Australian Wood Review June 2018

Let’s meet up Following on from the buzz of our first AWR L!VE event last year, we’re doing it again, and you are invited to join us in Sydney on August 4. We have an amazing crew of speakers (four have been on the cover of this magazine), and an exciting program of talks, visual presentations, Q&A discussion and the opportunity to network with like-minded others. Design is the theme and it’s all about making things that look and function better. It’s a big topic for a Saturday afternoon, but our speakers are experts and looking forward to sharing their experience and ideas with you. Earlybird tickets are available until June 29 from www.woodreview.com.au/live More information is on p.32, I hope you can make it! Studio Furniture 2018, first prize now $10,000 October 20,…

When I started signing more and more large-scale commission work a few years ago, I knew it was time to invest in some larger equipment to help me process the stock. I chose the Felder AD941 and it has totally transformed my working practices. This is one of the largest production combination machines available. In jointing mode the table length is 2200mm, so any board that length or under will comfortably balance on both the infeed and outfeed tables without further support or intervention. Boards longer than this are also easily processed with careful technique and diligent use of supports at each end of the machine. The Felder 400mm table extension can also be attached to the end of the outfeed table, making the somewhat difficult task of balancing longer boards at…

Adding inlay as a feature detail in your woodwork can be a way to lift an otherwise plain piece of work. Over the years I have often used 3mm thick square and rectangular pieces of wood as inlaid motifs on table- and desktops. The first step is to size the inlay to final dimension, lay it in position and then trace the outline with a marking knife. The inlay recess can then be removed with a router and chisel and the inlay glued in place, preferably with it sitting proud by around one millimetre. After the glue is dry it can be planed and sanded flush. However an alternative that offers an almost unlimited number of design options is to use a template routing kit. Inlay kits are made from brass and…

Carpenters and woodworkers often need to accurately drill holes for mounting items or other specialised purposes. For some building work a near-enough round hole may be sufficient, however my quest was for a large hole cutter that would be quick to use and leave a clean finish. My first attempt was an adjustable drill tool purchased from eBay that turned out to be pretty useless. With steel cutters and solid construction it looked good, but struggled in 12mm plywood to drill a hole that was almost round. The Star-M tool from Japan is ruggedly built with a thick pressed steel body that holds two tungsten tipped cutters which are mounted on adjustable arms running on thick threaded rod. The arms can be dialled in to drill holes 25–75mm in diameter. A fairly accurate…

With a bright backlit LCD display the new Wixey angle gauge is ideal for setting mitre and tablesaws as well as workfences. Simply turn on, zero in and relax, knowing that angles to 1° can be confidently set, plus there are magnets in the base to secure it to the workpiece. Accurate to 0.1°, the Wixey uses a single AAA battery (not included) and also features auto shut-off. Download the Wixey App on your phone (Apple or Android) however and a new function comes into play. The phone will now display the angle readings, with Siri able to talk you through it. This means if you are fixing a cabinet to a wall for example, you can place the gauge on the cabinet and adjust it for vertical whilst the app reads out…

Diamond Quality Tormek has just released three new diamond wheels and a multi-base for their water cooled sharpening system. Made from the world’s hardest known material, these diamond wheels offer exceptional durability. A further great new development is that blades can also be sharpened on the sides of the wheels to give flat bevels as well. Coarse, fine and extra fine grade wheels will be available in Australia from June 2018. www.promac.com.au Woodwork Central Since its release in Australia late last year, Kreg’s mobile project centre has been snapped up by those wanting an affordable but solid bench and assembly surface. The table opens to 800 x 700mm and supports up to 158kg. Set it up, pack it away or take it with you for convenience, and look to a range of inline…