diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 7b76491..23bf263 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -217,6 +217,7 @@ set( fc_sources
      src/thread/spin_lock.cpp
      src/thread/spin_yield_lock.cpp
      src/thread/mutex.cpp
+     src/thread/parallel.cpp
      src/thread/non_preemptable_scope_check.cpp
      src/asio.cpp
      src/string.cpp
diff --git a/include/fc/asio.hpp b/include/fc/asio.hpp
index a2a0fb7..3d11a38 100644
--- a/include/fc/asio.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/asio.hpp
@@ -77,7 +77,8 @@ namespace asio {
        public:
           default_io_service_scope();
           ~default_io_service_scope();
-          static void set_num_threads(uint16_t num_threads);
+          static void     set_num_threads(uint16_t num_threads);
+          static uint16_t get_num_threads();
           boost::asio::io_service*          io;
        private:
           std::vector<boost::thread*>       asio_threads;
diff --git a/include/fc/thread/parallel.hpp b/include/fc/thread/parallel.hpp
index 3425b85..c56047b 100644
--- a/include/fc/thread/parallel.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/thread/parallel.hpp
@@ -25,23 +25,24 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include <fc/thread/task.hpp>
+#include <fc/thread/thread.hpp>
 #include <fc/asio.hpp>
 
-/* NOTE: the methods in this header are NOT to be mixed up with fc's
- * multithreading. Parallel functions MUST NOT call fc::thread::yield NOR
- * use fc's mutexes etc.!
- */
 namespace fc {
 
    namespace detail {
-      template<typename Task>
-      class parallel_completion_handler {
-         public:
-            parallel_completion_handler( Task* task ) : _task(task) {}
-            void operator()() { _task->run(); }
-         private:
-            Task* _task;
+      class pool_impl;
+
+      class worker_pool {
+      public:
+         worker_pool();
+         ~worker_pool();
+         void post( task_base* task );
+      private:
+          pool_impl*    my;
       };
+
+      worker_pool& get_worker_pool();
    }
 
    /**
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ namespace fc {
       fc::task<Result,sizeof(FunctorType)>* tsk =
          new fc::task<Result,sizeof(FunctorType)>( fc::forward<Functor>(f), desc );
       fc::future<Result> r(fc::shared_ptr< fc::promise<Result> >(tsk,true) );
-      fc::asio::default_io_service().post( detail::parallel_completion_handler<fc::task<Result,sizeof(FunctorType)>>( tsk ) );
+      detail::get_worker_pool().post( tsk );
       return r;
    }
 }
diff --git a/src/asio.cpp b/src/asio.cpp
index cec7de6..0716bad 100644
--- a/src/asio.cpp
+++ b/src/asio.cpp
@@ -101,10 +101,12 @@ namespace fc {
      * @param num_threads the number of threads
      */
     void default_io_service_scope::set_num_threads(uint16_t num_threads) {
-       FC_ASSERT(fc::asio::default_io_service_scope::num_io_threads == 0);
-       fc::asio::default_io_service_scope::num_io_threads = num_threads;
+       FC_ASSERT(num_io_threads == 0);
+       num_io_threads = num_threads;
     }
 
+    uint16_t default_io_service_scope::get_num_threads() { return num_io_threads; }
+
     /***
      * Default constructor
      */
@@ -113,14 +115,14 @@ namespace fc {
        io           = new boost::asio::io_service();
        the_work     = new boost::asio::io_service::work(*io);
 
-       if (this->num_io_threads == 0)
+       if( num_io_threads == 0 )
        {
           // the default was not set by the configuration. Determine a good
           // number of threads. Minimum of 8, maximum of hardware_concurrency
-          this->num_io_threads = std::max( boost::thread::hardware_concurrency(), 8u );
+          num_io_threads = std::max( boost::thread::hardware_concurrency(), 8u );
        }
 
