Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue #89 i Australian Wood Review

Lasers, glow lights, robotic CNC-tooled sculpture! This issue is absolutely going off as our writers reflect the collision of technology and woodcraft. It might sound corny, but I truly believe we are living in exciting times. However digital tools are not taking away from cherished hand skills. With considered use, they expand the capabilities of wood artists and furniture makers so much more. This theme carries over from last issue’s spotlight on the current craft revival. Perhaps the digital world has refocused our gaze on those skills because at the same time some makers are rediscovering special purpose hand tools and appreciating their benefits. This is illustrated with Troy McDonald’s continued journey into the world of traditional hand planes. Machines are where it’s at for the modern woodworker he says,…

I have used tung oil based finishes for over 30 years now. I like how they allow simple repair and rejuvenation when regular use leaves its mark, and I prefer the slowly wearing sheen of rubbed oil to a plasticky gloss that looks defaced with use. A couple of years ago I noticed a change in the formulation of the product I’d been using so I tested Osmo Polyx Oil. I applied it according to label instructions to test boards of both silver ash and Tas blackwood and left them for two weeks to fully cure. Dollops of red and white wines, hot water, jam, chutney as well as wet tea bags were dropped on all and left for 24 hours. The results mean I have been using and recommending…

The designers got it right with this drill press. It looks great, is well made and has enough power for its size. And dare I say, it has the appeal of an exciting new toy. This is a Bosch green range tool so it’s not rated for trade use, however for part-time use it appeared more than adequate. Assembly is simply dropping the head and steel shaft onto the precision milled aluminium table and screwing it in place. The motor is rated 710 watt (around 1hp) and for a brush motor it’s not too bad on noise levels. The head has a keyless chuck that locks securely. To position the head along the shaft is easy with a cleverly balanced lock assembly and depth stop. Drilling down is very easy…

I have always had a soft spot for hand tool chests. Perhaps it’s my passion for boxmaking that attracts me to them, but the idea of having all of my cherished hand tools neatly stored in a purpose built chest was very appealing. A few years ago I had to travel to undertake a woodwork course. I had all my tools stored in a plastic tub, and although it did the job, it was a pain to work out of during the course. Since then I have continued to use the tub but recently I decided it was time to build a tool chest that could contain enough tools to complete a variety of woodworking tasks when I was away from my workshop. The chest shown was made from kauri…

Many of us start our journey in woodworking producing designs with dead straight lines and easy to produce 90° joints. Once a woodworker starts to experiment with curves, they find out how much more interesting a design can become with the addition of curved components. However including curves in your design may not be quite as simple as cutting out a shape from a straight board. Important factors to consider are the appearance of wood grain in relation to the curves, ease of production and the structural integrity of the curved piece. 1. Bandsawn curves Heading for the bandsaw is certainly one of the fastest, more straightforward methods of making curves. If quick and easy is what you’re after then this is the method for you. Cleaning up the rough…

The cabinet and its lustrous hand tool contents known as Collaboration One was one of those things that toolmakers Terry Gordon and Colen Clenton had wanted to do for some time. ‘We’re really taking it to the top of the tree’, said Phoebe Everill, maker of the cabinet and the third collaborator. ‘We’re saying this is what we’re really proud of, it’s the complete package’. Around 12 months prior to its unveiling at Sturt Gallery in Mittagong, the three makers decided to make it happen. ‘I’m not sure if this kind of collaboration has ever been done before in Australia’, said Phoebe, ‘but both Terry and Colen wanted to make complete high-end sets of their tools from premium timber, and house them in a specially made purpose-built cabinet. For Terry…

I recently finished a demilune top for which I needed a base. I decided I didn’t want legs, but instead wanted to mount my top to the wall using brackets that would complement the top but not overwhelm it. To help me create the perfect bracket, I turned to a series of design techniques that are guaranteed to give me results. My process involves sketching, modelling, mocking up and prototyping. Although this may sound like a lot of steps and a big time commitment for a one-off object it is a sure-fire way to generate numerous ideas in a short period of time. Sketching. The top has walnut burl veneer, sycamore inlay, radial walnut veneer on its waterfall edge and is bordered in solid walnut. It has a lot going…

Trees grow upward towards light. If a tree is subjected to natural forces, such as prevailing winds, loading from snow, ice, rocks or soil, or if it grows on a slope, it will still grow in such as a way as to bring its stem back to a vertical position. Reaction wood is the term used to describe the abnormal woody tissue which can develop in response. Reaction wood develops in different parts of the tree in softwoods and hardwoods. It differs physically, microscopically and chemically, but also exhibits similar properties which affect the processing of wood and products in service. In softwoods, reaction wood is called compression wood (CW) and is laid down on the underside (compression side) of the bend. In hardwoods, reaction wood is formed on the…

