Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 97 i Australian Wood Review

Hardwax oils have become very popular over the past few years as a great alternative polish to lacquers and polyurethanes. Personally I am slightly allergic to the latter and now solely use these hardwax oils. Whilst they are claimed on curing to be fully foodsafe and non-toxic I do find during application that the fumes are a little offensive. I therefore wear an organic vapour disposable mask and always polish in a well ventilated area, or weather permitting, outside. Evolution is a newer version of the Whittle hardwax range that is formulated to dry faster than earlier products. It is very easy to apply with brush or rag and suits flooring, woodwork and furniture. In my experience it is best to initially apply a reasonably wet coat with a brush…

If you are new to the world of handplanes, it can be difficult to figure out what you need or what you should start with. There are countless options spanning from new tools to vintage and everything in between. The five planes shown above are the most used in my shop. The first three are in my eyes essential regardless of whether you are a machine person or not. The last two are for people who can’t/ don’t run machines or don’t enjoy the dulcet tones of a power router. The low-angle jack In my workshop, there isn’t a plane nearly as versatile as the low-angle jack. This plane is a real workhorse and its size is the secret to its versatility. It’s long enough that I haven’t missed having…

The bevel angle you put on your plane blades makes a big difference to the effort required to plane wood and how long that blade will remain sharp enough to give you a nice smooth surface. This is the one angle in a plane that woodworkers control, and how you do it profoundly affects the performance of your plane. What is bevel angle? As far as the function of your blade goes, it is the final bevel you put on the blade. So if you put a 45° micro bevel on a 30° primary bevel, your bevel angle is 45°, irrespective of how small the micro bevel is. What is the optimum bevel angle for a plane blade? The correct answer is, as acute as possible without the blade edge…

It’s hard to imagine a topic more divisive amongst woodworkers than sharpening. For some, the quest for sharpening perfection seems to be a pursuit in its own right. So, in the interests of disclosure I’ll confess at the start that I’ve always had a strong dislike for sharpening, and also that I’ve been a Tormek owner for some years and love the system. That said, how does the new Tormek T8 stack up? The T8 is the new flagship model in a long line of sharpening products from the Swedish company dating back to the 1970s. Few could dispute Tormek’s reputation for innovation and quality and the T8 is no exception. The unit comes with everything you need (photo 1) and the documentation supplied is the best in the business.…

Whittle Wherever Now you can whittle wherever you go. Flexcut’s Spoon Carving Jack is a three-in-one tool that sports a straight blade and two righthanded hooks. These are quality USA-made blades in a sleek looking aerospace aluminium handle. Slip one in the glovebox or your handbag and you’ll be prepared should any spooncarving opportunity arise. RRP $189. www.carbatec.com.au The Big Gripper This is the hands-free you need in the shed, the one that grips hard and lets go when you want it to. Triton’s new and improved SuperJaws are a stand-alone but portable vice-and-workstation-in-one solution. Foot-operated 1000kg clamping force, sliding jaws, 360° access, stable base, packs away, RRP $299 – what’s not to like? www.tritontools.com Aussie Made Lathes Proudly made in Carrum Downs, Victoria by AMP Engineering, Omega Stubby wood…

Rust is an ever present concern for most woodworkers because so many of the tools we use are prone to it. It prevents true sharpness, clogs adjustment and marks wood. It’s easy to prevent, and that’s another story, but getting rid of it is far simpler than many realise, and there are quite a few ways of dealing with this old problem, including a range of dedicated products. Simple, effective and cheap was definitely in mind when I needed to restore a lot of donated but neglected tools before shipping them for community projects in Rambutso, Papua New Guinea in January 2016 (see AWR# 91), and later again in January 2017 when over half a tonne of tools were restored and shipped. It’s unlikely you’ll have to deal with such…

In Romania a spoon has been many things, from a utilitarian item to a traditional love token. There is a great variety of Romanian spoons and I have made most of them, but I never felt limited by tradition and I always wanted the spoons I make to be as much an expression of who I am as a reflection of tradition. For me, Elegant Spoon was the most significant of many milestones in my development. Traditional spoon makers often selected wood that could be split along the grain, but I look for wood that can be cut so the grain pattern enhances the form. These spoons could be used, but I am interested in the form above all other considerations. I cut a blank from plum wood with the…

On August 21, 2017, after months of anticipation, around 130 people mingled in the foyer of Sydney’s SMC conference centre prior to the start of a packed program of talks and panel discussions. New in the wood world was an event for makers, specifically woodworkers, that focused on inspiration, stories and ideas sharing. Sponsored by the industry for the industry*, AWR L!VE was Wood Review magazine’s first conference type event and, judging by the feedback on the day and since, was universally hailed a success. As Wood Review editor I was privileged to create a program of speakers and act as MC on the day. Relating to the theme Passion to Profit, a panel of eight speakers examined ideas relating to creating a career in woodworking. Speakers ranged from emerging…

There are two types of tools that I absolutely love in my hand tool chest. One is my wooden planes, and the other my joinery planes. In the case of my chamfering plane, I get the best of both worlds. This plane, made by New Zealand planemaker Philip Marcou, is esoteric as it only cuts chamfers and this suits my style of work well. Based on the Japanese version of the chamfer plane (mentori kanna), the plane is simple to set up. The sole has two 45° sections (one fixed and one sliding) which allows the user to set the size of the chamfer. Once you get the size you are after, it’s as simple as locking up the jam nuts to keep the setting. The two sole pieces allow…

This bench is the culmination of seven years of R&D by Stuart Faulkner and one you now make for yourself during a three-day course at Heartwood Creative Woodworking in Sydney. When it was sent to me to trial, it was available as a kit that you assembled yourself. The bench I tested was 1800 x 600 x 1000mm high. It was made from CNC machined FSC certified white birch plywood with a very generous and heavy 75mm thick LVL top, ideal for use with dogs and hold-downs. The top has 19mm dog holes and a tool holder. The bench arrived flatpacked, however the legs and rails were pre-assembled with large tenons that have threaded rod running through them, making for very strong joins. Once assembled, I first checked the benchtop…

The Victorian Woodworkers Association has a history of producing high profile exhibitions and Double Take in Wood was another in a great lineage. Not since 2005 has the VWA run an exhibition with a fine woodworking theme, but this year it did, and combined it with another rendition of its much lauded recycled pallet timber series. Privileged to be one of five judges, I spent three hours stalking around the Manningham Art Gallery space, looking over, inside and upwards at each numbered but not named piece, noting down nominations for each award in order of my preference. Tallied up with those of the others and then politely thrashed out in a group discussion, decisions were made. Most votes followed a general trend so the process was quite smooth. I don’t…

Deep down inside, all of us we know where we sit on the scale of coffee making abilities. In my opinion the scale goes a little something like this. You have the excellent ability to order a daily takeaway from your local barista. Doesn’t take long to feel the pain of the $3.50– $4 which we all know is like the drink equivalent of the controversial smashed avocado and before you know it you own a Nespresso pod machine (60 cents/cup yay!). Once you figure out you are only consuming 5gm of coffee it’s a short and slightly expensive leap to a real coffee machine with a group handle. And all of a sudden you are burning beans and cursing the day you bought it. That is until you start…