Junk is stuff you have no use for.
Everything my friends make begins with best laid plans. But they do go astray! In this case there were aspects of the construction process that were so difficult that I needed to invent some extra help. Here is little bench clamp that holds up the basket end. At the beginning stage the unsupported end won’t…
Naughty Fun Making a rubber band gun is a bit of a dilemma. Is it an encouragement for naughty behaviour? Is it a precursor for violent solutions to problems? As a child, the rubber band guns I made were delicious! Mum didn’t like them; that made them more fun! I didn’t shoot dogs or people;…
Three Variations of the Same Theme There is a tradition in Melbourne secondary schools that has twelve year olds in their first woodwork lessons making a pencil case. Regardless of how ordinary the results may be, these things end up with magnificent decoration. During boring lessons they are canvas for expression of everything from undying…
This project began as a means of cleaning out a pile of 60mm x 60mm pallet pine that was getting in the way. …and I had long wanted to try making a wooden wheel. Each segment was cut to 22.5 degrees and the joints were reinforced with 4mm plywood splines. Slots for the splines were…
For Whom Do We Make? The stuff we make involves many interested parties. There are: the makers, staff who help, managers of the centre, recipients of the objects, et al. Given the positive power of enthusiasm, it is good to spread that good feeling as widely as possible. When the makers make more than they need,…
An artist in my circle wanted to make a frame on which to stretch a canvas. The joint in the corner of such frames is a complex thing that is not to be tackled by a beginning woodworker. I needed to simplify it. In the hope that beginners will give it a go I have…