Page 52 - Wood Review Dec 202 Full issue

TECHNIQUE
The Craft of Finishing
Understanding finishing techniques and their potential can help you achieve and embellish your designs. They are another tool in your design tool belt, says Shane Orion Wiechnik.
Iam practising my finishing
skills. Early on as an aspiring woodworker, finishing was that thing
I did at the end after ‘completing’ my piece to make it shiny and to protect it from wear and use. It has become increasingly clear to me that finishing is like sharpening, joinery, and design; it is an equal part of the craft and requires equal attention. It requires focused attention. It requires practice.
Historically, European furniture making separated the finishers from the joiners and the ébénistes (cabinetmakers). This set an education precedent to separate
these skills, which certainly has its benefits. A specialist in their field can learn and do so much more than a jack of all trades. These days, the modern designer maker along with the home craftsperson needs to be all of these things.
There has been a project in the back of my mind for a while that was perfect for exploring and practising finishes. It was something that required a creative visual approach. The techniques themselves will only briefly be covered in this article. Instead, I aim to clarify how in a lot of ways finishing is just like any other part of the craft.
52
Australian Wood Review
1.
Bushfires at
the end of last year and early this year were devastating in terms of wildlife and forests lost.
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