Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 40,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 15 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Again, I’d like to thank everyone who has read, subscribed, followed and commented on these pages throughout 2011. 2012 is finally here and, I wish each of you the very best in the months that lie ahead!

Olly.

2011 wasn’t as ‘successful’ as I was hoping it would be, for various reasons. Moving further away from my workshop hasn’t been easy but, in some ways, I’m fortunate to still have access to this space right now. I cannot say with any certainty that I will still have this workshop one-year from now… Regardless of whether or not the world “ends“! So, there could be a lot of questions surrounding that – can I afford to rent somewhere? What will happen to all of my machinery? If the economy’s in a better state, I may look at restarting a business to keep my workshop dream alive – but, uncertainty is the word of the moment.

There is one new area that I’d like to explore next year and that is the art of guitar making…

To be more specific, I’m talking about the electric guitar with solid timber bodies. I already own an acoustic – I just haven’t yet taught myself how to play it! I already own a good book on the subject and I’ve seen numerous forum posts in the past that document the making process for several different models so, with confidence and belief in my own woodworking ability, I’m confident that I can produce something and make a very good job of it. Without being too specific, I’m thinking of either a Les Paul or Fender Strat. I also intend to learn to play this once I’ve made it and, from what I’ve read, these are the two main ‘styles’ recommended to beginners.

Once I’ve sourced all the necessary parts, the timber and probably some downloadable plans for templates, mu biggest challenge will be to produce something that is ‘environmentally sound’. A lot of guitars today are produced using timbers such as ebony, from such exotic locations that it’s almost impossible to know whether the timber truly came from a sustainable and renewable source. It is a corrupt world that we live in. My aim then, is to produce a bespoke guitar using timber grown in the UK and, ideally, sourced within a fifty-mile radius of Bristol in the south-west.

Whether or not this will work as well, I do not know. While the acoustics aren’t at risk in the same way as a hollow-bodied acoustic guitar, I’m sure there is some significance in the use of certain timbers over what we’ve always had available locally. As far as I’m aware, no-one else in the UK is currently manufacturing a guitar like this… If it works well for me then, I may also consider it as a small business opportunity.

I expect to spend up to around £300 on all the necessary materials and supplies for this project and it’s certainly not something I’m going to rush in to, as soon as possible. This does mean that it’s likely I’ll have less spare cash for other projects (unless I get a surprise, generous pay rise at work!!) so, once again, my attempts to get back in to the annual Bristol exhibitions may be faltered.

That’s not to say that I don’t have plenty of ideas rolling around in my head. Last week, I received the latest issue of Good Woodworking magazine, where I was inspired by one of Gary Rogowski’s stools in one of the main feature articles:

My thinking is that I could somehow take my step stool design from a couple of years ago and develop it from there:

Do I really need a stool like this? Well, probably not. I would only expect to see a stool of such height surrounding a kitchen bar which, as it happens, neither my mum’s house or my own rented accommodation happens to have! But, guitarists are often seen seated on stools while playing so, I’m sure I can justify the time spent on this one.

I’ve been living in my own space since the end of March but, as circumstances have changed recently in my mum’s house, I may be returning ‘home’, early in 2012. That would bring me back closer to my workshop and, with a reduced living space, I may end up in ‘need’ of a new desk for my laptop and assorted paperwork…

I guess I could just cut down the large chipboard-with-metal-frame construction that I’m currently using but then, I could just as easily give it away to someone locally.

Another idea for an exhibition piece came from the Millcreek Woodworking blog, in the form of this hall bench:

It’s not the kind of piece you see very often (certainly in the UK) but, with it’s storage facilities and the fact that many people (women!), like to sit down while they’re on the phone, I wonder whether it’s the kind of idea that could be developed so as to ‘convince’ people that they need on in their hallways…!

My main piece was going to be a traditional-style blanket box or chest with reassuring frame and panel construction. With that in mind, I accidentally stumbled across a job lot of “old elm roof beams” on eBay, from a seller only one-hour away in Yeovil. There was something like forty-two lengths in total; each cut to around 2.1m/7ft in length. Dimensions were a mix of 4x2in and 7x2in sawn, which left room for a lot of potential. There were the obligatory signs of woodworm and some other areas of damage in places but, someone got a bargain as the whole lot sold for a bit less than £100!!

