In May of 2024 I took a long drive down to a place near Wollongong to pick up a collection of tools that Alan contacted me about some months earlier. He had inherited a collection of tools from his father, a cabinet maker. I was excited about the extensive collection as I had been privy to lots of photographs. On arrival I was met by my contact and his family. Such a lovely family, I instantly felt comfortable there and they must have felt the same as they offered me a drink and even invited me to lunch. Just as well I was comfortable as there. There were more than 20 large boxes for me to wade through, so I was there a while.
After packing the boxes up and waving goodbye, I journeyed home. Although opening the boxes on site proved there were some really nice tools there, it was only once unboxing them at home did I really start to appreciate the collection. This man knew tools. He had a great eye and had meticulously cared for these tools for decades. I felt the love he had for them and I wanted to pay tribute to him.
I contacted Alan again, said I wanted to add a write up to the website about his father and asked for some more information about him and his work. This is what Alan wrote. I’ve left it word for word, because who else could write it any better. If you’d like to see some of the tools he carefully curated which are now for sale click Hamilton Collection and keep watching over the coming months (probably many months) as we publish more.
John Hamilton – Cabinetmaker / Craftsman
John Hamilton was born in the small town of Emmaville, NSW in 1932. He was the youngest son, with three brothers and two sisters. John studied at the local Emmaville Public School achieving his Intermediate Leaving Certificate. At school, John acquired a keen interest in woodwork and was encouraged by his teacher to pursue a career in this area. At this time (end of WW11), the entire Hamilton family moved to Sydney and established new roots in the suburb of Padstow.
John managed to gain an apprenticeship, initially as a carpenter, before transferring over to cabinetmaking and serving his apprenticeship with a local Bankstown furniture manufacturer – J.R. Dawsons. John completed his cabinet & chairmaking studies at Kogarah Technical College. While at Dawsons he gained skills in chair and table making but by the time he completed his apprenticeship, he was looking to extend his skills into more challenging areas of cabinetmaking.
He had the opportunity to commence working as a qualified tradesman with M Gerstl Furniture P/L in the early 1950’s. Gerstl’s had a reputation for fine and uniquely designed furniture with much of the furniture being custom built utilising exotic feature laminates. Gerstl’s, also had a high-end clientele including the major hotel and motel operators, architects and interior designers. Whilst at Gerstl’s, John had the opportunity to build custom one-off pieces for prominent modernist architects including Henry Epstein, Hugh Buhrich and Harry Seidler, most notably his work is still featured in the Rose Seidler House.
John then went on to work with the long established furniture manufacturer, Edward Hills & Co. in the late 1950’s until their closure in the mid 1960’s. Notable projects that John worked on and supervised were the Darwin Hotel for Nicholas Paspaley and the custom fit-out of the penthouse at Sheriton Hotel, Potts Point for the Beatles visit in 1964.
By the mid 1960’s, the market for custom built furniture was beginning to wane. John then returned to his original employer, John Dawson in the role of furniture Designer and factory production Manager. The company was now J.R.Dawson & Sons Pty Ltd. The two sons saw the growing trend towards mass produced furniture and the distribution through major retail outlets, rather than one-off commissions. They were now competing with the likes of Parker, Chiswell & Atel furniture manufacturers who were all mass producing their furniture whilst maintaining quality and style.
After Dawsons closed their operations due to fire spreading from an adjacent factory, John finished his career in the late 1980’s with Brymer Furniture as general manager..
In retirement, John maintained a keen interest in woodwork including taking up wood turning and wood carving as a hobby and collecting and restoration of traditional woodworking hand tools. John was an active member of the local Men’s Shed, donating equipment to the club and also providing instruction and a guiding hand to amateur woodworkers. John was also a member of the Southern Region Woodturners Club.
John passed away in 2023, at the age of 89 and his collection is now in the hands of Rob Kellock of “The Old Tool Shop”. The Hamilton family’s wishes are for the “Hamilton Collection” of woodworking tools to end up in the hands of like-minded woodworking enthusiasts that appreciate the old tools used in the craft of woodwork and cabinetmaking.
The collection of woodworking tools includes all of John’s original cabinet making tools, some purchased and gifted during his apprenticeship in the late 1940’s. The collection includes tools manufactured by Stanley, Record, Bedrock, Mathieson, Edward Preston, Spiers, Marples, Millers Falls to name a few.
We hope that that the distribution of this collection provides as much enjoyment to other collectors and woodworking enthusiasts as it has to John
Alan Hamilton (son)
Factory workshop photo – Early 1960 – Edward Hills & Co. John Hamilton centre background working on a draw set.
John in retirement – Receiving a best display award from Southern Region Woodturners Inc.
A small bowl made by John whilst in retirement, featuring both wood turning and wood carving skills.
