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PRO-PRODUCTS PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTRALIA ProDrillPress Table V3 MOPOBTAUOIOVNSANTCIAILHNALGBLKEIT The ProDrill Press Table V3 is ideally suited to the smaller workshop and suits conventional drill presses as well as the popular Bosch PBD 40 Bench Drill. With a 730mm long fence it has the capacity to handle reasonable sized precision drilling tasks and provides a 600mm x 400mm working surface. Includes: • 2 Fence stops; • A pair of hold-down clamps; and • Sacrificial inserts to stop tear-outs. USALICSFMCITZSE2OEP9(2SPT8T3SL.5A5mTmEmmS )&X Our ProRouter Fence is the simple answer to a versatile fence at a reasonable price • 800mm long x 160mm tall it includes T Track for ProRouter Tabletops designed feather board mounting; to suit all quality fences • Fence halves open to accept 70+mm diameter bits; • Accepts Incra, Jessem Lifts and plates • 4 sizes available: • 1.00 mm offset shims allow for edge planning; - 800mm x 600mm suits ProRouter Fence, • 63mm diameter dust extraction port; and 6kgABWACSNEOHIYGRABBHTTISTTER Incra WonderFENCE and other 800mm long Fences • Clear acrylic guard for safety. - 1100mm x 600mm suits Incra LS Positioners - 685mm x 600mm tablesaw wing to suit 27” deep saws - 800mm x 600mm tablesaw wing to suit 800mm deep saws • Tough laminate surface with 2.00mm PVC edging, all include Incra combination Mitre Channel and T Track. PH: 03 9776 1521 FAX: 03 4206 7868 WOODWORKSUPPLIES.COM.AU SUBSCRIBE TO OUR E-NEWSLETTER PO BOX 10, PATTERSON LAKES, VICTORIA 3197 [email protected]
116 Contents 24 ISSUE 116 – SEPTEMBER 2022 PROFILE WOODCARVING 38 Largely Made to Measure 78 Beyond the Black Stump Maintaining attention to detail at scale is the Guy Breay finds inspiration in the salvaged ultimate challenge for a furniture maker, says branches and roots that he sculpts into Josh Carmody, explaining why his strength is flowing forms. big, made-to-measure projects. EXHIBITIONS DESIGN 66 Sequences 62 Topping it Off Hugh McCarthy creates a series of stacked Andrew Potocnik shows how contrasting columns which allow him to present the joinery materials and forms can spark creative solutions he commonly uses in a new and sculptural light. for turned boxes. PROJECTS TECHNIQUE 24 Details That Matter 32 Machining Small Parts Safely Jake Sawyer shows how to create the shadow From rough-sawn to finishing cuts, Neil lines, tapers and cut-outs that characterise his Erasmus looks at safer practices for machining elegant hallway table. small sections. 46 Close-up and Critical 52 Syncopation in Wood Raf Nathan makes a batch of boxes with What happens when an engineering mitre keys as an exercise in batch production patternmaker uses wood as a medium for and accuracy. creating art? The answer lies in Paul Kay’s recent exhibition of wall art. WOODTURNING 72 A Simple Plate Terry Martin demonstrates how to turn an everyday item of lasting worth. REGULARS 06 Editor’s Letter 22 Maker of the Year awards presented by Carbatec 76 Wood Diary 4 Australian Wood Review
CONTENTS 46 32 52 62 56 TOOL & EQUIPMENT www.woodreview.com.au 5 Machinery & Tool Reviews 08 Laguna Supermax 16-32 drum sander 10 Across the Forest 3D printed honing guide 12 Felder FST160 sanding table 14 Jessem Mast-R-Lift Excel II Ultimate Router table package 18 Blue Spruce honing guide 20 Wood Measure Super-Square 70 FastCap FastTenon joiners 56 Troubleshooting Bandsaws Bandsaws are one of our most versatile machines, so it pays to know how to diagnose problems and improve set-ups. Story by David Luckensmeyer.
Editor’s letter www.woodreview.com.au Questions of scale PRINT AND ONLINE EDITOR: Linda Nathan This issue is all about scale and perspective. Josh Carmody and his work first appeared in this magazine in 2010. Twelve years later Josh is on the [email protected] cover with a later rendition of his now signature Legless stool, a piece that marked the start of his maker journey. However it’s through complex, large CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: scale commissions that Josh, who is also an architect, claims to have found Raf Nathan, Robert Howard himself. As a furniture maker he says ‘maintaining attention to detail at scale is the ultimate challenge…’. Read about Josh from p.38. Richard Vaughan, Neil Erasmus At the other end of the spectrum Raf Nathan writes how small scale work CONTRIBUTORS: invites macro viewing like nothing else! Do we see the whole piece, or the hole James Brook, Damion Fauser, in a piece? The smaller the piece, the bigger its faults can appear. I confess to Jugo Ilic, Charles Mak, Terry Martin, doing this myself! Admiring and yet scrutinising a fine piece of work, why do our Troy McDonald, Darren Oates, Andrew Potocnik, eyes seek out and settle on the merest ding or deviation in gap size? Personally Carol Russell, Graham Sands, Peter Young. I love incredibly fine work but I also love organic lines and textured surfaces that convey expressive or rustic charm. Where does perfection lie? And does that PUBLISHER: matter anyway? In any case, Raf’s story shows how making simple boxes can James Ostinga allow you to upskill and improve your processes. STUDIO MANAGER: In the vein of upscaling, Melbourne furniture maker Hugh McCarthy created Lauren Esdaile 11 stacked columns of joined and shaped units for his recent exhibition ‘Sequence’. Scale here has delivered impact and walk-around 3D viewing, GRAPHIC DESIGNER: and has allowed Hugh to present the joinery he commonly uses in a new Emmily Kalyvas and sculptural light. And interestingly he says, ‘Since there is no correct way of appreciating a work of art, I didn’t have to judge it in the same way as a I L L U S T R AT I O N S : furniture piece, which was good for a change.’ Graham Sands Paul Kay is another who has taken trade skills to an art level – 50 years as an MARKETING MANAGER: engineering patternmaker have seen him make thousands and thousands of Lucy Yaffa models and moulds used for industrial scale manufacturing. At the same time he has nurtured an interest in art, and now uses his skills in another way, see p.52. SUBSCRIPTIONS: W W W.GR E ATM AGA ZINES.COM. AU And lastly, on the small scale, Neil Erasmus writes in detail about safer ways to machine small components. Keeping hands safe with correct processes, techniques CALL: 1800 807760 and push-sticks really is one of the biggest considerations for a woodworker. EMAIL: [email protected] More from less SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 year / 4 issues $47 This issue we have a beautiful project for a ‘minimalist style’ hall table from Perth maker Jake Sawyer (see p.24). Although he loves this aesthetic, Jake 1 year PLUS (print + digital) $52 confesses that sometimes he would love to incorporate more techniques. Overseas 1 year NZ $58 Overwhelmingly however, he writes, ‘my clients prefer simple, minimalist ASIA $58 ROW $72 pieces’. In a commercial as well as visual sense, less can be more. NATIONAL SALES MANAGER: Last call for entries! Jodie Reid For the last six months we’ve seen an amazingly diverse range of entries Tel: (02) 9213 8261 roll in for Maker of the Year presented by Carbatec. All entries are published [email protected] on our website and many appear on our social pages as well. We have a fabulous prize pool of $23,000+ which includes $10,000 cash and $10,000 ADVERTISING PRODUCTION: in Carbatec vouchers, all of which will be bestowed on award winners John Viskovich determined by a stellar panel of judges that includes Laura Mays, Marc Fish, Grace Cochrane, Will Matthysen, Ruth Thompson and last year’s Maker Tel: (02) 9213 8215 of the Year, William Bayliss. Next issue, of course, we’ll feature our finalists, [email protected] but the best thing of all is that you still have until September 5 to enter at https://www.woodreview.com.au/moty2022 PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Matthew Gunn Linda Nathan, Editor [email protected] PUBLISHED BY: Yaffa Media Pty Ltd 6 Australian Wood Review ABN 54 002 699 345 17–21 Bellevue Street, Surry Hills 2010 Tel: (02) 9281 2333 Fax: (02) 9281 2750 ALL MAIL TO: GPO Box 606, Sydney NSW 2001 RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE: $12.50 ISSN: 1039-9925 COVER: Josh Carmody in his studio in Melbourne, Victoria. COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: Haydn Cattach Australian Wood Review is copyright, no part of it can be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. All material is printed in good faith, however the publisher will not be held liable for any form of damage whatsoever or liability, claim, or proceeding arising from printing of same. The opinions of writers and advertisers presented in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers. SAFETY: Woodworking can be dangerous. Do not undertake any work, process or action without adequate skill, training, safety equipment and/or awareness.
