The Heavy Life

Furniture made by hand in a small workshop on the Bellarine. Classical Chinese joinery, marquetry, parquetry — in Australian timbers, made the way it's worth making, or not at all. Writing about every joint, every jig, every failure and every success.


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The desk is done.

Most of Monday was spent on photographs, which means my lumpy self balancing on a ladder in the dark while trying to aim a hot-to-the-point-of-self-immolation eBay flash and not remembering how the wireless trigger works. Taking photographs of finished work

11 September 2026 · 2 min read

The desk is done. The desk is done. Craft in the Age of AI Craft in the Age of AI
The first time a chisel bit into a piece of timber the lie of the digital world was exposed.
Read the manifesto →

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Bench Mark

Deep workshop writing on Chinese joinery, marquetry, furniture design, and the pieces I'm building.
What the Fú?
10 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Bench Mark: So What the Heck Is an Àn Table, Anyway?
15 May 2026 · 6 min read
Bench Mark: Eight Millimetres
17 Apr 2026 · 3 min read

Essays

Longer pieces on whatever's on my mind. Sometimes the workshop, often not.
Craft in the Age of AI
7 Aug 2026 · 8 min read
What the Poo?
17 Jul 2026 · 5 min read
Essay: Why the Way We Make Things Matters
2 Jun 2026 · 17 min read

Dispatches

Weekly letters from the workshop.
The desk is done.
11 Sep 2026 · 2 min read
What the Poo?
17 Jul 2026 · 5 min read
Disptach: Sanding, sanding, sanding.
3 Jul 2026 · 2 min read

Brush Notes

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

Stay close to the work