Australian Woodsmith

When Venice was a maritime trading port it relied on ships and shipwrights to prosper. If you visit the island of Venice today and sit in any one of the 100 churches, look up, you will see that most of the roof trusses are modelled on the inverted hu

While building some drawers for added storage under my workbench, I ran out of the 5mm Masonite I normally use for the drawer bottoms. Looking around the workshop for a suitable substitute, I found some 5mm pegboard. It seemed sturdy enough for my pu

In our next issue we look into timber recycling and the places to fifi nd timber with a past. We focus on the drill press and the speeds you need to get the most out of your bits. The Christmas project is a Kumiko star that can be used to decorate a

Nari spent his childhood watching his mum use waterstones to sharpen her kitchen knives. When he was a teenager, he thought he would have a go at this seemingly simple monthly activity. Much to his shame his efforts were a failure! Maybe it was this

Probably one of the best aspects of a table saw is how many items lay claim to the “top table saw accessory.” The list is extensive. The choice is heavily influenced by the types of tasks a person is performing at the saw on a given day. So for my co

The IKEA Ivar shelving system uses a clever pressed metal bracket to lock five shelves into two open ladder supports. The system has been around since 1968 and has been an IKEA best seller several times over the last 54 years. The laminated shelves i

The chisel tip on a standard twist drill will dance across a piece of steel or wood unless you use a centre punch to create a start point and then a pilot drill to start the hole. The pilot drill needs to be just slightly larger in diameter than the

The Harvey Ellis desk on page 44 makes great use of the art of inlay in the door of the project. Most of the time inlay is thinly sliced wood (or metal) that is recessed into the surface of a larger board. Here, the larger board is the centre panel o

For some, talking about routing grooves and slots has all the appeal of advice to eat your vegetables or to get enough sleep. I think this line of thinking stems from the familiarity of these joints and the idea that they are “basics” when we want to

The shoji screens that divide rooms in traditional Japanese homes and temples are made from washi glued to Kumiko frames. The frames themselves feature tight-fitting, intricate wooden joinery that is assembled without glue or nails. Japanese culture

There is beauty in both simplicity and practicality. When styling a room, it can be frustrating to find your favourite pieces at odds with the desired aesthetic. For that reason, pieces like these bar stools tick all the boxes. The slender legs give

Furniture is just a collection of boards and hardware that are milled, cut and fashioned in a manner that then can be joined together to serve a specific task. Unfortunately, a lot of furniture is just as boring as that description. But that’s not tr

A little history. If you’re unfamiliar with a Moxon vice, it’s a benchtop vice designed for doing handwork, such as cutting dovetails. One of the first places this style of vice was shown was in Joseph Moxon’s The Art of Joinery from the 17th century

Turning a salad bowl is a rite of passage for woodturners. The bowl itself has many practical applications; it can be used as the name implies, as a salad bowl, however it can also be used as a bowl that you throw your keys and wallet in when you get

In some US publications drill size is often referred to as a number. The convention behind this number is that it refers to Stubs iron wire gauge. The Stubs iron wire gauge was itself based on the Birmingham iron wire gauge that was used in British w

IKEA has a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. Hacking IKEA shelves is a climate positive move. The guides that were used to cut the shelves to size were purchased from Japanese Tools Australia. Nari Watabe-san is a craftsman who works with amazing

Now is your chance to own 150 issues of Australian Woodsmith on USB. Every project, every tip and every technique from Issue 1 to 150 has been reproduced on this fully searchable and print-capable computer USB. A great addition to your workshop. On t