Why Buy Rubbish?

Notes on Woodturning Pt.25 - Turning a Perfect Sphere
by John Ewart
Whether you are making a freestanding wooden ball for a game or as part of a larger project, the techniques involved are quite different to those used for turning an attached ball (AWW #182 August 2015).

Bob's Unusual Pens - 2. Peach Pits Pens
by Robert (Bob) Gibbs
A variant on his first pen made from Liquidamber seed pods embedded in epoxy, for these exotic-looking pens Bob uses the dried stones or pits from ordinary peaches.

Woodcarving by Numbers Pt.13 - Celtic Patterns
by Mike Davies
Celtic patterns have been a perennial favourite among carvers. With this project, a traditional Celtic symbol representing 'family', Mike introduces the basics of the under and over effect of Celtic carving and the treatment of hard to access areas within the design.

Breakfast Plates
by John Swinkels
Wooden plates are a simple turning exercise with a practical use. John shows how he made his breakfast plates from a Jacaranda log and provides a few tips on looking after the finished plates.

Sir Henry Parkes and His Turned Candle Sticks
by Mike Darlow
A well-known figure in Australia's political history, NSW Premier and ardent supporter of Federation, Sir Henry Parkes was a bone and ivory turner by trade. For this article Mike turns replicas of candlesticks currently held by the State Library of New South Wales and accredited to Sir Henry Parkes when he was an apprentice in Birmingham.

Desert Donkey Notebook Cover
by Carolyn McCully
Burning an image onto thin plywood is not without its challenges, but by gluing the ply onto the cover of a notebook, Carolyn makes a unique item as a keepsake or gift.


Other Features

New Products

Book Reviews
The Big Book of Wooden Locks by Tim Detweiler
A Lesson Plan for Woodturning by James Rodgers

DVD Reviews
Steve Maskery Workshop Essentials
Volume 1: Woodworking Jigs & Accessories
Volume 2: More Jigs & Accessories
Volume 3: The Ultimate Tablesaw Tenon Jig
Volume 4: Bandsaw Essentials
Volume 5: Bandsaw Jigs and Advanced Techniques
Volume 6: The Ultimate Bandsaw Tenon Jig

Issue Number 185

February 2016

Features

Hydrowood - Salvaging Tasmania's Flooded Forests 
Inspired by underwater logging operations in British Columbia, Canada, David Wise and Andrew Morgan have launched Hydrowood, a company specifically set up to salvage sunken trees from Lake Pieman, a man-made hydro lake in Tasmania. Logging, milling and drying operations have commenced on a commercial scale.

Restoration & Revival of a Vintage Thicknesser 
Italian made, this thicknesser had a full working life, possibly involving the construction of the Sydney Opera House, before being overhauled by its new owner, Adelaide boat restorer, Mark Davis.

John Jordan & Mike Lee - Turnfest 2016 
by Neil Scobie 
Two of the demonstrators at Turnfest 2016 will be John Jordan from Tennessee USA and Mike Lee from Hawaii USA. A highly respected turner and teacher, John is known for his textured hollow vessels with small openings. Mike explores organic forms, turning the wood and then carving it.

Club Drumbeat 
The members of the Blue Mountains Woodturners Inc (NSW) have involved themselves in a variety of projects, from making giant chess sets for local schools, to organising an international symposium and restoring a heavy industrial lathe.

33rd Annual Exhibition 2015 by the Woodcraft Guild ACT Inc 
Held each year in conjunction with the Canberra Timber & Working with Wood Show, the Guild’s Exhibition attracts a high quality of entries in diverse categories such as boxmaking, turning, carving, cabinetmaking, marquetry, models, pyrography and toolmaking.

Carving with High Speed Rotary Tools - 1. An Introduction 
by Bill McLeary 
With its ability to remove material quickly, and cut cleanly across or with the grain without splintering or chipping, the high speed rotary carving tool and its associated burrs have enabled new levels of detail and fineness not possible with edge tools and general carving skills.

