The Chamfer

Christchurch A&P show

2010-11-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

For those Cantabrians or inhabitants of the mainland that have a spare minute this week, CFW have a stall at the A&P show in Christchurch.

Helen and John travelled down yesterday with a van load of fine furniture, tools and a workbench - so if anyone is keen to have a go at a spot of woodworking or simply have a look at some lovely woodwork, this Wednesday to Friday would be a great time to go and have a chit chat.

For more info and directions on how to get there, check out

http://www.theshow.co.nz/

What a pearler!

2010-11-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

There were smiles and hugs a plenty last Monday afternoon when up the driveway walked ex-student and gold-panner extraordinaire, Lachlan Park. Having just returned from almost a year travelling in Europe, Lachie had many a funny tale of woodworkers from across the continent.

He spent a week with us before returning to his homelands of Australia. It felt as if he'd never left - there was even his jar of Nesquik and a bag of corn thins still sitting on the fridge from last summer..

Most woodworkers would be able to sypathise with the fact that Lachie couldn't resist bringing back back a few tools from his travels. He gave this double edged blade some love and attention, and made a nice handle out of a piece of rippled red beech..

The saw came from someone's shed in Scotland who had quite a collection of odds and ends. From the amount of rust on it, it had been there for a wee while.. but Ron at the market waved his magic wand, and a few days later it was returned to the workshop rust-free and pretty, pretty sharp.

When we asked Lachie why he'd backpacked with a rusty old saw for months, he smiled and pointed at the kangaroo..

Aussies..!

boogie nights

2010-10-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

It all began a few months ago around the smoko table having lunch. Someone mentioned that they thought the school would be a great venue for a party..especially seeing as it was CFW's 5th birthday at some point this year..

Well that was all it took, really. The seed had been sown and before we knew it, we were meeting at the Free House once a week under the guise of the "woodworker's ball comittee".

Everyone here pitched in, even the weather, and it ended up being a really lovely, memorable evening. Thanks to all for joining in the fun.

Thanks also to John's hat for jazzing up the night - it significantly raised the bar for the best-dressed prize..

On another note, I was passed on a few links recently. One to do with the large scale ebony and rosewood logging in Madagascar at the moment. Desperate times one of the most ecologically diverse countries in the world. Please have a read..

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17965-madagascar-biodiversity-under-threat-as-gangs-run-wild.html

http://www.illegal-logging.info/index.php

If the first two got you down, then the third link - also conservation based - may well help to cheer you up. Featuring Stephen Fry and a very friendly Kakapo..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY

Hope you all have a great weekend

weather, weaving and wonderful woodworkers

2010-09-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

We're in the midst of what feel like English April showers at the moment and I suppose having moved down under, its time for me to start calling them September or spring showers. For days now we've had sudden downpours followed by bright interludes of sunshine - great rainbow spotting conditions. Everything is looking very lush and green, and the trees around Nelson are in blossom and having an almighty growth spurt..

I've been looking into different ways of weaving my chair recently and was kindly given a few copies of an old craft magazine from a bookfair recently. In one of them was an article on weaving which proved to have a few handy tips such as soaking the seagrass overnight before weaving it, teamed with some rather wonderful 70's esque photos..

The final weave pattern was inspired by George Nakashima's grass seated chair.

The school is lucky enough to have been given two books by George's daughter, Mira. I have really enjoyed flicking through "The Soul of a Tree" and "Nature Form and Spirit" recently.

George Nakashima (1905-1990) was an American-born, Japanese architect and furniture-maker. His work and ethics have really touched me this year, and I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to read about his life and work.

He "often said that his work gave trees a second life. While it is true that he incorporated the natural forms of the wood into his designs, his work involved far more than simply cutting down trees and making use of those forms. In fact, his acts of creation relied on a deep understanding and respect for the nature of the wood itself."

"The primary goal of his work was to encourage human beings to live in harmony with nature rather than to destroy it for their own use. Thus, although his forms are fairly easy to imitate, the path of his creativity is not."

