My mother was 23 when she unloaded 650 4" concrete blocks from the back of a lorry (they wouldn't tip them in those days), watched by four masons sitting watching - they were on piecework. She couldn't walk the next day.
Post a photo of the last thing you made
- Thread starter DTR
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
Thanks, but I crop my pictures rather carefully to not reveal the true, embarrassing mess!
Oh well, at least I have finally started to clean it up! Best wishes...
Stigmorgan
Established Member
Not heavy but considering for the last 6 years I've not really had much of a physical load to the job I've gotten soft and weaker than when I was working construction, I used to unload pallets of 4inch concrete blocks 6 blocks at a time without straining, sand and cement 3 bags at a time!! Standard old 2 X 2 pressed concrete slabs aren't 'heavy' --- Many years ago I bought an existing Garden Supplies shop and the previous owner left me a job to deliver 10 3 x 2 Slabs which he had sold (and been paid for!) - I'd previously been in an 'office' job.
My weekly order for slabs was at least 7 tons and 'Ben', the delivery driver, would pick up 2 2x2s at a time (he was a big chap) - I never ordered any 3x2s after that first delivery experience.
J-G
Established Member
My days of shifting cwt bags of cement are long gone! Even though I'm now 11st+, at 82 I wouldn't consider taking on that sort of projectNot heavy but considering for the last 6 years I've not really had much of a physical load to the job I've gotten soft and weaker than when I was working construction, I used to unload pallets of 4inch concrete blocks 6 blocks at a time without straining, sand and cement 3 bags at a time
Surely one gets one's gardener, or maintenance chappy, or even the butler to assist in such unloading etc.. That is if they're not all away sunning themselves in the Maldives - where my lot are; along with the maid, not to mention the housekeeper and cleaner(s), cook, and masseuse...
Started working on my saw till yesterday. It will be a rather plain, rectangular affair. But, I hate to waste even one square inch of storage space.
I am having such a great time back in the shop! Verily, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed woodworking!
Collecting my scraps of white pine timber:
Had to adjust the dovetails to miss the splits at the ends:
P.S. In case you are wondering, my "workbench" is a rather crude affair. My younger brother gave me a pile of 2x6 off-cuts from a construction site about forty years ago. The top is 3/4" plywood/Formica from a dumpster. The face vise was thrown together with a commercial metal screw and plumbing fittings. The leg vise I found put out to trash when I was working in Philadelphia as a young man. Thank you very much!
The top is reasonably flat, albeit somewhat slippery by workbench standards. It has served well for a long time. I hope to build another workbench soon. I have some 16/4 red oak that I have been air drying for a long time.
I am having such a great time back in the shop!
Verily, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed woodworking!
Collecting my scraps of white pine timber:
Had to adjust the dovetails to miss the splits at the ends:
P.S. In case you are wondering, my "workbench" is a rather crude affair. My younger brother gave me a pile of 2x6 off-cuts from a construction site about forty years ago. The top is 3/4" plywood/Formica from a dumpster. The face vise was thrown together with a commercial metal screw and plumbing fittings. The leg vise I found put out to trash when I was working in Philadelphia as a young man. Thank you very much!
The top is reasonably flat, albeit somewhat slippery by workbench standards. It has served well for a long time. I hope to build another workbench soon. I have some 16/4 red oak that I have been air drying for a long time.
Last edited:
I need to rip some long board down to width for my current project, recently rearranged my workshop so I can use my workbench as an outfeed table, however infeed is still a bit iffy with long boards.
So I knocked together a quick infeed support using some scraps (hence the odd cut out at the end) and a horizontal mft clamp.
It's not the strongest but offers a bit more stability with longer boards.
So I knocked together a quick infeed support using some scraps (hence the odd cut out at the end) and a horizontal mft clamp.
It's not the strongest but offers a bit more stability with longer boards.
The_Yellow_Ardvark
Established Member
Yesterday and last night I was playing with a friends small CNC Mill.
There was a programmed into the machine a file called toys.
So I had to play, that what toys are for.
It allowed me to make a box with a sliding lid.
The wood is off cuts from my friends scrap pile.
Then I loaded the plastic we had removed from under their bath, when fixing the lead from the hot water feed.
What sod of a plumber routed the pipes, isolator's and waste pipe up and behind the far side of the bath?
The white dots are just fresh white paint.
There was a programmed into the machine a file called toys.
So I had to play, that what toys are for.
It allowed me to make a box with a sliding lid.
The wood is off cuts from my friends scrap pile.
Then I loaded the plastic we had removed from under their bath, when fixing the lead from the hot water feed.
What sod of a plumber routed the pipes, isolator's and waste pipe up and behind the far side of the bath?
The white dots are just fresh white paint.
Doug B
Shy Tot
For the last few years we’ve been re-landscaping the end of the garden, the new trees & plants will take a few more years before they achieve any decent height so I was asked to produce an obelisk that tied in with the arbor & garden room we recently built & temporarily add some much needed height to the end of the garden.
Made from pine & painted with Superdec, thankfully it has been approved for installation in the border & a suitable clematis has been acquired but planting will have wait till Kathleen has calmed down
Made from pine & painted with Superdec, thankfully it has been approved for installation in the border & a suitable clematis has been acquired but planting will have wait till Kathleen has calmed down
Continuing my work on the saw till over the last few days.
At the risk of thoroughly boring the experienced woodworkers out there, I will post a few pics of the process I took. Perhaps some will find it interesting. I have been trying to use hand tools as much as practicable, and enjoying it very much!
