Tycoon Workshop is a Johannesburg joinery studio. We split our week between client commissions and short production runs, working mostly in oak, ash and reclaimed Oregon pine.
Fitted cupboards, freestanding kitchen islands, shopfitting counters, and older solid-wood furniture that people inherit and would rather keep than replace. Most jobs start with a site visit somewhere in Gauteng, then move to the bench for milling, jointing and finishing.
Curious about how we work? Read our values.
A cupboard run, a freestanding island, a counter that has to survive daily trade, or a table that has been in the family longer than anyone can say. Send the details and we will tell you what the timber needs and whether a site visit across Gauteng makes sense first.
If you would rather see how the work is put together before committing to anything, the service list and the studio values are a fair place to start.
Prefer to read first? See the service list or how we work.
Three cabinetmakers, one bench, and a schedule that moves between client commissions and small production runs. Most jobs start with a site visit somewhere in Gauteng, then come back to the workshop for milling, jointing and finishing. Pick the route that fits what you have in mind.
Built-in cupboards, kitchen islands and shopfitting counters made to the room rather than to a catalogue size. We measure on site, scribe the carcasses to uneven walls, and agree the door style and finish before anything is cut.
For solid-wood furniture that came down through the family and is not going anywhere. Split tops, loose legs, failed glue lines and old repairs get taken apart, cleaned and put back together with matching timber rather than filler.
A morning at the bench for beginners, capped at six people so everyone gets time on the sharpening stone. We work through a plane iron, sawing to a line, and a small joint you take home. Timber comes from offcuts of current commissions, so the material changes week to week.
Not sure which route fits? Send a few photos and rough dimensions through the quote request and we will tell you what the piece actually needs.
Three cabinetmakers, one bench, and a fairly wide spread of work. Some weeks it is a run of fitted cupboards scribed around old brick; other weeks it is a single table that has been in a family for two generations. The list below is what we take on most often, and what each job usually involves before it leaves the workshop.
Timber is mostly oak, ash and reclaimed Oregon pine. If you want to see what is actually on the rack before you commit to a material, the stock list is kept current on the site.
Bedroom, passage and study runs built to fit walls that are rarely square. Carcasses are scribed on site before doors are hung, so gaps stay tight along uneven plaster and dropped ceilings.
Freestanding islands sized around your walkways, with laminated block tops and open ends for trays and boards. Overhangs are set so knees clear the frame on the seating side.
Service counters for cafes and small retail, built heavier than domestic units and routed for cable runs. Timber faces are oiled rather than varnished, so they darken with daily trade instead of chipping.
Split tops, loose legs and old repairs on solid-wood pieces people inherit. We rejoint rather than replace, and often leave the dents in place when the wear is part of the piece.
A three-hour morning at the bench for six beginners, working on offcuts from current commissions. Sharpening a plane iron, sawing to a line, and a small joint to take home. No prior experience needed.
Short notes on the kind of work that moves through the workshop: fitted cupboards, freestanding islands, shopfitting counters and older solid-wood pieces that come in for repair. Each entry is a working scenario drawn from the commissions we take on, not a client testimonial.
Scenario: a bedroom run in an older house where the ceiling drops along one wall and the plaster is uneven. Carcasses are scribed on site before doors are hung, so gaps stay tight without packing strips. Oak frames with reclaimed Oregon pine shelving keep the visible grain consistent across the run.
Result: a fitted run that reads as part of the room rather than a box pushed against it.
Scenario: a freestanding ash island for a kitchen extension, sized to leave clear walkways on both sides. The base carries a painted back panel and open ends for trays and boards; the top is a laminated ash block finished with a food-safe oil that can be refreshed at home.
Result: a surface that takes daily chopping and still clears knees on the seating side.
Scenario: a service counter for a coffee bar, framed heavier than a domestic unit because it has to carry a commercial machine and a till. Stainless sits over a ply substrate, while the front is solid oak, oiled rather than varnished so it darkens with use.
Result: cable runs routed through the back legs and a removable panel for grinder wiring, keeping the front face clean.
Scenario: an inherited Oregon pine dining table with a split top and legs repaired badly decades earlier. The table is taken apart, old joints cleaned, and the top re-glued with matching pine inserts instead of epoxy filler. A thin oil and wax finish leaves the dents and water marks in place.
Result: a usable table where the wear still reads as part of the piece.
Scenario: a three-hour hand-tool session capped at six people so everyone gets time at the sharpening stone. The group starts with a plane iron, moves to sawing to a line, and finishes with a small joint to take home. Timber comes from offcuts of current commissions, so the material varies week to week.
Result: beginners leave with a set-up they can repeat on their own bench.
Scenario: a commission where the material direction is settled before milling starts. Oak, ash and reclaimed Oregon pine behave differently under a plane and take finish in their own way, so the stock list is checked against what the piece actually needs.
Result: fewer surprises at the bench and a finish that suits the timber rather than fighting it.
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