Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Australian Wood Review

What makes a piece perfect? Is it about a lack of ‘mistakes’ or deviations from an ideal set of proportions, junctures and surfaces? No, I don’t think so. Maybe it’s more about the small differences or details, if you like. There are surprise elements that lead us to love and admire work that is not ‘perfect’. There are good reasons why some things are mass produced – a great design, everyday needs made accessible at low cost, for example. But as the world turns towards artificial intelligence, allowing it to infuse and turbocharge every aspect of creation, some of us want to hang on to the idea that some things can still be unique and somehow different. Handmade objects and artworks are all about those differences and revealing the humanity…

PRESENTED BY SUPPORTING SPONSORS It’s our honour and pleasure to present the award winners and finalists for Maker of the Year, presented by Carbatec! Now in their fifth year, these Awards continue to provide an inspiring, international showcase of contemporary new work by fine woodworkers and wood artists. In 2024, 373 entries were received, the most to date. Makers from every continent of the world (from 26 countries, including Australia and New Zealand) showed their creations. While the level of work continues to reach higher, the one thing that never changes is the difficulty of comparing a wildly diverse field. The challenge was met however by our talented and highly astute judges who drew on their equally diverse experience and decades of commitment to art, craft and design. We are…

PRESENTED BY SUPPORTING SPONSORS WINNER, WORLD FURNITURE: KAROLIS STOLYS, LITHUANIA ‘Every element, including the brass interior cabinet back, door hinges, knobs, and brass leg fittings, has been entirely handcrafted by the maker. The pattern on the doors is inspired by sand drawing and realised through marquetry and brass inlay. The lacewood back gives a dynamic, changing reflection depending on viewing angle. The cabinet is equipped with an auto on/off amber lighting system.’ WHAT THE JUDGES SAID Karolis Stolys’ Wooden Drinks Cabinet is a series of detail discoveries as the eye wonders around this incredible object. From the decorative inlay to the metal touchpoints, and the interior elements to the seamless joinery, a high level of skill has been mastered. Brodie Neill Congratulations to Karolis for a well resolved piece with…

PRESENTED BY SUPPORTING SPONSORS WINNER: KEVIN TRONEL, FRANCE Chippendale International School of Furniture, UK 1. The Ligérienne is a sleek, modular wall unit crafted from solid prime European oak with fumed oak accents. It is designed to elegantly showcase and store a record collection along with a turntable. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID The overall design of this unit is simple, with the light-coloured main body accented by darker tones, creating an elegant look. The connection between the legs, cabinet, and shelves is well executed. I particularly like the slot design inside the right-hand cabinet door for storing records in use – it’s a very practical feature. Wei Wu RUNNER-UP: DEB HARWOOD, NEW ZEALAND Centre for Fine Woodwork, New Zealand; tutor: Brian Reid 2. Beach Bach Boxes, red beech. ‘This playful…

Let’s face it, corded tools are pretty well finished. New battery power allows cordless tools to cope with most building demands. The issue is that once you start with one brand of battery and charger you need to stay with it, as batteries are not interchangeable. However, you can buy adaptors that let you run compatible voltage batteries on different branded tools. I can’t vouch for them but at around $56 they will let you run, for example, Makita batteries in Bosch tools. Which brings us to this Bosch 1/4" collet router based on the well known and respected ‘Colt’ trim routers. These were a simple but very popular tool that sold well. I’ve had two over the years. This cordless tool has an 18 volt brushless motor and adequate…

Reinforcing project construction with screws and then disguising the screw heads with timber plugs has long been utilised in workshops the world over. Most often woodworkers are required to drill out this arrangement in several stages – pilot hole, shank clearance hole and then the countersink or counterbore to accommodate the screw head, this final step requiring to be done in a size that matches a subsequent plug cutter, often from a different tooling manufacturer. This two-part-set from Japanese maker Star-M greatly simplifies this multi-stage drilling to one operation and provides a matching plug cutter. The drilling is achieved with a combination set that combines a tapered single-fluted central drill bit to cut both the pilot hole and the shank clearance hole in one. This is mounted inside a second…

PRESENTED BY SUPPORTING SPONSORS WINNER: ANDREW WARD ‘Commissioned by Ha Architecture, the design came about organically with the direction resolving quickly. Front of mind was the intention to produce a piece that sits harmoniously within the overall context of the house. I drew inspiration from a few of my favourite architectural details after a site visit. The edge profile on the table represents the inverse of the slow gradient found on the extension roof line that can be seen when entering the property. The rectangular cutouts in the table base call reference to the double height windows of the stairwell and steel shroud that projects into the courtyard. The warm tones of Tassie oak made it an obvious choice as it features heavily throughout the home. A bookmatched sliding Susan…

