Shed Projects

Gate is Finished

2011-07-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

I don't think there was enough work in mounting the gate to warrant video, so I'll just write the main points here.
The top hinge had to be raised by about 4 inches to line up with the crossledge on the gate. This is just mounted by four screws in to a mahogany stile.

I had to drill a one and a quarter inch hole through the gate and brace to mount the lock. Originally I was unsure whether a lock designed for indoor use would stand the test of time outdoors, but the lock is probably in it's 10 or 11th year now and with just a couiple of squirts of WD40 now and again it is working fine.

On top of the door I have mounted a strip of 2x1 as a rain guard for water running on to the end grain. The wood is rebated on the bottom about three eights of an inch so it overlaps on each side.

I have also fitted a small hook and hasp latch at the top of the door as extra security if the lock is on latch. This is because we have two dogs and the kids are always leaving the gate open.

Prior to mounting the gate I left it soaking at each end overnight in Cuprinol 5 Star wood preserve. This soaked up inside the door and hopefully will provide years of protection. The rest of the gate has had a liberal brushing of the same.

Next stage is to colour the gate with a mid brown stain called fencelife. This will have to be repeated each year as the stain faids in sunlight.

I mentioned in my last video that I used a homemade door stand for planing and working on the gate. In my next post I will show some photos and instruction on how to make this handy tool.

Ledge and Braced Garden Gate

2011-06-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Following my post earlier this week, here is the video showing how to make a simple ledge and braced garden gate. It's quite a long video but it covers all the relevent parts.
In a few days time I will be hanging the gate so I'll put that video up as well.
If you have any questions, drop me a line and I will help where I can.

Workmate Mountain !

2011-06-17T04:03:00.000-07:00

Following on from my earlier B&D Workmate post: Iv'e just come across this great site! Rupert Blanchard's 'Styling and Salvage'

Rupert searches the boot sales and auction houses of the South East to find second hand furniture, storage items and general materials that he can 'hack' and turn in to really useful pieces of furniture. He uses old doors, delapidated cabinets and drawers to create some briliant results. Check out his site by clicking the image above.

What really caught my eye was his collection of B&D Workmates. He collects these second hand benches and currently has a pile of 13, nainly 625's but a couple of very early silver framed models as well.

Check out some of the recycling Rupert has done especially his fashion store refits. His work has a distinct style ...... well worth a look.

New Garden Gate Urgently Required

2011-06-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

Follow me to see how I go on remaking the garden gate. Wet rot has set in and it really is beyond repair.

We have had it for about 12yrs now but its starting to look way past its best.

I'm going to be making a new one and upload the photos and the video on YouTube.

Thanks for looking in.

Black & Decker Workmate refit

2011-06-11T04:51:00.000-07:00

First made in the early seventies, the Black & Decker workmate now has worldwide sales topping 35 million.
Invented by Ron Hickman, the workmate was rejected by many companies as being not commercial enough. It was famously rejected by Stanley tools as 'Sales possibly being in the dozens'. Ron had that rejection letter framed and mounted in his office.

The workmate is superb, well, I say the workmate, I mean the original aluminium framed WM625 workmates, that were manufactured in Ireland in the 70's. They are robust, adjustable, great looking benches, something I feel the later models lack.
Originally in powder blue these workbenches sold in their millions all over the world and made Ron a multi millionaire. I own two 625's an early alluminium model and a more recent steel framed one. I use them all the time, they really are a versatile tool and I would reccommend every DIYer to get one (or two)

An early WM625 (right) and the latter all steel version.

I bought the latter at a car boot sale for a fiver. The wooden bench tops were shot so i replaced them with solid oak jaws.

One of the damaged jaws.

The solid american light oak jaw replacement.

Oak WM625 bench top

Having a pair of workmates allows you to work really long pieces of timber and also they're great as a portable working platform. Clamp a couple of planks across them and you can do indoor decorating, easily make repairs to garage gutters, tall fences and hedges etc.