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TOOLS & EQUIPMENT $2,369 Laguna Supermax 16-32 Drum Sander Reviewed by Richard Vaughan 1 The drum sander is nowadays a basic tool for many woodworkers as it enables fine adjustments to thickness 2 for even small components such as those common in boxmaking. It can also dimension highly figured wood that 1. Showing the Laguna 16-32 with infeed table lowered would explode in a thicknesser, and workshop made veneers and the adapter for dust extraction on outfeed table. and facings are simple to produce. 2. A close-up view of the Laguna drum sander controls. The Performax was invented in Minnesota USA in the mid 80s. Its value was quickly recognised and spawned a company that developed a range of sanders. In 2001 the Performax company was bought by Jet. In 2005 two ex-Performax staff bought the rights to make all but the smallest machines back in Minnesota where it all started, but with the Supermax name on them, while Jet kept the Performax name. The smaller machines with the Performax name are made in Taiwan. In 2017 Laguna bought Supermax technology and name. The constant improvements over these years informed my choice when it came time to replace my original Performax, and the pedigree shows in the features of this current machine. The 72kg heft of the boxes when delivered gives immediate cred – this is a solidly built machine. Assembly was simple with no issues of non-alignment of parts or bolt holes. The first significant improvement I noticed was how easy it is to adjust the sanding drum to be perfectly parallel to the table that carries the workpiece. It is no longer a matter of shims and trial and error. You adjust the drum alignment with a nut on the outer edge of the table, and there is no need for vernier calipers to measure the wood after each pass when setting up. The Wixey digital read-out of thickness takes care of that. Another refinement is the SandSmart feature which monitors the load and slows the feed speed when the wood is giving too much resistance. The option to lever the depth of cut for large adjustments rather than winding all the way is a well thought-out convenience. The wide range of capacity from veneer at 0.8mm to a solid 75mm is another plus. Yet another innovation in this machine is the ability to handle material wider than the drum without getting a line at the junction of the passes. A lever tilts the roller a tad which blends the passes to satisfactorily sand a board width of 32 inches (812.8mm). The 100mm diameter dust extraction outlet has turbo blades for more efficient airflow. I fitted reduction pieces to accommodate the 43mm diameter of my Festool hose and the resultant dust extraction is very effective. The infeed and outfeed tables fold down when not in use, and are an extra but a very worthwhile investment. Castors are also an extra but I was able to reuse those from my old machine. In short the only issue that I can have with the current Laguna Supermax is that it wasn’t available 35 years ago. Available from Carbatec, see www.carbatec.com.au Richard Vaughan is a furniture designer/maker in Brisbane who also runs woodwork classes. See richardvaughan.com.au 8 Australian Wood Review
Tool-Less Spring-Loaded Blade Guides Tool-Less Spring-Loaded Blade Guides BS350C 350mm (14”) Bandsaw Open Stand Included BS250B 250mm (10”) Bandsaw 1.5HP 240V BS350D 350mm (14”) Bandsaw Benchtop Upgraded Model Cabinet Stand Included 2HP 240V WŝĐƚƵƌĞĚǁŝƚŚŽƉƟŽŶĂůƐƚĂŶĚ 0.5HP 2 Speed 240V Woodworking Bandsaws with outstanding features for their class! BS400B 400mm (16”) Bandsaw Deluxe Series Bandsaws Tiltable BS500A 500mm (20”) 4HP 415V 2HP 240V BS600A 600mm (24”) 5.5HP 415V ^ϰϱϬϰϱϱŵŵ;ϭϴ͟Ϳ ĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ^ĞƌŝĞƐĂŶĚƐĂǁ wleisbCtshioetfecpkforoorudarufcutll features. Featuring Key Lock System + Industrial Blade Guide System 3HP 240V woodfastmachinery.com.au AUTHORISED AUSTRALIAN DEALERS VIC WA | NT | TAS | ACT | SA NSW QLD JC Walsh Beyond Tools Trend Timbers Woodwork Machinery Plus GregoryMachinery 03 9335 5033 08 9209 7400 02 4577 5277 07 3705 8558 07 3375 5100 jcwalsh.com.au beyondtools.com trendtimbers.com.au woodworkmachinery.com.au gregmach.com
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT Across the Forest 3D Print Honing Guide Reviewed by Robert Howard $67 It was only a matter of time before this The blade locks into position These are early days for this method happened: a 3D printed tool. Having with one of two wide wedges, of production, and both the technology never seen an object made this way, depending on how thick the and the results will continue to improve it looked a bit rough and crude, with blade is. This is easily and quickly in the years to come. I hope enough surfaces that looked unfinished. This is done, thanks to the way the tray woodworkers are supportive of this the effect of the way the object is built holds the guide in place. The effort to allow it to continue to grow, from multiple passes of the computer wide roller is particularly helpful and to improve on this impressive start. driven nozzle, with each pass leaving a with preventing narrow blades small track on the surface. Moving past from rocking sideways during the Review tool supplied by Japanese what is really only a cosmetic problem, sharpening process. Tools Australia, see https://www. to the guide itself, I was intrigued to japanesetools.com.au/ find a cleverly designed tool with some My guess is that this guide has been unique features. produced with Japanese blades Robert Howard is a woodworker and foremost in mind, but there is no sculptor who lives in Brisbane. He The idea of using a small tray to hold the reason why it would be limited to them. teaches woodwork classes from his guide and the moveable angle stop was Unfortunately, some of my Japanese studio. See https://roberthoward.com.au/ new to me. It takes advantage of both chisels, as well as the largest Lie- the plastic and the adjustable accuracy of Nielsen chisel, were too thick for even the 3D printing technology so that both the smaller wedge to be used to hold the guide and the angle stop snap into them. A different wedge combination, place easily and are held firmly. However, or an additional wedge, would fix this. it took me a while to learn how to use the included square to ensure the blades are As expected it is not as rigid as the held so the sharpened edges are square metal guides in use, but it did the job. to their length. The instructions are not How it stands up to prolonged use clear about this, and the most intuitive is one question in my mind, but for way to position the square is not the woodworkers at home I think it would correct one. be good for many years. THE PERFECT EDGE MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY WHEN SANDING EDGES AT THE BEST PRICE The Hammer HS 950 is the perfect entry-level machine for demanding edge sanding • Innovative machine technology • Minimal space requirement • Compact functionality FEATURING • Continuous adjustable sanding unit & tilt • Sanding unit with oscillation • Additional table for radius sanding FOR MORE INFO CALL 02 4735 1011 OR VISIT WWW.FELDER-GROUP.COM/EN-AU 10 Australian Wood Review
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT $3,999 Grow. Build. Plant. Repeat. Felder FST160 Sanding Table Reviewed by Damion Fauser Adam Dovile, builder and TV presenter Controlling and collecting the fine can work with the table high when dust from sanding is vital for a safe working on single components, Discover and clean operating environment. or with the table down low when more at The FST-160 sanding table from working on assembled pieces like Felder offers a ready-made solution tables and cabinets. Felder have tur.org.au for larger shops and I purchased one cleverly designed the architecture of these last year for my own shop. of this frame so the unit can mount onto the FAT300 wheeled hydraulic With an operating surface of 1550 x trolley, which would make mobility 800mm, this table is large enough even easier and increase the to handle most components other available working height to 1326mm. than large panels, which would likely go through a wide-belt The dust collection outlet is machine anyway. 140mm to suit Felder ducting, but simple accessories will step it up or The working surface is a series down to suit your needs. The waste of smoothly-dressed battens in is drawn down into the table via European beech, creating a durable the spaces in between the beech and hard-wearing surface. These battens and airflow is maximised battens are fixed to a steel frame via a series of slots in the surfaces that can be easily removed for of the main cavity. cleaning inside the cavity if required. I would recommend supplementing Minimum airflow for this table to the working surface with some function as intended is 1500m³/hour, non-slip drawer liner or something meaning you’ll need to connect it to similar to soften the surface a little a fairly powerful extractor to get the to protect your components from most out of it. I have mine connected any bruising. to a Felder AF22 and this provides sufficient draw. The stand is made from galvanised steel and is robust and solid. The The system is available from Felder overall mass of the unit is 120kg, outlets nationally and is reasonably meaning it sits solidly on the floor priced for the capability it offers the and has almost zero vibration in larger workshop. use. An optional set of wheels is available that makes this table easily Available from www.felder-group. mobile by one person. com/en-au The height of the work surface Damion Fauser is a Brisbane based is easily and quickly adjustable furniture designer/maker who also between 726–1026mm. This is a teaches woodwork classes. See feature that I really like as it means I damionfauser.com 12 Australian Wood Review
New Zealand’s premier furniture making, woodworking and design school. Work with your hands, learn the skill and nourish the soul. Choose from over 20 Short Courses & Workshops, Full-time Intensive Courses and Master Classes. Our course calendar caters for every skill level. www.cfw.co.nz ‘Dream Steamer’ by Eliot Brand 2018 Furniture Makers’ Programme
