Handmade tale

13 September 2022

Josh, left, and Tom, right, perform world-class work at Handmade Metal and are in such demand they cannot take on new customers.

If you pulled up outside Handmade Metal’s Moonah digs, in the middle of an industrial zone, you might be tempted to lower your expectations. The narrow block, with a small forecourt and a sign warning unwanted vehicles will be removed via a forklift, doesn’t foreshadow the magnificence that happens within its modest walls.

But any car buff who walked inside, no matter how fussy, would be transported to a wonderland of enthusiast vehicles receiving restorations, body modifications and performance upgrades the equal of anything produced anywhere in the world.

Co-owners Josh Smith and Tom Saunders are not typical Tasmanian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (TACC) members. They’re in their early 20s, don’t have a company website and conduct all their marketing through social media.

They joined the Chamber in 2021, and for a familiar reason.

“We joined for the sign,” said Josh.

“It’s a good look,” added Tom. “The sign says we're respectable, that we’re good.”

Being a two-person business, with both on the tools, and Tom doing the books, the Handmade Metal team hasn’t got around to using TACC’s vast array of support services yet but admit it’s good to know the Chamber has their back.

One issue they face is, being a metal fabrication shop with plenty of welding going on, sourcing business insurance. But TACC, through its OurAuto Insurance arm, is trying to fix that.

Tom and Josh conduct almost all the work in-house. “We have a paint guy who’s pretty good. Other than that, we do everything ourselves,” said Josh.

The mechanical work and performance upgrades are superb but what really stands out is the team’s metal fabrication.

“I’m mostly self-taught,” said Josh. “I have learned as I’ve gone along.”

The three-hoist workshop’s cleanliness and orderliness speak volumes about Josh and Tom’s fastidiousness. Metal tubing rests neatly stacked along the walls, fabrications machines sit ready for bending and forming, and wall-side benches host neatly packed toolboxes full of quality equipment.

The business specialises in high-end fabrication, chassis and suspension work, custom exhausts, roll cages, engine conversions and mechanical upgrades.

When Australasian Automotive visited the shop, it saw a white Holden Calais midway through a mechanical and body upgrade, a widened Ford pick-up truck complete with modified chassis, and an HSV Maloo utility nearing readiness, complete with an intricately welded new performance exhaust system. 

Josh said most vehicles sat in the workshop for months, given the detailed work they perform and that the owners “become friends” over time. 

They already have 12 months’ worth of work in the pipeline – more than they can handle – and aren’t interested in taking on any new customers at the moment.

“The phone rings,” said Tom, “but we don’t answer it. We’re too busy.”

One thing the team won’t even attempt to do is quote on a job, no matter how insistent the customer.

“We charge $110 an hour for as long as it takes,” said Josh, who admits the rate is on the low side.

And it is. Handmade Metal’s work is first class. It’s about time they charged for it as well.

To be featured in Australasian Automotive October 2022 issue.