Projects

Carved Seat Bar Stool - Version II 
by Neil Scobie 
A redesigned version of a bar stool that Neil released about nine years ago, this one has a thinner seat, more curve to the legs and thinner ends to the legs to give a more streamlined appearance and reduce weight.

Notes on Woodturning Pt.26 - Internet Videos 
by John Ewart 
Internet videos are an effective means of gaining new skills, but because anyone can post a video online, many of the techniques shown are ineffective or outright dangerous. John discusses the more common failings in Internet turning videos and how to judge a good one from a '‘fail'.

The Star Table 
by W A Lane 
Made from Western Red Cedar, Australian Red Cedar and Australian White Cedar, this occasional table has a segmented top and lower shelf. In spite of its complex appearance, it requires only three different types of segments and assembly is straighforward so long as the segments are sized and shaped accurately.

A Turned Bowl Made with a Home-made Ring-cutter 
by John Swinkels 
In this article John discusses the virtues of ring-cutters, the use of segmented rings, their assembly into a bowl blank and the jigs involved. The project is a thin-walled bowl, approx. 230mm in diameter.

Learning about Routers - 3 
In this issue we examine the use of the trammel in conjunction with the router and make a simple trivet with concentric cutouts.

Market Wares - 14. Fishing Reel Toilet Roll Holder 
by Bob Aitken 
This fishing reel toilet roll holder is not as easy and quick to make as many of our previous Market Wares, but Bob assures us that they are fun to make and sell very well!

Carving an Eagle 
by Frank Rowe 
Frank uses a bandsaw to produce a contoured 3D blank from a rectangular piece of wood and then refines the shape with a rotary carving tool. Pyrography and hand-made wire and epoxy legs finish the sculpture.

Whistling Kite 
by Carolyn McCully 
With an odd-shaped board to work with, Carolyn chose a suitable photograph from her nature collection as the subject of her pattern. The challenge in this project is to get the shading right to give the required alternating bands of light and dark markings on the feathers and body.


Other Features

New Products

Book Reviews
Wooden Hub Wheels 
by MC Hendrikson O.A.M 
Woodturning Trickery 
by David Springett

DVD Reviews
Handcut Dovetails 
by Hendrik Varju

Issue Number 186

April 2016

Features

USER REPORT - Laguna Revo 18/36 Lathe
by Allen Barrett
Featuring a rigid steel bed, heavy cast iron legs for stability and dampening, movable headstock, optional outrigger bed extension and other innovations, the Laguna Revo 18/36 is a new lathe design that has been re-engineered from scratch, offering new solutions and possibilities for your woodturning projects.

Cordless Woodworking with Milwaukee Tools
With a motto of 'cutting the cord', Milwaukee Tools is releasing an ever-increasing range of tools based on their 18V and 12V Li-Ion battery platforms. To date they have most of the cordless power tools you would need for a woodworking workshop, including several interesting items that you may not have considered.

Carving with High Speed Rotary Tools - 2. Burrs and Bits
by Bill McLeary
Bill classifies carving burrs and bits into four groups, depending upon their use - Roughing Out, Refining, Detailing and Texturing. Within each group he discusses the options from structured tooth burrs and steel engraving cutters, to ruby carvers and abrasive stones.

Learning about Routers - 4
After a discussion of some the factors that should be considered when purchasing and building up your selection of router bits, we look at a router skill which can be very useful, but is often overlooked - freehand routing. It also needs practice!

Projects

A Fair Dinkum Toy Box
by Allen Barrett
Every child’s room needs a toy box. Ideally it should be big enough to hold a fair number of toys, small enough to be compact and stow out of the way, and strong enough to act as a box, seat or table. Allen makes this 'fair dinkum' toy box, personalising it with a carved initial on the lid.