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT Jessem Mast-R-Lift Excel II Ultimate Router Table Package Reviewed by Damion Fauser $3335 Around a year ago I upgraded my engineering required for handheld router Above: JessEm Mast-R-Lift ultimate workshop router table to a full- usage. At 1.8kw it is powerful enough to package comes with a fixed base AUK specification set-up from Canadian drive the largest bits when talking small motor (far left), fences, router lift (shown manufacturer Jessem. Having run cuts. It starts with a smooth build-up above), Wixey readout and stand. various table/router combinations to full power, and the RPM control over the years, I’d spent some time knob is easily accessible and smooth in to step up to the 100/120mm ducting searching around and this set-up operation. The collet is accessible above more common in larger shops. ticks all the boxes for me. the table and locks securely and easily with the two supplied spanners that The two side fences are perfectly co- There are other package options or have nice ergonomic handles – ½\" and ¼\" planar, and the outfeed fence has two you can buy individual components collets are provided. solid and secure adjustment knobs to and add-on accessories for a custom offset in jointing operations. The fence set-up. The Ultimate package is A 100mm low-profile dust port face is nice and slick to reduce friction designed as a ready-to-go set-up of the is ducted directly to the collet, and has built-in mitre tracks to accept highest quality. Included are the table, making below-table waste collection featherboards and jig hardware. The AUK fixed-base router motor (many exceptional. This is a table that has top edge of the fence has a ruler scale handheld routers can also be fitted), TA clearly had significant thought and effort and a mitre track, which accepts some micro-adjust fence, Mast-R-Lift Excel II put into its design. optional Jessem accessories. This is router lift, Wixey digital readout, anodised a very clever feature that makes this aluminium stand and switch box with The TA fence is magnificent and with its fence stand out. GPO. The stand is easy to assemble, many clever features adds versatility and stable and sturdy, and has a storage shelf. safety. The fence attaches to the table The fence is secured in position at each via anodised aluminium rails that are fixed end with two large and ergonomic The table is a fairly standard size at 810 to the table sides. Built-in adjustability lock knobs that require little tension to x 610mm and coated with low-friction ensures each rail is perfectly level with keep the fence securely positioned. An material for a slick surface. The aluminium the table surface for smooth and accurate overhead clear safety guard mounts mitre track accepts most aftermarket movement, and with the included ruler onto the top of the fence via a stainless accessories and jig-making hardware. The scales it’s easy to ensure accurate and steel rod and is easily adjustable both clearance hole has a machined aluminium secure positioning of the fence. in protrusion from the fence and height insert that suits Jessem cored insert rings above the table – another very good (one is included), and there are several The built-in 65mm outer diameter dust safety feature. grub screws for ensuring everything can port is fairly standard to suit many shop- be made perfectly flat and level to vacs but, like many other fences out The included Wixey digital readout is a the table. there, will require additional accessories nice feature, which mounts off the back edge of the table, high enough for easy There are also two threaded mounting viewing above the fence and allows for points for locating the provided easy height adjustments of the cutter indexing pin when anchoring the start to 0.01mm fidelity. Calibration of zero of cuts that don’t use the fence as when inserting different bits is also an a control mechanism, such as some easy and handy feature to further boost templating cuts for example. accuracy and save time and material making several test cuts. The AUK fixed base router motor is sound in its simplicity. Being designed One of the most outstanding features purely for table-mounted use, it doesn’t of this package is the Mast-R-Lift Excel have any of the excess hardware and II router lift. The operation of this lift is 14 Australian Wood Review
YOU WILL NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST MINIMAX THE MOST COMPLETE RANGE OF JOINERY MACHINES 4$$5\"#-&4\"8 '&4463'\"$&1-\"/&3 '4(1-\"/&35)*$,/&44&3 4$$5\"#-&4\"8 4&45)*$,/&44&3 58$41*/%-&.06-%&3 $6$6/*7&34\"-$0.#*/\"5*0/.\"$)*/& $(6/*7&34\"-$0.#*/\"5*0/.\"$)*/& 5800%-\"5)& -\"#16/*7&34\"-$0.#*/\"5*0/.\"$)*/& 45&4\"841*/%-&$0.#*/\"5*0/ 4/#\"/%4\"8 ^DƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂ dĞů͘ϭϯϬϬϰϮϮϮϯϴͲǁǁǁ͘ƐŚŽƉƐĐŵ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT super smooth, allows for collet access high-quality materials and the Above left: Operation of the Mast-R-Lift above the table and is controlled by a fit and finish is exceptional. I spent Excel II router lift is super smooth – one of the very accessible and smooth control a lot of time researching different bestparts of the Ultimate package. wheel off to the side of the table surface. systems and I am extremely happy Above: The TA fence attaches to the table via When paired with the digital readout, with my choice. rails and adds versatility and safety. height adjustments to 0.01mm fidelity are a breeze. The lift is secured in place Optional accessories that I purchased system of this quality and one that offers with a strong and positive locking lever include the Mitre-R-Slide II mitre gauge many features to users of all levels. and it doesn’t move once secured. For ($430), casters for mobility ($225), fence me, this is one of the most outstanding stops ($55), cored insert rings ($90), Available from Gregory Machinery, see aspects of this package. fence micro-adjust ($180) and clear-cut https://gregmach.com/ stock guides ($190). These add significant This superb package enables safe versatility to the overall system. Damion Fauser is a Brisbane based and accurate table-routing operations. furniture designer maker who also Components are superbly made from I believe this is exceptional value for a teaches woodwork classes. See damionfauser.com 16 Australian Wood Review
THE MOST ADVANCED WATER COOLED SHARPENING SYSTEM AVAILABLE allows you sharpen your tools to the finest edge. Sharpen all your edge tools Fast sharpening Exact replication With the wide range of Tormek patented Once the shape is created, you remove The key word when sharpening the Tormek jigs, you can sharpen practically all types only a fraction of the steel when way is repeatability. You can shape the tool of edge tools. Tormek is dedicated to re-sharpening, which makes it a quick job. exactly to your needs. Even complicated developing water cooled sharpening shapes such as fingernail turning gouges, through innovative solutions! Full control spoon carving gouges and oval skew chisels with a radiused edge are easily sharpened. Cleanest edges At the low speed, you have full control of the sharpening and remove no more steel You finish the sharpening process by than necessary. An extra benefit is that honing and polishing the edge on the your tools last longer. leather honing wheel. You get a razor sharp edge. VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO FIND YOUR NEAREST TORMEK DEALER. 1800 773 267
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT Blue Spruce Honing Guide Reviewed by Robert Howard There is a lot to like about this guide. It has US$220 a skeletal look, without any of the bulk of most other guides. And, for a tool used with water, it is properly made out of stainless steel and anodised aluminium. The clamp shaft runs in brass or bronze bushes, which are easily removed for cleaning or exchange. This latter is important because if any of the stone slurry finds its way inside them, as happens with the Veritas guides, it will wear them out eventually. Perhaps the feature I like most is the widely spaced wheels, which balance the guide on the stone when sharpening narrow chisels, and their rubber tyres. I was concerned about these wearing out, until I learned they were standard O-rings, easily found and replaced, and a second pair is included anyway. I also like very much the coarse pitch of the square profile In use, the guide is remarkably smooth and quiet, thanks to thread that adjusts the two clamps that hold the blade being its rubber tyres. I checked years ago to satisfy myself that sharpened, moving them quickly and smoothly into position. metal rollers, particularly the narrow ones, do wear hollows in stones but would expect rubber tyres would at the very The included angle-setting jig is also beautifully made, and least wear more slowly. adjusts easily to angles between 20 and 35°. The angles are clearly marked and the clamp easily locked. One big problem is, that although it is a beautifully made, interesting looking honing guide, you can’t use it to sharpen any blade wider than 38mm (1-1/2\"). Blue Spruce make chisels and not planes, so I guess there is a logic of sorts to only accommodate those chisels. Giving Makers The Edge A further limitation is the guide is only intended to be used for angles between 20 and 35°. I have a low angle smoothing plane permanently set up for high angle planing, to cope with our Australian woods of interlocked grain. I sharpen this at 48°, which when added to the 12° bed angle, gives me a planing angle of 60°. I can do this very easily in my Veritas honing guide, but it would be impossible in this Blue Spruce guide. One last problem I discovered stems again from the fact that the guide is designed specifically for the Blue Spruce chisels. These, and those from Lie-Nielsen and Veritas have sides that bevel down to a fine land just before they reach the all-important flat back. The guide clamps are made to accommodate these fine lands and bevelled sides. Many modern chisels, and some older ones such as the E A Bergs have tapering lands, and these might fit the clamps at one end but not at the other, making them difficult, if not impossible to hold. Some Japanese chisels have an additional problem with the blades being tapered in width as well, so I would not recommend this guide for them. Summing up, this is a beautiful guide if you want to use it to sharpen Blue Spruce, Lie-Nielsen, Veritas chisels and perhaps some other chisels that have parallel, bevelled sides with fine lands. If you are like me you will not mind having more than one guide, but I think the price, along with the limitations, will have most people thinking twice. NORDICEDGE.COM.AU Review tool supplied by Blue Spruce Tools, see https://bluesprucetoolworks.com/ 18 Australian Wood Review