Sadly, no, it was not me. I briefly entertained the idea but, even if I could’ve spared the cash, I wasn’t convinced that it would all fit in the back of my van. I didn’t have a roof rack or even the basic bars at the time, either. Now that I’m considering selling my van, I doubt I’ll bother to purchase those parts. I was quickly deterred from laminating and making my own roof bars as no insurance company would be prepared to pay out in the event of an accident, due to the use of non-standard accessories. A point well made!

I am pleased that I got the loft-space sorted in the workshop last year. That really has made a huge difference to improving the efficiency of my current workshop; I just don’t get the time to use it! For several reasons, I won’t be looking to insulate any part of the interior. At best, the only further improvement I’ll make to the building is the replace the up-and-over door. But, that could easily cost another £150 in materials and it’s also the time and hours that could otherwise be spent working on more pressing projects.

My mum has asked for a fitted wardrobe, once she’s finished redecorating in the next month or so. That’ll call for the purchase of a new plunge saw – yep, you’ve guessed it; more money!!

Although I may sound negative at times, this should be a very interesting year and I hope you’ll stick around to follow my journey.

A big thanks for reading, and to everyone who’s followed and subscribed over the past twelve months!

This year, I didn’t ask for anything at all! There are one or two power tools that I’d like to buy in the new year but again, cost becomes an issue and, really, I should be looking to invest in some timber for 2012, as I really don’t feel like I got much done in the past twelve months. If I have to, I can certainly get along with what I already have. It’s not as if I ‘need’ even one small item that’s otherwise halting all progress in my workshop. If anything, it’s a combination of the weather and life in general that’s keeping me inactive right now.

Regardless of all that; I was very happy to receive one particular gift, this year:

Two-years ago, I fell in love with digital radio when I received a more ‘conventional’ DAB system to use in my workshop. At long last, I was able to drown out all the dross on the FM frequency in favour of rock. In particular, Planet Rock. This PURE PocketDAB 1500 personal digital radio allows me to listen to what I want when I’m on the go. It’s a great complement to my iPod, which only plays MP3s. I’ve even discovered another DAB station that I like – Real Radio XS which, again, is all about rock and real music (in my opinion, of course). You know you’ve found a good station when the first track your hear is Still Got the Blues by Gary Moore (…If you like that sort of thing, of course). If only I could convince the older generation at work to switch off Radio 2 and move forwards, in to the digital age….

I got a few small items as well but, they’re hardly worth mentioning, here. Outside, the weather seems to be fairly mild at the moment so, as I’m not due back at work for another week, I’ll try to spend some hours in the long-forgotten workshop while it lasts. Speaking of the workshop, I did treat myself to a couple of items, earlier in the month…

A pocket hole jig is something that I’ve been thinking of buying for the past year. Ironically, I could really have used one when I built the cabinet for my table saw/router table station recently (which, I must admit, still isn’t quite finished…). My problem had been making a decision on which one to buy. I went with for the Kreg brand over some of the cheaper alternatives and I doubt I’ll be looking back. This R3 model looks like a good compromise and it is a successor to a previously popular ‘Junior’ model. While searching for opinions across the internet, I came across some intuitive ways in which to ‘convert’ this jig in to something that resembles the K4:

It’s strange that Rutlands stock just about every other Kreg jig but, not the R3. In time, I’ll try to report back with my own review and findings on how it really works.

My hollow-chisel mortiser doesn’t get an awful lot of use, even when I am busy in the workshop. But, I do understand and appreciate the importance of using sharp bits (as with any tool or machine). That’s why I purchased this affordable sharpening set from Rutlands, during one of their suspiciously-frequent sales, earlier this month. I doubt this set will last as long as the pricey Clico kit but, I don’t think I’ll need to sharpen my chisels often enough to warrant spending any more on this.

I’d like to produce a video in the near future on the sharpening and correct fitting of hollow chisels in to mortising machines so, I should be able to try this kit out for real, fairly soon. I also purchased a used 3/8in chisel for a reasonable sum not long ago which should prove to be the ideal test subject or candidate for this test.

