Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

David Linton is known for the quality and design of his unique and beautifully handcrafted tables and chairs.  Each piece is created from salvaged logs that have undergone a 2-3 year cycle from log to the finished product.  Firstly the logs are milled into slabs and air dried under trees.  From there they are moved into a solar kiln for the final stage of drying. David says “You get to know the history of each log and keep looking at them trying to understand  the soul of the tree.  Ultimately you get a sense of what each piece should become. It’s as if the slabs are just waiting to tell you what they want to be, and after 28 years as a furniture maker  you reach a point where it becomes instinctive to know what to create from each log.”          
“A current commission is an altar for Mt. St Michael’s College in Brisbane.  We had one slab for over seven years, then the Sisters of Charity approached us wanting an altar, and we knew that this was exactly the right slab for that purpose.”
David has been lovingly crafting furniture in Maleny for 16 years and it was a big step to open a gallery in Maleny 3 1/2 years ago.  “It was tough at first, but recognition is building fast and the feedback from locals is pride in the gallery and an experience they want to share with visiting friends and family. Not all residents know that we showcase the work and talent of over 40 local artists in this gallery” David said. “We have work from several boxmakers, wood sculptors woodturners and wooden kitchenware producers, and we are becoming quite well known for wedding gifts. 
We also have a reputation for our organic style chopping boards. People drive up from Brisbane and might buy six boards at a time for gifts.  We show them how to maintain the boards properly, and stock the correct oil to maintain and preserve all wooden kitchenware. 
The introduction of table lamps after 18 months of development using locally made shades has been very successful. We sold 10 in 2 weeks, the appeal being that they are one-offs.  I select unusual pieces from the timber stock and create each lamp individually.”  
David’s signature items are still  his stunningly crafted tables and chairs. “Our furniture is built to last and are the heirlooms of the future.   All items are individually handcrafted in our workshop, and I am now teaching a third generation of apprentices the traditional processes of handcrafted chairmaking, something that is becoming a lost art. 
We find people keep coming back because the quality is unmatched, the pieces are unique, and once sold cannot be replicated.”  Drop into David Linton Gallery at 14 Maple Street Maleny – it’s well worth a visit. They are open everyday 10.00am – 4.00pm except Tuesdays.