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TOOLS & EQUIPMENT $155 With both edges of the Super- Square fully on the surface, potential parallax error in marking is avoided. Wood Measure Super-Square Reviewed by Robert Howard Sometimes you don’t realise how its predecessor. However, I quickly then looked at the etched dimensions, handy a tool could be until you have discovered that once again, this had and compared them with my 40 year one. I have had the predecessor to some real advantages. First, the old Starrett metre rule. That showed this square for a few years now and square could sit upright without being them to be within one third of a have been surprised how often I have held, which was not possible with the millimetre over 400mm. I will leave it reached for it, even though I also have beveled edges. This meant I didn’t to you to decide whether that is good large squares from Colen Clenton, need a third hand, as is too often the enough for your purposes or not. Chris Vesper and Starrett. case with, for example, some tricky assemblies and glue-ups. Second, I One very useful scale is the one on So why would I use this one? There are discovered it no longer was able to slip the long diagonal of the square: it two important reasons. wholly or partially under the rip fence or is a centre scale, with the zeros in crosscut fence of my tablesaw. the middle and the measurements First, when you are marking out on flat reading off in each direction towards panels, or drawing up plans on paper, There is, of course, a disadvantage the corners. Also etched onto the top regular squares have the stock only to the square edges: it is not so surface are two conversion scales, on the surface, but not the blade. This easy to use the square for taking which all up give the metric equivalents square has both edges lying fully on the measurements unless you can for 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, surface, thus eliminating any potential position it with the square edge 3/4, 7/8 and 1 inch. Finally, to round out parallax error in your marking. against the wood being measured. the usefulness of the square, it also This assumes, of course, that the incorporates, as you can see in the Second, simply because it has two square is accurate. First, I checked photo, a handy protractor. long edges, rather than the long blade it for square, and am satisfied that it but short stock of normal squares, it is close enough for any error to be Review tool supplied by https:// facilitates more accurate marking when undetectable by any method available woodmeasure.com.au/ the longer lengths are used. to me. (I checked it against all my existing squares, and by the method Robert Howard is a woodworker I was initially disappointed that the of making a knife cut across a board in Brisbane and teaches edges of this latest square were and then flipping the square 180° to woodcarving classes, see https:// not beveled, as they had been on check the alignment with the cut.) I roberthoward.com.au/ For beautiful timber, naturally Suitable for all interior timber, made with natural, www.whittlewaxes.com.au sustainable raw materials, Evolution Hardwax Oils are hard-wearing, non-toxic, water resistant, economical and easy to apply. Evolution Hardwax Oils are available in 4 sheens and can be used with our wide range of colours and stains. 20 Australian Wood Review
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PROJECT Details That Matter Shadow lines, tapers and rounded corners set this stylish hallway table apart. Story by Jake Sawyer. I ’m a self-taught woodworker running a one-person back the details helps me to deliver well made pieces at a workshop in Perth, Western Australia. Under the more reasonable price point which I believe is appealing to banner of Marshall Wood, I have spent the last three years my clientele. focusing primarily on bespoke timber furniture and small batch production, with occasional machining work. I’m The French oak hallway table shown is constructed with also a qualified chartered accountant who strayed from the traditional joinery using modern machines and has a few full-time cubicle life after falling in love with woodworking nice details to set it apart. The shadow line allows for and six years ago. conceals any wood movement that will ultimately occur in the top. The legs are tapered and rounded over to slim Design details down the overall profile. I have found that overwhelmingly my clients prefer Your set-up simple, minimalist pieces and ultimately my job as a bespoke furniture maker is to fulfill the client’s brief. Keen observers will note that I appear to possess some Conveniently, I also love this aesthetic, but the concept very high end machinery for someone who has only of building ‘simple’ looking furniture has left me been in business for a few years. I was lucky to have the occasionally feeling as though I’m not showing off the opportunity to purchase a fully appointed workshop from skills I know I possess as a maker. a retiring furniture maker at a time when I was looking to make a major change in my life. Over the years I have come to realise that designing and making quality minimalist furniture does take a lot of skill I’ve had quite a few hobbies that have become obsessions and one has to consider who it is they are trying to impress in my life, and there’s this recurring theme of starting at – their peers or their clients? I’m also conscious that paring the bottom, buying beginner equipment, then intermediate 24 Australian Wood Review
Main: Full and detail views of the French oak hallway table made by Jake Sawyer. and then ultimately going pro. It’s an expensive and time As an aside, I flip between metric and imperial as consuming process, and in this case I decided to skip this necessitated by my machines and tooling. step and go hard, or go home. Of course having a great set-up makes my job as a furniture maker more efficient, I run a calculation to ensure the top won't expand further but this build isn’t out of reach for someone with a more than the shadow line. There is a formula to calculate this, modest collection of tools. which is the dimensional change coefficient of the timber species x change in moisture content between wet and dry One of my timber suppliers stocks a wide variety of section season x width of the board. sizes in French oak, meaning I could specify thick legs without laminating thinner boards, and a single, wide There’s a lot of guessing here, so in practice, I work on an board for the top. When working with minimalist designs, estimate of 1% expansion for flat sawn white oak and confirm it is important to select exceptional timber and execute the that the width of the board between the legs will likely only little details perfectly. expand by ~2mm (239mm x 0.01). As it was winter at the time of building, it’s more likely that it will shrink by this much Plan ahead than expand. This is supported by an offcut of a quartersawn white oak dining table I have in my workshop which has To begin, I sketch a 3D model in SketchUp. Here I expanded 0.6% from when it was cut. can visualise proportions and correct any design issues before they occur. Fig.1 shows the construction. I run Performing these checks now means I can start the build with through every step of the build in my head to check confidence in the design. I take the key dimensions from the for logistical issues. I check all the cuts, angles and model and in this case I knew that I could order stock that processes can be executed by my machines and with would easily yield these components, e.g. 65mm for the legs, the tooling I have on hand. www.woodreview.com.au 25
PROJECT middle rail long apron buttons 1315 245 short apron 8 leg top 55 x 55 3 270 top 1309 800 239 leg bottom 45 x 45 recessed foot pad Fig.1 Components (mm), not to scale Fig 2. Not to scale CUTTING LIST QTY LENGTH WIDTH THICKNESS Ripping first maximises dressed board thickness. 1 1400 330 20 PART 4 800 55 55 26 Australian Wood Review Top 2 1395 63 30 Legs 2 325 63 30 Long aprons 1 310 50 30 Short aprons Middle rail
40mm for the aprons and 27mm for the top. It’s a key part of 1 my planning to consider the dimensions of timber available to 2 me so that my designs avoid being wasteful. Machining the wood Everyone has their own machining processes, and mine change depending on the job and the timber, so I won’t go into too much detail. I like to rest my timber upon purchase, machine once and then rest again. Final machining happens only when I’m ready to proceed with the rest of the job and I utilise sharp Tersa knives to ensure less sanding later on. Components are stickered from purchase until glue up (photo 1). The frame components are cut to the sizes shown in the cutting list. The dimensions allow for 40mm tenons on each end, but if you use dowels or dominos you’ll need to adjust this. The middle rail is narrower than the aprons, so it can be offset from the edge and the apron can be rounded over later. The wide board for the top (photo 2) was ripped straight down the middle and the two halves machined close to their final width and thickness. This was done to relieve tension in the board and to help maintain a decent final thickness (fig.2). After resting, I dressed the boards again, taking only the bare minimum off the edges for gluing (to maintain grain flow). Once satisfied with the joint, I biscuited and glued the two halves back together (photo 3). Once the components are cut to size, I note their position and orientation. I arranged the legs so the angle of the rift sawn grain created a diamond when viewed from above and then marked to keep track. I also marked the aprons as I had cut the sides and front from one long piece to preserve the grain flow of the apron around the piece. Joinery processes I used the PantoRouter to create mortise and tenon joinery for the base (photo 4). You could use dowels, dominos or even cut the joints by hand with chisels and a saw. I have previously made this table with mitred tenons that meet inside the legs, but this time I wanted to try intersecting mortise and tenon joints. Where possible, I perform glue ups in stages, and this method maximises glue surface and means the glue doesn’t flow into the adjacent mortise and interfere with the next glue-up. Eight mortises were cut at 2-1/8\" wide x 20mm deep, and inside these I cut another eight smaller 1\" mortises at 40mm 1. Stickering out the boards: ‘I like to rest my timber upon purchase, 3 machine once and then rest again.’ 2. The board for the top was ripped and machined close to final width and thickness. 3. Gluing up the top. Biscuits were used to help alignment. www.woodreview.com.au 27