Thanks for reading and a belated Merry Christmas to you all! I also wish you well for the New Year!

Yes, I’ve been thinking about investing in a plunge saw and at least one guide rail for the last year or so. They appear to make life so much easier, when it comes to cutting sheet materials. Just lay the track on the sheet, start the saw and cut. Clamps aren’t even necessary!

Until now, I’ve been using a combination of a portable circular saw that doesn’t plunge (first, the Makita 5704RK and, more recently, Hitachi’s C9U2) and a home-made MDF saw guide. This was used most recently to cut up the plywood for my table saw/router table station. It works reasonably well but, with a pair of clamps required to hold the guide in position, it’s not the most efficient way of surviving without a reasonably-sized table saw. My Hitachi saw has an impressive depth of cut capacity (just over 3in) but, at the same time, I find it to be very bulky and almost difficult to control, even when following the edge of my MDF guide rail. It’s also very noisy, with a 2,200w (3HP) brush motor. As great as it is at ripping thicker sections of hardwood (the sole reason I bought it – for lumps of wood that I wouldn’t be able to manage alone on the bandsaw), I now regret selling my faithful old Makita saw, which was also quite the trade favourite, before the invention of Festool’s TS55.

Rather than to replace like-for-like, I’m looking at plunge saws, for the added versatility and increase of accuracy.

This first saw I’d like to look at is (no surprise!), the Makita SP6000K1:

I make no secret of the fact that I’m a big fan of Makita tools generally. One router, a belt sander, biscuit jointer, sliding mitre saw and formerly, that circular saw I mentioned earlier… Well, that’s nearly half the contents of my workshop covered in one sentence! My understanding, from various forum posts across the internet, is that Makita’s saw is compatible with the Festool guide rails and vice-versa. It has a good specification and also features a similar ‘plunge’ mechanism to the green, German-made machine. However, it is oddly missing the riving knife, with no apparent option to retro-fit as an add-on accessory. Festool’s saw comes with a self-retracting riving knife and I think all the other brands are catered for in some way. It may not cause many problems if using the track correctly to cut an adequately supported sheet. But, on the odd occasion, I may also want to use this saw to rip long lengths of waney-edged hardwoods (up to, say 2in thick). What’s to stop the kerf from pinching the rising teeth at the back of the blade and causing kickback?

Last night, I sent an e-mail off to Makita UK, questioning why they had omitted the riving knife from their saw (Health & Safety legislation in the UK generally states that riving knives must be used with all circular saws). This was their reply, which arrived in my inbox earlier today:

“This is classed as a ‘Plunge Saw’ and as such a riving knife fitted to this machine would then render the Plunge facility useless!“

Yet, as I briefly mentioned a little earlier; Festool and others have found a convenient way of fitting these safety devices to their plunge saws…

One feature that does attract a lot of interest is the ‘scoring’ function of this saw, where by a quick flick of a switch (or small lever) limits the depth of cut to only 2mm; allowing you to make a scoring cut that’ll sever the fibres of fragile veneered surfaces. This is particularly important when cross-cutting plywood or veneered MDF, to reduce breakout and splintering. It should be less of an issue when cutting along the grain, provided your using the correct blade and that the splinter guard is in place, with the rail’s edge also in tact. I’m not sure that any of the other models have a similar function?

(Alan Holtham recently produced an excellent video review of this saw – click here to see it.)

Next on my comparison list is the DeWalt DWS520KR-GB:

While it’s hardly the most important criteria on anyone’s list, I am put off by the aesthetics of this model. It looks very ‘bulky’, to me, which only reminds of that 9in Hitachi saw I currently struggle with… On a positive note though, this saw will cut closer to the floor than the Makita when used on its side, to cut a rebate in skirting boards to allow for wooden or laminate flooring or, simply for trimming the bottom edge of a fitted door without touching the hinges. It’s not much more expensive than the Makita saw, either.

