Tombalek Workshop - 7 Mandai Link

Had loads of fun making a cheeseboard at Tombalek with some friends. The three hour course, where you can also make a cutting block, was a great hands on experience and our instructor, Zef Wong, stressed the safety aspects while allowing us a free hand with our creative juices. It was great to see the block of mahogany transform into a good looking yet functional board after our effort and work.

We were lucky enough to have booked the workshop on a weekday afternoon so it was just the two of us, plus our instructor, Zen. She had an eye for detail, was conscientious and super helpful. I was nervous about cutting the wood and she gave me lots of tips and assistance. She had a lovely and warm personality and made us feel at home throughout the workshop. She was also knowledgeable, sharing after care instructions and informed us the wood was locally sourced mahogany. Will highly recommend Tombalek's workshop to family and friends. And will be back for another workshop next time we visit Singapore again.

Went for the Basic knife blacksmithing class - what an awesome experience! It's a 1 day (7hr) session and it can get quite tiring, but it's so satisfying to create something with your own hands! I'm so chuffed with my new hand-forged knife!! Thank you Nigel for your guidance and patience throughout the whole session! Looking forward to trying other classes in the future ?

Was always keen on working with wood so signed up for the beginner bowl-making workshop with a good friend. We were assigned to Small Ben and the experience was thoroughly enjoyable. The class was well organised and structured. We were hands on 90% of the time. Everything from safety to teaching framework was well planned and all we had to do was turn up! Our wooden bowls turned out beautifully and we couldn't have asked for more! Thanks Tombalek!!

I was searching for a class to learn making something practical and fun at the start of May. Stumbled upon Tombalek during a web search and absolutely NO REGRETS signing up for the chopping/cheese board-making class. A fun 2.5 hours under the proper guidance of Nigel (and Dan in the workshop too). After a short intro and choosing our design template and wood, we started our hands-on session and were all taught every step of the way until we finished. Friendly team, nice space, cool music and great vibes! See you all again in June when I come back to make something else. :)

A fun 2.5 hours with my wife! Attended their cheese board-making workshop. The staff was friendly and we felt that we were in good hands throughout the workshop. Their staff will go around each student regularly enough and will give ample advice to ensure that our boards look great at the end. They will show us just enough demonstration to show us how to carry out a specific process, and then let us try it, ensuring that we get the full workshop experience. When we struggle, they will help us right beside us to ensure that we complete it well. This was the rough outline of the workshop: 1) Explained the different steps briefly from start to end. 2) Choose our favourite piece of wood (different wood has different wood patterns) and cheese board design template (lots of it!). 3) Use the template to outline the wood. 4) Use a saw to cut the wood to shape. 5) Use a grinder with attached sandpaper to smooth out the edges. 6) Use linseed oil to preserve and protect the wood. Step number 5 takes the longest time and has a lot of sub-steps within it. You might think it is repetitive but it is not because as a first-timer, it was a lot of fun trying to feel the wood and make sure it is perfectly shaped to how you want it to be. If there are any mistakes or imperfections done by us, they will come in nicely (at the end, not while we are at it, so it is not disruptive) to help us correct them to ensure that we have the perfect cheese board at the end. After the workshop, they will wrap the wood in plastic, and you have to bring it home, unwrap the plastic and leave it to "dry" for 7 days before washing the excess oil and finally being able to use it. Our cheese boards look so beautiful! On top of that, it is thick, heavy, and feels super high quality. Looking at the market price for cheese boards, this looks even better than those that cost USD 40+. So essentially, half of the total cost is the workshop experience, and the other half is the amazing cheese board. Will definitely recommend our friends!

Location was a bit difficult to get to but the workshop made it all worth it! The chopsticks workshop which we attended was only priced affordably at $20 and we really did get to try our hands at making our own chopsticks to bring home! The instructor was also very encouraging and patient with us as she constantly checked on our progress. Would definitely return again in the future for another workshop! :)

Super fun experience! Ben and Daniel were really helpful and knowledgeable, guiding us along the way. There were 4 of us in the class and we were guided to carry out different steps of the process at the same time so that everyone was kept busy rather than having to wait around for a machine/instruction. This was my second project (my first was a cheeseboard) and I would definitely recommend this experience.