The Heavy Life

I'm Jake Lunniss. I make furniture by hand in a small workshop in Ocean Grove, cook lunch for strangers every other Saturday, and write about what happens when you build a life with your hands instead of a screen. I write here every week about the slow business of building a life that smells like sawdust, dirt and dinner.


Latest

Essay: On Camping

I'm camping near Gippsland from Thursday to Sunday. We're here for a wedding so it's a campsite affair, and the wife needs a shower. For the benefit of others, so do I. I'

13 March 2026 · 3 min read min read

Essay: On Camping Essay: On Camping Dispatch: Templates, Spectres, and Saturday Prep Dispatch: Templates, Spectres, and Saturday Prep
The first time a chisel bit into a piece of timber the lie of the digital world was exposed.
Read the manifesto →

Essays

The longer pieces — the ones worth forwarding
Essay: The Boys Made the Pastry
23 Feb 2026 · 3 min read min read
Essay: Seventy-Four Posts
17 Feb 2026 · 4 min read min read

Dispatches

Notes from the workshop, the kitchen, and the table
Dispatch: Seventy Four Posts, then Zero
20 Feb 2026
Dispatch: Rain, and a Place for the Gear
12 Feb 2026

Stay close to the work