HotPod update .....

2011-06-11T04:10:00.000-07:00

Late last year I was fortunate enough to be invited down to St Ives in Cornwall by Dan Harding, the inventor and manufacturer of the fantastic HotPod stove. I had contacted him through a link on YouTube and he said if I should find myself in his neck of the woods, I should pop in. I didn't need asking twice and when myself and my wife planned a week away at Sennen Cove near Lands End, Dan's workshop was on our list of places to visit!

We took our 'NotPod' along to show him and he gave us some very useful tips. (Mine is the smaller one in the photo)
Dan has his own smithy/blacksmiths shop in Cornwall where his hand built stoves are made and it was great to see him at work. Dan produces the hand made stoves to order (now in a range of enamel finishes) and also produces a cast iron version that is just as good looking and efficient but easier on the wallet.
If you fancy a HotPod you can contact Dan on Tel: +44(0)1736 797 285

The Kreg K3 master system I bought recently in the USA

2010-09-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

On a recent holiday in the USA I bought the Kreg Jig. This is a superb tool that allows woodworkers to quickly and easily create strong and accurate joints without the need for dowells, biscuits, glue or clamps.
It really speeds up the build process and after the initial purchase (about £100 plus screws) will start saving you time and money.
I'll be posting some pictures soon of a few items that I've made using the jig. Check out the video to see how I modified the jig to suit my bench.

Bird Table in White Gloss Finish

2010-07-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

This is my latest project just finished. Its my dads birthday in a couple of months and he wanted another bird table as his last one rotted away.

This is made from PreVac treated redwood with a gauranteed non rot of 10yrs. It's made mainly from 2X2 and 4X1 with the feeding table made from Ply. The two cross pieces for the feet are 24" accross with 45 deg angle supports on all four sides. Each of the feet has two or one 4X4" pads.

The roof is made from two 500 X 250mm slates which were very tricky to cut, in the end I used a 'dremel' with a cutting disc to get through them. They sit on two 30deg angle pieces cut from 4X1 and lightly screwed in with Black Japaned screws.

The central ridge piece on the roof lifts out to allow nuts to be put in to the mesh food container. The whole table is fastened by four M6 coach bolts and wing nuts to a plywood top on the stand, which allows for easy removal.

Any Ideas For Some Corks??

2010-04-28T06:16:00.001-07:00

I bought these wine corks, about 200, off Ebay a few months ago with the intention of making a notice board out of them but I've since gone off the idea. Has anyone seen a project that has used a lot of corks or any ideas for what I could use them for? I've tried cutting them and they are a nightmare ... they start to crumble and flake so if I could use them whole rather than chopped, that would be better.

The chest is now complete.

2010-04-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

It took a while to get the right colour with the water based stain but I think I got it in the end. Two coats of stain and two coats of 'Mid Brown' furniture wax. A couple of people have mentioned that I must have had some sort of woodworking training to produce this sort of work but I can assure you that this is completely within the grasp of most hobbyists. If you can use basic hand tools and have a router you can make this box. Believe me, I am not a skilled carpenter.I reckon in total the box took approx 35hours and cost in the region of £40 ($60).

Norm's three drawer chest (With Secret Drawer)

2010-04-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

This is my latest project. Its a softwood 3 drawer chest designed by Norm Abram from the New Yankee Workshop. He originally aired it in his season 12 episode 12 show. His version is made from cherry wood however that would be far too expensive so I'm using some softwood boards that I bought at IKEA for about £4 ($6) each.
It incorporates a box top and a secret drawer which was quite challenging for an amateur like me. The original can be seen at this link. I've just ordered some water based pine stain from a company called fiddes, I've used it before and it gives a superb natural English country pine finish. The octaganal door handles were about £1.50 each from a discounted range at a local ironmongery store called Woodfit. If you have any questions or would like to know any of the sizes, just subscribe to the blog and drop me a line.

