

The sideboard or buffet table, apart from looking wonderful should be an extension of the room that it is in.

It should be a part of the room’s personality and decor.

There are so many options when it comes to the sideboard; glass door, glass shelved, open storage, backlighting anyone ? the options are endless but at the end of the day the sideboard should be able to store all the wonderful precious items we use for food ocassions.

The perfect platter, the fantastic china picked up in a garage sale, the tablecloth that has been in the family for generations; they should all be stored safely and have the ability to keep these precious items in pristine condition.

Over the years, we have made variants of the sideboard, each with the owners tastes and preferences in mind.

They are always a wonderful addition to the home.

Classic appeal, sideboard custom made to blend beautifully with existing cabinetry

Night ambience created by the addition of lighting

Sleek and elegant. Minimal yet functional

Beautiful recycled timber with the addition of frosted glass is the perfect addition to this Queenslander

The richness of mahogany and beautiful carved features make this sideboard an outsanding additon to the room

A little restoration project ...

We love our restoration projects.

There is so much satisfaction in repairing and restoring a piece of history, someone’s past, someone’s heirloom.

A forgotten household item now becomes the star of the living room.

It becomes a talking point.

It becomes a loved functional piece of furniture again and it goes without saying that in this mass produced era, its kind of cool to have something that is uniquely yours , that one of a kind feeling.

This little Oak Table is now a shining addition to its owners lounge room …

In need of some TL C

A beautiful restored finish

An elegant addition to the home

A beautiful end result for this Oak Occasional Table .

We repaired where necessary, sanded and polished to bring out the richness of the grain

#lovewhatwedo

Beautiuful new additions to the gallery

We have been working on some wonderful new additions to our Gallery.

Our aim is to create quality, original beautiful timber furnishings made from ethically sourced timber .

Proudly Australian made of course.

It all starts with this…

Rich aromatic Camphor Laurel

simple curves make for a strong statement

Using the natual beauty of the grain, gorgeous camphor laurel platter

It starts off with a slab of timber and becomes something quite beautiful.

Without embelishments , without distractions the camphor laurel platter lets the grain do all the talking

Ucyling teak to make a beautiful bedroom ensemble

Wanting to make use of an old Teak Malaysian Wall panel,our clients were keen for us to make a new bed out of this 300 year old beautiful panel.

A wonderful way to upcyle, and re use a piece of history, we made a new bed head and footer.

A wonderful result…

Character and ambience abounds in this wonderful bedroom

The teak bedroom ensemble blends in beautifully with the existing decor

Making a dining table out of recycled timber

There is a lot to be said for using recycled materials, and in particular recycled timber.

Less waste, and more often than not the character and grain of the timber is exceptional.

Age does provide beauty.

For this classic style dining table we sourced blackbutt, red iron bark, grey iron bark and spotted gum, iconic Australian timbers that were once used as timber beams for a house of over 100 years. Now this timber will serve another wonderful purpose and will stand the test of time and will look even better with age.

The beauty of the grain …

Gorgeous Australian timbers feature in this classic style dining table.

The glorious colours of timber. A natural beauty

A traditonal Kitchen Restoration...

  The kitchen, arguably  the most hardworking, central point of the home deserves to be treated to some special attention now and again.

An update, extra storage, new modifications inject new life into a kitchen, evolving with the family needs

Using recycled hoop pine ( from a dismantled 1800's home in inner city Brisbane) this  kitchen was restored, to include an impressive butlers pantry, extra bench space and more storage and a new design in keeping with this traditional  Queenslanders   charm and character.

Design and Making 1960's TV Chair...

Remaining faithful to the 1960/s  a client requested we design and make a Lounge Suite that lends itself to the clean simple lines of this era .

Using Tasmanian Oak, the 3 Seater and 2 Chairs, came together beautifully using modern fabric to enhance the wonderful design. The lounge suite is a timeless classic.

Another wonderful example of Student Work !

The recently completed project by Chris, a wonderful long-term student; shows the amazing diversity of projects that our students complete... Incorporating the stunning native bird scene into this porthole like window, highlights both the rich colours of the stained  glass as well as the natural hue of the recycled silky oak timber that was used.

Well done Chris,  we look forward to seeing your next project.

~~Tree Life ~~ Jarrah ~~

Stuart was thrilled and proud to be a part of the Great South East  Channel  7 feature on Recycled Timber  - September 4.  When asked  by presenter Martin Bowerman what was his favourite timber species, Stuart was quick to reply ..

".Jarrah ; -   for its many wonderful properties. It does everything right." 

A big statement, with so many wonderful species out there - some we know many we dont know.

 So in the spirit of learning, of informing, entertaining and enlightening we shall embark on disovering the wonderful world of trees...

1)   Jarrah or Eucalyptus Marginata is one of the most important hardwoods of Australia.   "Marginata" relates to the light colored vein around the edge of the leaf.  Jarrah is one of many species of Eucalypt.  The flowers have a magnificent scent and pollinate every other year.    The Jarrah tree is adaptable, using its long complex root and tube  system to store carbydrates and other nutrients thus enabling a young Jarrah tree to grow back after a fire and to tolerate and survive in a harsh drought climate.

The Jarrah Tree can live to an amazing 500 years.

 It is found principally  in the south West of Western Australia.  This versatile hardwood grows to an impressive 30- 40  metres in height and a mammoth 2 metres in diameter.  Jarrah produces a valuable dark durable timber.  In recent years,  natural strands of Jarrah have suffered serious damage from a soil fungus which attacks and destroys the fine feeding roots. 

The gorgeous deep patinas range form red to deep brown, the texture is course and generally straight grained.  Is is for these reasons that we favour using Jarrah in many instances.  Its versatilty, ease of machining and adherance to adhesives and  polishes and lacquers make this Aussie hardwood a Bywater Design Favourite. 

Clients with Vision...

At BywaterDesign, our work is as diverse and varied, as our clients. We love the unusual.

We thrive on a challenge.

When some dear clients approached us with an aim of transferring their kitchen and butler's pantry into its former and improved glorious self .

We were happy to oblige

Preparing the recycled timber

The finished product - with a beautifully restored table to complete the picture.

With thanks to Richard and Adrian, for their inspiration and vision.  So glad we could make it a reality.