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| Making a Mint |
| We visited master craftsman Bob Crosbie at the Mint Museum in Sydney. |
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1
The Mint Museum was constructed between 1811 and 1917 and was originally commissioned by Governor Macquarie for use as a hospital. In 1853 the building became the site of the Sydney branch of the Royal Mint.
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All the floorboards, windows and door fittings are Australian hardwoods. In colonial times these timbers were hand-sawn and planed; the dressed floorboards laid and butted together with hand-forged nails.
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Today, these traditional woodwork techniques are kept alive by a master craftsman, Bob Crosbie. Bob's interest in traditional woodwork techniques has led him to acquire the practical skills of the traditional woodworker. His skills are supported by his understanding of the people who planned, supervised and built some of the historic buildings in Sydney. He has honed his craft by reading old woodwork books, by talking to master craftsmen, and through hours of practice.
4
Bob has collected a huge array of traditional tools from garage sales, junkyards and market sales, all of which he stores in a traditional tool box. One of the tools that he works with is the jack plane. In the past, every piece of timber would have been planed by hand using such a tool. A moulding plane was used in colonial times to make decorative shapes, and an elaborate tool called the plough plane was used to make grooves in the wood. |
More Info
Bob Crosbie can be contacted via the Traditional Tools Group. If you want more information regarding any type of traditional technology contact Bob Crosbie, President Traditional Tools Group, TTT Inc., PO Box 240, Grosvenor Place, Sydney NSW 2000.
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