-       for( uint16_t i = 0; i < this->num_io_threads; ++i )
+       for( uint16_t i = 0; i < num_io_threads; ++i )
        {
           asio_threads.push_back( new boost::thread( [i,this]()
                 {
diff --git a/src/thread/parallel.cpp b/src/thread/parallel.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..046b283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/thread/parallel.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2018 The BitShares Blockchain, and contributors.
+ *
+ * The MIT License
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+ * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+#include <fc/thread/parallel.hpp>
+#include <fc/thread/spin_yield_lock.hpp>
+#include <fc/thread/unique_lock.hpp>
+#include <fc/asio.hpp>
+
+#include <boost/atomic/atomic.hpp>
+#include <boost/lockfree/queue.hpp>
+
+namespace fc {
+   namespace detail {
+      class pool_impl;
+
+      class idle_notifier_impl : public thread_idle_notifier
+      {
+      public:
+         idle_notifier_impl()
+         {
+            is_idle.store(false);
+         }
+
+         idle_notifier_impl( const idle_notifier_impl& copy )
+         {
+            id = copy.id;
+            my_pool = copy.my_pool;
+            is_idle.store( copy.is_idle.load() );
+         }
+
+         virtual task_base* idle();
+         virtual void       busy()
+         {
+            is_idle.store(false);
+         }
+
+         uint32_t            id;
+         pool_impl*          my_pool;
+         boost::atomic<bool> is_idle;
+      };
+
+      class pool_impl
+      {
+      public:
+         pool_impl( const uint16_t num_threads )
+         {
+            notifiers.resize( num_threads );
+            threads.reserve( num_threads );
+            for( uint32_t i = 0; i < num_threads; i++ )
+            {
+               notifiers[i].id = i;
+               notifiers[i].my_pool = this;
+               threads.push_back( new thread( "pool worker " + fc::to_string(i), &notifiers[i] ) );
+            }
+         }
+         ~pool_impl()
+         {
+            for( thread* t : threads)
+               delete t; // also calls quit()
+            waiting_tasks.consume_all( [] ( task_base* t ) {
+               t->cancel( "thread pool quitting" );
+            });
+         }
+
+         void post( task_base* task )
+         {
+            idle_notifier_impl* ini;
+            while( idle_threads.pop( ini ) )
+               if( ini->is_idle.exchange( false ) )
+               { // minor race condition here, a thread might receive a task while it's busy
+                  threads[ini->id]->async_task( task, priority() );
+                  return;
+               }
+            boost::unique_lock<fc::spin_yield_lock> lock(pool_lock);
+            while( idle_threads.pop( ini ) )
+               if( ini->is_idle.exchange( false ) )
+               { // minor race condition here, a thread might receive a task while it's busy
+                  threads[ini->id]->async_task( task, priority() );
+                  return;
+               }
+            waiting_tasks.push( task );
+         }
+
+         task_base* enqueue_idle_thread( idle_notifier_impl* ini )
+         {
+            task_base* task;
+            if( waiting_tasks.pop( task ) )
+               return task;
+            fc::unique_lock<fc::spin_yield_lock> lock(pool_lock);
+            if( waiting_tasks.pop( task ) )
+               return task;
+            idle_threads.push( ini );
+            return 0;
+         }
+      private:
+         std::vector<idle_notifier_impl>                notifiers;
+         std::vector<thread*>                           threads;
+         boost::lockfree::queue<idle_notifier_impl*>    idle_threads;
+         boost::lockfree::queue<task_base*>             waiting_tasks;
+         fc::spin_yield_lock                            pool_lock;
+      };
+
+      task_base* idle_notifier_impl::idle()
+      {
+         is_idle.store( true );
+         task_base* result = my_pool->enqueue_idle_thread( this );
+         if( result ) is_idle.store( false );
+         return result;
+      }
+
+      worker_pool::worker_pool()
+      {
+         fc::asio::default_io_service();
+         my = new pool_impl( fc::asio::default_io_service_scope::get_num_threads() );
+      }
+
+      worker_pool::~worker_pool()
+      {
+         delete my;
+      }
+
+      void worker_pool::post( task_base* task )
+      {
+         my->post( task );
+      }
+
+      worker_pool& get_worker_pool()
+      {
+         static worker_pool the_pool;
+         return the_pool;
+      }
+   }
+}
diff --git a/tests/io/tcp_test.cpp b/tests/io/tcp_test.cpp
index 98ef876..0a43975 100644
--- a/tests/io/tcp_test.cpp
+++ b/tests/io/tcp_test.cpp
@@ -18,10 +18,6 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(tcpconstructor_test)
 class my_io_class : public fc::asio::default_io_service_scope
 {
 public:
-   uint16_t get_num_threads()
-   {
-      return fc::asio::default_io_service_scope::num_io_threads;
-   }
    static void reset_num_threads() { fc::asio::default_io_service_scope::num_io_threads = 0; }
 };