Industrial Technology

I endeavoured to construct a wooden coffee table addressing the need for functional space in our upstairs living room, offering storage and a table surface for my brothers and me. This table features a sliding top for accessing the base, allowing safe placement of cups and plates. Its design prevents damage to surfaces and provides storage. Initial time constraints stem from logistical errors. I aim to retain and use the finished table in my future home. By optimising production processes and incorporating machinery, mass production becomes feasible. This project combines practicality and design, enhancing usability while holding potential for scalability.

My Year 12 Industrial Technology major project centers on constructing a bench seat and a coffee table for my outdoor fireplace area. These pieces are meticulously designed to fit a specific location, catering to the backyard’s aesthetic and purpose. The bench seat incorporates storage and weather protection for outdoor pillows. Crafted from sturdy Merbau wood, I’ll use a blend of mechanisation and hand tools for enhanced strength. The addition of natural timber stain enhances the wood’s natural beauty. Stainless steel hinges are employed for durability in our coastal setting. The coffee table, featuring resin-infused Australian Hardwood, showcases modern design with versatility for both indoor and outdoor use. This project not only fulfills my love for the outdoors but also blends practically and aesthetically with our new home’s surroundings.

I’ve crafted a timber surfboard that combines functionality and aesthetic appeal. As a surfer, this piece will serve both as a practical board and a decorative statement in my room. Experimenting with various timbers was necessary to find those that offer optimal flexibility and shape. Managing cost and resource availability are challenges, but I planned to address these by pooling resources with a classmate and utilising school facilities. If the chance emerges, I’m open to the prospect of turning this venture into a business, reflecting my dedication to craftsmanship and the potential for entrepreneurship.

Driven by my love for surfing and water, I’m crafting a dual-purpose surfboard as my major project. This fusion of functionality and artistry features Paulownia, a sustainable and interesting timber. Thorough research on timber options will guarantee both cost-effectiveness and high quality. My objective is personal enjoyment through riding this surfboard, rather than commercialisation. This endeavor serves as a gateway to exploring surfboard shaping and design as potential future pursuits. Embracing both aesthetics and practicality, I’m creating a distinct surfboard that showcases craftsmanship and deepens my comprehension of surfboard construction techniques.

I’m crafting a customised general-purpose desk for my major project, driven by my desire for a tailored workspace in my bedroom. This project is essential as it ensures a functional and efficient desk for my home use. Tasmanian oak, known for its durability and strength, will be the ideal wood choice for longevity. After completion, I’ll replace my current desk with this one in my bedroom and pass down the old one to my brother. Challenges include sourcing affordable, high-quality materials and managing transportation logistics. While selling is a possibility, I intend to keep and use the desk myself, benefiting from the enhanced design and functionality.

I’m crafting a customised general-purpose desk for my major project, driven by my desire for a tailored workspace in my bedroom. This project is essential as it ensures a functional and efficient desk for my home use. Tasmanian oak, known for its durability and strength, will be the ideal wood choice for longevity. After completion, I’ll replace my current desk with this one in my bedroom and pass down the old one to my brother. Challenges include sourcing affordable, high-quality materials and managing transportation logistics. While selling is a possibility, I intend to keep and use the desk myself, benefiting from the enhanced design and functionality.

I embarked on a project to craft a matching set of timber furniture: a hallway table and a bench seat, both fashioned from blackbutt timber. These pieces will adhere to a modern industrial theme, in harmony with the intended environment of a modern industrial home. The hallway table, featuring two drawers and a lower shelf, serves as convenient entryway storage. Meanwhile, the bench seat, sporting a slatted under-seat rack, provides seating in a mudroom context. Both pieces are designed for practicality and aesthetics, echoing the home’s theme. Although crafted with potential for sale-quality finishing, the primary aim is to retain them within the family home, reflecting their functional and decorative value.

I intended to design and construct an elegant side table with a natural live edge top. 

The project drawer front is curved and compliments the curves from the table top edge. This was challenging to achieve and resulted from experimenting with a range of timber bending techniques. The chosen method was steam bending layers backwood veneers and clamping them around a pre-made timber form and gluing the layers together.  

A combination of timber joints were used including the dovetail, rebate and domino joints.

The project showcases the beautiful Australian Blackwood timber sourced from Northern NSW and Tasmania.

I intended to create a timber rocking chair that was appealing, comfortable and capable of everyday use. I intend to incorporate bends to produce a product that is strong and functional and interesting in its visual appeal. The natural finish of the project complements the existing timber pieces in my home. This project has provided an opportunity to expand my Industrial Technology wood-working skills and knowledge of managing a challenging project.

For my Major Project in Industrial Technology I decided to construct a cajon. A cajon is a box-shaped percussive musical instrument that basically takes some similar characteristics of a traditional drum kit and implements these various pitches into one box. Cajons are usually a standard rectangular shape of plywood though I wanted to build something that both looks beautiful and sounds great at the same time. I used Blackwood, Tasmanian Oak, Spotted Gum and Merbau.