Thread: Hi from Canberra

Hi i'm Mark, recently bought the wife's latest forever home in Canberra and now I am slowly working out how to best use my allocated but less than ideal space. It is a weird shaped garage which angles into the back. The floor is angled meaning all my benches and tools need custom stands and are subsequently not very mobile.

After 30+ years I am able to step out of work in four years so I have given myself that time to get the space ready but also gain skills and knowledge enough to give me a safe and secure place to tinker whilst I work out what to do when I grow up. I am a firm believer in getting the best tools I can afford at the time and have been very very luck to have been able to "reward myself" after a number of deployments with a good piece of machinery each time before the wife and family apportioned the remaining funds. I have favoured Laguna machinery and after using Triton tools to build my boat all I can say is wow .My deficiency is hand skills and good hand tools so that is the next journey. I realise I need to backtrack quite a bit to learn the patient and quiet art of hand tools but what an exciting prospect though. Anyone in Canberra area who want to get together to make stuff I can offer my machinery for your knowledge.

I get excited making things from wood destined for firewood and am now considering one of the old piano's at the recycling yard to harvest some well seasoned oak I am sure would work well. I consider myself a novice but get great satisfaction for making anything especially if it can be used rather than looked at. I have made some big items but in each one I would do something different in retrospect - so always learning. My next project is a 31 string gothic harp that currently exists on a set of plans, my head, and a pile of beautifully figured Silky Oak. Not going anywhere near that wood till I have it perfectly worked out in my head first.

Some projects are attached (hope I have not broken any conventions in doing so):The boat is a Penobscot 14 designed by Arch Davis in the US. It is a plywood planked traditional pulling and sailing boat. I built everything except the sail, bronze fitting and ropes/pullies. I did have a go at making pullies which turned out great but are too big for this sized boat. Timber was Hoop Marine Ply for the planks and TAS Blackwood for the Framing and everything else. I did use blue gum for the oarlocks but learnt a good lesson in grain direction and timber loading so I need to get around to replacing all four of them because of cracking. Rather naïve to start woodworking with this project but I figured what the hell and how hard could it be if I just go step by step and follow the plans. I would recommend this project to anyone.

The hobby table was from Woodsmith plans and timber was redwood from old racking and pallets. The blond wood is golden cypress I use for making Warre Bee Hives. The music stand is again from Woodsmith plans timber is Sapele. The blond inlay wood in the bookholder is from a salvaged old school desk top. Not sure what it is and not what I would call attractive but in this instance it was what I needed. The knobs are from Bunnings which annoys me and makes me consider that Wood Turning should be my next learning adventure.

The guitar I built on a course run at Hancock guitars in QLD. It is an acoustic base and I was able to do everything on it myself including fashioning the neck. Tas Blackwood, Bunya Pine, and QLD Maple are the timbers. Great (expensive) course that created a desire for the finer and slower things in life. For me the biggest value was in demystifying instrument construction and showing me that there a better things to do with my life than what I do at work.

Lastly the drop saw station - I got sick of getting bruises on my hip from hitting the adjusting knob every time I walked past the saw on it's flimsy workstand. Also whilst I think the big bosch saw is the best thing ever, dust collection is not what I would call a strong suit. After scouring the internet I formulated a plan in my head and got to work. I reused the strongback from building the boat (30cm wide LDL) so that dictates how long it is - just under 4 meters long. It is 900mm wide which is just enough to fit the entire saw on the bench. The bench carcus only goes back 800mm allowing me to mount 100mm pvc stormwater pipe for dust collection and eventually electrical under the bench top out of the way. In the hood I have mounted a cheap flush fitting stormwater grate and splitter for the standard 50mm dust port on the hose - no more dust at all even with cutting MDF. The draws are very simple plywood boxes 700mm deep with dividers which have vastly increased my storage space and cleanliness. Phase two will be to make cupboards for under the bench and cabinets on top.

The drill is an old Hare and Forbs press handed down a lot of times and non-functional for some time. I spent christmas restoring it to good working condition and had to build in extra bracing under the bench as it is so bloody heavy. All up if the wife decides she wants to sell and buy another forever house then this bench is staying put.

Happy and excited to get together with local woodies and travel around to meet others and learn. Mark