AWW Issue 232 November/December 2023

Table of Contents

Features & Projects in this issue include …

Vision Australia’s Young Woodworkers’ Programme
Since 2015 Vision Australia’s Coorparoo Qld facility has been teaching woodworking skills to blind and vision-impaired young people during the school holidays.

The Story of Howard Products
The original Resto-A-Finish was developed by US chemist, Bob Johnson, and Howard Products was established by his nephew, Doug Howard. Antiques dealers, David Foster and Sally Gregson, from Tamworth NSW acquired the Australian distribution rights to the Howard Products range in 1987.

Buddy Benches in the West
Beginning with Manning Men’s Shed and Como Rotary Club, there has been increasing involvement of WA Men’s Sheds and Rotary Clubs in the production and installation of buddy benches at local schools. The benches are intended to safeguard and improve the mental health and wellbring of school children in the playground.

Club Drumbeat
Operating for over 30 years, The Carpenter’s Workshop, Southern Gold Coast (Qld) is an outreach project of the Elanora Uniting Church; Gosford Community Men’s Shed (NSW) offers woodworking, metalworking, electronics plus a technology room with a CNC router, Laser 2 Emblazer cutter and engraver, and two 3D printers; and the Community Shed, Oatlands (Tas) is fully financed by the local Council.

Learning Woodworking
by Steven Burrows
Drawing on his comments in a recent radio interview, the Editor reflects on the challenges to learning woodworking in 2023 and beyond.

A New Home Online
An overview of the new website for The Australian Woodworker and other products from Skills Publishing Pty Ltd.

PROJECTS

A Different Kind of Guitar
by Stan (Hubcap) Ceglinski
Alongside his involvement in forestry and traditional woodcrafts, Stan has had a lifelong passion for making and playing folk-style stringed instruments such as cigar box guitars, banjos, lap steel slide guitars and oddball creations.

Adventures in Wool
by Ron Stronach
As Ron found out when his sister and wife began spinning yarn, there are many items for the woodworker to make to speed up and improve the stages involved in processing wool.

The Iconic Koala
by Judi Docen
Judi burns the image of a koala and her joey, using the natural features of the Euodia board to complement the pattern.

Turned End Grain Condiment Bowls
by Georgie Crossley
An avid cook can never have too many condiment bowls when preparing dishes. These bowls are a useful exercise in repetition turning and the finished result is very handy. Unlike ceramic condiment bowls, wooden ones bounce, not shatter, if they fall on a tiled floor.

Outdoor Bench Seat & Plant Stand
by James Finger aka Fixit Fingers
This multi-purpose exterior grade seat/stand is ideal for making better use of your balcony, patio or verandah.

Candlestick with a Difference
by Associate Editor, George Hatfield
This candlestick features a laminated design with a ring of contrasting timber, plus holes to hold eight toothpicks.

CNC Tips & Tricks Pt.2
by Geoff Roy
Geoff discusses different methods for holding the workpiece securely in place on the bed of the CNC machine. Depending on the machining processes required for the project, the hold-downs must not only prevent movement in the X and Y horizontal directions but also vertical uplift in the Z direction.

Turning Wooden Eggs
by Mike Darlow
Turned eggs are a useful means of displaying different wood species and are an effective practice project for improving your skill. They have a practical use as they can be placed under broody hens to encourage them to lay. However, there is some skill and technique involved in turning a good-looking egg, particularly when it comes to finishing the ends.  

Making a Bible Case
by Harry Ellis
This case was a commissioned piece made by members of the Beachmere District Men’s Shed. To avoid any damage to the heavy heirloom bible which might occur when removing it from a conventional style box, the design has a box-like lid which is placed over the book and a plinth attached to the base.

Products
A round-up of the latest gismos, gadgets, machines and the like to help you get the most out of your woodworking