PROJECT 4 5 4. Showing the intersecting mortises. 5. Cutting tenons with the PantoRouter. 6. The corresponding 2-1/8\" tenons were first cut 40mm long. 7. A 20mm long 1\" tenon was then cut on the end of the 40mm long tenons. 8. Off-cuts from machining stock were used to set up and test these joints. 9. Spacer blocks were used to set the length of the tenons to ensure consistency. 10. The PantoRouter was also used to cut double mortise and tenons in the same orientation as the pictured triple mortise and tenons. 11. Wooden buttons and centre holes through the rails were used to fasten the top. deep (photo 5). I then cut corresponding 2-1/8\" tenons at of wooden buttons and centre holes through the rails to 40mm long (photo 6), and then did the same operation to fasten the top down (photo 11). I use the Festool domino cut a 20mm long 1\" tenon on the end (photo 7). to cut oversized slots for the buttons (photo 12). The centre holes are cut at the drill press, counterbored for a I used my off-cuts from milling the stock to set up and test screw and washer (photo 13). This is all easier done before these joints (photo 8). I used the panel saw to cut spacer glue-up while everything is more manageable. blocks for setting up the depth of the tenons, one at 20mm and one at 40mm to ensure consistency across the different On the topic of drilling, I’ll also drill a large, shallow components (photo 9). I also use a laminate sample as a hole to recess soft feet into the underside of the legs. shim to make the mortises a touch deeper than the tenons I do this on my horizontal drilling machine/borer for will be, so nothing prevents the joint coming together. safety and consistency. Once the joinery was cut, I dry fit the frame and measure Creating a shadow line for the length of the middle rail. This is the first reference cut so far as all other cuts have defined the overall size. The next detail is the shadow line. This is quickly cut at I then set the PantoRouter up to cut triple mortise and the panel saw by raising the blade to the desired depth tenons, but offset this so only two were cut. The tenons are of the groove and setting the fence to cut the desired stacked in such a way that maximised face-to-face grain height (photo 14). I like a 3mm shadow line, so the glue surface (photo 10). fence was set to 60mm (given my stock was 63mm wide). The depth of the groove is arbitrary, but with tenons Fixing the top quite close to the edge, I went with 8mm to avoid encroaching too far into that area.Next time I’ll adjust the Now it’s time to get down to details. I use a combination tenon size and spacing to allow for a deeper shadow line. 28 Australian Wood Review
PROJECT 6 78 9 10 11 Tapering the legs to shift the weight of the tapered legs in order to round over all faces evenly. While at the saw, the leg tapers can be cut. First, I mark where I want the tapers to start and finish – in this case 10mm in Sand in stages from the end and 93mm down from the top. To avoid a gappy joint, I stop the taper 10mm before the apron meets the leg so With a nice finish off the machines, I start sanding at that I can sand and smooth this transition without rounding 180g, move to 240g, water pop and then sand at 240 again. the flat face of the leg where the apron meets. Wider faces are done with a random orbit sander and a hard backing pad. A super soft backing pad is used for I cut a sacrificial board of MDF that acts as a zero clearance. the roundovers and curved surfaces. Narrow faces get a I line up the pencil marks on the leg with the edge of the pass or two with my smoothing plane, followed by a few MDF and then rest a straight offcut against the leg (photo swipes with a 240g sanding block. Any sharp edges are 15). This is glued and screwed down with an end block and broken with sandpaper to a 1mm radius or so. The ends some hold downs to make safe, repeatable cuts (photo 16). of my tenons are chamfered to make the glue-up more straightforward and keep glue from scraping off the inside I also created a custom square from another MDF offcut of the mortise. by squaring it up on the slider and notching out one corner (photo 17). This would fit around the leg to check the Assemble in stages inside of the frame for square during glue up. I do my glue-ups in stages so I can continue sanding Next up at the router table, I used a 3/8\" router round over while the previous subsection dries. In this case, I start by bit on the undersides of the aprons and middle rail, and the sanding the long aprons and middle divider that are then long edges of the legs (photo 18). Care must be taken here glued together into a long H-section (photo 19). I check for square and ensure each open end is evenly spaced. www.woodreview.com.au 29
PROJECT 12 14 13 15 16 12. The Festool domino was used to cut oversized slots for the buttons. 13. Fixing the frame to the tabletop. Centre holes were drilled and counterbored for a screw and washer. 14. Cutting 3mm deep shadow lines on the tablesaw. 15. A jig was made from MDF to saw the leg tapers. 16. This was glued and screwed down with an end block and hold downs. 17. A custom MDF square with one corner notched to fit around the leg was used to check the frame for square. 18. The undersides of the aprons, middle rail, and the long edges of the legs were rounded on the router table. 19. While a part-assembly dried, the long and middle rails were sanded. 20. A second template in conjunction with 1\" flush trim bit gives a 1/2\" radius on the inside corner. 21. This also works with the 3/8\" round-over on the legs and the 3mm shadow gap. Next I sand the short aprons and legs and perform two I do this when I can. Realistically, this glue up can be done more glue-ups to join one short apron to two legs (twice). all in one go, but the staged glue-up is a habit I have picked I check for square by sighting where the shoulder of the up on larger jobs in order to keep my heart rate down. apron meets the leg. You can’t really check the inside for square as the legs are tapered to an arbitrary angle, and Top it off the diagonals can’t be measured because the corners are rounded. I check the top and bottom of the legs to make The top is the last piece of the puzzle and its final size is sure they are equidistant, but at this point I’m relying on dependent on the rest of the frame. I double check the tight, accurate joinery to ensure the piece is square. dimensions for the top and prepare for final cuts. Any panel glue up that fits through my thicknesser gets a light pass on The legs are 20mm higher than the rails, so during the glue each side with sharp blades to bring it to final thickness. I up I use a feeler block machined to 20mm thick which is then crosscut and rip to final size at the panel saw. Doing the same thickness the top will be. Resting the spacer on so in this order means any snipe from the thicknesser is the leg, I can then feel if it is flush with the top of the leg, crosscut off, and any tearout from the crosscut is ripped off. which means the top will be flush further down the road. At the same time, I use the panel saw to make a routing jig Once these subsections are dry I can bring all three pieces for the leg cutouts. With the fence at the same width as the together for a final glue-up, using the shop-made square top, I cut two off-cuts of MDF that are large enough to be to check for overall squareness of the frame. Clamps and able to clamp to my workpiece, say 300–400mm long. round-overs can interfere with measuring the diagonals, but I then set the fence to notch out a square to form the routing template (photo 20). This square needs to be 30 Australian Wood Review
PROJECT 17 18 19 20 21 42.5mm plus the shadow gap, which the sawblade accounts holes, and screw it all together. At this point it is often late for at roughly 3mm thick. in the day, so I reassess with fresh eyes the next day in the morning light. I’ll move to various places in the workshop I can then use the first template to rout a second template, to pick up different lighting and I almost always find which with a 1\" flush trim bit will give me a 1/2\" radius on something I missed the previous day. the inside corner. This works perfectly with my 3/8\" round- over on the legs, plus 3mm for the shadow gap (photo 21). It’s only now that I feel satisfied to commence the finishing process. I like hardwax oils as they are easy to apply, feel I test fit this template on my frame and sight the shadow nice and natural and are easily repaired. I roll three coats lines to make sure they’re evenly spaced. Once satisfied, I on the top and rub and buff off three coats on the base. can trace the template on the top, jigsaw out the waste and The top can now be fixed down, and the piece is complete. perform final routing. Tearout on the trailing edge of the cut is controlled with a backer block or some veneer tape. Design and fabrication: Jake Sawyer Sharp bits are a necessity here to avoid burn marks. Photos: Bryce Twyman Illustrations: Graham Sands Finishing off Jake Sawyer is a furniture designer maker in Perth While the base is drying, the top can be sanded. After and trades under the name Marshall Wood. See removing clamps, final finessing and clean up can be done. Instagram @marshallwoodau If all is looking as it should when the top is placed on the base, I flip everything onto the workbench, mark out fixing www.woodreview.com.au 31
Machining Small Parts Safely From rough-sawn to finishing cuts, Neil Erasmus looks at safe practices for machining small sections.