I have been encouraging some of my local woodworker friends to come back from "the dark side" (power-tool woodworking), admittedly, with little success. (I hope my humour does not offend!)
Please forgive my haughtiness, as I just endeavour to enlighten those who have had no exposure to the benefits and joys of hand-tool use. Some of my woodworker friends do not even own a plane!
I found the final glue-up challenging, but I am decidedly out of practice. In fact, I made a terrible mistake: I placed the dados in the wrong place and wasted a day figuring out how to recover from that.
Does anyone else use cut nails? Cheers!
At the risk of thoroughly boring the experienced woodworkers out there, I will post a few pics of the process I took. Perhaps some will find it interesting. I have been trying to use hand tools as much as practicable, and enjoying it very much!
I have been encouraging some of my local woodworker friends to come back from "the dark side" (power-tool woodworking
), admittedly, with little success. (I hope my humour does not offend!)Please forgive my haughtiness, as I just endeavour to enlighten those who have had no exposure to the benefits and joys of hand-tool use. Some of my woodworker friends do not even own a plane!
I found the final glue-up challenging, but I am decidedly out of practice. In fact, I made a terrible mistake: I placed the dados in the wrong place and wasted a day figuring out how to recover from that.
Does anyone else use cut nails? Cheers!
J-G
Established Member
It's a while since I spent time in my workshop but I had a call from a long standing Computing Customer asking for suggestions for an 80th birthday gift for her mother. After some discussion I learned that the 'gift' for an 80th should be Oak so I thought that this may be appropriate :
A simple, unassuming block 49 x 68 x 27 mm with rounded edges & corners - - - - until you notice that there is a small tell-tale line!
It is in fact a box with a dovetaled sliding lid. :
(Pound coin to indicate scale) This photo is a better colour!
Naturally, a box needs a 'filling' - - - - -
- - - - and the filling needs a cushion - Plastic foam covered in 100% silk velvet seems suitable for a Stirling Silver Pendant which continues the 'Oak' Theme.
Since it is an April birthday the appropriate gem-stone is - - - - Diamond - - - - Oooops!
I could have sourced a 3mm diamond but the budget would hardly cover the cost (£3-500) so the alternative is a White Topaz - £1.35
The 'Acorn' is Olive 11mm long x 9mm dia. though the customer has yet to confirm whether she would prefer one made from Cocobolo - which was my original design.
You may also notice that I've used a magnetic catch. Both the lid and the box itself have 3mm Neodymium magnets. Good 'idea' but I found that I had to remake the lid after I positioned the magnet in the lid about ½mm too far from the edge so it forced the lid to stay 'open' that ½mm.
It is in fact a box with a dovetaled sliding lid. :
(Pound coin to indicate scale) This photo is a better colour!
Naturally, a box needs a 'filling' - - - - -
Since it is an April birthday the appropriate gem-stone is - - - - Diamond - - - - Oooops!
I could have sourced a 3mm diamond but the budget would hardly cover the cost (£3-500) so the alternative is a White Topaz - £1.35
The 'Acorn' is Olive 11mm long x 9mm dia. though the customer has yet to confirm whether she would prefer one made from Cocobolo - which was my original design.
You may also notice that I've used a magnetic catch. Both the lid and the box itself have 3mm Neodymium magnets. Good 'idea' but I found that I had to remake the lid after I positioned the magnet in the lid about ½mm too far from the edge so it forced the lid to stay 'open' that ½mm
.
Last edited:
lee1596
Established Member
A mallet made from a 5 foot plank of ash. Its the first proper project i am happy with, and it has taught me a lot about planing end grain, squaring up stock with a plane and using a spoke shave. I also cant believe how smooth the finish i acheived was with a well sharpened no4 plane, cheap spoke shave and 30 seconds of sanding with 600 grit, followed by boiled linseed oil and home made paste wax.
I put a few ledger boards on the back,
and took her for a test ride.
Plenty of room for more saws and modifications in the future.
Four drawers for saw sets, files, etc. to follow.
Nothing there that a coat of good green paint won't cure...
Paint covers a multitude of sins...
and took her for a test ride.
Plenty of room for more saws and modifications in the future.
Four drawers for saw sets, files, etc. to follow.
Nothing there that a coat of good green paint won't cure...
Paint covers a multitude of sins...
Last edited:
The recent high winds got the better of the gates centre and bottom bolts so I upgraded to a more "medieval" solution.
2 X 4 rectangular steel tube with a bit of err.. 2 x 4 in it.
The 4 holes on the front of each part are to allow access to the holes at the back where the screws are, to hold it to the gate.
There's an additional piece of hardwood at the back to add support (the fence pales are pretty soft).
I'll treat the slide with preservative soon.
2 X 4 rectangular steel tube with a bit of err.. 2 x 4 in it.
The 4 holes on the front of each part are to allow access to the holes at the back where the screws are, to hold it to the gate.
There's an additional piece of hardwood at the back to add support (the fence pales are pretty soft).
I'll treat the slide with preservative soon.
Attachments
Last edited:
After a coat of my ubiquitous "green paint"...
Hope to get it up on the wall today, and loaded.
Hope to get it up on the wall today, and loaded.
Max Power
Established Member
Very fine work, IMO.
Max Power
Established Member
Thank you, very much appreciated.
duke
Established Member
I like the shelf space below the saws, wish I did that on mine.
I will probably put drawers in there.
