Australian Woodsmith

The dunes, ripples and waves crafted into the new brushbox diffusion-panels in the refurbished Opera House concert hall are staggeringly beautiful. They replace the flat brushbox panels that have stood elegantly in place for the last 45 years. The pr

In our next issue we admire the work of bodgers and fix an antique chair with wooden nails. We then jump two centuries and see how 3D printing has a place in a modern workshop. In our techniques section we detail an easy method for making panels on t

Installing threaded inserts into the edge of plywood presents a challenge. First, you have to make sure you’re drilling a straight hole. Second, there’s always a chance that the edges of the plywood will split as you install the insert. Luckily, ther

For years, both corded and cordless drills handled the hole drilling tasks in my workshop. As my skills increased (along with the size of the projects) it became obvious that a hand-held drill didn’t supply the accuracy I needed. And, it certainly di

The Sydney Opera house is truly a wonder of the modern world. Jørn Utzon’s breathtaking vision has gained World Heritage status and is a strikingly beautiful building from every perspective. After nearly 45 years of wear and tear the concert hall clo

Magswitch has produced a range of clever fences that lock down firmly onto iron surfaces with the flick of a switch. A visit to our workshop will see a whole family of Magswitches clipped to machines or being stored on the power tool cabinet doors. T

There’s little doubt that woodcarving is the wild child of the woodworking world. The projects that woodcarvers tackle are limited only by their imagination and the tools they have. So, it stands to reason that to fulfill the dreams and visions of th

Murray Taylor passed away in 2020. His gentle voice and clear instrucions live on in his videos (available at artisanmasterclass.co.uk). This is one of the last stories he wrote. While visiting a festival of wood recently I was drawn to a couple of s

Helical cutting heads for electric planes, jointers and thicknessers have changed the game here in Australia. The geometry of a helical cutting head has each insert overlap the next, slicing in a guillotine fashion and producing small shavings that a

In issue 171 we built the Kumiko blocks required to craft a traditional asanoha (hemp leaf) grid pattern in 6mm-thick stock. It was while building the Kumiko blocks, I realised I could use some of the leftover 12mm marine ply and some strips of Kumik

Anyone that’s stopped to consider the shape, form or function of an object will unwittingly have engaged in a conversation about design. Even choosing between Thai, Italian or tapas for dinner constitutes having an opinion on the merits of each regar

Stemming from India in the 7th century, chess is the ultimate game of strategy. What appears to be a simple objective on the surface, capture the opponent’s king, is much more involved than that. There are few games that require more planning, strate

When I built my workbench, one of the main goals was to have a surface large enough to handle most projects. It wasn’t difficult to achieve that. However, bench space shrinks quickly once you factor in the tools, plans and other supplies you need clo

This is a method of holding an awkwardly shaped part so that it can accept additional turning. Start by turning a hollow into a prepared softwood chuck. This hollow has to be of sufficient size to accommodate the awkwardly shaped part you want to hol

I recently had a conversation with Ryan Benson from Best Abrasives about brushless motors and whether they were a spark hazard or not. This conversation led to a longer one about pneumatic versus electric sanders in the workshop. As a youth I spent t

Terry’s range of vices can be seen on the HNT Gordon website. Terry has upped production and is now making them in batches of 25 or so. There is often a waiting list for the more complicated patternmaker’s vice. Installing an HNT Gordon front and tai