Triton Workcentre
1976
portable multipurpose workbench
This is no get-rich-quick story. In 1975 George Lewin, a 25 year old TV journalist and not particularly handy person, bought a house next door to a French-polishing workshop. He was inspired and decided to build his own dining room table with his neighbour's help and equipment. But just as the timber arrived, Lewin's neighbour sold up and left.
Poor George began sawing into the expensive timber with a handsaw, and soon found out that he could only cut curves. He bought an electric circular saw, but it was hard to control and using it terrified him. His solution was a multipurpose workbench that turns portable power tools into stable, accurate machine tools and can hold the work in almost any position.
Lewin showed his workbench on The Inventors ABC TV program. When he mentioned a likely price of $150 on the show, a flood of cheques came in. He had no choice but to start making them!
He teamed up with a manufacturer of heating oil tanks and perfected the workbench over the next five years. A plus for buyers was Lewin's home-made 4-hour 'how to' video sold with the Triton all over the world.
Between 1976 and 2001 over 400 000 Triton workbenches were sold worldwide. Aproximately 10% of households in Australia with a back shed or garage has a Triton helping them out.
Many women have written to Lewin sincerely thanking him for 'saving the sanity' of their husbands, who had retired without planning how to use their extra time, then discovered the Triton, a special 'mate' for all those odd jobs around the house.
Who Did It?
Key Organisations
Triton Manufacturing & Design Co Pty Ltd : R&D, design, manufacture
Key People
George Lewin : inventor
Further Reading
'Builder's comment'
K Agar
Backyards and barbecues, pp 67-69.
Links
Triton Manufacturing
Triton Foundation
Innovations, Radio Australia 20 March 2000
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