Down an industrial hallway, in an old, white-walled factory, past a sprouts company, a chocolate shop, and a caterer sits the Unplugged Woodshop. The spotless, bright space is Tom Fidgen’s baby.
Fidgen is a musician, a writer and a boat builder. He learned his craft from his father, a firefighter and wood craftsman in Cape Breton. But, over the years, as a set builder, blogger and master woodworker, Fidgen has refined his craft and his tools. He’s built a large international audience for his books and his classes. Now, Fidgen teaches weekend wood warriors and seasoned vets how to build beautiful objects with their hands, hand tools and lovingly selected wood. His capacious shop, in the Leslieville area of Toronto, offers classes, workshops and a maker space for Torontonians who have more ambitions than room in their condos. You can tell Fidgen cares about his craft. Even the fob to the woodshed’s washroom key is a lovely piece of woodworking craftsmanship. That should come as no surprise, Fidgen’s attention to detail and his care for his tools shines through everywhere in the shop. He even plays jazz on an old Califone turntable, a tip of the hat to the handmade and vintage. Fidgen has two books out on his craft – Made By Hand – Furniture Projects from the Unplugged Woodshop and The Unplugged Woodshop.
The Unplugged Photo Gallery
Click on thumbnail for full images – Photos by Wayne MacPhail
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Wayne is a digital strategist with extensive experience in traditional, online and communication strategy development. He has assisted clients like Random House (where he helped establish digital outreach programs), the Association of Science and Technology Centers, McMaster Family Medicine, rabble.ca, University of Toronto, Engineering reimagine their communications strategies for an emerging media landscape and new audiences. Wayne brings three decades of rich media content creation, a background in journalism and the ability to creatively understand brand and messaging and create new platforms and opportunities for Moongate’s clients. He has taught and developed online content creation and communications for a variety of colleges and universities in Ontario.