Bosch’s GKT55 GCE was released only a few weeks ago:

Oddly enough, they appeared to release the guide rail (compatible with some of their ‘standard’ circular saws) shortly before introducing their new plunge saws. Immediately, the price is a turn-off as you wouldn’t have to pay a lot more to get yourself your first Festool power tool. From the video I’ve seen on YouTube, the rail connectors appear to work superbly. This is something for which guide rail manufacturers are often criticised (even Festool, in some circles of the internet). Bosch state that their saw blades has ‘sound dampening‘ properties but, we’re only talking about the blade then, what’s to stop a user from equipping their own saw (whoever made it) with the same feature? I do like the mention of the electronic brake that brings the blade to a stop within five-seconds. There’s a similar feature on my Makita 3612CX router and I’ve always loved that.

Although I do not know of its availability at this time, Metabo have their own plunge saw on the way, according to their web site. I’m also quite the fan of Metabo tools, as you may recall when I purchased those 10.8v drills, almost a year ago. Whether this saw will be available in time for me to consider it though, I do not know. It is strange though that, like Makita, Metabo also appear to have disregarded the riving knife, if you look closely…

Festool’s TS55EBQ then, if I’m honest, is too far above my budget. I don’t doubt the quality of this along with much of their power tool range. I even know a couple of people personally (in real life!!) who bought this saw a few years ago and haven’t regretted it. They were a bit cheaper then, though… I do question how much (how often) I’m actually going to use one of these saws. I don’t do much in the way of ‘fitted’ furniture, for which a plunge saw would be invaluable, for use on site. Neither do I work with sheets of ply or MDF, compared to the amount of timber I spent cutting solid timber. I do know of someone who’s considering a fiitted wardrobe in the new year, though…

That brings me on to the Woodster Divar55 model (they’re regarded as the ‘budget brand’ of Scheppach):

This one is very new to the market and, as far as I’m aware, it is by far the cheapest saw of its class available in the UK today. Perhaps more ‘affordable’ plunge saws are to follow, after this one? Generally, you get what you pay for with power tools. If you can afford to pay double the price then, you’ll surely reap the rewards and benefits later on. Power tools made to fit within a certain price point or budget will generally have a short lifespan. If you’re not going to use it very often at all (perhaps only occasional hobby use) then, it may be worth considering.

You have to wonder where they may have “cut corners” though, to produce it for retail at such a low price…  (With one guide rail, it’s about equal in price to my Hitachi C9U2!). How long would the motor last? Are the aluminium rails truly flat and/or straight? Is blade run-out an issue? At the time of writing, there are no credible reviews that I know of. It simply hasn’t been available for long enough.

At the end of all this and, despite currently lacking the spare funds to purchase even the cheapest option mentioned above, I still feel myself leaning towards the faithful blue Japanese Makita. I should mention that Mafell also have a couple of interesting options (some believe they’re superior to Festool…) but, again, it’s too far and high above my budget. I’m really looking to spend a maximum of around £300 and, as far as deals go, currently, you can get the SP6000K1 for only £329.99 with two 1.6m guide rails!

All of this is simply theoretical, of course. I mean, I’m also thinking of upgrading my sliding mitre saw to an LS1016L model with DXT technology but, I certainly cannot budget for both saws, at the moment. I’ll save that discussion for another time!!

Thanks for reading.

I have no affiliation with either party here; I just thought the video would be of interest to other woodworkers. There are some web pages and other videos that delve in to great detail on the subject of dust extraction, which tends to almost over complicate things and can make it all difficult to follow.

Delivery within the UK and EU is a standard service. If you live outside of these boarders then, it may still be worth contacting them directly, as these kits are flat-packed, after all.

Thanks for reading.

One thing I neglected to mention is that, after moving premises recently, Workshop Heaven have also revamped their website. There may still be products to be added to the database and, at these early stages, you may encounter one or two ‘hiccups’ with site navigation but, it has to be said; it is even cleaner and much faster to load than their previous pages.

