Thread: WIP - Really basic

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Springy

The longest didge he has made so far by this method is 2.7m. In the early days when FF assisted with sourcing long auger bits, Simon burnt out a 1000w protool drill on his second didge. As you have correctly assessed, end grain drilling is problematical, to put it euphemistically, and you could hardly find a more challenging wood than ironbark for this purpose. I hope he sets up the drilling machine again as I really want to see how the spotty comes up.

Regards
Paul

Woah 2.7m would've been a task and a half, he really must have wanted to do it, good on him. I hope he can get to the Spotty before too long. Just wondering Bushy, did the blank come from a specific section of the tree? Also wondering if it's the density or something or other that Iron Bark and Spotty have that produces a good instrument or is it just that they have the capabilities of holding together with a hole up their guts. Why not use a wood such as Huon say?

I've rolled out the hammock for this one - think I'll nap between progress posts

Have to say I'm rather impressed that you are milling the timber yourself and using that to craft a bench, magic

Originally Posted by springwater

Woah 2.7m would've been a task and a half, he really must have wanted to do it, good on him. I hope he can get to the Spotty before too long. Just wondering Bushy, did the blank come from a specific section of the tree? Also wondering if it's the density or something or other that Iron Bark and Spotty have that produces a good instrument or is it just that they have the capabilities of holding together with a hole up their guts. Why not use a wood such as Huon say?

Springy

I am no expert on the qualities of musical instruments, but my takes on it is that it is a sound box. I think the density of the timber and the thickness of the wall are the important points. The longer didges tend to be deeper in their sound.

That particular piece of spotty was a branch. I do have another piece from the trunk which will not yield much in the way of timber and I will make a second blank from it.

Why not Huon pine? Well if the previous owners of our house had chosen to make their stockyards out of Huon I suppose that is what Simon would have used, but they chose Ironbark instead. I think 40 years durability in the ground was more important to them than didge production .

Regards
Paul

Thanks Bushy, all the best with it and if it's not a hassle a WIP of the Didge would be much appreciated down the track

I started today to prepare the site for airdrying the spotty. Now the ideal place would be on a concrete slab away from buildings, but this is the real world. Hell, I don't even have a concrete floor in the work shed!

I have a spot away from buildings and in lieu of a slab I poured eight concrete footings today. I will be placing concrete breeze blocks on these and then bearers on those. As you can see the pads are not aligned well as they are only footings, but I did want them close to level to make final leveling easier. I didn't feel I could get the levels close without building frames.

I was lucky in that I scored three discarded pallets 2m plus long from the tip at work. The softwood boards I ripped to use for these footing formworks. One pallet had hardwood boards and I have ripped each into three and I have made up nearly sixty stickers from those. It won't be enough but at least I can use hardwood for the lowers layers where the weight is heaviest and I will supplement that with softwood bearers higher up.

The wide boards from the thirdpallet I have made into two laminated beams as I did not have any suitable timber (that I wanted to part with) for this purpose. It is only softwood, but the spans are small and it will end up about 130mm x 80 after dressing on the jointer and thicknesser. Now for some piccys;


air drying spotty 001.jpg

But there was a small problem when I returned for final troweling

air drying spotty 003.jpgair drying spotty 004.jpg

Two of them had been damaged by birds. Probably a pee wee! The little coots are inquisitive and fiercely territorial. If you see one with concrete boots it'll be the one. Oh yes it'll be flying fairly low too .

No matter, I was able to smooth the concrete out. More pix next week as I'm off to the Brissy show early tomorrow. If any of you are going there, be sure to call in at the Forum stand and say G'day.

Regards
Paul

Thanks Paul for the tutorial.... I'm learning something I didn't know anything about.....
On the photos.... Make sure you get some from the Brissy show for all to see, please.
Be safe, avoid the issues of the Dalby trip and have a beaut couple of days at the ekka/wood show.
Cheers, crowie

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

I've rolled out the hammock for this one - think I'll nap between progress posts

Nick

On the positive side there a better than average chance that at least you'll be refreshed by the end .

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by crowie

Thanks Paul for the tutorial.... I'm learning something I didn't know anything about.....
On the photos.... Make sure you get some from the Brissy show for all to see, please.
Be safe, avoid the issues of the Dalby trip and have a beaut couple of days at the ekka/wood show.
Cheers, crowie

Peter

I'm pretty ordinary with a camera (probably without a camera too ), but I'm sure somebody will work something out. I don't have to go through Dalby but the roadworks are horrendous between Millmerran and Toowoomba. I think there are around ten sets at least and the range is another hold up. Leaving early to compensate.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Yes. I hope she still visits the forums, even if she no longer participates, and realises what a huge contribution she made and how sadly she is missed. The last time I saw her was at the 2011 Brissy show so it is a timely reminder of yours.

Another person missed for both his expertise and wit is Woodwould.

Regards
Paul

Woodwoulds blog Pegs and 'Tails | Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English and Irish furniture & co.
Ross

My plan for the bench was to have three vices. I've oggled over the Benchcrafted leg vice but reasoned that after forking out for the MCW vice and the HNT Gordon tail vice enough was enough and I would fabricate the mechanism.

While I was at the Brissy show I saw the tail vice below on the McJing stand. At $55 I thought that will do me. much of the rest is relatively easy to put together. Originally I was thinking in terms of a chrome handwheel as I am attracted to the bright and shiny (I may have been a bower bird in a former existence), but now I am leaning towards a timber handwheel. If I laminate four or five layers of spotted gum I should end up with something strong enough.

I am quite warming to the handwheel looking like something out of a 1930s sports car . Perhaps I can call it a Bentley Roubo .

air drying spotty 008.jpg

The shaft is 1 1/4" or was it 32mm ? I don't really remember and it probably doesn't matter. Sufficiently robust for my purposes either way.

Oh, I posted some more preparatory work for the air drying stack on the timber milling forum, but won't get to build the stack until the weekend so if you are not thrilled at the prospect of looking at sixty hardwood stickers or the laminated beam shown in the above pic you can hold on to your curiosity until after the weekend .

Regards
Paul

tail vice or leg vice?

. Good question Nick.

I am hoping to build a leg vice. I think the part I bought is called a tail vice screw. This is from the Timbecon page on vices:

Product Search

McJing call it a bench screw.

McJING Online Tools Products Search

Carbatec call it a tail vice screw:

Carba-Tec® Tail Vise Screw : CARBA-TEC

I hope that clears it up .

I'm searching for a Bently decal or an Invicta or a Horch, Alvis Jaguar SS etc etc for the steering wheel, ummm I mean handwheel .

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

I'm searching for a Bently decal or an Invicta or a Horch, Alvis Jaguar SS etc etc for the steering wheel, ummm I mean handwheel .

Jensen FF? Garn.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Jensen FF? Garn.

Just a little bit modern for me (apologies to Lola, who is very modern ). The 541R is more my scene. This one is 1959 and I think in Australia .

Jensen1959 541R.jpg

But I do understand why you would put a vote in for the FF .

Regards
Paul