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

Dispatch: Roy's Micrometer

On Thursday I high-tailed it to Melbourne to meet a man named Roy Turner. Amongst many things (mechanical engineer, cartographer responsible for the maps of Australia we still use) he is a phenomenally skilled marquetarian who has reached the age

11 April 2026 · 2 min read min read

Dispatch: Roy's Micrometer Delayed Dispatch: Death of a Chicken Delayed Dispatch: Death of a Chicken
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 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

Notes from the workshop, the kitchen, and the table
Dispatch: Roy's Micrometer
11 Apr 2026
Delayed Dispatch: Death of a Chicken
5 Apr 2026
Dispatch: Headwinds
27 Mar 2026

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