These quotes are taken from the preface to Nature Form & Spirit by Mira Nakashima.

http://www.nakashimawoodworker.com/

pretty, pretty nice

2010-08-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

The porch of CFW was looking mighty fine the other day after John's van (aka the white whale) returned from the upholsterer's with two finished creations from the chair making module.

Pat Oughton is the 'returnee student in residence' at the moment - he manages to get down once a year for a course or two, and we'll definitely miss him when he returns to Wellington next week at the end of table making. I think you may have already seen the mock up of Pat's chair, but I couldn't resist adding it again as it's always nice to see the finished piece - made from American Ash - next to a mock up..

It was also great to have Dave Carsons (pictured below) with us for the chair making and steam bending modules. Dave is a local artist/sculptor based in Tapawera.

Dave's chair is made from locally grown Oak with a leather seat. Oak is already renound for it's strength, but grows quickly in NZ's climate and is therefore stronger still. Perfect for chair making.

The curves on the back legs were formed over a mould with tapered laminates. It was a memorable glue up which involved a few hands on deck to get all the laminates onto the mould and into the vacuum press!

2010-08-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

"there is grandeur in this view of life...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved"

Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (1859)

tools almost too nice to use

2010-08-02T01:11:00.000-07:00

Amazing what some people can whip up in an hour! This fine hammer with a length of brass and a piece of Cocobolo that was found in Larry's "special" stash.. I looked Cocobolo up in the Glossary of Wood by Thomas Corkhill, it was described as being from Tropical America - "very hard, heavy, and durable" - perfectly fitting for a hammer handle...

CFW has added two new courses to their calendar this year as a continuation from the beginner's cabinet making. There are now three "beginners courses" being run, each with a different set project of trestle-table, wall cabinet or jewellery box.

Carrom board

2010-07-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Khalid Shafar made this beautiful Carrom [kair-am] game board during the veneering and marquetry block. He hand-cut and pieced together the .6mm veneers and pressed them onto MDF. It is a game he played as a child and is a tribute to his home town of Dubai.

2010-07-27T00:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a week of thinking, drawing and mocking-up as we're all designing and making tables for the new block. This module also marks the half-way point of the year for us, which came as a bit of a surprise - time flies out here in the workshop and I quite like the feeling that the days aren't long enough at the moment.

There's massive scope in table-making, and the possibility for playing around with ideas is immense. John suggested a tiki-tour around Nelson last week for a spot of drawing on location. First stop Sublime, our local coffee shop, from where we ventured forth to the Port and made our way round to Tahuna beach. Twas nice to stop, take the time to look closely and record ideas at places we see on a daily basis..

Here are a few silhouettes of friendly woodworkers you may or may not recognise...

I liked these reeds, they made me think of fine legs for a hall table perhaps...

up and over Takaka hill

2010-07-19T02:29:00.000-07:00

When most of the week is spent indoors its nice to get away for the weekend and breathe some fresh air. Spending time in forests is up there with my favourite ways to pass the day, it's also a great way to learn outside of the workshop environment.
It's very humbling to see these huge majestic trees and to think that we use them in our work, I also find it a good reminder for myself to be thoughtful and careful when cutting up timber.

The Dalai Lama thinks its a good idea to go somewhere new at least once a year - this time round, we went on a little woodworker's adventure up to Lake Sylvester in the Kahurangi National Park.

The walk to the hut in the Cobb Valley took us through a beautiful beech forest and up above the tree line. We woke to an amazing sunrise with wickedly nice views stretching from Farewell Spit all the way to D'Urville Island past Nelson.