TECHNIQUE 12 Main: Using two push- 34 sticks for machining blind grooves – one is fence- mounted for ripping, while the other holds the part down. 1. The minimum length for planing and thicknessing should be the distance between your machine’s in-feed and out-feed rollers, plus 100mm. 2. Marking out for downsizing – shorter components may need to be ganged end-on-end. 3. A batch of bandsawn chair parts stacked in groups. 4. The author’s large shopmade push- stick has a ‘hook’ at one end and can be used while machining parts from 250mm to 900mm in length. T his article deals with safe practices be too short to plane and thickness cross-cutting with a jigsaw to make when working with small wood safely. The minimum length, I would them more manageable on the pieces on saws and planers. Most say, is the measurement between your bandsaw – a kind of pre-downsizing woodworkers use dry, rough-sawn thickness planer’s in-feed and out-feed downsizing! Another bonus in this timber. The drying process causes rollers, plus 100mm – around 300mm downsizing method is that twisted, and then ‘locks’ in some stresses, in total (photo 1). bowed or cupped boards will still especially in figured woods. The aim yield components of the desired is to arrive at a finished component How to downsize safely thickness once machined. that is not still trying to pull this way or that due to stresses within its If I’m making a structure that is FEWTEL structure. By ‘component’ we mean a curvilinear and uses mainly shortish wooden part that is dimensioned to lengths (such as chair parts), I would This acronym describes the correct final specifications. make several, precise 9mm MDF sequence of machining to arrive at a copies of all the shapes, together with perfectly dimensioned piece of wood: Downsizing is better copies of the rectilinear parts. Being F = Face, E = Edge, W = Width, T = careful with grain direction, these are Thickness, E = End, L = Length. So While many makers plane and placed directly on to a rough-sawn let’s ‘fewtel’ some wood… thickness full length and full width board and marked out with a felt- boards to final thickness prior tipped pen, then bandsawn just to the Face to downsizing into individual outside of the line (photos 2, 3). components, it is better to take Each of the smaller roughed out rough-sawn boards down to the This should ensure that enough pieces first needs a face created on smallest, workable section and material remains for later machining. the surface planer. Some, if not all, length on the bandsaw before further Components shorter than 300mm will be too small to pass over the individual machining. may need to be ganged end-on- planer in the standard way, so we end if there are more than one, need a way of doing this that keeps These smaller pieces must still retain or simply downsized longer than fingers well clear of the blades. Let’s enough ‘meat’ on them for proper required. Longer rough-sawn boards say we’re discussing a range of small dimensioning later, and yet cannot may require careful, staggered sizes, some as small as 300 x 25 x 25mm in the rough. www.woodreview.com.au 33
TECHNIQUE 5. Get into the habit of 5 6 standing behind the planer, not over it. 6. Showing how to present grain direction to the planer. 7,8. Safer planing is achieved by using a push-stick and applying hand pressure only over the tables, not past the cutter-block. 9. Keep track of machined faces with a pencil mark. 789 Never place hands or fingers directly hold down pieces of wood anywhere ‘toe’ to engage the table, steadying on top of small sections of wood, between 250mm and around 900mm the piece, but be careful to apply just especially at the pushing end. For long (photo 4). It has a ‘hook’ at its enough downward pressure, mainly standard machining of boards, trailing end that drops down over the at these points to move it along. so-called Euro guards are cleverly end of the component to push it along. designed to force the feeding hands Small-section pieces that are longer safely up and over the guard, the This first step – creating a face, is a than, say 800mm, must be pushed wood underneath. Euro guards simple matter of gently holding the manually over the cutter-block, hands should always rest against the fence, piece of wood down while pushing not leaving the in-feed table, before and only ever retracted for edging it along past the cutter-block. When placing the push-stick over the ‘heel’ purposes, and positioned just above planing, try to get in the habit of to safely complete the cut – the free the wood. Standard hold-downs and standing behind the cutter-block left hand now resting safely on the push-blocks with rubberised pads are while pushing away from you (photo wood on the out-feed table (photos too cumbersome for smaller pieces, 5). A light cut, and several passes is 7, 8). Mark the face with a pencil and tend to completely obscure vision better than one or two heavy cuts. once cut (photo 9). There is no need of the workpiece. to push the wood hard up against the In some cases you’ll understand the fence as edging comes next. Typically, sections of wood as small analogy that a dog only likes to be as 15mm square can be safely planed stroked from head to tail, rather than Edge with the right aids. I have a push- vice versa, so grain direction is an stick made from 12.7mm plywood issue to consider too (photo 6). It is The next stage requires a little more and shaped a little like an old car always advisable to place the concave thought and effort. Place the newly that extends just above the fence of rough face down on the table as this planed face up against the fence the machine, and is long enough to gives the piece a positive ‘heel’ and and, as before, make sure the edge facing the table is concave. This 34 Australian Wood Review
TECHNIQUE 10 11 12 13 10. Edging small section pieces using two push- sticks, one to push... 11. ...the other to hold up against fence. 12. Using the EURO guard to push the edge of a component against the fence. 13. Marking the next machined face for later reference. time you need to hold this face hard the saw and/or the thicknesser to take likely begin to push the piece over, against the fence while pushing the the piece of wood to its final width. taking if out of square (photo 16). component along with the push-stick. The end result will mean that you The solution to the latter is to feed I use a hold-in stick in my left hand, have four faces/edges that are flat and material straight down the middle which rests stationary on the in-feed parallel with one another. of the table, and at right angles to table for all of the cut excepting the the cutter-block. Ideally, gang-feed last few inches, when I transfer it to It’s good to note that it’s not more than one at a time to avoid the out-feed table (photos 10, 11). sound practice to exceed a ratio of the problem associated with the 1:7 in terms of thickness-planing on former, or have some sacrificial Alternatively, the Euro guard edge (photo 14). If pieces exceed pieces handy. performs this task to great effect, as this, your only recourse is to its rounded plastic end (photo 12) rip-saw it, and clean up with a End and length can be held and pushed in with the hand plane – a common method left hand, following any irregularities with thin drawer sides. Small pieces, like bigger ones, must be on the rough surface. If your fence square-cut at both ends to complete is properly set up you will now have There are two other points to take the FEWTEL process. Shaped planed two adjacent faces to exactly note of when thickness-planing pieces will only have been faced and 90°. Mark this new face too for later small-section pieces on edge. Firstly, thickness-planed at this stage, still reference (photo 13). the serrated in-feed roller may leave requiring edge and end shaping. nasty marks when taking shallow Width and thickness cuts (photo 15), and secondly, if Cross-cutting an individual piece is fed through short lengths Now, it becomes somewhat easier, as one side of the machine rather than we move to the thickness planer to in the middle, the feed rollers will From the outset, it should be stated arrive at the desired thickness, and never to attempt to saw rough-sawn wood on the circular saw. www.woodreview.com.au 35
TECHNIQUE 14. Don’t exceed a ratio of 1:7 14 15 when thickness-planing on edge – use the rip-saw instead. 15. Ugly marks can be caused by serrated in-feed roller on thin pieces. 16. Feed small parts through the centre of the thicknesser so they don’t get pushed to one side. 17. A 100mm drop-on plate is used here instead of retracting the rip fence for multiple short length cross-cutting. 18. Using a hold-down stick to push small and short lengths against the cross-cut fence, with sandpaper adding grip. 16 17 18 Every saw should be equipped with You can also achieve the same result of wood down to a minimum of both a rip and a cross-cut fence. with a drop-on, 100mm plate that about 30mm in length. When bigger, While these names should be self obviates the need to retract the fence short pieces need cutting in this way, explanatory, we sometimes use both (photo 17). it is advisable to use a dedicated simultaneously when cross-cutting. mechanical table clamp to help resist The general rule in using a circular The method above is the safest the greater twisting forces (photo 19). saw is that the longer edge (or end) possible way to dock multiple of any given piece of dressed wood identical pieces from longer pieces, Ripping on the should always be up against either however short and small dressed circular saw one or the other fence. sections can also be square-ended safely, within reason, as long as your Ripping solid wood, especially short Many rip fences can be flipped over, saw has a sliding table that runs pieces, can be risky in spite of guards presenting a much lower fence surface within a few millimetres of the blade. and riving knives, so I would advise to the work, and they can also be In this case, slide the cross-cut fence that lengths are never shorter than retracted backwards clear of the as close to the blade as possible the diameter of your blade, plus riving blade. It is in this retracted position and place a piece of self-adhesive knife, plus about 100mm. This is that the two fences can be used sandpaper to the table to add grip to about the minimum safe length to together for cross-cutting long strips the workpiece. ensure the riving knife is engaged into precise length, short little pieces, before the blade completes its cut determined by the rip fence setting. You also need to make a special hold- (photo 20). In this mode, the off-cut (the piece down stick to help keep fingers at a you’re keeping in this instance) can’t safe distance (photo 18). This way, Ripping often entails moving your bind between the fence and blade. you can safely cross-cut small sections hands directly towards the blade as a piece of wood is fed through, so 36 Australian Wood Review
