Frederick Daniel Ryan was born in 1909, in the coal mining town of Wonthaggi. The son of Irish immigrants, he was orphaned at the age of 11. Soon after he started working as a farmhand, but at age 14 he was fortunate to be apprenticed as a wheelwright and blacksmith. In his early 20s he ventured to Melbourne and started his first business, forging knives and tools for the footwear and horticulture trade.
In 2014 his great-grandson James re-kindled the family tradition of tool making. Handcrafted artisan gardening tools made from high carbon steel, heat-treated for maximum strength and sharpened to a knife edge. Using many of the tools, materials and techniques inherited from his great grand father, James makes tools using traditional designs sometimes with a modern twist. These tools are a delight to use and beautiful to behold. With care, they will last a lifetime.
James has named his business F.D.RYAN in honour of his great grandfather
and in the the traditional Irish style of naming the business by the initials of the proprietor.
In 2014 his great-grandson James re-kindled the family tradition of tool making. Handcrafted artisan gardening tools made from high carbon steel, heat-treated for maximum strength and sharpened to a knife edge. Using many of the tools, materials and techniques inherited from his great grand father, James makes tools using traditional designs sometimes with a modern twist. These tools are a delight to use and beautiful to behold. With care, they will last a lifetime.
James has named his business F.D.RYAN in honour of his great grandfather
and in the the traditional Irish style of naming the business by the initials of the proprietor.