The Heavy Life

Handmade furniture in the Chinese tradition, built in Australian hardwoods. Plus the kitchen that feeds it, the garden that feeds the kitchen, and the writing that binds it all together.


Start Here

Three ways in. The manifesto if you want the argument. An essay if you want the voice. A Bench Mark if you want to see what's on the bench.


Latest

Brush Notes: Order of Operations

I decided the table saw isn't going to work for the spandrel mitres. Blade run-out will eat a 0.75-degree angle, and free-handing the truing across four spandrels would guarantee they don't match. The exact number

28 April 2026 · 2 min read min read

Brush Notes: Order of Operations Brush Notes: Order of Operations Dispatch: Is This What Skill Feels Like? Dispatch: Is This What Skill Feels Like?
The first time a chisel bit into a piece of timber the lie of the digital world was exposed.
Read the manifesto →

Bench Mark

Chinese furniture forms, from the bench.
Bench Mark: Eight Millimetres
17 Apr 2026 · 3 min read min read

Essays

The longer pieces — the ones worth forwarding.
Essay: The Anova Paradox
31 Mar 2026 · 7 min read min read
Essay: On Camping
13 Mar 2026 · 3 min read min read
Essay: The Boys Made the Pastry
23 Feb 2026 · 3 min read min read

Dispatches

Weekly letters from the workshop.
Dispatch: Is This What Skill Feels Like?
24 Apr 2026
Dispatch: Roy's Micrometer
11 Apr 2026
Delayed Dispatch: Death of a Chicken
5 Apr 2026

Brush Notes

Quick notes from the bench. Short, unpolished, honest.

Stay close to the work