TECHNIQUE 19 20 21 22 23 19. A mechanical hold-down clamp prevents twisting forces for larger, short- length pieces. 20. A safe ripping length equals the diameter of blade and riving knife, plus an extra 100mm. 21. A zero clearance blade insert can prevent blade jamming. 22. Ripping a standard width component safely using a suitable push-stick. 23. Using a fence-mounted sliding push-stick for ripping small sections keeps hands clear while still allowing space for the blade guard. a guard is clearly a must, as is the wood is still controlled with push- Other ways need to lock the sliding table, if you sticks, not directly with fingers (see have one – very important! A zero- photo p.32). A story such as this can only highlight clearance table insert also helps to the most obvious solutions to the prevent narrow off-cuts jamming the However, when it’s absolutely areas of risk on these two machines. blade (photo 21). necessary to rip-saw small sections of Hopefully the seed is sown for you wood, such as a 15 x 15mm one for to come up with other solutions that It should be said that, wherever example, I use a special push-block enhance safe practices. Push-sticks possible, it’s better to take small with a handle positioned at a safe can be replaced, fingers can’t. The pieces to their desired dimension distance from the blade. To avoid the secret, in my years at the bench, is to on the planer and thicknesser, so guard fouling the fence for standard design them for easy, simple use to there is no need to rip-saw them. ripping on very narrow settings, this ensure that they are used. Only very rarely do I rip-saw such block fits loosely over the fence and components on the circular saw, and allows it to track properly without Note, in some cases the blade guard is those that I do, are pieces that exceed wandering (photo 23). In this way removed for image clarity. the 1:7 ratio of thickness to width as the guard can remain attached to the discussed earlier (photo 22). Most of blade and can be dropped to a safe Photos: Neil Erasmus the other rip-cuts I do entail blind or height without it fouling the push- stopped ones only – where the blade block or the fence. A separate stick is Neil Erasmus is a designer doesn’t penetrate through the top used in the left hand to hold the wood maker, teacher and writer. of the wood. Of course, in cases like against the fence as it moves through See Instagram @neilerasmus this, you are forced in some cases to the sawblade, or a feather board or two remove the guard, but as before, the can be attached to the sliding table. www.woodreview.com.au 37
PROFILE Largely Made to Measure Josh Carmody is a Melbourne based architect and furniture designer maker who thrives on challenges and large scale commissions. Interview by Linda Nathan. 38 Australian Wood Review
PROFILE ‘ There’s quite a leap between own space. Six months later the Opposite: Josh Carmody learning to make furniture, lockdowns hit, however I now had in his Melbourne workshop. starting a business, and having my own workshop and a number of Photo: Haydn Cattach a sustainable business’, said commissions in the pipeline. This Josh Carmody in a recent phone left me with a level of certainty and This page: Seek HQ Boardroom conversation. ‘I kind of have big control at a time when new laws and Table, American oak, nine metres long aspirations. My strength is big, made- restrictions were emerging daily for and 1.4 metres wide. to-measure projects. It’s a creative small business owners. side of myself I can’t bury.’ ‘I spent about two full days getting Good client relationships also this right, but I think it was worth it. Attention to detail is what many played a big role. I got a phone Two huge rails run almost the full of us strive for, but when that call from a former architecture length beneath this massive tabletop extends to mammoth scale furniture colleague who wanted me to do assembly. We centred both rails on commissions with hard deadlines, something special for the new Seek each longitudinal tabletop seam, that also speak of a handmade ethic, HQ in Cremorne, Victoria. Seek which provided a nice opportunity to it could all become a bit mind- trusted me to design the key pieces add some interaction between the boggling. I asked Josh what the to complement their vision. I sent top and the underframe. This subtle attraction of large-scale work was for through my concepts, they approved. insertion of the rail into the negative him, and how he got one very large It was as simple as that. And then we space left by the edge profiles looks commission done in the midst of the just got to work. Even so, a project simple enough. But with no cutters world’s longest lockdown. of this scale was ambitious, more so available to match the idea, it was given the pandemic. back to the hand tools – not a bad Josh, last year, in and around thing.’ Photo: Haydn Cattach Melbourne’s six covid lockdowns you How did lock-down affect you? completed a major commission – a solid timber, nine metre long boardroom table In the second half of 2020 most plus other tables and items. How does manufacturing was forced to cease that even happen? production. It was illegal for me to go to my own workshop and Luck and good timing played a even to work alone. Moving in and part. In August 2019, after years out of covid restrictions, the main of subletting, I finally got my difficulties were supply chain related. www.woodreview.com.au 39
PROFILE Above: Josh Carmody’s Most retail was closed. Click and There were also six dining tables Dilettante tables, were collect was slow. Couriers were with tiled tops that were designed for made in solid American hard slower. Getting specific tooling, staff breakout spaces, four at 3 x 2 maple, each with monolithic hardware and material had to be metres and two at 2 x 2 metres. The tapered bases supporting a planned in advance, and you needed Dilettante tables, originally released ‘bold dovetail shaped beam’. contingencies. in 2020, were made in solid American The 40mm thick tabletop hard maple, each with monolithic has a soft radius to the long What did the Seek job entail? tapered bases supporting a bold edges and is held in place dovetail shaped beam. using a sliding dovetail We had to design and make nine button system which allows tables in 14 weeks. At 9 x 1.4 metres, Others may baulk at the scale, but for wood movement. the boardroom table was the major you said that you have found yourself piece. Handcrafted in solid Victorian through big projects like this... Lockdown-related supply ash, it was designed and made for chain issues had knock-on reassembly in the Seek boardroom Maintaining attention to detail at effects, such as those arising overlooking AAMI Park, the MCG scale is the ultimate challenge for from the delay of imported and the Melbourne CBD. It had to not a furniture maker. The jump from tiles which sat on the dock only reassemble on site, but in such a producing one-offs to production for months. ‘Tiles often way that the joins and seams between pieces under deadline was a big one have a tolerance of ±2mm components and overall layout adds to for me. For me, being a furniture or more. This meant we the aesthetic and functional structure maker was always limited by one couldn’t finalise the top and of the table. Mixing traditional joinery question – how do you find enough componentry dimensions methods with commercial realities clients to grow and sustain a business? until we had the tiles and (such as transport and access) is no could test the layout.’ easy feat, requiring design foresight People often say you don’t become and millimetre perfect precision. a furniture maker to get rich. Well The tiles were selected by the Hassell Studio team to suit the colour schemes on respective floors. Each colour block pattern is unique and is framed in solid American oak, supported by a lattice-like underframe and large round legs, also in American oak. Photos: Hayden Cattach 40 Australian Wood Review
PROFILE Far left: Legless stools at Woods Bagot. The first iteration (2009) of the Legless stool was a finalist in AWR’s Studio Furniture 2010 exhibition shown at Bungendore Wood Works Gallery. It’s now one of Josh Carmody’s signature and most recognised designs. Left and below: Two views of the Curve table in American white oak in Woods Bagot, Melbourne studio. Photos: Brooke Holm respectfully, I didn’t become a furniture actually quite refreshing. Beyond this, designs. How do fit these in between maker to be broke. The big brands the scale and inherent complexity of bespoke work? that I love with pieces designed by my managing projects like these on hard favourite designers are all specified in deadlines is something I am familiar It is hard to find time for speculative architecturally and/or interior designed with – as is thinking the design all work and restocking my own shelves. commercial projects. So this market the way through beyond aesthetics to It helps if you’re thoughtful about was where I needed to focus my delivery, lift access, assembly/install your processes – even to the extent attention. And given I was an architect and everything in between. of sorting off-cuts into bins that working in one of the largest studios in can be processed down the line into the world, I had a leg up in that regard. Aside from the benefits of big jobs, what production items, such as chopping are the pitfalls? blocks or Legless stools or seat tops. My career in architecture provided That way you’re also using everything, inside information as to how the Ask any tradesperson or maker and and the only by-product is sawdust. furniture market operates with the they will have stories of non-payment support of architects and interior for work completed. For me this is Can you tell us a little about your work designers that design the buildings we one of the more concerning pitfalls as an architect? eventually furnish. My understanding to avoid. But it is simpler than you’d of these fields and the overlapping skills think. I know the terms I am willing I began studying architecture straight I gained from each has been vital. to work under and when they are out of year 12. That year I also began not met, I am willing to walk away. I designing and making furniture, What is it about ‘major projects’ that you would rather not win a project – than picking up from where I left off from most enjoy? complete and not get paid for it. my school days. My intention was for my furniture business to be a creative I usually have multiple jobs on the go, What about the batch designs you make? outlet from my architecture studies, so blocking out my time for one major Since we first saw the Legless stool in and hopefully merge it with my project to anchor my attention is 2010 it’s become one of your signature architecture career at a later date. www.woodreview.com.au 41
PROFILE Above left: Underside view of the Meeting Table, one of nine made for the Woods Bagot Melbourne Studio in 2015. Photo: Brooke Holm Above right: Trustable standing height table, made for Woods Bagot’s Melbourne studio. Photo: Brooke Holm Right: One of three four- metre long Curve boardroom tables made to measure for the heritage listed lower levels of Australian Unity’s headquarters in Melbourne. Photo: Peter Clarke I started my first architecture job How did the transition to designer were intense. I continued as when I moved to Melbourne to maker come about? an architect – but furniture was study for my Master of Architecture pulling me away. at Melbourne University. After There is symmetry between how my graduating I went on to work at architecture career started, and how it Another even larger furniture Woods Bagot; a large architecture ended. My furniture design business project came my way and I won an and interior design firm with got me my first architecture job – and international design competition studios all over Australia and the my furniture design business dragged which took me to Milan to world. The scale of projects me out of my last architecture job collaborate with Patricia Urquiola on I worked on increased to towers when Woods Bagot designed their a product line. So finally, I handed in and entire precincts. I was in the new studio and asked if I would make my notice and went to work for myself deep end. Contracts. Builders. them a table. full-time. Consultant teams. Lawyers. Drawings. Schedules. Economies Overnight, that one table became How did you fund your new business? of scale. Deadlines. Aconex. nine – and about 15 of my Legless You said you ‘bootstrapped’ the The amount of work that goes stools, it was a big project. There was whole thing. into a large scale architecture project a significant catch – I had to design, is unbelievable. make and deliver the tables in six For me the key was patience. When weeks. I worked 16-hour days and I was 19, I knew nothing about the Throughout this period of more loved every minute of it. I delivered design industry or business. I was technical architecture work, furniture the best pieces I had made to date aware of my shortcomings, and knew design and making still remained a and was unashamedly proud of taking out a loan to finance my start- creative outlet for me at a workshop myself. In six weeks I went from a up would not be wise. So naturally I space I was subletting in Richmond hobbyist with serious ambition to just started up with my own personal called Handsome & Co. a professional. The next 12 months savings and funds. 42 Australian Wood Review