Dust Extraction System Upgrade
by Laury Vella
Salvaging the pump from his conventional dust collector, Laury upgraded his workshop dust extraction system with a home-made cyclone for most of the shavings and dust, and a wheelie bin water trap for the fine dust.

Lone Emu
by Carolyn McCully
Working from an image from her NT holiday, Carolyn burns this head shot of the Australian emu and colours it for dramatic effect.

Restoring a Stanley 4½ Plane
by Phil Spencer
After some cleaning, stripping, refinishing and tuning, Phil turned his $40 purchase into a useful handtool for his workshop.

Market Wares - 15. Segmented Letter Openers
by Richard Collins
By using layers of 3mm and 6mm wood in contrasting colours, and producing the items in batches, Richard is able to make these highly attractive and functional letter openers with a reasonable outlay of time and effort.

The Magic Pea Holder
by Aaron Ehrlich
This simple party trick requires three identical 'sealed' containers. It is essential that the three wooden containers appear exactly the same so this is good exercise in identical turning, using only a small amount of wood.

Notes on Woodturning Pt.27 -
Unconventional Tools and Cutting Edge Shapes
by John Ewart
In spite of the wide range of woodturning tools available commercially, many turners end up with one or more ‘specialised’ tools in their collection, to suit a specific need. John discusses some of the tools and shapes that are used and how they suit their intended purpose.

Woodcarving by Numbers Pt.14 An Acanthus Panel
by Mike Davies
Continuing to work with the same basic set of carving tools used throughout this series, Mike carves a traditional acanthus leave panel. Mike also describes the design principles involved in drawing an acanthus leaf design and what makes one pattern look right and another look wrong.

Making the Lopez Chess Set Using a Loose Pin Chuck
by Mike Darlow
This is two articles in one - the making of a turned chess set and an introduction to the use of a loose pin chuck (including how to make one). For this application Mike now uses this chuck in preference to the coarse screw chuck mentioned in his book, Turned Chessmen.

Other Features

New Products

Book Reviews
All New Turning Projects
by Richard Raffan
The Homemade Workshop
by James Hamilton

DVD Reviews
End Grain Table Tops & Cutting Boards
by Hendrik Varju

Issue Number 187

June 2016

Features

Neil Scobie Workshop in SA
by Tim Smeaton
The Northern Turners Inc's annual workshop last November was particularly memorable with Neil Scobie presenting a wealth of turning and carving knowledge to the audience.

WA Woodturner - Neil Turner
Though a farmer for most of his working life, Neil always had a sideline interest in woodturning. He has sold his work to galleries in Australia and the USA and now turns full-time.

Club Drumbeat
Colac Woodcrafters Guild Inc (VIC) and The Burdekin Woodcraft Association Inc (QLD).

USER REPORT -
Bosch GSB Professional 18V Impact VE-2-LI Drill/Driver
by Tony Nash
Robust and powerful, the Bosch GSB is designed for the hardworking woodworker or tradie.

USER REPORT -
Bosch PSR 10.8V LI-2 Drill/Driver
by Tony Nash
This compact lightweight 10.8V drill/driver is powerful enough for a wide range of drilling and driving tasks.

Which Drill Do I Buy?
by Steven Burrows, Editor
Steven explains why there are so many drill/drivers on the market and how, with a little knowledge, you make the best selection.

Vision Australia's ASSIST Industrial Skills Training
Vocational woodworking courses for the blind and vision impaired are held in a specialised workshop.

The Australian Woodturning Exhibition 2015
Last year’s AWE once again attracted a large number and variety of entries for the 16 categories.

Projects

Monogrammed Sofa Table
by Allen Barrett
This functional table has two drawers, two secret compartments, magazine shelf and an inlaid monogram. A similar table would suit a hallway, small apartment or reading nook.

Duplicating Woodturnings Using Shadows
by Aaron Ehrlich
Aaron employs the shadow method to turn two identical wooden candlestick holders.

