Thread: Ticking Wood

Like a Kid in a Candy Store

Earlier today I visited Carba-Tec and Hare & Forbes.

"Boy oh boy oh boy." That was me while my dear partner was checking the time with her arms crossed. It was a strange experience with the roles reversed. I usually find myself with crossed arms looking for a chair in some clothing store with a hip name where they misspell a word like Topz or Temt. I can never find one so like a good little boy I follow her around and agree that she looks great in that colour and oh that cut of jeans just does wonders for your... umm, posterior.



I can see myself spending hours at Carba-Tec - less the partner-with-crossed-arms. I'm sure I saw some factory stores around Auburn that can keep her well occupied. I'm just scared of the pounding our credit cards will receive if we split up.

They have a massive range of tools and if you are just starting out like myself... I'll take one of each please sir. I'm sure I won't need that lathe just yet but if I can take it home I'll find a use for it. I bet it would look pretty if I attach a colourful little fan on one end and let it spin. It might just keep me cool as well in the summer.

My main reason for the visit was to eye out their 18" Scroll Saw. I ogled it and then the 21" Excalibur (you have to say that with a booming majestic voice) grabbed my attention and screamed out begging me to take it home. I let them battle for my favour but in the end left them both to live and fight another day.



Fast forward 15 minutes and here we are at Hare & Forbes. She still had her arms crossed but she stopped looking at her watch. She was checking the time on her phone instead while no doubt posting nasty things about me on Facebook. I can't prove that though as she de-friended me before we left Carba-Tec. I'm just lucky I had the car keys in my pocket...

Machinery House is just that. A house, in this case a large warehouse, full of machines. Lots of fun stuff to crush and rip your fingers off if you don't know how to operate it and let me tell you I can successfully maim myself on 87% of their equipment given the opportunity.

I specifically went to see their Woodfast 12" Disc Sander of which they had none in stock and their H&F SBD-25A (D144) Drill Press which turns out is huge in real life. I suspected it was large but seeing it in person was impressive. At 60kg I would need both arms to lift it. Well, one arm if I had my Weetbix in the morning.

Those three items are in my shopping trolley at the moment. A decent quality scroll saw, a no nonsense disc sander and a practical solid drill press. I'm having second thoughts on the drill press and I might end up going with something a little smaller. I was also checking out some band saws but that's for a future purchase - maybe when my partner stops hyperventilating.

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I started a blog to document my journey. Hope to finish one clock before I lose one finger. Seems like a realistic goal.

Ticking Wood blog

Cheers for reading

Thanks 240.
A great introduction. Excellent work on surviving the laser stares.
I'll be following your blog.

A small update today.

I have been looking for a 1" belt sander with any size disc. Via a post on these forums, Big Shed contacted me as he had one to sell. It's a small Carba-Tec unit with a 5" disc which means I'll need to later purchase a 12" disc but for now it'll do me. I rang Carba-Tec Sydney and Brisbane trying to get some information on these units but neither store knew of them. It must be a discontinued model.

Big Shed was very accommodating with trying to get it out to me. It just arrived and it is currently sitting behind my desk nestled comfortably in plenty of bubble wrap.



I am trying to save money on the initial outlay for equipment so I had lined up a drill press from a family friend. As it turns out I can't borrow it so I've decided to buy one. I settled on the H&F SBD-25A. It looks like it's in a sweet spot value for money wise. I'm hoping to make some time this weekend to pick it up.



I'll need a bench to put it on so that's the most pressing project. I was able to source a couple of office type bench tops from work. They are 1500 x 750 x 35 MDF and are laminated all around. The laminate is a bit slippery but as a first cheap workbench it will have to do.

Next week I expect delivery of the Quintus kit and should be able to get a start on it soon after.

Beyond that I will need to invest in a scroll saw but in the meantime I'm sure there will be some hand tools I will need. Currently doing some research on a decent filing set and a chisel set. Happy to hear your suggestions.

SWMBO reads this so all please join me in convincing her this is a worthy and rewarding hobby and relatively inexpensive.

Woke up at half past 5 on Saturday. It was too early to start banging about in the garage so I moved my blog over to a self hosted WordPress site. Check it out at:

tickingwood.com


I spent whatever other spare time I had, which wasn't until Sunday, to clear out a room in the basement in preparation for a bench build. I picked up a couple of 1500 x 750 x 35 laminated office style bench tops from work on Saturday which will help me keep costs down. To further help with keeping costs down the frame will be made with 90 x 35 MGP10. Looking forward to spending some father and son time with my dad when we're building the workbench. I've taken some photos of the room before I started the clean and will take some more as we build the bench so more on that soon.

The sander I bought last week turned up on Friday. After stripping it and giving it a good clean she looks set to rub against some wood. I took some photos of this as well and will post them soon. The disc sander, as I suspected, is too small and I will need a 12" unit soon.

A member of another forum recommended I read Dava Sobel's "Longitude" for the breakdown of Harrison's story. I work in a book store and we had it in stock so I picked it up last week. Read the first chapter on the train this morning and I didn't want to get off the train. Pretty interesting so far.

Over the weekend I purchased the wood for the frame of my workbench. It's mostly MGP10 with some 12 and 15 sprinkled in to keep things exciting. I'm not being too fussy with this workbench build as I fully expect to move houses within a year. I will post some photos of the bench and room conversion when it is complete.

Last night I received my Dremel 4000 with the workbench and drill press attachment. Had a lot of fun making buzzing noises while my other half was watching The Voice.





On the weekend I visited Carba-Tec and did a little bit of shopping. Seems like I'm shopping more than wooding (yes, I know that word doesn't make sense).

