Charles Sandford Woodturning & Joinery Pty Ltd

Charlie Sandford started turning wood in a Northcote backyard in 1973. A stint as the sole hand-turner at Hackney's Simon Simon workshop — 500 pieces a week, ankle-deep in sawdust — sharpened his eye considerably. Fifty years on, his Preston operation employs 30 people across three workshops, running hand-tools alongside a five-axis CNC machine. The clientele is architects and builders. The material is always timber.