Saltwater Crocodile
by Carolyn McCully
To capture the menace and power in this image, it’s all in the details. Carolyn describes how to burn your way through the lumps and bumps and add the required textures and touches of colour.

Woodcarving by Numbers Pt.15
Carving in 3-Dimensions - A Swag
by Mike Davies
A swag is a draped carving of leaves, flowers, fruit and other items, often found decorating period buildings or furniture. Mike details the steps involved in making one.

Market Wares - 16. Dog Bowl Holder
by Denis Burnham
The pet industry in Australia is huge and you can tap into this at your local market with this dog bowl holder. It’s simple to make and will make good use of the cut-offs stored in your workshop.

Notes on Woodturning Pt.28. Turning a Couch Leg
by John Ewart
John turns a typical short couch leg using two different techniques. One is the traditional method while the other is a modified approach that is easier, slower and avoids the use of the skew chisel.

Cutting Finger or Box Joints on a Bandsaw
by John Swinkels
John has developed his own method for cutting accurate finger joints on a bandsaw. By using a bandsaw John is able to join long components, whereas table saw and router table methods for making the same joints are better suited to short lengths. To demonstrate the snug fit of the joints he made a one-legged U-frame table.

Learning about Routers - 5 Making a Simple Box
This beginner project covers the basics of making a box and the role of the router in most boxmaking.

500mm High Two Hour Hourglass
by Heinz Haselroither
Having made hourglasses for over 20 years, Heinz enjoyed the challenge of his biggest timer yet.

Carving with High Speed Rotary Tools -3: Carving a Leaf
by Bill McLeary
Bill exploits the full power of the rotary carver to present this delicate wooden leaf as a beginner woodcarving project.

Other Features

New Products

Book Reviews
Intarsia Birds
by Kathy Wise
Deep Relief Woodcarving
by Kevin Walker
Turning Segmented Wooden Bangles
by Don Jovag
SketchUp A Design Guide for Woodworkers
by Joe Zih

Issue Number 188

August 2016

Features

The Terrifying Trembleur
After being taught how to turn a trembleur by French master-turner, Jean-François Escoulen, Ernie Newman has passed this skill on to a growing group of Australian turners.

2016 Casey/Cardinia Grand Art & Woodart Show
The woodworking or 'woodart' categories in this major Victorian Art Exhibition continue to grow each year.

Vale Neil Scobie
An Industrial Arts teacher who went on to become one of Australia's leading designer/makers and demonstrators, Neil Scobie was well-known throughout the local woodworking community as well as overseas.

Why We Use Wood
One of the most sustainable materials on the planet, wood is also one of the most versatile.

Club Drumbeat
Western Sydney Woodturners and the Central Coast Woodturners (NSW).

Vale Max Jensen
A keen woodworker, Max was also a driving force among the Victorian Clubs for more than 30 years.

Winner of the Milwaukee Giveaway
A Men’s Shed is now the proud owner of the Milwaukee 18V Planer from the #186 Giveaway.

My Choice - Laguna REVO 18/36 Lathe

Learning about Routers - 6
Guided routing - we examine the use of bushes, bearings and templates to make accurate and repeatable designs.

Earth and Beyond in Red Cedar
James Allen took over 2000 hours to transform an Australian Red Cedar stump into this four metre long sculpture.

Australian Scroll Saw Exhibition
by Neil Schulz
This nationwide organisation held its seventh biennial exhibition in Coonabarabran NSW.

Projects

Turning a Monaural Stethoscope
by Mike Darlow
While this device has been replaced by its modern counterpart, it does make a nice gift for a friend or relative in the medical profession, or a father to be.

Notes on Woodturning Pt.29 Turning a Standard Lamp
by John Ewart
John demonstrates two methods for making the hollow stem of a standard lamp - boring through a piece of solid wood or routing the inside faces of two halves.