So, I started off with a few low-priced drill bits from the Famag range. Spade bits are great for use with power tools and will cut both quickly and cleanly while they’re sharp. I went for a 14mm and 18mm flat bit, simply because these sizes aren’t commonly supplied in your average packaged set of the most commonly used widths. I also needed a set of smaller drills for drilling clearance holes for steel screws and, in my opinion, there isn’t much better than a lip-and-spur bit for drilling wood. With a central point in between two cutting spurs, you don’t have to mark the centre with a punch or bradawl. Usually, a pencil mark is enough. This five-piece set, by the way, looks almost identical to a set of DeWalt bits I purchased, a few months ago…

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they were produced in the same factory, probably in the Far East. Goods news though, is that those ‘other yellow’ bits have served me very well so far. They’re very sharp and do cut quickly. I once bought a similar set of seven bits for only £2.99… Once they lost their edge (which didn’t take too long), I found they wouldn’t take another. There’s something to be said for  buying good quality accessories for your power tools.

My only other purchase with this order was a two-piece Clifton cap iron (chip breaker) to fit in my Record No.020 compass plane (aka. circular plane):

I purchased this to test out a theory that’s been in my mind for a good two or three years now, since I first used one of these under-rated ‘specialist’ planes at college. They really are superb at cleaning up saw marks and creating smooth, consistent curved edges (not something that’s easy to do with a spokeshave or bobbin sander). I bought mine earlier this year (second-hand) and would like to see whether replacing the original cap iron with a thicker piece of steel will reduce the chattering which effects the final finish.

As the mouth is surrounded by rivets and the base itself must be thin enough so that it can flex to match both convex and concave forms, fitting a thicker iron didn’t seem like much of a possibility, as I would have had to attempt to open the width of the mouth with a file (usually by at least 5mm, which could have affected the performance and functionality of my plane).

I haven’t given myself much of a chance to test this theory out but, initial trials on some scraps of sycamore (cutting against the grain direction) leave a finish that’s reasonable enough to suggest I may have made the right move, here. All going well then, perhaps I can help people to maintain a level of faith in the compass plane… They’re not easy to get to grips with, if you haven’t used one before. Setting the base correctly is one thing but, even then, you have to move ‘with’ the plane as it finds its way along the edge of your timber.

I’ll save that for a future post!

Thanks for reading.

Either way, it was time to do some more work outside of the workshop…

When I first looked at this and began scraping away at the old paint (revealing a soft and very damp presence of timber), I was optimistic that I may have been able to simply seal the surrounding wood (once all the rotten stuff had been removed) using a Wet Rot Hardener and from then on, rebuild the lost chunk of this stile with a couple of layers of wood filler. Once I dug a bit deeper though, it became clear that this job was a little more than a simple case of ‘filling holes’…

I still have no idea what those four nails were in there for. Unless a previous repair was undertaken to replace the front edge of both stiles (four nails can also be seen through the paintwork on the opposite frame member, which happens to be in better condition) by the previous occupant. They certainly don’t provide any means of fixing in to the wall or floor.

With so much of this timber too far beyond repair, I decided I would have to cut it out and splice in a new section of wood of the same dimensions (this is something I’ve successfully done several times before; most commonly, on window frames):

Cutting the top (or, end) of a splice joint like this (45°) helps to distinguish the two lengths of timber once the timber has been painted. Any shrinkage or movement could otherwise cause two 90° ends to become distinguished from one another and, anyone could then spot the repair from some distance away. Unless you’re very careful with your selection and preparation of the timber used (for grain matching and continuity), this may not work out as well with any timber item that is to receive a clear finish. In my experience though, the average home-owner will choose softwood joinery products (with their lower price) and also, choose to have them painted (…Presumably to hide their embarrassment at being unable to afford anything in oak or similar! )

Removing the old lump of infected timber revealed a little about its history… Clearly, this piece of pine had previously been used in a door frame somewhere and was reclaimed and recycled for its next life as part of the detached single-car garage. I believe that my mother’s house was built in the 1980s (I could be wrong!). I do not know when the garage was built but, I somehow doubt that this was one of the original timbers used in the construction of the main door’s frame. Don’t ask me about the green colour – I haven’t the foggiest!

