About Stan Ceglinski and Australian Hardwood Shingles and Shakes
I’ve always loved working with my hands, my heart - it’s always been part of me - genetic memory I think -from a young age, my mind was filled with stories of the “öld” ways in country Poland.
Working with wood started at age 4, helping dad in the bush. Although dad was a cobbler, he still had things to do in the bush, his father was a pit sawyer as well as a woodworker in Poland as was his brother.
1978 had me leave Newcastle and start work on the far north coast with famous architect Ian McKay.. (amongst other projects) he designed and built the Beach hotel in Byron Bay, Strop’s house and Paul Hogan’s House.
I was his apprentice for a number of years, learning what passion in your work meant. I learnt so very much from him.
With the birth of our twins (when at 8 months pregnant), we were told we were having twins, I left my work with Ian and started working for myself in 7 local forests as a private salvage logger.
With a 1938 Canadian Ford ex-army blitz fitted with a York PTO winch, work was plentiful, cutting house poles, splitting posts, hand hewing beams with broad axe and adze work.
One day a client asked for split shingles, so I found out who at the time was the oldest, best shingle splitter in the northern rivers. I packed my wife and kids in the car and went 4 hours to visit this legendary bushman.
Before paying Stan Barlow a visit, I read every book and story on the subject -technical stuff, history etc. In his company I learnt hands on stuff, (small things), the way you held the tools, movements of arm & wrist, little things that made the job more productive and easier.
A few years later word got around of the shingle quality that we were producing and work started flooding in. Australia’s bi centenary brought very much work.
Our 3 boys all served their time working in the scrub, salvaging logs suitable for our work, docking, producing “billets” for splitting shingles from.
They helped after school, weekends, holidays, splitting, packing, loading, operating forklift. everything in fact, making my work, my wife’s work easier.
41 years later, we are regarded as Australia's premier hardwood shingle company. Still using our family to create a world class product!
Working with wood started at age 4, helping dad in the bush. Although dad was a cobbler, he still had things to do in the bush, his father was a pit sawyer as well as a woodworker in Poland as was his brother.
1978 had me leave Newcastle and start work on the far north coast with famous architect Ian McKay.. (amongst other projects) he designed and built the Beach hotel in Byron Bay, Strop’s house and Paul Hogan’s House.
I was his apprentice for a number of years, learning what passion in your work meant. I learnt so very much from him.
With the birth of our twins (when at 8 months pregnant), we were told we were having twins, I left my work with Ian and started working for myself in 7 local forests as a private salvage logger.
With a 1938 Canadian Ford ex-army blitz fitted with a York PTO winch, work was plentiful, cutting house poles, splitting posts, hand hewing beams with broad axe and adze work.
One day a client asked for split shingles, so I found out who at the time was the oldest, best shingle splitter in the northern rivers. I packed my wife and kids in the car and went 4 hours to visit this legendary bushman.
Before paying Stan Barlow a visit, I read every book and story on the subject -technical stuff, history etc. In his company I learnt hands on stuff, (small things), the way you held the tools, movements of arm & wrist, little things that made the job more productive and easier.
A few years later word got around of the shingle quality that we were producing and work started flooding in. Australia’s bi centenary brought very much work.
Our 3 boys all served their time working in the scrub, salvaging logs suitable for our work, docking, producing “billets” for splitting shingles from.
They helped after school, weekends, holidays, splitting, packing, loading, operating forklift. everything in fact, making my work, my wife’s work easier.
41 years later, we are regarded as Australia's premier hardwood shingle company. Still using our family to create a world class product!
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