Tormek Scholarship Award 2015: Anton Brunberg

Anton Brunberg is the Tormek Scholar of 2015.

This year, we are happy to congratulate Anton Brunberg who is the Tormek Scholar of 2015. As always, the applicants’ work was to a very high standard, but we all fell for Anton’s elegant and playful desk “City Safari”. Anton recently finished his studies at the Cabinetmaking and Furniture Design College at Capellagården in Öland, Sweden and he will now proceed with his design studies at the Design Academy Eindhoven in Holland.

The design school in Eindhoven was on Anton’s radar already at the commencement of his final project and he therefore wanted to challenge himself in the creation of his final piece. He wanted to do something more complex than his previous work, whilst creating something with a strong design. The result is a desk, inspired by an old fashioned suitcase, which symbolizes the journey from one place to another.      

“The name, ‘City Safari’, originates from the fact that I’ve been living in the Öland countryside for the past three years and will now move on to a big city where there will be more people and more ‘watering holes’, just like on the savannah”, says Anton.

Approximately 350 hours is the number that Anton believes he has put into finishing his piece. Those hours are the working time and do not include the sketching process nor the sharpening of the tools. The desk is made out of Wenge and Zebrano wood with leather and brass details, which all together strengthen Anton’s vision for the piece. Wenge and Zebrano are also hard types of wood to work with, which means that the tools had to be sharpened continuously.

“The benefit with Tormek’s efficient system is that I’ve been able to sharpen a wood chisel or similar very quickly”, Anton explains.

His first contact with Tormek came during his time at Capellagården. By the end of his time in Öland, he couldn’t picture himself without a Tormek, because he had realized how irreplaceable the system had been during the working process. He also appreciated that representatives from Tormek came to visit Capellagården in order to demonstrate how the system works.

The four-year-long program that Anton has just started in Holland will not only make him a Bachelor of Design, it will also create opportunities to work with new types materials. Anton tells us that he is looking forward to learning how to work with ceramics, plastics and metals, for example.

“My long-term vision is to be able to incorporate more materials, yet still have the starting-point in wood”, he says.

The jury fell for Anton’s soft aesthetics and accuracy in form. Delicate and well-worked details together with a fantastic execution have created a functional desk with a contemporary design. It caused a craving to own the piece amongst all of us at the headquarters in Lindesberg!

The scholarship means that Anton receives a complete Tormek sharpening system worth 10 000 Swedish Kronor. The scholarship’s purpose is to shed light on sharpening and encourage those who aspire to high professional qualifications and want to invest time in their woodwork. Regardless of whether you are using edge tools in your profession or in your hobby, sharp tools are essential. Dull tools can cause you to lose interest and create an obstacle to your progress. With sharp tools you will get the inspiration and motivation to create more advanced work.