Before fitting, I treated the cut ends of this new piece to some end-grain preservative and after that, a single all-round coat of Sadolin Woodshield:

While the paint tin was open, I also decided to replace the lipping piece (almost like the ‘stop’ on an interior door) as that was also showing signs of deterioration at its lower end:

There’s still some filling to be done (my hand-sawing of the existing frame wasn’t quite as perfect as the 45° cut on the replacement, which was done on the mitre saw!) and further coats of paint will be required before the frame is back to its best. Before fitting, I also precut a notch for the Garage Door Bolts I fitted back in the summer (sadly, I never got around to documenting them but, for an up-and-over door, they are excellent. The Ultimate Handyman has produced an excellent video on fitting them, if you’re interested).

With the frame more or less done, I’m again thinking about replacing the up-and-over doors with a pair of timber doors (I do this every  winter… ). It all depends on how much cash I’ll have spare in the new year. I reckon that job would cost about £100 in timber alone. Actually, I did buy the hinges for them back in 2008! I can’t see myself doing too much else this side of March/April. We’ve been fortunate (in the UK, at least) with the weather we’ve had so far but, I’m certain the worst is yet to come…

Thanks for reading.

My order went through on Tuesday night. I haven’t spent nearly as much as what I would have liked. I merely needed a few new drill bits and a 1¾in wide Clifton chip-breaker/cap iron for one of my ‘specialist‘ hand planes (I can’t figure out why these ones are slightly dearer than the 2in irons…?) – more on that in a future blog post!

So, if you haven’t done so already and you’ve previously been putting off from shopping with Workshop Heaven because of postal charges (???) then, you have forty-eight hours left in which to do so! Why not buy yourself something you really want for Christmas…!

Thanks for reading.

While, the gate is still awaiting its second coat of paint (!!), it wasn’t at all long after fitting the gate furniture that our old nemesis oxidisation made an unwelcome appearance!

This was in spite of the fact that I’d replaced the originals with stainless steel screws and also, apparently, all fittings were zinc-plated (if not galvanised, like the T-hinges).

It wasn’t much of a bother at first, if you could ignore the blooming brown blemishes on display. About a month ago though, we found that the latch wasn’t operating correctly. You could rotate each ‘ring’ but, that wouldn’t have much of an effect on the position of the latch. It felt as though the bar inside (between the two rings) wasn’t locating properly, if even at all. A close inspect of the disassembled parts later revealed that the innards of the external ring (front of the gate) at least had deteriorated quite badly:

Was this because I had trimmed a few millimetres off the length of the square bar but not re-sealed the cut end? …How would you do that, anyway?

I really do not know the answer. It may even be that shortening the latch had some kind of adverse effect on the durability of the locking mechanism (although, that would surprise me).

At the very least, I have now replaced the whole lot with a brand-new ring latch purchased from a local hardware store – if only it hadn’t cost me double what Toolstation charge in the centre of Bristol!! One of the drawbacks of living ‘in the sticks’, I guess. There are still some holes to fill before I can start painting again. We’ve been very fortunate with some mild, even dry, weather for this time of year of late but, I fear things are about to take a sharp drop in to the sub-zero, with a new year barely one-month away.

This replacement latch (the full 6in/150mm in length) does appear to operate much better than the trimmed version I had fitted before. At least now, as the gate closed, it all links neatly together without the gate bouncing back open again. I haven’t had to deepen the slot in the closing piece, either.

If only I can find or replace the pins now in that closing spring…

Thanks for reading.

You’ve probably seen this type of device already. With their magnetic bases, they’re ideal for the setting of saw blades and machine tables with the greatest of accuracy. I really could’ve used one of these recently while struggling to set my table saw blade to a precise 22.5° – why do I only buy these things after I could have used them?! In time, I aim to produce a short video demonstrating how you could use one of these bevel boxes to accurately set up some of the machines in your workshop.

There are several other brands available but, my main reason for going with the Wixey WR300 was that it appears to be very highly regarded both here and in the USA. Mine was purchased from Allendale, through their eBay shop, at a cost of about £25 including postage. GemRed is another name that pops up and some retailers also offer a version that comes with its own storage case. I couldn’t find many negative comments on that one either, in case you happen to come across one on sale at a discounted price, with Christmas only weeks away now.

That’s all I have to say for now. My initial impressions are that this is something that’ll save me a lot of time otherwise spent faffing around with my machinery and that I should’ve purchased one many months ago!

Thanks for reading.