Thread: Hello ~ and - issues with new posts...

Hi everyone!!!

I'm pleased to have found what looks to be a good, and well-frequented, forum! I'm looking forward to learning from you all!

I do, however, have one question... I posted something early this afternoon, but accidentally hit the 'submit' button twice (the second time it told me that I'd already posted a duplicate less than 5 minutes ago), but, that post hasn't surfaced. I looked for it on the board in which I posted it (the 'Woodwork - General' forum), but it wasn't there, so I checked my profile, and there were no posts in my post list, so I assumed it hadn't gone through. I have now posted it again, however, it hasn't surfaced either! My question is - does the forum (or, possibly, just that board) have moderator-authorisation for new threads??? Is that, perhaps, why my threads haven't shown up??? (If this is the case, and the moderator sees this, could you please delete the first post/s and just let the one posted this evening load?). Additionally, I'm not 100% sure the General board is the right one - please have a look at the post and decide, should I have posted it in 'tools & machinery'? If so, could you please move it?

Anyway, that said...

I love doing all sorts of craft (especially embroidery, can't knit anymore because of arthritis in my hands), art (mostly painting and colouring in) and woodwork. Most of the woodwork I do is stuff we need or use, although I hope to one day have the skill and time to make pretty things, I have a particular fondness for boxes. I have always loved using my hands to make things. I renovated quite a few houses about 10 years ago (not just 'a lick of paint' renovation - walls removed, or built, complete gut-outs, etc), and my ex's father started to teach me to turn wood (spindle-turning only), which I absolutely loved, unfortunately he passed away before he could teach me to turn bowls (or any type of face-work), which was what we were going to embark on next. He was a lovely, wonderful, man and I'm forever indebted to him for the time he took to teach me. I no longer have access to his lathe, but I hope to, one day, get a lathe of my own (still a long way away, I fear).

At the moment we've got a big project on, making a whole stack of new snake tanks out of melamine (as in, tanks for our snakes, we have a 'few' of them ). We're also making a rail contraption we've engineered to put into tall tanks so the snakes can climb on them. They look awesome! We were using pressure-fit curtain rods, but the snakes keep pulling them off the walls (they drape between two of them and pull them together, which pulls them off the wall...). It's taken a couple of weeks to make this first tank as we can only work for about half an hour to an hour at a time, any more is too much for me (and/or my son). But, we do what we can!!

My first tank (which is about 90% finished) doesn't look overly awesome as there are some, aah, irregularities, in the cutting of the pieces (note- I say 'tank', but they are really a melamine box with sliding perspex doors on the front, not a fish-tank type tank). I'm going to fill the gaps with silicone and the tank will still work fine.
I really need to manufacture a work bench of some kind. At the moment we're using one of those plastic folding tables from Bunnings (not just the ones whose legs fold in, but the ones which also fold in half and are anything but flat!), and a transfer bench (a long bench disabled persons use to slide across from the main bathroom into a shower that's over a bath. I don't use it in this house as I have a walk-in shower here, it's a relic from a past house). It's the right height for me to use whilst working seated, but only about 400x1200mm so quite a small size top, and padded, which doesn't add to its stability. So, we're trying to make things, and accurately cut melamine while perching it across a transfer bench and a single work-horse which are of different heights. Apparently it's quite comical to watch (according to my daughter).
I have taught my son how to use the circular saw and router, I'm not allowed to use them anymore as I have arthritic hands and a crapped-out back, the router is too heavy for me and my daughter's worried I'll kill myself with the saw (gone are the days when I used to climb trees with chain saws!!!).
My tools are 'interesting' too... We have saved for months and bought a new circular saw, router (and bits), drill and driver because my old circular saw had rusted to the point where I couldn't get the old blade off (and it was missing teeth), I didn't have a router or driver and my drill's battery had run down (as in, it didn't charge properly anymore and only held charge for about half an hour). I'm not allowed to use my drop-saw anymore because I broke the fence on it (trying to cut a round piece of grape-wood to use as a snake perch), so it's been deemed unsafe (does anyone know how to fix, or replace, a fence on a drop saw??? Mind you, it's pretty old and I'm not 100% sure I could get the blade off and it needs replacing, but still, worth the try). I have a new (to me) table saw, which my god-son-in-law gave me, but it's the subject of the aforementioned post in the general board. I did, however, get a few good bits and pieces (like a set square, laminate cutter, glu-bot and new tape measure, amongst others). Still, we make it work as best we can and I'm having a lot of fun doing this, hopefully I'll be able to maybe afford a few bits of MDF out of next week's pension and make myself a table, then the next tank we make might actually have square edges!!! Alternately, I might go around to the big Salvos shop nearby (which I haven't been to yet, as we only moved here a few months ago) and see whether they have a sturdy wooden table with legs I might be able to cut down to an appropriate height. That might be cheaper/easier than MDF and building a frame.

There are quite a few projects in the queue of things to do... Another five 1.2m tanks, then hopefully about half a dozen 3ft tanks (although, I might make some split 6ft tanks instead. but the boss (my daughter) hasn't told me which she'd prefer, yet). After that, my daughter wants a 'pretty dog crate', to use as a TV cabinet, with spaces for three dogs in individual slots, but able to be reconfigured to one or two spaces with the use of baffles. My daughter has given me 'inspiration pictures' but I'm still working on the actual drawings. Then, we've also got a half finished T.A.R.D.I.S. in the garage that is a cat-condo, so that needs to be actually finished (TBH, most of the work on that is already done, and I've already done the drawings for that, so it might be done before the dog crate thingy). Can you tell we're pretty animal-orientated around here? Thank goodness all the other species we have don't require any stuff done!!!
So, that's my introduction. Thank you to anyone who bothered to read it, I appreciate your time taken and look forward to getting to know you!

Kind regards,

Larysa.