Woodworking – sentimental about wood

The Shed Saga

The ongoing saga of getting the shed set up. I'm just a month short of 2 years since we moved into our new house. During this time I put in a concrete floor in the shed and built a new rear wall. I've been slowly adding benches and storage. I think now the end is in sight. I'm gradually unpacking all my tools and I can now find things. I managed to get a steel frame to put my drill press on. It is an open frame and I've been able to make a set of drawers to fit underneath. I have used melamine covered chipboard as It's a relatively cheap material and strong and easy to cut up on the table saw. I have connected it all with confirmat screws which hold the drawer and cupboard together much more strongly than chipboard screws. I had also built a 600 mm wide cupboard to fill a space in the shed but much to my horror the drawers would never run properly. I just assembled the drawers and discovered that I'd cut the base out of square. I have a Bosch GTS contractor saw which for the most part works well. But when you go beyond 33 cm width in cutting you have to rely on a secondary fence. I seem to be in the habit of forgetting to lock that secondary fence which means that the fence drifts while I'm cutting. This explained why I hadn't cut the basis of the two drawers very accurately. I was able to reuse the material from these two drawers in making the above mentioned cover to fit under the drill press stand. Along with remaking the out of [...]

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|February 15th, 2024|Categories: Renovating, Woodworking|Tags: woodworking, Workshop|0 Comments

The ongoing workshop build

We have now been in our new house for eight months. I had been hoping to sort out the workshop in a matter of weeks! Progress has been slow. The most recent progress has been the rear wall which had a roller door installed. This was completely useless for my purposes. The roller door was removed with the help of a a beam lift. This made it easy and safe for two people to remove. I sold it quickly for $200 it was off my hands in two days. I managed to source a second hand window for the rear wall of the workshop. It had been subjected to lots of paint in various colours. Paint stripper and some scrubbing revealed an original brown. I painted the window with some etch primer and a topcoat of enamel in a grey colour called monument. The window now matches the other windows on the house. I purchased a solid wood as an access door for the rear wall of the workshop. The door I bought was apparently from a hospital and needs some fettling to make it fit the door is about the right width but is nearly 2500 mm high. The most common door size in Australia is 820 wide and 2040 high. Nothing a track can handle. I was lucky with the cladding as my brother had some lying around his property doesn't exactly match the house but will end up the same colour so all is good. I think that the whole wall will blend in once it has nice coat of paint. Then there is wiring and cladding on the inside.. https://youtube.com/shorts/BbN_9nskg3o?feature=share

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|November 3rd, 2022|Categories: Renovating, Woodworking|0 Comments

Back Bench

I have been thinking about the bench that will go against the back wall. Luckily I have a reasonable supply of timber that I can construct a solid wok bench with a vice for woodworking. I will be using some hardware salvaged from the old workshop. At this stage the plan is to have three powerpoints across the wall just above the bench. One of the powerpoints will incorporate a couple of USB ports for charging things. I also have the idea to put a powerpoint under the bench for a shop vac. The main light in the garage has a switch located at the other end of the workshop. It is too much hassle to rewire it as a two way switch. The simpler solution is to put a light over the work bench with a switch just inside the back door. I have drawn a simple mud map of my thinking which is as close as I get to construction diagrams. The Back Wall

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|November 1st, 2022|Categories: Renovating, Woodworking|Tags: building|0 Comments

Workshop Update January 2022

The joys of storage A small update on the site and projects. I am currently in the process of moving house. This of course means that I am packing up my little workshop. My woodworking efforts have come to a temporary halt. I have already started packing up some of my tools and put them in storage. Ona positive note I will have a larger workshop at the new hose. The first tentative steps towards retirement and more workshop time I have lots projects planned and in progress. I started reupholstering and repairing a pair of lounge chairs. One is almost complete and I wanted to finish them both at the same time to better use the final fabric at the same time. I am also planning to venture into box making with a Gifkins dovetail jig. I am looking forward to getting back into woodturning at the new workshop. All my woodturning timber is currently in a paddock as I had to clear it out for the pesky open inspections. All part of the exhausting business of moving house. I started writing this with the intention of writing about the sort of YouTube channels that I like to watch but it did drift in to the hassles of moving house. It will be some time i.e. month before I get back to a workshop as such. On the positive side of things our new new residence has views of the sea. I will be able to enjoy sea breezes as I whittle away.

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|January 20th, 2022|Categories: Woodworking|0 Comments

Major 8 Radiogram Repair

We have in our possession a Major 8 radiogram which was originally purchased by my in-laws around 1960s. It hasn't been used for years and kept largely for sentimental reasons. When I first saw it a very modern (for its day) stereo cassette player had been patched in not sure how but it worked. I have not been able to find any information online about this or any other radiogram. I did find a website that that does repairs Resurrection Radiograms. They hadn't heard of a Major 8 either. They did however suggest that it could be a rebranded Astor 8. I visited another website bakeliteradio it lists the Astor brand but doesn't really help my cause. The radiogram is now part of history as cassette players, 8 track cartridges and compact disks. The radio still works but it only has AM as this unit predates FM radio and there is little call for short wave theses days. So there it sits the AM band works but doesn't cover the full bandwidth that is available today. I can tune in some stations the sound is a bit crackly befitting such an on old radio. Sadly the turntable is no longer functional too hared to fix. The cabinet is made from veneered plywood which needed repair. That however is a story for another post. Major 8 RadiogramMajor 8 tuning on light

