Back Scratcher

ByBruce Sharp January 20, 2020August 30, 2021

Here are the parts of our back scratcher.

As with most of our work, fixing is achieved by belting 6mm dowels into 5.5mm holes.

The handle is well suited to batch production but the body of the scratchy bit took a while. Each had to be individually marked out. It was the least efficient part of this project. BUT, because my friends get such a kick out of whacking bits of dowel, it was worth the effort.

Here is the finished object. Each of my friends embellished the work in their own style. This one has string, others got pieces of ribbon and graphics with a pyro pen.

Disability work | Toys | Woodwork

Pencil Case
ByBruce Sharp February 21, 2017August 21, 2021

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…

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exploring a skill | Woodwork | workshop

DIY Simple Chisel Plane
ByBruce Sharp May 1, 2017August 21, 2021

Wooden hand plane aficionados (ambiguity intentional) make much of the fact that they can use words like “frog, cutting angle and throat” with confidence. That confidence is proof that they must be experts! If you add complexity to the activity then great reverence must be assumed. Much is made of achieving chisel cuts at particular…

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Woodwork

Grille
ByBruce Sharp July 3, 2022July 3, 2022

After a few attempts to bend fine strips into curves, I gave up and resorted to the scroll saw.

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Disability work | Woodwork

Sanding Wood is Fun!
ByBruce Sharp August 27, 2017August 23, 2021

I Broke a Promise… …but I also made a discovery. When I began doing wood projects among my disabled friends I made some promises to myself. The promises were a personal, but unwritten, statement of policy. I promise to: do work that is engaging because the thing we make is interesting, never to do all…

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Disability work | Woodwork

Sam’s Baskets Finished
ByBruce Sharp March 21, 2017August 21, 2021

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…

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Disability work | Toys | Woodwork

Wooden Train
ByBruce Sharp May 15, 2016August 21, 2021

This project was perfect for batch production; the pieces are simple and can be cut in multiples. BUT, the coolest part of all is that when it was done we put our carriages together and created a train of inspiring proportions. We used our usual techniques of dowel hammered into holes that are 0.5mm too small….

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One Comment

Brian H says:

July 27, 2020 at 6:35 pm

Love the creative thinking behind your work, Bruce. Everything from the recycling to the design of work that can be enjoyed by your friends. Thanks for sharing.

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