It had been windy on the way up so on our return we picked up a few small twigs to take back to CFW to identify. Below is a picture of our fridge at school, along with the 3 beeches from our trip is a snapshot of when John glued his hands to the bench...

under the Eucalypts

2010-07-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

There's a huge ridge of high pressure over us at the moment which means that Nelson is living up to it's reputation as the sunshine capital of New Zealand. Clear, frosty mornings not only guarantee a nice vista on the way to the workshop, but the drop in temperature has meant that we are having to think twice before gluing up. The emulsion can separate if it gets too cold, leading to a "curdled" concoction which won't set at all. For the past few weeks we have been warming up our glue to ensure it does what we need it to do, and have moved the vacuum-press into a smaller room where we can get the heaters going full blast. No surprise that it's quite a popular place to work at the moment out of the chill!

To warm up this morning I had a look through the photos that fellow student Andy Ness kindly left for me to blog...

In the mid 80's John was invited to spend a year with James Krenov at the college of the Redwoods. Back then, upon completion of a piece of work, it was customary for people to buy a round of local Elephant beers and burn their mock up to celebrate.

We followed suite under the Eucalyptus trees last Thursday evening..

At the moment we're steam-bending with David Haig. I'll see who I can pinch some pictures from this week for a bendy blog sometime soon..

Appreciating the little things

2010-06-29T03:01:00.000-07:00

Every now and again I drop a box of off-cuts from the machine room to my neighbours for fire wood. They are always amazed at the variety and quality of the "kindling" that we create down here in the workshop. Cheesy as it may sound, it made me appreciate what we are surrounded by on a daily basis.

I guess it kind of goes without saying that woodworkers love wood. Sometimes I find it hard to explain the sense of elation I get from those first passes with the plane or jointer to find what lies beneath that rough sawn surface. It's great to see the big wide grin on people's faces when they bandsaw through something in search of that perfect bookmatch and they find what they are looking for...its common here for people to walk round and show everyone what they have just discovered within their flitch, it's too beautiful to not get excited about!

Before I returned to my bench the other night for some late night planing, I had a walk around to see what wood is being crafted at the moment..

Olea Europa, wind blown olive wood from Italy..

Quercus Alba. Quarter-sawn American White oak..

Quilted sycamore, and some crispy dovetails there from resident craftsman Thorkild Hansen..

A piece of Acacia Koa from the Hawaiian Islands, given to John by our friends at Hearne Hardwoords..

A nice set of bookmatched maple veneers..

And last but not least, full-time student Tim Gemmell was so happy with the walnut shavings he made the other day that he got the camera out..

Last night to celebrate the end of chair-making, the ceremonial burning of mock-ups took place in the school car park. It was quite a sight! And so too are the 8 finished(ish) chairs that have replaced them..tune in next week for some great pictures of the past few days here at CFW..

red sky at night...

2010-06-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

It becomes quite hard to concentrate on the task in hand when the sunsets from the workshop window are this good. John took these fine pics today of yet another cracking vista...enjoy!

Friday Friday...

2010-06-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Fridays in the workshop have become somewhat of an occasion to look forward to, and this week has been no exception. The (football) World Cup is upon us and there's most certainly a lot of football related banter from bench to bench at the moment.. This morning whilst most of Nelson was still snuggled up in bed, a group of eager woodworkers flocked to Thorkild's for the All Whites final world cup match, and a hearty breakfast to kick start the day.

The winter solstice has passed and we are into our 5th, penultimate, week of chair making now. This morning John talked us through various tools for shaping those legs, splats, backs and rails of ours. We rounded the ends of plane blades in preparation for smoothing and finishing and had a good discussion about scraper planes and spokeshaves...those old wooden spokeshaves we so often see kicking around 2nd hand shops can be revamped and revitalised by hollow grinding the old blade, or replaced with a new blade made by the one and only Ron Hock. Needless to say, the Lie-Nielsen Boggs spokshave is most definitely getting a workout at the moment!

Chair making, it seems, is certainly a journey that won't end next week - in fact the past few weeks have felt like the beginning of an exciting, if not sometimes bewildering, exploration into seating. My first design has sprouted the need to draw other chairs with tweaks to existing ideas...

