David’s Steel and Metal Creations: Archery Models, Camera Parts And Precision Metalwork

If you ask David Tamsett what he does, you will not get a simple answer.

Over the years, he has been a bicycle wheel builder, a photography teacher, an archery coach, an engineer, a fabricator, and an inventor.

What brings it all together is a hands-on approach to solving problems.

When David comes across a broken part or a tricky idea, he does not just accept it. He looks for a way to fix it, improve it, or explain it in a way that makes sense. That way of thinking has led to all sorts of one-off projects. He has made aluminium camera parts, stainless steel bolts, and even an archery teaching model that shows what words cannot.

For David, steel and metal are not just materials. They are where useful things begin.

A Lifetime Of Making Things

David’s working life has taken more turns than most.

He studied mechanical engineering at UTS, then worked in hydraulics, mechanical seals, stage construction, photography, and bicycle manufacturing. Bicycle wheelbuilding is one area where his work stands out. David built around 7,000 bicycle wheels during his career and later taught masterclasses to professional mechanics and wheelbuilders.

Photography also became a major part of his working life. He taught photography, operated a studio and produced commercial images.

Through it all, he kept his hands in practical engineering. Some jobs were big, some small. Often, the work came about because an off-the-shelf part just would not do. That mix suits David. “I do like dabbling in many things,” he says. “You’re learning all these new things. That’s what life is. When you stop learning, that’s bad news.”

Teaching Archery Through Engineering

Archery led to one of David’s most personal projects.

He spent decades coaching archers and reached a national ranking of 24 as a competitive archer himself. Over those years, he kept seeing the same problem. Many archers tried to think their way through every shot. Getting the movement right depends on body position, shoulder alignment, and feel. Diagrams help, but not everyone finds them easy to follow.

So David built a model. His archery figure shows how the body moves during the draw and release. David’s original model was manufactured in stainless steel, with later versions produced in aluminium. Both were designed to demonstrate the biomechanics of correct shooting form in a way students could immediately understand. It makes the shoulder position and arm movement visible to students.

It is simple, practical, and easy to use. That is what makes it work. David was not aiming for something complicated. He just wanted to solve a clear problem for coaches and students. “It’s seeing that gap in the market or a problem that needs solving,” he says.

Improving A Classic Camera

Photography is still one of David’s favourite areas. It also gives him plenty of reasons to bring engineering and machining into play.

Sometimes the solution begins with a broken part. A standout example involved a Linhof TechniKardan large-format camera. When several original plastic cover plates failed, David decided not to replace them with more costly plastic components. For a camera like that, David thought he could do better. Instead, he designed and machined new aluminium cover plates, creating a stronger, more durable solution.

This kind of project suits David. There is a clear problem, no off-the-shelf fix, and the answer is a well-made custom part.

His camera-related work has also included custom scope mounts, lens accessories and other specialist fittings. Among David’s many creations is a custom rifle scope mount. Unable to find commercially available mounts that met his requirements, he designed and manufactured his own. David chose steel for the mounts so they would share the same rate of thermal expansion as the surrounding components, and the Edcon 1020 flat bar was machined cleanly, producing an excellent blued finish.

These jobs take patience and precision. A small mistake can affect how a camera or accessory fits, moves, or works. That is why material choice, machining accuracy, and finishing all matter.

Custom Components For Unique Challenges

Many of David’s jobs start with a simple request. Someone needs a part that is hard to find, no longer in production, or too specialised for a standard supplier. That is where custom metalwork comes in.

David has made stainless-steel long bolts, special screws, heating-element mountings, outboard-engine mountings, and one-off mechanical parts.

Why Material Choice Matters

David has worked with all sorts of metals over the years. The archery model is stainless steel and aluminium. The camera parts are aluminium. The scope mounts are aluminium. The heating element fittings are brass and aluminium. The bolts are stainless steel. Each material has its place.

Aluminium is useful where a part needs to be light, stable and easy to machine. Stainless steel is a strong choice when durability, corrosion resistance, and looks matter. Brass is great for fittings and machined parts, especially where clean threads and a neat finish are needed.

David also uses engineering steels when extra strength or fatigue resistance is needed. For him, choosing material is not about always picking the strongest one. It is about picking what suits the job. That might mean thinking about weight, finish, machinability, strength, corrosion resistance, or cost.

David has been an Edcon Steel customer for over a decade, using the online store to compare sizes, quantities, and prices before ordering.

He also likes being able to order cut-to-size material, especially for smaller custom jobs where buying full lengths is not practical. “I really like the online thing,” he says. “I can play around with it online and get it all organised before I actually go out there.”

Advice For Future Inventors

David’s advice for new inventors is straightforward. Start small. Do your homework. Work out the need before you build the solution. He has seen how easy it is to get attached to an idea before checking if anyone actually needs it.

For David, the best inventions start with a specific problem. His archery model is a good example. He did not make it to invent something impressive. He made it because students needed a better way to understand a tricky idea. That kind of thinking runs through his camera parts, mountings, bolts, and custom fittings, too.

Each project starts with the same question. What needs to work better? From there, David works out the shape, the material, and the method. Before any material is cut, he develops the project on paper through detailed CAD drawings to refine the design and resolve potential issues. That is the art of practical problem solving.

Are You Working On A Custom Metal Project?

Whether you are restoring equipment, machining a replacement part, building a prototype, or making something new, the right material makes the job easier.

Edcon Steel supplies steel, stainless steel, aluminium, brass, copper, bronze, fasteners, tools, and metalwork accessories for trade, industrial, and personal projects.

You can visit Edcon Steel in Brookvale, Revesby, Blacktown, Bathurst, and Orange, or check out the full range online. With Australia-wide delivery, getting started is easy.

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