They planed, they sawed, they conquered.

They planed, they sawed, they conquered.

Four second year UCOL Furniture students sawed, sanded, carved and planed their way to top placings at the National Woodskills competition held earlier this month.

A group of Diploma in Furniture Design and Making students and their lecturers travelled to the annual Kawerau Woodfest event to compete in four specialised categories.

In the Open sections the students were competing against industry professionals.

Leilani Tunnage skated away with first in the Pinus Radiata Open category with her detailed pine longboard. Her creative knife display won her second in the Furniture Open.

Adam Laker won the Furniture Open with his distinctive Hall Table and received a highly commended for his coffee table.

Peter Crowder went one further by winning both first and second place in the Furniture (First time entry) category, with a lounge chair and entertainment unit respectively.

A steam bent lamp gained Brendan Knauf third place in the public vote in the Anything Goes category. He also got a merit for his dartboard cabinet in the Open Furniture section.

The students say it was really valuable to attend the Woodskills event. “Everything you see is of such a high standard,” says Peter. “It gives you something to work towards.”

Leilani says they didn’t feel at all intimidated by the level of competition. “This UCOL [Diploma in Furniture Design and Making] programme gives you the skills – all you need is the motivation and inspiration to make amazing furniture.”

Photo: Masters with wood. Peter Crowder (seated in his winning chair), Adam Laker, Leilani Tunnage and Brendan Knauf with some of their prize winning entries in the UCOL furniture making workshop.

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