PROFILE This page: Changing views of Josh Carmody’s Legless stools. One of the earliest products in his collection, and the most well-known due to its ‘impossible’ form and Escher-like optical illusions when viewed from certain perspectives, as well as its inclusion in videos by Zach King that have had over 100 million views across social media platforms. Photos: Michael Gordon Hill I would always end up in either You combine a contemporary aesthetic You’re only 34, but what changes have architecture or design or both, and with a crafted ethic, for example the you observed in the realm of being a the skill sets were largely transferrable. central lower rail of the nine metre professional designer maker? Money earned from my part-time conference table. Who or what taught jobs was used to buy basic tools and you your woodworking skills and values? The main change is the proliferation machines. I set up a website and of the internet and social media – uploaded my projects as I went. Over I’ve always had quite specific effectively removing the barriers for the next decade, (in parallel to my creative values that revolve around entry for an early career designer/ architecture studies and eventual authenticity and skill of execution – maker. Nowadays making a website career), I leveraged my wages from my and I appreciate real materials. The is easy, online shopping is the norm. jobs and simply invested back in my way that has translated to furniture And you can reach millions of business when I could. Eventually I making is that I prefer joinery over potential customers for a fraction of fitted out my workshop with commercial mechanical fixings. I prefer mortise the cost and in a fraction of the time machinery, and was being specified by and tenons over the domino. Each it would take when I first started. some of the largest architecture firms have their place in the ecosystem – and companies in the world. but for me, retaining the skills and Back when I started, the path I could craft of furniture making was always see for a furniture designer and/or Growing slowly gave me time to a priority. maker involved designing a product or learn about business while learning collection, prototyping it, marketing, about design. The financial pressures This eventuated into a style where seeking out publication, entering associated with a start-up were I design the form I like and use competitions and awards, finding alleviated. The clock was never really manufacturing methods I think best a manufacturer and/or distributor, ticking to turn a profit within a certain support it. My design process is about and pushing your products at trade number of years. With low overheads I balancing what is possible structurally exhibitions like Milan. This process is could just focus on my craft. with the aesthetic in my mind’s eye. still a path you may follow these days, www.woodreview.com.au 43
PROFILE but it has been supercharged by Two things are key. My social media in a way where a creative advice is to always new designer can choose their act on your inspiration. Draw, own adventure to find their sketch, and make things place in the market. whenever you can. Whichever way you satisfy your moments Do you have goals? Where do you of inspiration – prioritise it. see yourself in five or ten years time? The admin can wait. Top: Three-seater I have a workshop, and I have My pragmatic advice is to dining table made resident furniture makers in my develop your skills, your for Josh Carmody’s workshop building their own products and your project own family use with pieces and businesses. I would pipeline prior to jumping in full- detail of central joint. like to be able to expand this time. The further you can get Photo: Josh Carmody offering to more early career your business before needing to Above: Portrait makers in the next five years. rely on it financially, the better of Josh Carmody. At that point hopefully I will chance you have of making it Photo: Amy Carmody have a bigger workshop, a few sustainable long-term. Jumping more machines at my disposal in too early can mean running 44 Australian Wood Review and perhaps a few more people out of money before your working with me. production volume is at a level that pays the bills. What’s your advice to other woodworkers, especially those Learn more about Josh Carmody who hope to maintain a at https://joshcarmody.com.au/ sustainable career? and @josh.carmody
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PROJECT Close-up and Critical The smaller the piece, the bigger its faults can appear. Raf Nathan muses on speed versus precision as he makes a batch of boxes. 46 Australian Wood Review
PROJECT 12 Fig 1. Components (mm) not to scale 12 knob 5 9 84 lid 84 5 5 70 rim 7 10 3 11 side 92 mitre key 3 3 12 bottom 92 5 92 ‘ Respect, that’s what I have for they always tend to look for any Main: Making small boxmakers.’ Those words were how faults, finding things that are not boxes can use less I started an article for this magazine perfect. It’s almost like a game, material, but take more many years ago after completing where people will hold an object up time than larger scale three lidded boxes. After recently and say, ‘Ah-ha! There’s a tiny gap work. The batch originally making a batch of 17 small boxes that there’. But the twist is, that pro rata numbered 20 but three original statement still holds today! tables sell for a lot more money… were rejected. So much work and detailing goes These boxes are a very efficient way to www.woodreview.com.au 47 into a small object, in some ways as use up short pieces of wood. Anything much work as we would put into a at least 450mm long can be used, table in fact. If you observe people although figured wood is preferable. viewing small boxes you will note There are a few basic design themes
PROJECT 1 2 3 4 1. Contrasting strips of that can be used for the boxes. Here wood selection very important. And wood were glued to I’ve used differing combinations of as said, the smaller the object the the sides. contrasting woods for the edgings, more critical the public are. mitre keys, bases and lids. 2. Sawing the mitres Construction processes on the drop saw. I saw making these boxes as a good A sub-fence gave exercise in small batch production. These boxes are around 92mm wide extra support for the In fact I split the making into two and 80mm high. I make the box small parts. batches, the first to set the style, then cut grooves for the mitre keys and work out processes to speed up and fit them. The base goes on next, 3. Small sections can grab the making. As a professional maker followed by the fitting of the lid, and on the mitre saw so I trying to build something to fit a lastly polishing. used a push-stick to pre-determined retail price, working hold them in place. fast is critical. My father ran a smash The four sides have a contrasting repair shop for 50 years and always strip of 5mm thick wood glued to the 4. It makes sense to said that in his field there was nothing top edge. Usually I plane one face pre-polish the insides worse than a slow tradesperson. On and edge of the sides flat and then of the boxes prior to the other hand though, my uncle, who glue the strip on using small clamps assembly. worked in the same panel shop, used or often tape (photo 1). It’s pretty to say, ‘sometimes the slower you go, wasteful to be using so much tape and 5. Match the outside the faster you go’. throwing it away so I’m experimenting grain pattern as best with using rubber bands instead. you can and tape. So after the first batch I felt that I After the glue is properly dry, the could get a good pace happening sides are re-machined to final 6. Flip the assembly over, for the second batch. Alas, these dimensions, 10mm in thickness and apply glue and bring are time-consuming pieces, mostly 79mm wide. everything together. because there are so many individual processes, and the small scale of work Mitring small sections 7. Sawing in the mitre dictates precision at each step with keys with a cradle jig The mitres can be sawn now. Given on the tablesaw. the pieces of wood are so small and 48 Australian Wood Review
PROJECT 56 fiddly I made a sub-fence for extra 7 for the mitre keys. These reinforce the support on the mitre saw (photo 2). joint and add a decorative touch. The The first saw cut is straightforward, then flip the assembly over. Apply glue bond on the mitre is fairly strong but the second cut on a 90mm glue to the mitre faces – not too but not reliable. Treat it carefully long piece of wood is tricky. If the much, or too little (photo 5). when sawing the key slots. wood grabs, which it wants to, it is dangerous. So for securing the piece Fold the assembly over and bring Adding the mitre keys of wood whilst sawing I first tried the mitres together. Stretching the clamping it to the fence, but settled tape will bring the joins together for The box sits in a jig or cradle that on holding it down with a long push- hopefully a seamless corner (photo 6). is pushed along the tablesaw fence stick with good results (photo 3). (photo 7). The tablesaw blade Leave the glue to dry and cure protrudes enough to make a slot Pre-finishing overnight. The tape can now be about 10mm deep. removed and the box next prepared Sand and polish the inside faces now (photo 4). Later on it is too hard to do that, as there is not much space to get your fingers inside, let alone try to sand. Plus this way, glue squeeze-out inside the box will peel off after assembly. Assembly Lay the four sides out, matching the grain as best you can on the outer faces. Stand the pieces on edge and check the mitres, using a block plane to tune the joint as needed. Stick blue tape at the meeting edges www.woodreview.com.au 49
PROJECT 8 9 10 11 12 Bookmatching The keys give strength to the The protruding parts of the keys need box sides corner by adding more edge-to-edge to be sawn flush now. It’s important glue surface. The keys are sized to saw towards the centre of the box Using one piece of wood for the to fit the slot sawn on the tablesaw to avoid tearing out the short grain sides will allow for reasonable (3mm wide in this case), at the corner. There are flush cut grain matching at the mitre corners. and they need to be a correct fit. saws available, but I used a Japanese However for a superior grain Too loose is useless, whilst a little saw with good results (photo 12). I match you would need to use too tight can be fixed by hammering also tried sawing the protruding keys bookmatched sides. the keys to compress the grain. with the mitre saw, but found it was Apply glue and slide in the key, safer and almost as quick to just use a To do this, rip a single piece of a bit of rubbing will help the glue handsaw for this. wood, say 80mm wide and grab (photo 8). 30mm thick. Ripping this in half Fitting the base will give you two bookmatched Another way to fit keys if you don’t faces. Use these faces on the have a tablesaw is to use a handsaw The base was glued on next (photo outside of the box and simply mitre and saw a slot (photo 9). I used 13). This is solid wood, 4–5mm and join the matching faces, this thick blackwood veneer for the keys thick. Given the small sizes of the way the grain will flow seamlessly in the Huon pine box sides in the components used there is not really around the mitre. photo (photo 10). After gluing in the an issue with wood movement. When mitre keys, put the boxes aside to dry the glue is dry the base needs to be 50 Australian Wood Review (photo 11). flushed off to the sides. A handsaw is a good choice for this.
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