Of course Friday wouldn't be Friday without a trip down to Hira for a round of ice-creams to finish off the week on a sweet note..oh and the cute photo of our resident dog Storm, is to disguise the fact that I'm not computer savvy enough to load up new photos of our chairs!

Will keep working on getting some nice pictures up soon of these chairs, and perhaps a few of these epic sunsets we've been spoilt with this week...

Well, Friday 5pm, means one thing here at CFW, and thats a trip to the Free House on Collingwood st... Hope you all have a good weekend Happy friday!

Thanks, Lachie!

2010-06-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hi there, my name's Mia and I'll be carrying on where Lachie left off last year.. For all of you out there with withdrawal symptoms, Lachie has now started a new blog which will follow him on his travels to Europe! http://www.lachlanpark.com/

Meanwhile here at CFW a new year is well and truly underway. Module 1 flew by and we were lucky enough to have a week long visit from Katallin Sallai whilst we were playing with veneer. Katallin, or Kotti, introduced us to the world of Marquetry and also rekindled our love for the culinary delights of the local Swedish bakery!

As winter fast approaches and the ranges in the distance receive their first dusting of snow, we have begun exploring chair making, much to John's delight! As I sit and write, I can hear the bandsaw working away non-stop as people make full size mock ups of their initial chair designs. So, all in all an exciting few weeks have passed. Ideas are flowing about, what for many of us, will be our first adventure into the world of seating...

Look forward to uploading some photos soon of chair mock ups...meanwhile here's a sneaky preview of Pat's beautifully woven stool and initial mock up.. Bye for now. Chairs!

Let the show continue - CFW Exhibition 2009

2009-12-30T21:47:00.001-08:00

On the 10th of December The Centre for Fine Woodworking annual exhibition kicked off with a fantastic opening night at The Refinery Artspace in Nelson. To the right of this post is a slideshow of the work on display.

The furniture on display was the culmination of 10 months of inspired chipping, delivered courtesy of the 'Big White Whale' and served with some of Nelson's finest craft beer. The success of the night was thanks to some behind the scenes brilliance by John, Helen, Larry, Adam, Bernie, Pat, Fini, David, Claire, Richard and of course all those students who contributed such beautiful furniture to The Exhibition.

Well thats 2009, and I think I might be experiencing some symptoms of furniture withdrawal as my time at The Centre for Fine Woodworking has now finished. I would like to encourage readers of this blog to stay reading next year as a fresh bunch of woodworkers take The Centre by storm.

Keep Chipping!

Lachlan Park

2009-12-04T01:15:00.001-08:00

Well, where to start......so much happening here at The Centre have hardly had time to blog. With under a week remaining until the schools annual exhibition everyone is chipping away hard. Things are being made even more hectic by a certain beer festival which has brought the deadline forward a few hours.

Below are five close up photographs. I have posted them to just give you a hint of what next weeks exhibition will bring. I hope this will encourage any local readers to make a visit, for the rest of you stay tuned for photos from the exhibition in all its glory.

Hi Edna

2009-12-02T02:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Edna popped in, but not just any old Edna, a 1931 Morris Minor who goes by that name.

The classic car is owned by local woodworker Peter Field. Peter is one of the founding members of The Nelson Guild of Woodworkers which was established shortly after a visit to Nelson by the late James Krenov back in 1983.

Pictured below is two pretttty cool woodworkers, if only someone would pimp Johns ride.

A chair fit for a Captain - Chair by Adam Webb

2009-11-29T01:37:00.001-08:00

Full-Time student and resident shaper extraordinaire Adam Webb has been hard at work lately and even admitted to literally leaving some blood, sweat and tears in his latest piece. The piece is Adams contemporary take on a Captains Chair. Made from American Black Walnut the chair is a masterpiece in form and function and as my fellow woodworkers would understand combining the two in a chair is quite a task. Adam worked tirelessly on several working models which helped him to perfect a number of jigs and templates before cutting into any of that precious Walnut.

