Design and Technology – Mr Sully's Blog

Construction, Design and Technology, Posters, Woodwork

Understanding Timber Joints: A Visual Guide

Posted on March 9, 2025 by Mr Sully

I recently redesigned some of my old posters for a design and technology woodwork class. The aim was to create visually engaging and informative materials that would aid students in understanding various concepts related to woodwork. The topics covered in these posters include timber joints, measurements, chamfers, bevels, housing joints, and mitre joints.

Timber joints are a crucial part of woodworking, as they determine how different pieces of wood are connected together. My posters provide detailed diagrams and explanations of each type of joint, helping students to visualize and understand their applications. Measurements are another essential aspect, and accurate measuring can make or break a project.

To bring these posters to life, I used Blender for rendering the images. And did the layout and design using Affinity Publisher, trying to organize the information in a clear manner.

If you’re interested in downloading the digital files of these posters, click the link provided. These resources can be a valuable addition to any woodworking classroom or workshop, providing both beginners and advanced learners with the knowledge they need to succeed in their projects. I hope these posters will help many students in their woodworking journey.

Download the PDF here

Design and Technology, OnShape, Project Ideas, Teacher resource, Timbers, Workbook, Worksheet

Crafting a Timber Candle Holder Workbook

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Mr Sully

I spent some time over the summer break putting together a workbook full of resources. This year, we’re going to work on making a cute little wooden candle holder, but feel free to switch it up and do your own thing! Use whatever parts you like. Hit me up on Bluesky if you spot any typos or have cool ideas or stuff I should add. It’s still a work in progress! If there’s enough interest, I could share some of the Affinity Designer/Publisher files I put together so you can tweak them however you want.

Download the workbook

Design and Technology, Video

2nd Lives – Re-imagine, Re-use and Re-cycle

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Mr Sully

Love the idea behind this Coca-Cola initiative to save on waste. I posted it on Twitter, however, I think it belongs on the blog. I’m thinking there’s a strong concept for a great Design and Technology task.

Design and Technology, Documentary, Teacher resource, Video

Barcodes, how they work.

Posted on May 15, 2014June 7, 2014 by Mr Sully

I blogged a few years ago about my early experiments with QR Codes. Well here is a great detailed explanation of how Barcodes work, very interesting.

How Do Barcodes Work?

Design and Technology, Documentary, Industrial Technology, Teacher resource, Timbers, Video, Woodwork

Veneers and Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF)

Posted on May 10, 2014June 7, 2014 by Mr Sully

Two excellent resources I found on Youtube recently that show the manufacture of several timber products. Although a little long in the tooth they make excellent resources for student and teachers covering Industrial Technology and Design and Technology.

How Timber Veneers are Made.

How Medium Density Fibreboard is Made.

Anthropometrics, Design and Technology, Documentary, Ergonomics

Design & Technology Revision: Ergonomics in Design

Posted on April 19, 2014June 7, 2014 by Mr Sully

I’ve just come across these great resources for Design students preparing for the coming HSC.

First is the website Ergonomics 4 Schools

And a Youtube video;

Design, Design and Technology, Documentary, Teacher resource, Video

Concept Vehicle Design

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Mr Sully

Here are some longer videos on the design process. From ideation to full scale concept car. It’s a pretty good introduction to some of the concepts and ideas we cover in Design & Technology related courses.

Design and Technology, Game, Graphics, ICT

Using video game design in the classroom

Posted on October 20, 2013December 1, 2013 by Mr Sully

At my school, like many others we have a unit of work in Year 7 Technology Mandatory on Game Design. We’ve dabbled with Microsofts free Kodu (maybe Project Spark in the future) but mostly we have been using an older version of YoYo Games Gamemaker, you can grab a legacy version for free from this site.

The kids really engage with Video Game Design as it’s such a strong influence on their generation. One of the areas that create some disengagement for some students can be with the creative side, making good looking assets (graphics). Well a company called Tiny Speck has just released the assets from their now defunct game called Glitch into the public domain, meaning anyone can play around with their professionally crafted designs. For me it means that I can grab the spritesheets and let kids loose, seeing what they can come up with.

Design, Design and Technology, Video

8 Design Projects done in less than a minute each

Posted on October 7, 2013December 1, 2013 by Mr Sully

I posted this video a few weeks ago using Twitter (@MrSully_) and it’s started to get quite a few retweets. So I thought, just for those people who aren’t using Twitter, why not? I should repost it here.