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Hi all, You probably didn't notice but I've been off the forum for a few months, mainly because I was finishing a geriatric PhD thesis in musicology. As one does. But that is done now (but not dusted as I'm waiting for the viva) and turning my thoughts to some house refurbishment. Given my age...

We are getting a lot of mice entering the house at night. I can't find where they get in from outside, but I can find a number of holes round radiator pipes etc in the rooms they enter. An ideal material to block these randomly-shaped gaps would be something cloth-like that could be stuffed...

I am hoping to be able to build a new, larger workshop in the spring, so am starting the design thoughts and would like comments. I have some constraints. - the site available is 5.5 x 4.5 m, perhaps 5.5 x 5.5 (external) if I go for planning permission and go right to the boundary. I don't think...

I've just bought an Inca universal saw and planer/jointer on the bay. I'll let people know how the cleanup/restoration goes when they arrive. The saw will mainly be used for small, precision work (I have a Wadkin for big ripping etc), joint cutting etc. A bonus is that it comes with a mitre...

I know a number of forum members have these small saws or combo machines. If anyone is tempted to retire or move on from their hobby and wants to sell, I'd appreciate a first refusal. Condition unimportant as I like machine restoration. The more accessories the better.

So this is in my house rather than workshop (ok a part of the house is a workshop!) but couldn't see where else to ask you experienced builders/architects if you can advise me on due diligence. Had a cold call from House Guard, offering a damp survey to see if my insulation (blown rockwool) was...

No takers so taken to the tip today (less the door and metal that I can reuse). (12 September). I have just removed a redundant pull-out kitchen cupboard from my garage. Since it transferred there from the kitchen it has had little use and the mechanism and door are old but in good condition...

I'd like other people's experience on the reliability of 3-phase 415V converters. I've had three machines set up for 4 - 7 years on DrivesDirect 240v 1p to 415V 3p converters and they have worked very well, including soft start and rapid stop: a Boley metal lathe, an Arboga miller and a Wadkin...

This thread (which will take a while to complete) is about the restoration of a Boley lathe that I bought from marcros of this forum. We'd originally communicated about it when he bought the lathe, but when his plans changed and he needed the space he kindly offered to sell it to me for spares...

Clarke CUMB1 only lightly used. Cut down to make 18" x 17.5" base to suit a particular stand, but that turned out too top heavy for a mobile base. It would expand in 1" increments to approx 21 x 21". Foot levers to raise/lower wheels on one side. Collection only from Warwick. The stands are...

I have 50 oak parquet T&G blocks left over from flooring my hall about 15 years ago, which I am now never going to use and need the space. They measure 12" x 2 1/4" x 1/2" and were bought from LASSCO who reclaimed them from the Tower of London! (I have the receipt stating this). They date from...

I have some delicate routing to do using a template for cutting internal ellipses. I have excellent mrmdf templates very kindly made for me by Droogs, made more than a year ago in fact but I've been kept out of the workshop by medical and family issues. The material is maple, about 12 mm, and...

I have an Inca bandsaw missing its mitre gauge. The oddity of this saw is that it does not use a mitre slot like anyone else that I can discover, but has a trapezoidal slot. I could use a narrow gauge bar of course (it's about 12 mm I think, too wet to go out and measure it right now!), but...

Wondering about the Santa list ... I am tempted by the Jessems router and table saw stock guides, but put off by the price! Questions 1. Is it OK to use the cheaper router guides on the TS as well, assuming a suitable horizontal T-track is embedded in the fence? What are the advantages of the...

I need to cut three elliptical holes in the back on the lap harp that I am constructing (see separate thread). The material is hard maple, 12 mm thick and the ellipses will be roughly 50 x 75, 75 x 100 and 100 x 150 though these are not critical (and may change a bit). I thought it would be...

Having finished the Georgian bureau restoration covered in a recent thread I have time and space for another project. It's another oldie, in that fifteen years ago I bought a couple of harp kits in a fit of enthusiasm, got part way and then moved countries, houses, got busy etc etc. It isn't...

At last - after a year and a half of work interrupted by some months of illness, I've finished the restoration of the Georgian bureau for my son's partner. It dates from about 1755 (on stylistic grounds) and was in very poor condition when I bought it at the height of the 'brown...

I have been helping a widow clear out and sell her late husband's workshop. Many of the tools she has donated to Tools with a Mission (TWAM) via me, but this won't work for old woodies as the training in e.g. Uganda is on metal planes and this is what they send. I know what to do with regular...

Here's a WIP of a restoration I did for a friend, who had a nice 19th C walnut carver chair, from his great-grandfather. I think it is Regency, or at least early Victorian. It has been patched and repaired many times, so people thought it worth hanging on to. The front legs are held on with...

I recently saw Mike Pekovitch's mitre shot for long mitres including cross-grain. http://www.finewoodworking.com/2016/11/ ... lding-jigs. It struck me as easier to make, adjust and use than the usual donkey's ear or the "sandwich" version, and I have some boards to join with a highly visible...