Introduction to Bush Carpentry
– The phrase ‘bush carpentry’ is a familiar Australian usage.
– The Macquarie Dictionary defines a bush carpenter as a rough amateur carpenter.
– G. A. Wilkes describes a bush carpenter as rough and ready.
– Ron Edwards describes hut and furniture building without using the phrase bush carpentry.
– Tocal Agricultural College offers a course in Traditional bush timber construction.
The Bush and its Challenges
– The bush refers to remote and rural areas in Australia.
– It includes ways of living in remote areas and the hardships endured.
– The expression bush carpentry includes two criteria of remoteness.
– The builder is separated from regular methods of construction due to lack of formal training.
– The builder is also separated from regular resources such as milled timber and specialized tools.
Skills and Techniques in Bush Carpentry
– Australian Aborigines were the first bush carpenters.
– Each skill required must be well-mastered and neatly executed.
– Bush carpenters may learn from observing others’ work or through their own invention.
– Ron Edwards asserts that no training is required, only a calm mind, reasonable health, and a willingness to learn.
– Confidence in one’s own ability and access to knowledge are essential.
– Australian Aborigines taught settlers how to strip bark for roofs and walls.
– Each bush carpentry technique must be well-mastered and neatly executed.
– Observing others’ work and personal invention are common ways of learning.
– Confidence in one’s own ability is crucial.
– The early settlers built their homes without prior knowledge or experience.
Tools and Materials in Bush Carpentry
– Historically, bush carpenters possessed few tools and rarely any specialized tools.
– The Emigrants Guide of 1849 suggests the minimum tools required for settling in Australia’s remote areas.
– A majority of early settlers had practical abilities and aptitude for making do.
– Tools such as a hand saw, axe, hammer, and spade were commonly used.
– Axe, pliers, hammer, auger, and broadaxe are tools used in bush carpentry.
– Hardwood (fully-grown trees and saplings), bark, brush, grass, clay and mud, stone, and flattened steel kerosene containers or hessian sheets are materials used in bush carpentry.
Influence of Bush Carpentry on Australian Architecture and Art
– Uncomplicated buildings with character and honesty.
– Deep-rooted harmony with the material (wood).
– Easily understood construction methods.
– Universal buildings with emotional appeal.
– Influence on industrial architecture and preservation in art and literature.
– Shacks, cabins, and weekenders influenced by bush carpentry.
– Socio-historical sub-text in literature.
– Folk songs and bush carpentry.
– Government policies and weekenders. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_carpentry
Bush carpentry is an expression used in Australia and New Zealand that refers to improvised methods of building or repair, using available materials and an ad hoc design, usually in a pioneering or rural context.
 Bush carpentry in Maldon, New South Wales | |
| Places | Australia and New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Period | prehistory to the present day |
| Materials | Bush timber, wire, bark, mud, clay, concrete, stone, etc. |
| Uses | Dwellings, shops, farm outbuildings |
