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Hi All, Thanks for the opinions and suggestions. Apologies to Peter, I missed your post about how your floor was done. I think I will follow that advice as it was in line with what I was thinking and has worked for you, and then I need to get the ventilation sorted out. Cheers, Fingerless

So, the builder came around and admitted there was a problem, saying the concrete and mortar had not had a chance to dry out properly. He left a dehumidifier with me for 2 weeks, which I ran along with heating (he'd hired the dehumidifier at his own cost). He has also offered to lay a wooden...

Thanks again for the extensive responses, especially from the builders (are any of you in the essex area?)! I've had a closer look and in the extended section there is DPC in the wall two bricks above ground level. In the old section, the DPC is at the same level as (or maybe just below) the...

Thanks for all the replies. Just to confirm, this is a slab of concrete that forms the foundation for the walls and the floor of the garage. Are you saying there should be DPM under this concrete (it would probably then be below ground level outside)? There is DPM in the walls, but not under the...

Hello all, I'm after some tips on what to do with my garage to overcome a major damp problem. I had it extended in length last year, and a new roof put on. The roof is ply on joists, then covered with felt, then roofing felt. This seems to be watertight. The extension consisted of pouring a...

Richard, I use 80 to 400g, and would prefer either 1m or 5m lengths. As Simon said, longer lengths of 120g would also be good. I'd be interested in any forum wide deal. Cheers, Colin

Well done Doug, Sapele is not an easy wood to get a good finish on. This would make a good key / coin bowl. You might want to try a bowl that is less square in profile the next time. This has two advantages, as it shows off the grain much better than vertical and flat surfaces, and it is easier...

I have to say I like the shape. I thought at first it should be more rounded, but looking at it again, I think it works really well. As you and others have said, the finial isn't quite right. In both cases I think your finial is too long. In the first pot, the finial should thin down more...

Thanks Lons for the comprehensive reply. I'll try and get some pictures up later. The garage is detached from the house, so there's no fire door issue there, but I think I'll do as suggested and go for the firedoors. I agree with your point about how much more attractive the pitched roof will...

Hi all, So I've just moved house, and the new house has a lovely long garage which is crying out to be extended further backwards, and split in half, with the back half converted to a workshop. The workshop would then be ~4x3m. However, there are numerous options and potential issues, so I'd...

All these comments are purely in my opinion, and I wish I were sufficiently technically proficient to produce something like this, so please view these as constructive criticism, rather than negative feedback... For me, it is simply too busy. It looks more like an exercise in beads and coves...

Rich, Those bowls are looking fantastic. Whilst the wood is obviously helping the overall effect, with its amazing grain, I think these bowls would look just as good in a plain sycamore. You have achieved the right "form", and that is what can make a plain bit of wood a great bit of turning...

Roger, Both platters are great. I'm not so keen on the mills, but I think it's the wood rather than the shape etc. On the square platter, did you find that the corners flexed a lot when cutting, such that you had ripples to sand out near the edges? Maybe it's the thinness, but I've found...

That is such a nice piece of work. The "signature" is a great idea, and no doubt will appear on Antiques Roadshow in 200 years time when your great great... grandchildren take it along to show it off.

That looks really nice, clean lines, great carvings. Something I would like to be able to emulate. Can you clarify something for me? The base looks fairly narrow, side to side, and the actual crib bit is quite high, so the centre of gravity is high. Do you think there is a risk it could topple...

No 3 is australian grassroot tree, or blackboy, and is now considered endangered, and so can no longer be cut, I believe. It's horrible to turn as it just disappears as dust, but the figuring is very interesting, and when wire brushed you can get a really nice texture from the fibres. Colin

Thanks all, it looks like I can cut them longer than needed and then just leave them to dry somewhere cool. I've found that turning green wood requires much finer tool control, as it's very easy to cut too much/deep, so it's good for technique refinement, but in the end I prefer turning seasoned...

My local church has trimmed its yew shrubs, and so there are numerous short lengths of <2" diameter branches available to me. I was hoping to use them to turn mushrooms, light pulls etc. but I was wondering how to dry them (or if I need to dry them before turning). Should I cut into useable...

Thanks all. I'll have a look to see how level the base is, to see if there is any twisting going on. I'll also have a look inside the headstock swivel mechanism to see if that needs cleaning out. Failing everything else, I guess I'll have to use Chas's suggestion of holding the chuck and...

Hi all, I have an Axminster M900 lathe, and I'm concerned about my tailstock alignment. If I perform the kiss test, i.e. bring the tailstock with a revolving centre up to the head stock with a 4 prong drive in it, there is a misalignment of approx 1.5mm. This gap stays constant with rotation of...