Australian Wood Review June 2022

Far from ordinary I can’t help thinking that Beyond Ordinary: Contemporary Women Makers is an exhibition that we should never have had to have, and yet it is necessary proclaim out loud what I’m sure everyone knows. There are lots of women who make beautiful things from wood! However, in a world that talks about accepting diversity in all realms it is still necessary to make a statement, and the body of work created by 26 women makers has demonstrated that perfectly. I’m very proud to say that some of my own work was included and congratulate the curators Ruth Johnston and Dale Dryen for putting the exhibition together. Head to p.42 to see some of the work shown, along with reflections from the makers. Making Australia make again I don’t know who to…

As makers we often settle on tools we already have, but twist drills, spade bits, and dodgy countersinks are not necessarily the best accessories for fine, detailed work. Let’s look at what’s available to consider using on your next project (photo 1). Brad-point Brad-points mill clean and accurate holes compared to regular twist drills. The centre point (or ‘brad’) allows a precise hole location when drilling to an awl mark. And the edge spurs at the circumference of these bits provide a sharp hole and significantly reduce tear-out and splintering. I find brad-points are less likely to wander in hard timbers. Look for brands that have a well-formed centre (some are not fine enough), and avoid brad-points where the point does not extend beyond the spurs (this includes many sets unfortunately). A longer…

6-piece large woodturning set $389 This set of tools looks very impressive when it is opened. It includes a 28mm roughing gouge, 19mm flat skew chisel, 12mm spindle gouge, 12mm bowl gouge, 19mm diamond parting tool and 19mm round nose scraper. The tools are 170–220mm in length and the handles are 320mm in length. The handles are high quality, the stainless steel ferrules are excellent, and the finish on the tools themselves is of a very high standard, particularly the profile and polished finish inside the flutes of the gouges. But, apart from the smooth flutes, all of this is mostly cosmetic and will not have any effect on how well they will cut, which is the main consideration for any tool. In fact if they were my tools, the first thing I…

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$295 How exciting to see new Australian made tools coming onto the market like this one from South Australia based Henry Eckert Toolworks. I have a thing for block planes and my first thought on viewing the Eckert with its gleaming gold body was that I should add it to my collection. Virtually all modern block planes designs are based on the Stanley 60-1/2 made in 1900. It was a huge success – you had to have one. Lie-Nielsen set the standard by making a better version. More recently WoodRiver and Luban began making a tool that looks pretty much the same. The Eckert is also 150mm long with a 35mm wide blade and I did wonder why it and the other brands did not take a different approach to appearance; side…

Low Angle Block Plane $185 The recently formed Melbourne tool Company has just entered the highly competitive field of handplane manufacturing. Their tools are designed in Melbourne, but made in China. Once this may have caused alarm, but most people know many excellent products are now made there. My first impression of the low angle block plane is that it is beautifully made. The body casting appears excellent, very clean with finely ground sole and sides. The front, adjustable shoe is a bit sloppier in fit than the more expensive competition, but this is a cosmetic difference that does not affect performance. It also seems to have been ground separately from the body, so it is not quite level with the rest of the sole, but it is close enough to allow very…