PRESENTED BY SUPPORTING SPONSORS WINNER: RENE LEBEL, CANADA 1. Crosswind, salvaged pallet wood and salvaged jatoba flooring. ‘I find using salvaged wood inspires creativity rather than being a limitation. The wood is never perfect for furniture or other objects, so rather than getting wood to meet a design, the constraints of the material can drive the design. For this piece, the top is made from unknown wood taken from a pallet. Small pieces with variable grain and colour were cut into veneer and arranged randomly to achieve unity from variability, and stretch the few pieces to cover a larger area. The legs are from salvaged jatoba flooring pulled from a house after 25 years of use. Single planks were cut and joined with mitred corners to build up the volume…

Good knives are valuable, and they need to be looked after. In the kitchen we need them at the ready, and a knife block is an effective way to store them. They also make for a good student project, and another way to use up the short pieces that accumulate. Design An internet search will bring up countless designs, however you can come up with your own if you take into account some base considerations in size and capacity. How many knives will it hold? How long are the knives it will hold? Is it safe and stable, and will it look good? My solution My design has five slots to accommodate either one large or two smaller knives in each slot. It’s made up of two sides, two faces…

Knowing that your timber stock is suitably dry at, or close to, equilibrium moisture content, is essential to good woodworking. This will minimise the risk of subsequent distortion, uneven tangential/radial shrinkage, or splitting after dressing and assembly as the boards further acclimate to the environmental conditions. Ignore this at your peril, as I did some years ago. I ordered nearly two cubic metres of silver ash and the whole pack caused me issues over the coming six months as I naively assumed the stock would be good to go. Needless to say I now err on the side of caution and measure all stock that comes into the shop. Suffice it to say, the wood was not from one of my regular Brisbane-based suppliers. I do have my own high-quality…

Simpler honing guides like this have been around for years. The most famous is the Eclipse style and its variations, and given its usefulness is readily available for the ridiculously low price of $16. The Eclipse style is aluminium and has two positions to lock a chisel or blade in place. What I’ve always found a bit weak in this design is that the rolling wheel is rather narrow and you have to concentrate to not rock around when honing. Made in Canada, this Veritas version costs a lot more at $96 but you do get a lot more for your money. It has a painted aluminium body that is more heavy duty and there is a substantial steel threaded mechanism that clamps your blade. The blade to be sharpened…

From a young age, I always wanted to do something out of the box and creative. This passion led me into a very fulfilling career in industrial design that went for more than two decades. I was very fortunate to receive worldwide recognition and awards, which drove me to keep pushing the boundaries of creativity. It was on this incredible journey that I gradually came to understand how profound an impact design can have on our world. Whereas good and conscientious design elevates our lives, there can be a dark side as well, especially when products are designed to merely prioritise profit over people and planet. My heart couldn’t help sinking when I saw fast fashion products and gadgets everywhere in the world, depleting our natural resources and contributing to…

PRESENTED BY SUPPORTING SPONSORS WINNER: DANIEL LITTLE ‘Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.’ – Juniichiro Tanizaki. Roscuro’s name is inspired by the term chiaroscuro, a term for bold contrasts between light and shadow. The design concept explores this duality and the harmony within an interplay of opposites. The ebonised exterior contrasts sharply with the light silver ash interior, creating a revealing aspect to the functionality of the piece. The legs have soft, opposing curves designed to complement the curves of the carcase. A linear throughcavity in the solid wood and coopered legs lightens the form and creates spaces that catch light and cast shadows. The staggering of tambour pieces between curves and flats adds subtle surface texture to catch and reflect light.’ WHAT THE JUDGES SAID…

PRESENTED BY SUPPORTING SPONSORS WINNER: SAMUEL CREECY 1 ‘Oubaitori is a Japanese philosophy that people, like flowers, bloom in their own time in their own individual way. This large ornamental bowl represents this idea. Organic lines and curves gives a form similar to a flower. It is also personally a piece that represents the place I am at now in my creative journey. Carved from up-cycled Jacaranda mimosifolia and finished in lemon and beeswax oil.’ WHAT THE JUDGES SAID Samuel Creecy’s conceptual gesture towards an opening flower is beautifully echoed in the grain of the chosen material. Creecy’s ability to upcycle while maintaining a gentle, poetic approach to the creation of the finished object is admirable. Sally Dan-Cuthbert This piece not only celebrates natural beauty, sustainability as well as individual…

Diary listings are free. 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. 23–24 NOVEMBER National Trust Traditional Trades Exposition Displays and demonstrations by traditional trade practitioners with a focus on heritage properties, career opportunities and skills. Labassa Mansion 2 Manor Grove, Caulfield North, Victoria www.nationaltrust.org.au/event 23–24 NOVEMBER Adelaide Knife Show Custom makers, resellers, suppliers and exhibitors from associated industries Australian Knife Art Association Ridley Centre, Adelaide Showgrounds www.knifeartassociation.com 16 NOVEMBER–1 DECEMBER Perspective: 2024 Graduate Exhibition Sturt School for Wood Sturt Gallery, Cnr Range Road & Waverley Parade, Mittagong, NSW www.sturt.nsw.edu.au 29 NOVEMBER–1 DECEMBER 2023 Exhibition and sales Woodturners Society of Queensland 9am–4pm, Mt Coot-tha, Brisbane www.wsqld.org.au 1 DECEMBER 2024  Members…