Discover original artistic creations at the Canberra Glassworks in Kingston | Canberra time
Thor’s Hammer has been operating in Canberra for 28 years. In the 1990s, founder and director Thor Diesendorf began sourcing timber from Canberra shipbreaking yards to make bespoke furniture and kitchens.
“I couldn’t sit idly by and see good wood wasted, so I started saving more and more wood from demolition sites until, finally, Thor’s Hammer was born in 1994,” said Thor.
Soon after, the team installed sawing and dressing machinery in their former workshop in the old Canberra Brickworks, expanding their product range to include architectural products such as flooring, cladding and The terraces.
In 2019, after 25 years at the brickyard, Thor’s Hammer moved into the former Tip Top Bakery in Griffith, having undertaken a huge renovation project to prepare it.
Now a 35-strong team of proud Canberra residents, the team includes highly skilled recyclers, designers and timber fabricators, who master both contemporary and traditional techniques. “We combine modern machinery and traditional hand tool skills to manufacture our products,” Thor said.
We combine modern machinery and traditional hand tool skills to manufacture our products
– Thor Diesendorf
“The recycling team is responsible for unnailing and detecting metals, classifying and sorting by species, grinding and brushing large posts and beams,” says Thor.
“Dressing and picking crews select orders for recycled lumber, load and unload trucks that arrive with the salvaged lumber, and are then responsible for the sawing and final drying of the lumber, then turning it into decking, decking, flooring and other profiles.The carpentry team is where we manufacture worktops, bespoke furniture, entrance doors etc. And finally, our design and sales, marketing and design department. Administration is the customer-facing part of the business, ensuring that everything continues to run smoothly and the shop floor teams can continue to work their magic.”
Significantly, all Thor’s Hammer products are designed and manufactured in their Canberra workshop, using high quality recycled wood. They manufacture countertops, tables and furniture, cladding, decking and flooring, doors, slabs, posts and beams, and also supply a variety of natural edging slabs, hewn timbers from shelves and off-cuts to local manufacturers and artisans.
All Thor’s Hammer products are designed and manufactured with their impact on the environment in mind.
“Caring for the environment is at the heart of what we do,” says Thor.
“We make our products to last for generations, and we have also made it a priority to minimize waste and environmental damage in our production processes, by reusing off-cuts, always using non-toxic materials and minimizing our consumption of materials. ‘fossil fuels. “
As it approaches its 30th anniversary, Thor’s Hammer continues to make a significant contribution to the Canberra community, providing reliable and rewarding employment for Canberra’s cabinetmakers, conservationists and wood enthusiasts, and continuing to adapt its products and community services of Canberra. .
“Much of our work is custom designed and manufactured, which means we are able to stay tuned to consumer demand for wood products, and to adapt and evolve with the needs. of our customers.
“In response to demand, we plan to expand our range of furniture and our production of flooring and cladding using recycled timber from local Canberra demolitions. And, in the coming months, we will have a new exciting machine; a 5-axis CNC [computer numerically controlled] of Italy that will transform our furniture and joinery manufacturing, making our processes more efficient and helping to reduce costs for customers.”
