What have I done in the workshop today?

...and to start things off in a mundane way...

I managed to sort at least half of my various pots, tins and assorted boxes of screws, nails, bolts, nuts, hooks, washers and all those things you think might be handy for repairing something (one day). They are now grouped into screws, nails and bolts/nuts. Some have even been sorted into screws and nails of individual types!!
And the rest of the things..... have gone into new pots, tins and assorted boxes for sorting another day .

You can't beat a well organised 'shop.

Continued green oak framing yesterday. This frame is for a client and is to be a 3x3m Mezzanine floor. It was started last year but the room it is going in is only just coming to the stage of being ready for it to be erected.
All that is left to do on the frame are 4 braces and 11 mortices, mind you it does help having a large slick for tidying up the tennons....saying that, I must get back to the grind stone

CM cut up lots of timber to make the frame for the new Mega Hen Pen. It is made of identical wood frame, mesh panels, and will be fixed together so it can be dismantled and moved, if needed.

I cleared and tidied the "lean to" which is our 3 and 3/4 sided work area/barn/food store/log store (it is quite big!) and made some more work space to do stuff in...

CM had a tidy up in the no 1 workshop as well...it must be catching!

Hopefully (!!) this is a picture of MrD's puppet made from found objects. It's just waiting for a body...

Looks good Dandelion, would like to see the end result too.

Love them both, well done
Pol

Put a new window in the workshop. This means I can now reduce my lighting electricity consumption
The window was recycled from a friend and is at least 3rd hand. It is the only double glazed one in the propery: it is a pity that the walls are only nailed planks that let the wind in . I might use cob to make an internal lining to keep the wind out.

Got a bit dusty in here.... been very busy lately.
Just put the lawn mower back together after having to dismantle it down to the head gasket. I found the the inside coated in carbon, I presume from a bad batch of fuel. All working again now to great releaf!

I am still trying to tidy after the "Workshop Gremlin" got in & threw everything everywhere unfortunately I am only having enough time to do the things I want, not tidy up after him, which of course means things aren't getting tidied...

Well I guess you know...

I am just waiting for the grinding halt...

That is lovely WT!

I have done nothing in the workshop for a few days....my shave horse feels very neglected.....

Wood Troll wrote: Client happy and frame able to take a troll bouncing up & down on it!

Nice bet that took some doing, looking at the thickness I would have thought it would have taken a very large troll bouncing on it...

The main beams are all 15cm, the braces and rafters are 10cm.
The husband (who the sace is for) came back last week and saw it for the first time and loves it!

The latest job is to make a hornbeam bookcase for some else. From felling the tree to finished article all done myself.

Lawn mower in bits again got to get two new gaskets before putting it back together.

Not having a workshop big enough, I did this in the street, but I finally treated my truck to an oil change.
Just a little overdue: does anyone's drive need tarmacking?

No tarmack thanks.... how about a nice bit of hardcore instead?

I'm building up a very nice pile of old tiles and rubble out the back for a level sitting area in the courtyard.... just got to build a limestone retaining wall. But is after all my other jobs, so I think it will probably be at least 2015 before I start that one.

Helped with digging out the old stone, prior to laying the new geotextile/stone/gravel for the drive and yard.

Well, Ken the Dig did nearly all of it with his JCB, removing all the very badly laid old gravel and mud, but there was a fair bit to do with shovels and wheelbarrows, not to mention making lots of tea!

I want a JCB , I know its a very ungreen thing to want, but I want one.

I'm not sure I would want a JCB in my workshop let alone a gravel drive!
Are you sure you meant to demolish the workshop with your activities or have you parked you JCB on the wrong thread?

Well, we don't have a "What I did today with my heavy machinery" thread...so it seemed the most appropriate

Spurred on by the lack of space for "land" workings I have created a "what have I done on the land today?" thread in "The Land we work". I would remind you to use your JCB sensitively and not to squash the cowslips and toads whilst doing so.

I'm into building bikes from scrap, and my shed is a graveyard for old bikes, all waiting to be brought back to life. Generally I repair them and give them away via freecycle, but I'm also into chopping them up to make recumbent bikes and trikes.

Had a huge tidy up of the Barn/lean to/dumping groupd.

Now tidy, all hen food etc in proper place, even washed down the shelving in their. swept the floor, plumped up the straw bales, polished the logs...you get the idea.

Someone asked me to fell two awkwardly placed poplars last week. I turned up with the big Stihl ready to drop them.

I put on the 65cm blade, turned the motor over, took the chain brake off and reved it up to check everything was working well. The chain then promptly broke and buried itself in the ground beneath the chain saw :bigangry:

One of the links had snapped on a chain that otherwise had lots of life left in it :pout: Had to go and fetch the 75cm blade from home to do the business on the trees.

I have just been to the local repair guy and he was able to repair the chain by taking a link out and reattaching it (you can do this when the chain has stretched a little) I am lot happier now :bigsmile:

I've treated myself to an early christmas present - a wet grinder. Slowly working my way through re-grinding the woodworking tools I inherited from my grandad. It seems that decent quality traditional woodworking tools are hard to find these days.

I'm currently working on an oak mantel piece. I've got used to using power tools, but going back to a hand plane was a real pleasure. So much less noise, less dust, less protective kit. Very nice finish. And above all. it was grandad's . Lovely way to remember someone, by using tools to do something you enjoy.

I agree that there is nothing like old steel to hold a keen edge. I have read there are companies that are starting to use traditional methods and steel that has not been recycled. I think the impurities in recycled steel are one of the factors in modern tools being inferiour (as well as the culture of buy cheep, use once, then throw away).

Using a hand plane (once you have gotten used to the effort and technique) often gives a better result. I recently planned over 20 meters (in various widths and thichnesses) of home planked poplar for a job I have been doing for client. If I had been using an electric planner it would have torn out fibers all over the place and ruined the surface, which was to be very visual.