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|August 23rd, 2021|Categories: Renovating, Woodworking|Tags: furniture|0 Comments

Leather Work not Woodwork

I have been absent from the blog for a bit. I keep thinking that I will post some woodworking but I never seem to get around to it. As the title suggests I have delved into some leather work. I was prompted to make some covers for a range of spoon carving knives that I have. Being new to leather working I have got diverted from what the original idea of making covers for spoon carving knives. Theses will require wet forming which is a little more difficult. The first thing I had to investigate was saddle stitch. But before I could do that I had to make a stitching pony. I made the stitching pony as it was a fraction of the price of buying one. Then of course I needed thread and needles. Luckily I had been given some leather work tools some years ago so this was a starting point. Laying out and cutting hasn't been too difficult. The skiving knife and saddle knife pictured below were laid out using the tool. By the time I did the axe sheath I made a pattern which in hindsight was a better idea. I'm still coming to grips with the stitching. They say the tread should be four times the length od the stitching, I have found this to be an underestimate. Thanks to YouTube there are many channels out there some better than others and a local leather supply shop DS Horne I have managed to get on the bandwagon. There will be some YouTube video when I get around to editing it. The images below are some of my first attempts at saddle stitch and finishing leather with neatsfoot oil.

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|June 19th, 2020|Categories: Leatherwork, Woodworking|0 Comments

Kreg K4 a Useful Upgrade

The Kreg K4 jig is very handy for setting up and making pocket holes to accept screws. It is quick and easy making relatively strong joints. The only downside is a rather cumbersome clamping mechanism. It has to be adjusted to timber thickness and is fiddly. There is a more advanced jig called the K5 but for my needs the K4 is perfectly satisfactory. Currently the K4 can be purchased in Australia for about $140 and the K5 for somewhere between AUD $220 and $299. I bought my jig some years ago and paid around AUD $100. The Aussie dollar was stronger then. I was very pleased to to see that a company Armor Tools offered an upgrade to the clamping mechanism. A quick and easy upgrade that really works. It was less than $50. even better the K4 still fits in the original box. I have included a video link to the company video on this product. It is available in Australia from Timbecon KReg 4 with upgrade https://youtu.be/f48HUeYUOdw

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|December 30th, 2019|Categories: Tools and Jigs, Woodworking|0 Comments

Shaker Inspiration –Christian Becksvoort

The Shaker Inspiration by Christian Becksvoort is another excellent publication by Lost Art Press . The book has great style and is very readable even in some of the dryer parts. The book itself is great albeit with a North American focus. Then again it's about the inspiration of the Shakers. The link in the previous sentence is to an article about the last active Shaker community in the United States. They are all celibate which is self limiting. The Shakers were or still are a religious sect who are probably best known for their furniture making simple elegant and functional. The book itself has lots of stuff about timbers and timber movement. Differences between hardwoods and softwoods and so on. Then delves into the hows and whys of furniture construction. There are lots of great photos throughout which add to the excellent text. Timbers are for the most part not easily accessible in Australia. The book is rounded off with some measured drawings which would be a great help for anyone who is inspired to build one of the projects. The Shaker style is appealing for its simplicity . Shaker Inspiration does highlight some great problem solving and innovation in this type and style of furniture. I was disappointed that Lost Art Press don't ship to Australia. I was prepared to pre order the book and PDF. Alas I have had to settle for the PDF version only. International buyers are directed to local businesses. There was no option to preorder or even by the book. That's my only whinge.

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|October 30th, 2018|Categories: Books, Woodworking|0 Comments

A Chair for Our Grand Daughter

An old school chair probably form an infant school. I think infant schools are now called junior primary schools. Our Grand Daughter can't even walk yet so I got in early and renovated the chair. Not much to it really a bit of sanding some spray paint and some off cuts of plywood. I shaped the seat with a slight taper front to back and a similar idea on the back rest. Because we are so safety conscious and that hardware is cheaper i used dome nuts on the back. This way little fingers won't be able to fiddle the nuts off the bolts. I added some Loctite threadlocker just to make extra sure I replaced the the stoppers at the end of the legs as well. The new chair stoppers are rubberised so the chaori cannot be pushed about easily.

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|February 21st, 2018|Categories: Renovating, Woodworking|0 Comments

Kickback on the Tablesaw and the Riving Knife

Well after years it finally happened I got to feel the full force of kickback on my table saw. The reason is my riving knife. Rather the absence of a riving knife I took it off while preparing turning blanks. The result was a lump of red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) about 300mm long and 75mm square. It hit me straight in the sternum and it hurt! Luckily I didnt break anything and only had a small reddened area with a minor cut to show for the indignation. I have never given riving knives much thought. I took it off as the cuts were less than the height of the blade. In order to make a full cut the timber had to be flipped over. I had this idea fixed in my head that the riving knife should sit higher than the top of the blade which makes bling cuts impossible. What I mean by a blind cut is that the timber is thicker than the full height of the blade. I have watched many YouTube (and I have forgotten who made the video) videos where a blind cut has been made and not thought about how this was achieved. This was until I watched a video where someone was talking about setting up a table saw, I nearly didn't watch this as it seemed too basic. There is was set the height of the riving knife just below the height of the blade. Now I can blind cut to my heart's content and reduce the risk of another piece of timber flying off the table.

By Bernie Stefan-Rasmus|June 6th, 2017|Categories: Woodturning, Woodworking|Tags: woodturning, woodworking|0 Comments