Shown here back to back, are two cabinets recently built by Adelaide wood artist Gray Hawk to house a rare set of prints of Joseph Banks’s Florilegium, one of the world’s most significant collections of botanical art. Between 1768 and 1771 Joseph Banks, the famed botanist, accompanied Cook on his explorations of the Pacific Islands and the continent of Australia. Sketches of Australian native flora by Banks and Daniel Solander were eventually compiled and copperplate engravings created. It was not until the 1980s however, that limited editions of Banks’s Floralegium became available. Flash forward to 2015 and Hawk’s ‘2000 hours of blood, sweat and tears’ during which new technologies of intarsia were explored, and have now resulted in the creation of two stunning cabinets. Each cabinet is 2300mm high x…

Spoon carving has established itself as a very popular woodworking project for beginners and experienced woodworkers. It’s got all the elements you need to enjoy the beauty of timber and stretch yourself creatively, with the added bonus of having a practical application as well. Most carvers in Europe and America are using a curved hook knife for the bowls of the spoon and a straight knife for the back of the bowl and the handle. Spoons are generally carved hand-held using a protective glove on the hand that holds the workpiece. Up until recently there have been no hook knives available in Australia, now there are three brands on the market – Mora from Sweden, M-Stein from the Czech Republic, and soon to be available, Pfeil, the well-known Swiss carving…

Small-scale CNC routers have attracted some attention lately but there’s another toy that has an even bigger following amongst woodworkers and other makers. Laser engravers are not cheap, but offer a huge range of new possibilities and hours of enjoyment. A bandsaw may be a machine you need, but a laser engraver is a machine you want. I was fortunate enough to have one delivered for a Wood Review trial and I can tell you – it’s a heck of a lot of fun. The Epilog Zing 24 from alfexcnc has a 40 watt laser and engraving area of 610 x 305mm. At around $15,000 it’s a serious investment but there are no consumables, it takes up little space, and the possibilities are enormous. This machine is something you can…

Those who are new to woodturning are constantly being advised to ‘rub the bevel’ when using gouges and skew chisels, and this seems a simple enough instruction. But very recently a beginner complained to me that, although he was constantly being told by people trying to help to ‘rub the bevel’, he had no idea what this meant. When some people don’t understand what they are being told they often don’t like to ask for clarification for fear of ridicule or being thought dense. Usually the problem lies not with the student but with the teacher’s inability to explain the point in terms that particular student can understand. Bevel rubbing is essential if you hope to achieve a smooth surface off a skew chisel making a planing cut, or a…

In AWR#88 we took a close look at moulding planes and the creative opportunities they present to both the traditional and modern woodworker. In this article we’ll introduce a number of the more specialised joinery planes available to assist with the fitting of joints. Just like their moulding plane cousins, these joinery planes should not be seen as the bastion of traditional woodworkers. They will be found to have application when used for the final fitting of machine cut joints or alternatively for the cutting of one-off joints where machine set-up time might exceed the time taken to cut the joint by hand. The planes discussed here include the shoulder plane, skew rebate plane, router plane, side rebate plane, plough plane and the dado plane. I have listed the planes…

For more events and news sign up to AWR fortnightly newsletters at: www.woodreview.com.au Diary listings are free. Mail to: Wood Diary, PO Box 3893, Loganholme DC, Qld 4129 Email to: linda@woodreview.com.au Note: Listings are correct at time of publication but may be subject to change. It is advisable to check details with the organiser before visiting. Until 6 DECEMBER Trees+ – Sculpture by Terry Martin Bungendore Wood Works GalleryKings Hwy, Bungendore, NSWwww.bungendorewoodworks.com.au Until FEBRUARY 7, 2016 Rigg Design Prize exhibition National Gallery of Victoriawww.ngv.vic.gov.au 21 NOVEMBER–5 DECEMBER Transformations: Graduate Exhibition Sturt School for Wood, Mittagong, NSWwww.sturt.nsw.edu.au 21–22 NOVEMBER Eltham & District Woodworkers 28th Annual Exhibition & DemonstrationsEltham Community Centre Main Rd, ElthamGeoff: 03 9432 9047 Bar5ry: 03 9439 7901 21–22 NOVEMBER Churchill Scrollsaw Weekend Churchill Community Hall, VicBob Calhoun: 03…