Scraps of wood usually ended up in a fireplace, but at the Tamborine Mountain Men’s Shed, scraps are made into ukuleles.
Key points:
- Tamborine Mountain Men’s Shed uses leftover wood to make instruments
- The members created a group called The Offcuts, writing songs such as The Shed Shuffle
- They are performing to raise money for a shed member with a brain tumor
What started as a carpentry project grew into a group of buddies using the handmade instruments in their own band, aptly named The Offcuts.
Men’s Shed mentor Keith Browning said he was asked why he was constantly bringing home leftover materials, so he began teaching the band how to build the instruments.
“What we’ve found here is that we can use this material,” Browning said.
Instruments are made from everything from scaffolding boards to antique furniture.
“I made molds and jigs and put them in the shed. From there, we evolved into a dozen or more people involved in producing quality instruments,” he said.
While tools and skills are reasons to join the shed, friendship and support are what keep men coming back.
“They are men supporting men,” Mr. Browning said.
“Getting together, enjoying the camaraderie, sharing a cup of tea and learning new skills all at the same time.”
Growing repertoire
As the number of instruments grew, so did the band’s musical repertoire. Their first performance was at the hangar’s annual Christmas party.
“We started with some Christmas carols and it grew from there,” singer Rob Reed said.
“We meet every Monday at Bowls Club to practice and have a repertoire of around 60-70 songs.”
The band have now started writing their own songs, inspired by the men’s shed community, including The Shed Shuffle.
Some songs are parodies of popular tunes, with lyrics from At The Hop reworked to become At The Shed, and the Hokey Pokey turned into Make a Ukulele.
“You take quarter-sawn lumber, check it’s good, look at the plans and make sure they’re understood,” according to the lyrics.
Strumming to raise funds
The band played gigs all over the mountain to raise money for men’s shed member Jim Stephens.
Mr Stephens was left paralyzed on the left side of his body after being treated for a brain tumor a few years ago.
He can drive, but has trouble getting in and out of his vehicle, so The Offcuts are on a mission to buy him a special rotating car seat, which they believe will improve his quality of life.
“He laughs at everything, and when he comes here it takes him about 15 to 20 minutes to get out of the car,” said Men’s Shed president Paul Hunt.
Mr Hunt said they had so far raised $4,500 but their aim was to raise $8,000 to cover the cost of the seat.
They’ve launched a crowdfunding page to help raise the rest of the money, and plan to book more live gigs in the area.