Unfortunately the photos below do not do the piece justice for the chairs true beauty can only be experienced once nestled comfortably between its hugging arms. Hopefully this will encourage any locals to come along to The Centre for Fine Woodworking Annual Exhibition which begins on the 10th of December at The Refinery Artspace in Nelson.

The craftsman and his chair.

The evolution of a chair.

Eureka! - Gold Panning Mission

2009-11-08T23:50:00.000-08:00

Situated in The Nelson Lakes National Park some two hours south of Nelson is a little valley by the name of Howard. And it just so happens that this little valley is rich in a certain mineral with very alluring characteristics.

Last weekend four eager woodworkers turned miners, lead by their very knowledgeable tutor ventured to The Howard Valley to try their hand at a spot of Gold Panning. The morning started with a buzz when first time miner Mia panned a couple sizeable specs, but as the day wore on the ever patient Adam and I were no closer to discovering that elusive nugget. Eventually with the last pan being panned the gold started to flow, first Adam with several potential gold fillings then I struck a nugget which was dubbed Tweetle Beetle.

What has gold panning got to do with Furniture Making you might ask, well as John said, "Gold Panning requires much patience. And as the Chinese Proverb says, "The Woodworker is slow, but the wood is patient".

Nice Chest - Walnut Jewellery Chest

2009-11-03T00:21:00.000-08:00

Some weeks ago full-time student Sjoerd van Waart set out with a plan, to craft a Jewellery Chest with compound curves and angled dovetails. I think others and even Sjoerd himself thought he might be a little mad, but after many hours of toil Sjoerd pulled it off triumphantly. The beautiful and quirky Chest features two dovetailed drawers and a solid timber lid which hinges from some brass hinges Sjoerd designed and made himself. The timbers used in the piece are European Walnut (sourced from a certain local craftsman with quite a stash), Ebony and American Hard Maple.

Inventive Glueing Up - You can do anything with a Sash Clamp

2009-10-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

As most woodworkers would attest to, glueing up can at times be a little unorthodox. A good example of unorthodox but inventive glueing up can be seen in the photo below, where four maple legs are being glued to a very attractive side table. Full-Time student and designer/maker of the piece Tony Clark would agree that the glue-up procedure was somewhat 'hairy', but no one can argue with his result.

Below is Tony's finished Side Table. Made from American Hard Maple the table features a small drawer and clever use of some spalted (figured) Maple.

We have a Sideboard ...Almost - Sideboard Update

2009-10-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

I sincerely apologise for the complete lack of 'Sideboard Updates'. Hopefully that means I've been too busy to blog. Although the piece is some way off completion I can definitely see some of the fruits of my labour.

While at times this piece has been the cause of some stress and frustration I think I have learnt more about woodwork, and how to approach the construction of a piece, during this piece than any before. There has definitely been some 'what not to do's' learnt over the last couple of weeks but I'd also like to think my hard work is paying off. It's such a rewarding experience to see an idea come to life and upon the physical realisation of a piece I am reminded of why I do what I do.

Construction-wise things are good. All the major carcass joinery has been done and through 'Dry Glue-Ups' I can see how the piece will stand when completed. Currently I am cleaning up certain parts so I can perform what may be a tricky two stage glue-up, but here at The Centre we do not shy away from the odd 'mammoth-of-a-task' glue-up. The next steps will be to make two identical plinths, (one to support the piece at the base and the other to separate the top from the drawers), then to make a veneered panel top edged in solid Maple and finally make and fit three drawers. Stay tuned for hopefully some more regular than usual 'Sideboard Updates'.

The Influence of Krenov - James Krenov 1920-2009

2009-10-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

On the 10th of September 2009 legendary woodworker James Krenov passed away. I never had the pleasure of meeting Jim, but in my short time here at The Centre for Fine Woodworking I have definitely felt his influence.

Principle Tutor of The Centre, John Shaw, studied at the College of the Redwoods under Jim and speaks very affectionately of the man who had a profound impact on him as Furniture Designer and Maker. I have had the pleasure of working with a Shooting Plane crafted by Jim and wish I'd had the chance to thank him for the pleasure which such a wonderful tool gave me.