I picked up a Dust Deputy DIY Kit (why do they call it a kit? it has 1 item in the box...), a digital angle rule, and some belts and discs for my sander. I did also drool over the scroll saws again and was overcome with anxiety when I saw the cost of clamps. I fully expect to have a decent set of clamps by 2016 if I start now.

Don't even get me started on this wall...

Looking good.
I use a pair of Dremels for almost everything. (Rotary and MultiMax) You'll probably find the plunge router and router/shaper table useful, too, along with the drill press.
The MultiMax is invaluable for trimming etc, with the plunge cutter blade. I also got the MultiFlex to go with it. Worth considering and especially for fiddly stuff like you will be doing.
The little Dremel edge planer is handy, too. (I grabbed every Dremel attachment I could get my hands on, even a jigsaw attachment.)

Wish I was as close to Carbatec as you. I have to buy online.

(Did you get the H&F Drill Press yet? I'm considering the same one.)

Edit: I just noticed where you have the Dremel cord on the drill press. There are two little clips on the LHS of the drill press for the cord, to keep it out of the way.

Originally Posted by Hermit

(Did you get the H&F Drill Press yet? I'm considering the same one.)

Edit: I just noticed where you have the Dremel cord on the drill press. There are two little clips on the LHS of the drill press for the cord, to keep it out of the way.

I'll check out the MultiMax. Sounds like it could be useful.

I haven't got the drill press yet. I'm hoping to get out there this weekend. I'm house hunting so Saturdays involve a lot of driving around and I can't make it at any other time.

I realised I really need a 12" disc sander to get this workbench completed so I have a good excuse to pick up both. Fingers crossed for this weekend.

Someone changed my mind about the bench drill press. I am now getting the pedestal one instead. I have just the place for it as well and my bench space will be limited so it works out well.

Thanks for the tip re the cord. I doubt I would have noticed that since for some reason I decided the cord just sits up there. I'm not at home so I was trying to picture it and I found this:

Originally Posted by two40

I'll check out the MultiMax. Sounds like it could be useful.

Yeah, they're much like the 'Renovator' you see on TV ads. At the moment I'm cutting out & hollowing a semi-complex shape and found the plunge cutter invaluable last night to trim the outside to shape, then it helped remove the material from the inside, all in minutes. The chips were really flying. Without it I'd still be at it with the chisels.

Big smiles today. The clock kit arrived and I had to practise my zen to keep myself from being too excited.

It's a design by David Atkinson from Woodentimes. I opted for a kit with hardware included so that I can jump right in without having to invest in all the tools I would need had I started with just the plans.

I was not disappointed to see his instructions are very thorough and his hardware of excellent quality. For someone looking to test the waters, I would recommend this kit without any hesitation. You even get surprise gummy bears!

1/ Kit purchased from woodentimes.com


2/ Solid box and well taped


3/ Items were bubble wrapped but not individually.


4/ No damage to any of the parts.


5/ CNC cut. Reminds me of the Tamiya car models I used to build as a kid


6/ All the small bits and pieces. Just need to add a battery.


7/ The manual. Surprisingly also very well produced.


8/ Thanks David


9/ Thorough instructions are included along with videos on his website.


10/ Gummy bears! A very cute touch. There were two packs. I've eaten one and the other I will open when the clock is complete. )

Looks pretty comprehensive. You probably won't need much in the way of tools.
(I misunderstood and thought you were making the pieces yourself. Hence my recommendation of the Dremel MultiMax.)

No, you're right. That's part of the reason why I got this kit. Seemed like a good start with the limited tools I have. By the time I finish this clock I'll have all the tools I need to start with raw materials. I'm keen on some Clayton Boyer clocks. He has some really nice designs. I'm a big fan of his Toucan, Swoopy and the Model T. The walking escapement in his Toucan is something I have to make.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg4ZJ2qMGoY]Toucan - YouTube[/ame]

That's a nice movement. It does look like a toucan.

I thought you were intending to make a full clock. A kit is a good starting point, to get the feel of things.

I like the Clayton Boyer designs too. (The square gears on his page are intriguing.) I saved a link for future reference. I'll probably have a go at a clock myself, some time in the future. The only one I've made so far is a box for a digital alarm clock/calendar.

Originally Posted by Hermit

I thought you were intending to make a full clock. A kit is a good starting point, to get the feel of things.

I am, just need to get a run up.

Do you have some photos of the box you built?

btw, I've placed my order for that drill press I mentioned. Picking it up on Saturday. I also put my name down for the 12" Woodfast disc sander but they can't guarantee they will have one for me from their next shipment which is due in 2 weeks. Kind of a bummer but I'm hopeful it will work out.

Originally Posted by two40

I am, just need to get a run up.

Do you have some photos of the box you built?

Yep, but hardly worth showing off. (First thing I ever made from timber, made from balsa, so don't laugh too loudly. This got me into the hobby.)
These pics, (below), are from before finishing, unfortunately. I finished it in a very dark mahogany colour and wax. This was more of an electronics and programming project, a self setting USB clock with 433MHz interface. I designed the electronics and wrote the software, then couldn't stomach the idea of putting it in an off-the-shelf plastic box.

btw, I've placed my order for that drill press I mentioned. Picking it up on Saturday. I also put my name down for the 12" Woodfast disc sander but they can't guarantee they will have one for me from their next shipment which is due in 2 weeks. Kind of a bummer but I'm hopeful it will work out.

I envy you that drill press. The Dremel one is OK, but limited to a short 3mm bit. Good for starting a guide hole, though, then finishing with a hand drill.

I should have added, the box linked to in my sig is more representative of what I'm doing now.