The Bent Stick and the Sculptural Form

A Masterclass in Bending Wood and Expanding Practice

What happens when rigid becomes plastic? When stiff material surrenders to heat, moisture, and intention?

This masterclass is an invitation to listen differently, to hear the language of wood not as fixed and unyielding, but as responsive, alive, and full of possibility. Through steam and heat, lamination and kerf, pressure and craft, we will coax timber into arcs, folds, and unexpected gestures.

You will work with steam boxes and microwaves, hot pipes and luthiers' pads, exploring steam bending, coopering, lamination, kerf bending and more, not only to learn technique, but to feel where material resistance softens into material collaboration.

This is not just a class in how to bend wood. It is a conversation with the material at its edge. For designers, sculptors, makers, furniture builders and the curious alike, The Bent Stick and the Sculptural Form is a place to play, to experiment, and to follow the curve wherever it might lead.

Workshop details

Book 16–20 November 2026

Mount Egerton is located on Wadawurrung Country in Central Victoria, approximately 90 minutes from Melbourne and 30 minutes from Ballarat. The studio is easily reached from Melbourne's west and from Geelong, Daylesford and regional Victoria.

What past participants say

"The most exhilarating day of woodworking ever." — Ioannis Benardos, Sturt School for Wood, 2025, after completing a laminated helical curve

"I'll never look at wood in the same way again." — Martin Stanley, Sturt School for Wood, 2025

About the teaching

Ross Annels is a maker, artist, designer and educator. He has taught in studios, schools and tertiary institutions. He has designed and made giant restoration and conservation projects and intimate domestic furniture, sonic sculptures and listening devices, display furniture for libraries and galleries, and a Bunya infinity forest for the National Museum of Australia.

He has taught at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, Sturt School for Wood, the JamFactory, and the Queensland College of Art, as well as running workshops and mentoring programs from his studio in Mount Egerton.

Steam bending, laminated bending, kerf bending, hot-pipe bending and coopering are central to his practice, not peripheral techniques. This masterclass draws directly from that practice.

Book this masterclass

Monday 16 to Friday 20 November 2026, 9am–5pm each day

A$1,800 per person, including materials. Maximum four participants.

Book The Bent Stick and the Sculptural Form — 16–20 November 2026

Can’t make this date? Register your interest for a future masterclass.

Where this fits

The Bent Stick and the Sculptural Form builds on the techniques introduced in:

  • Introduction to Wood Bending, a 2-day comparative introduction to steam, kerf, laminated and coopered bending

Those who want to go further into coopered form can progress to:

  • Contemporary Coopered Form, a 2-day deep dive into stave geometry and coopered construction

Moonlite Studios is a working furniture making and creative practice based in Mount Egerton, on Wadawurrung Country in Central Victoria. Courses and mentoring are offered year-round in small groups within a studio environment.

View all courses and workshops · Frequently Asked Questions · Mentoring with Ross · Contact