Below is Full-Time student Glen McNeily's take on a classic James Krenov design. The Writing Desk which accompanies a Chair made by Glen earlier in the year is made from American Walnut and Rock Maple.

Clever Mitre Joining

2009-10-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

Achieving a nice even mitre joint is a problem most woodworkers will have come across. It can often be very difficult to get even pressure on the pieces to be jointed, especially when only joining one corner (as below).

The photo below shows how two pieces of MDF are used to keep the pieces from slipping outwards as pressure from G clamps is applied from above. When using this method to glue mitre joints it is very important to do a dry run as the clamping process is quite complicated.

The joint shown is an armrest for an American Oak Chair being made by resident craftsman Torkild Hansen chair.

National Woodskills Competition - CFW Students Shine

2009-09-29T01:01:00.000-07:00

From the 11 to the 13th of September The National Woodskills Competition was held in Kawerau. This annual competition is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s top three wood crafting events and comprises a judged exhibition of wood crafts across twelve categories, including furniture and cabinet making, carving, wood turning and models.

CFW student work was carefully boxed up and sent north to Kawerau care of a very trust worthy tutor with a not so trust worthy van. All was well though and all the pieces arrived safely and were very well received by all who visited the event.

Some personal highlights for the school were the efforts of full-time students Adam Webb and Tony Clark who together took out the first three awards.

Adam Webb with his Hallway Table which won 1st Prize.

Tony Clark with his Chair which won 3rd Prize.

That New Plane

2009-09-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

Finally Christmas in September. Several days ago upon the arrival of my new Lie-Nielsen No. 62 Low Angle Jack Plane, I realised something very important. I am addicted to woodworking and I'm fueling my addiction with tools and timber.

Some recent holiday work making apple boxes helped me gather the funds to buy the plane which is based on the original Stanely No. 62. I had realised that the plane was almost an essential in my tool kit after being loaned one on a semi-permanent basis by an extremely generous fellow woodworker.

Although the Lie-Nielsen No. 62 is of the finest craftsmanship some tinkering was needed before I could take that first shaving. First I spent some time flatting the back of the blade (which is made from A-2 Cryogenically Treated Tool Steel) on a #1000 and then #6000 grit water stone. Then I honed the existing bevel until the blade was shaving the hairs on my forearm. (Warning: Do not try this at home).

Lie-Nielsen No. 62 Low Angle Jack Plane

Desired polish on the underside of blade achieved by flattening on #6000 Grit Waterstone

Beginning Cabinet Making Course

2009-09-14T23:48:00.000-07:00

While the full-time students took a well earned (but regretful) break from The Centre, David Haig taught a the third Beginning Cabinet Making Course for the year.

The workshop was once again 'a buzz' with enthusiastic and eager to learn woodworkers. The challenge - to learn the basic foundation skills of cabinet making and put them in action to complete a small Trestle Table. But most importantly enjoy their time in the woodworkers paradise, which is The Centre for Fine Woodworking. By all reports the two week course was a complete success, with the seven students who attended thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The next beginners course is set to kick off on the 1st of Febuary 2010.

Details: www.centre-for-fine-woodworking.co.nz

Pictured below is proud student Glenda Barclay with her Trestle Table.

Sideboard Commission - Two week update

2009-09-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well two weeks down and four to go. So far progress has been good despite a few machine hiccups along the way. Lets just say the thickness sander has a new gearbox and we are a few band saw blades lighter than this time two weeks ago.

After finalizing the preferred model of the sideboard with my clients, I set about drawing full scale technical drawings. Apart from working out sizes of materials need, my main objective with the technical drawings was to establish the main curves throughout the sideboard. Once I had established the radiuses of these curves I ordered Melamine templates to be made from joinery shop in town with CNC capabilities.