Wood burning stove made from a gas cylinder

2010-04-22T03:06:00.000-07:00

One or two people have asked if I would include the wood burning stove on the blog .... so here is the youtube video and a few photos. A couple of other videos can be found at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf-b8oZnrmw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkW7k-nXd8Q

Found this bargain !!

2010-04-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

Found this bargain in a local DIY store yesterday ...... reduced from £23 to £19 ($35 to $29). Its made by Arrow .... model No. ET100K and is capable of driving 1" nails in to hardwoods, no problem! It comes in a blown plastic carry case with four packs of nails (5/8" - 3/4" and 1"). Iv'e always wanted a small nail driver but because of limited space a pneumatic gun with compressor is just not an option.
The project I'm working on in the background of the photos is a jewellery case designed and made by Norm Abram on the NYWS. Click the link and follow through on the site to some of the photos of cases made by other woodworkers. I did'nt buy the plans I just guessed the sizes.

Router Table (Foldaway)

2010-04-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the router table is very similar in construction to the cross cut saw. Both are made from 16mm MDF, both have the single leg at the front and both are collapsible. It may not look it from the photo but I can assure you this is very sturdy and when the 1800W Freud router is spinning at full speed the table is solid.
The back edge of the table simply screws to the bench with three 40mm long, No.10 screws. Because the sides are completely free of supports it's quite easy to hold the fence in position with a couple of handy clamps.

A great woodworking blog ....

2010-04-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Just found this superb blog on the web ..... have a look and check out his videos on YouTube .... Brilliant!
I have made the Jewellery box that he made on his site. I'll be including that in a later post.
Woodworking For Mere Mortals

Cross cut Saw (Foldaway)

2010-04-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, I said in yesterday blog how important it is to 'save space' in your shed. When you are dealing with small spaces and lots of equipment, being able to 'knock them down' helps. These photos show you just how I achieve that with my cross cut saw. The saw is an electra beckum that is quite weighty (about 22kg)So to keep getting this out and putting it away daily is just not a practical option.
I mounted the saw on a piece of 16mm MDF that I hinged to a batton on my shed wall. At the front of the base I drilled a hole that accepts a 10mm dowel, I drilled a similar hole directly underneath in the wooden floor. Between the two is a length of 2" square wood that when fit keeps the table perfectly horizontal.
Tomorrow I will show you how I create the same effect with a router table.

My First Real Blog

2010-04-06T03:26:00.000-07:00

My first real blog after the introduction. This is my shed. 12' X 8', and like I said, very tight. Its important to utilise as much space as possible when working in small workshops especially if building large projects. As you can see it has two windows with one facing south that allows a lot of natural light in, very important when it comes to dying and staining wood. Believe it or not, incorporated in to this shed is a saw table, cross cut table, router table and drill stand .... I even have a plan to get myself a small bandsaw. So how do I do it, how do I fit all this gear in here and still have space to work? Collapsable tables is the answer. The drill press pulls out from the wall and the saws and router table all fold away.
Tomorrow I will show you the cross cut saw.
Thanks for looking in.

New Shed Blog

2010-03-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hi.
A brief introduction to my blog.........
I've made many projects over the years in my small (8x12) shed. I hope to show you some of these on these pages and maybe inspire you to get out in to your shed and create a few yourself.
I've a few videos of the stuff I've made and I'll also post links to these on YouTube.
Most of the projects are woodwork and carpentry but as a mechanical engineer there are going to be a few welding and steel construction jobs aswell.
You really dont need a fully equiped workshop to produce some good results, like I say, my shed is only 8x12 and at times it can be tight but with planning and clever use of space it can be very productive.
The shed itself was one of my first woodwork projects and I'll cover that in a later post but inside I've made collapsable jigs and fixtures that help to make maximum use of the limited space available.
So, if you have a shed and are keen to get a few projects built, follow my blog.
Thanks for looking in. Graeme