Market Wares - 17. Cannon Toothpick Holder
by Bob Aitken
This turned item has market appeal as both a toothpick container and a toy for young boys.

A Monogrammed Sofa Table - 2
by Allen Barratt
In this second and final instalment, Allen builds the drawers, secret compartments and magazine rack, before finishing and assembling the table.

Giraffe
by Carolyn McCully
A complement to the zebra heads Carolyn described in AWW #152, this pyrography of a giraffe's head involves close attention to detail and some examples of negative burning.

Woodcarving by Numbers Pt.16 Carving a Linenfold Decoration
by Mike Davies
A popular panel decoration in past centuries, the techniques involved in carving a linenfold can also be used for religious carvings, heraldry and scrolls.

The Lozenge Box
by Don Phillips
To make a short octagonal box, Don is unable to use his favoured router table methods and instead has to machine the sides on a table saw.

Carving with High Speed Rotary Tools - 4: Carving a Cluster of Gumnuts with Stem and Leaf
by Bill McLeary
In his second project, Bill expands the skills of the reader, introducing detailing and texturing. In spite of the complexity and beauty of the finished project, it is aimed at the beginner as well as more experienced carvers.

Electronic Variable Control for Your Single Phase Lathe
by Phil Spencer
While you must use a licensed electrician to wire this all together, you can do the legwork and design your own electronic variable speed control to suit your existing lathe.

Other Features

New Products

Issue Number 189

October 2016

Features

Gallery
Frank Rowe's Red Capped Parrots (carving - White Beech) and Hamish Webstar's bench-style 'leaf' seat with a Windsor chair influence (Olive Ash and Burr Wych Elm).

Club Drumbeat
The Manning - Great Lakes Woodworkers Inc (NSW) and the Richmond Valley Woodcrafters Club Inc (NSW).

Working Safely with Epoxies and Polyurethanes
by David Giddings
As Business Manager at Drive Marine Services, Dave has seen the changes in the epoxy and polyurethane industry in recent years and notes work practices and product selections which can minimise sensitivity reactions.

Boat Crib
This boat crib is one of the more novel projects by a student at the Chippendale International School of Furniture this year.

Learning about Routers - 7
Hold-downs and fluting
We examine the various means of securing the workpiece when routing and make a simple jig so that we can rout flutes on the side of a leg or column.

Projects

Carving Lovespoons 1 - An Introduction
by David Stanley
David looks at the history of the Welsh lovespoon, as well as the tools, equipment and techniques required to carve one. He then describes the carving of a lovespoon design in Jelutong, Mahogany or Rosewood, with the traditional Welsh dragon and two hearts.

Notes on Woodturning Pt.30 - Making a Yarn Bowl
by John Ewart
Turners may not know what a yarn bowl is, but every knitter does. It keeps the ball of yarn from rolling away and is a practical and well-received project for any woodturner to make for the knitter in their lives.

Bedside Serving Table
by John Swinkels
Based on the design of hospital bedside serving tables, this unit is not only a handy item for anyone who is sick or invalid in your family, but it is also a follow-up on John’s article in AWW #187 on how to cut finger joints on the bandsaw.

Market Wares - 18. Doorway Decoration
by Adrian Bateman
Wooden doorway decorations can come in an almost endless range of designs. This one was based on a decoration installed on a public building and with the help of a few jigs and cutters, is relatively quick to make.

Turning Leather Handles on a Woodturning Lathe
by John Swinkels
Leather can be laminated, turned and sanded to create comfortable handles for your woodworking tools, but there are differences between working with leather and with wood. John describes how he made handles for a pen, woodcarving gouge and a marking knife.

Bright as Laughter
by Carolyn McCully
As winter gives way to spring, Carolyn chose this brightly coloured specimen for her coloured pyrography piece on two timbers, Acacia and Pawlonia. Both workpieces presented difficulties but for different reasons, and Carolyn details how she overcame the obstacles.