My next step was to start cutting the Matai flitch which my clients had provided. I always find this to be a bit of a nervous exercise, "you can always take more off, but you cant put more back on". I decided to rip the flitch into three 1500mm lengths, two at 190mm wide and one at 120mm wide. The two wide lengths will become veneers for the doors, side panels and plinths, while the thinner length will become draw fronts.

With all the Matai veneers sliced and thickness sanded, I set about making the three sliding doors. These doors are to finish at 15mm thick so I used 4 layers of 2.5mm MDF as a core, with a 2.5mm Matai veneer on either side. I glued these layers together over a form in the vacuum press.

The woodwork never stops - Holiday Work

2009-09-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

Last week whilst on a break from study at The Centre, I worked for a local Furniture Maker. My job for the week - make as many apple boxes as possible. It was a little difficult to switch from edge joining Matai Panel doors (Sideboard Commission) to hammering together Red Beech apple boxes, but a very worth while experience. More importantly the financial gain from a weeks work will help me buy that new Low Angle Plane.

The 'Saw Doctor'

2009-08-31T01:49:00.000-07:00

Last Friday tools were downed (especially saws) for the morning, to observe local 'Saw Doctor' Ron Karsten demonstrate his art. Mr Karsten a carpenter by trade and local secondhand tool dealer, has many years experience in what is a dying art.

As all good woodworkers will know, proper maintenance of tools is just as important as the work to be carried out with them. But the skill of restoring and sharpening a Rip or Crosscut Saw is often forgotten behind plane blade and chisel sharpening. After watching Ron at work it may be the case that it is just a little trickier than those other sharpening techniques. But Ron was keen to stress "practice, practice, practice" and you will see the results.

It was amazing to see Ron turn a saw without teeth into one with shiny new ones in a matter of seconds. After a quick look through the old saw bag Ron explained to us how to put the 'set' (protrusion of the teeth away from the blade) on the saw and the appropriate angle on which to file the teeth.

The Incineration of The Mockups

2009-08-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

Mockups are a very important part of the chair design/making process and so is burning them. Before heading to the local for an end of week ale, the students at The Centre for Fine Woodworking, (along with there eager tutor), let off some steam.

The carefully crafted model chairs were just as carefully placed in a 44 Gallon Drum along with some 'Fire Enhancers' and set alight in the name of Furniture Craftsmanship.

A Rare Treat - David Haig Writing Desk

2009-08-17T01:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we took a well earned break from sanding chairs and ventured out to David Haig's workshop at Cable Bay. Apart from the views our reason for going was to see something which had recently been described as a masterpiece. David sure didn't let us down, the masterpiece was a Walnut Writing Desk. As David told us The Desk is a commissioned piece crafted from some very special Walnut which he milled over fifteen years ago.

The Walnut Tree which contained 7 nails (1 more was found by the bandsaw) was leaning precariously over a shed up in the hills outside Nelson when David found it.

Table and Chairs Commission Update - Nearly there...

2009-08-13T01:10:00.001-07:00

Well its reached that very rewarding time in the process where all our good work is paying off and the fruits of our labour can be seen. We are in the finishing stages of six chairs and a dining table, for which the school was commissioned several weeks ago.

Sideboard Update - All systems go!

2009-08-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come to begin constructing the Sideboard. After spending several nights with the hot glue gun out and a stack of veneers, I finally completed a model of the proposed Sideboard. I am happy with the resolved design now and luckily so are my clients.

Table and Chairs

2009-08-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

As Henry David Thoreau said: "I had three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society".

Make of that what you will, all that I know is that six chairs and a Dining Table means lots of hard work. As we, the students have discovered this week while working on a commission under the guidance of tutor John Shaw.

Think Lachie, think

2009-07-28T01:54:00.000-07:00

After a meeting with my clients and an inspection of the proposed space in which the sideboard will go, I set to work on designing.

Several days and many sheets of paper later some ideas were developed.

The Chamfer begins

2009-07-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

G'day there my name is Lachlan Park, I am a Full-Time student at The Centre and I look forward to blogging for you over the next few months as I continue my study.