2020

Wollongong High School: Industrial technology - Timber

Details:

• vintage model car

• hand constructed

• various machinery + joinery

• functional working parts

• intricate + attention to detail

• variation of timber species

HSC major project

My final major project for high school. I wanted the project to be unique & distinct from others which is where the idea of a small scale old style car came to mind. The model car was inspired from the 1935 Riley imp. It features various timber species with many joinery types & functioning/movable parts. Its attention to detail in a small figure was its main attraction.

The assignments task was to ensure the project fulfils a meaningful purpose or solution. The model car was entirely built using scrap timber that was simply too small or imperfect to use for other projects. Its timber was all sourced from my classmates scraps that were no longer needed. The key message was to demonstrate that even waste can be redesigned into something more.

The timber species used were:

• Tasmanian oak

• Jarrah

• Balsa

• Meranti

• Bamboo

• Hoop Pine

The various techniques used throughout the car helped construct the finer details such as the rims, front lights, cabins interior, and engine bay. The rims were built using the drill press of different sizes and joined together with small dowels to give the ‘spokes’ effect. Similarly, the front lights followed the same process however was cut using a bandsaw and sanded to smoothen the sharper edges. The cabin was also cut using the bandsaw & drop saw to allow fabric amongst the seats, then sanded on top to achieve the cars curved shape. Finally, the engine bay required the most attention as most of the smaller details fitted in here. Everything had to be done by hand such as cutting, shaping & joining.

The cars mechanical parts included a functional steering wheel that would change the direction of the front wheels, gearstick with different gears, movable doors & bonnet, and rotating wheels.