Australian Wood Review March 2022

P-words This issue it’s all about P-words. No, I don’t mean the pandemic. What I’m talking about are the qualities highlighted in our first issue for 2022. Persistence, patience and practice are the ones Robert Howard refers to in his story about developing 3D forms using models. Eleven to be exact, all slightly different and shown in his article this issue. Turn to p.41 to understand something of the rigorous process of a master carver. Precision is of course the big P-word for toolmakers who can be…well, quite obsessive. Producing fine tools to high tolerances really tips the P-scale, you also need passion and perfectionism – and on top of that artistry. You’ll understand what I mean if you read the article on p.20. Portraits are what Carol Russell carves. Her small animals…

The previous Veritas Mark II honing guide suffered from two problems (see my review in AWR#90). Because it clamped the blade above and below, it was not good at holding narrow blades. A side clamping addition fixed this problem, but it did add considerably to the price. The most common side-clamping honing guide is the Eclipse type. The new Veritas side clamping guide is a much-improved version. The body is made from die-cast zinc alloy with precision machined brass and stainless steel parts. Chisels and plane blades fit into either upper or lower ways. Veritas recommend using the upper ways for low-angle blades to give as much forward extension of the blade as possible, while the lower ways should be used for thicker blades to give more secure clamping. The honing angle…

The anatomy of a screw comes down to variations on a theme: threads, shank and head. Traditional screw designs usually feature a single thread, shallow pitch, larger diameter shank, and often a slotted head for hand driving. More often than not, such screws are limited to countersink, raised and round head types. Newer designs have single or twin threads often with a much higher pitch, a narrow shank and a drive solution that suits power tools. We can now choose from self-drilling tips and self-seating heads, to different thread and shank lengths. And specialty features abound, including asymmetric threads, reverse threads, shank ribbing, exotic coatings and materials, a plethora of head choices, and so forth. What differentiates screws for me is primarily the drive system, or the connection between the screw head…

There was a time when the laminate trimmer was nothing more than that, destined for a life of trimming kitchen benchtops. Over the last decade or so, these small hand held routers have become indispensable for a huge variety of tasks in the modern workshop, from running a quick consistent chamfer to cleaning out dovetails and roughing out waste on relief carvings. Having relied on a trusted Porter Cable trimmer for longer than I can remember, I was particularly eager to test the M18-FTR-0 trim router from Milwaukee for two reasons. First, the integrated LED lighting on modern tools like these is something my ageing eyesight was keen to explore and second, moving to cordless would see an end to the occasional trapped power cord which had an annoying knack of…

Renowned company Carter recently released this bandsaw accessory in a move likely to appeal to many home-based woodworkers looking to recover useable stock from small log sections and other odd-shaped pieces. The 660 x 260mm melamine-faced MDF base is flat and reduces friction on the table surface, and the 660 x 125mm steel fence is both rigid and tall enough to support pieces of a reasonable diameter. The fence is laterally adjustable to account for cut width and seats securely in place with two locking screws. The whole accessory comes with a steel 3/4" mitre track bar that has adjustable set screws for tuning to the mitre track. Some European machines have different sized mitre tracks, so the user can either mill their own guide bar, or simply run the mill…

Karl Holtey, Holtey Planes, Scotland, UK Milling metal and routing wood are not too dissimilar. You use cutters to remove waste, whilst jigs and work-holding attachments allow repetition and accuracy. You don’t need to be a good woodworker to make great planes, but you do need to be a great metal worker to make good planes. As with woodwork, the smaller the components, the greater the need for precision, and planemaker Karl Holtey loves all this. Fine detailed metalwork which is milled in complex shapes, running batches of components or hand polishing and detailing small pieces of metal are Karl’s sweet moments in his nicely fitted out and immaculate workshop. Was there a lightbulb moment when he decided to make planes professionally? ‘My interest was to build miniature steam locomotives and also to be…