F
W.Tod offers top quality design and technical
advice on the building and installation of Staircases
and joinery. We work with architects, homeowners, and
builders. Our salespeople are qualified staircase joiners
who can discuss the job, answer questions and solve technical
problems on site. Each stair is built to last for generations.
Originally
established in 1915
Restoration/
match existing
Continuous
handrail
Curved
stairs
Detail
hand woodturning
Unusual
joinery
How
many years has the company been in business?
The year 2005 will be our 90th year in the business
of making stairs in Sydney.
Who
started the company?
Frederick Tod, a London trained woodcarver, started
the company in 1915. He created the original Commonwealth
coat of arms for the Australian Parliament. The company
did a wide range of work including joinery, church
furniture (often decoratively carved), windows and
staircases. Frederick did work in over 200 churches
around NSW. Andrew Buist (a current director) is his
great grandson.
Where did the business start?
The business started in Kensington (Sydney). As the
business expanded it moved to Haymarket, Surry Hills
(1919), Annandale (1920’s), St Peters, and then
to the current premises in Artarmon in 1958.
How
many generations have worked in the family business?
Four generations of people in the Tod and Buist family
have worked in the business. Frederick W Tod started
it, and then A W Tod, his son, was next. Arthur’s
daughter married John Buist, a skilled carpenter and
joiner, who joined the business in 1957 and later
ran it. Their son, Andrew Buist, took over when John
retired and is a director along with Ray McDarmont
and Tommy Knudsen.
F
W Tod, the founder of the business, carved this
console, winning the first prize of five pounds
at the London Guild of Carpenter’s exhibition
in 1910.
Old:
The factory at 73-77 Booth Street, Annandale,
about 1920.
Tommy
Knudsen joined the business in 1993 as a
carpenter and joiner. He has become a leading staircase
builder with a reputation for accuracy and knowledge.
By working with Ray over the years he has become very
skilled on the technical side of the trade. As an
expert at building and installing stairs, he can assist
customers when discussing their needs while measuring
and quoting. He is part of the management team, yet
still finds time for some specialist installation
work and supervision.
(Tommy
has since leftt the company and has started his own
business)
Tommy
Knudsen
Andrew
Buist joined the company as a wood turner in
1981. He is respected in the industry as an expert wood
turner, wood machinist and stair builder, who maintains
the family skills in woodworking (he is the great grandson
of the founder). Andrew took over managerial responsibility
when his father retired, though he continues with quoting,
building stairs and woodturning.
Andrew
Buist
Ray
McDarmont joined the company in 1962 as a carpenter
and joiner and quickly developed skills in stair building,
including construction, installation, setting out and
measuring. He was appointed foreman at an early age
and now works with clients measuring and quoting as
well as training the younger generation of stair builders.
Over the years his pleasant manner and technical expertise
have been a great asset to the company. He is part of
the management team that overseas the day-to-day running
of the business.
Ray
McDarmont
How
many years of experience do the current management
have in the business?
Ray McDarmont has worked building stairs for 42 years.
Andrew has worked there for 22 years, Tommy for 11
years. This adds up to a total of 75 years of experience.
Designing stairs is a specialized field and few people
have our mix of expertise and practical experience.
Who
do we work for?
We work for homeowners, architects and builders who
want a stair that is well-designed, and constructed
using quality materials.
Left:
AW Tod (Arthur) Right: FW Tod or Frederick, the founder,
(Arthur’s father) in the 1920’s
What
does F W Tod do best?
The company specializes in top quality custom-built
timber staircases and continuous handrail. All our
staircases are unique and are not pre-cut budget models.
Our stairs are rarely appropriate for town houses
or flats. We don’t compete on price, but on
quality and value for money. Each stair is solidly
built to last for generations and comes with a lifetime
guarantee on materials and workmanship.
F W Tod stairs does quite a bit of restoration work
since we are listed on the National Trust Register
for National Trust Restoration work
Andrew
Buist, great grandson of the founder and a current director,
at the lathe with a base for a column.
How
do I go about ordering a stair?
First look at our Staircase
Photographs section to begin choosing the style
of stair that you want.
Next,
read the Tips for Designing
a Stair section.
Bring your building plans to our office, or call
us and we can come to you. Once you decide exactly
what you want, we will cost it for you, giving you
a quotation.
John
Buist, making the stringers, or the side of a curved
stair by laminating several layers of timber together
around a frame, about 1960. The same process is still
used today.
Where
do we do most of our work?
Most of our work is done around Sydney, in the eastern
suburbs, north shore, inner west and the peninsula.
However, because we offer unique skills in staircase
and handrail work, we are happy to send jobs around
Australia and overseas on a supply only basis. That
is, we make all the pieces for the stair, and you
have your builder do the installation.
Making
the stringers, using traditional joinery skills. Stair
building is the last part of the building industry that
still uses these skills. 2004
