SWIMBO has now returned from colder and windier climes having arrived at Brize Norton at about 0930 she got back just in time for coffee. The decorating has been finished for about a week now and my efforts got the official 'nod of approval' so I'm fairly chuffed at the moment...the only unfortunate casualty was that I broke one of the glass doors in the bookcase so will have to get some more made which is going to set me back about £70 or so.
On a different topic I had a very surreal day in Egham on Sunday as it was a 30th reunion for my old college. It was very, very strange to see old friends that I hadn't seen for 30 years... also to walk around the grounds and visit all my old haunts on the site
The back panel of the Elm Cabinet II is now nearing completion and I'll need to sort out another couple of coats of finish on it before it's ready to go into the carcase. I haven't been able to do much on it recently as I've had the decorating to do but hopefully that will change now so I'll be able to get back into the 'shop.
21 April 2008
13 April 2008
Yandles
Had a great day out yesterday at Yandles. Pete and Paul together with Wanlock Dod (Pete's son-in-law) turned up at my place at about 10.00am and after a quick brew we all bundled into the Landy and trundled off down the A303 to the show. We seemed to gravitate this time to the Phillyplane stand for some odd reason, don't know why that should be... seemed to be a focal point for all the UKW forum members.
Philly's planes provided much practical 'hands on' experience and it was also very pleasant to meet David Charlesworth, though not for the first time. I won't say anything about the first time which was at the last Axminster show when he had a very small embarrassing moment with a LN chisel, so I won't say anything more about it save that it entailed a trip to the local hospital!
It was great also to meet Martin and Mike Reilly again as well as Tony Sutton who I hadn't met and of course there was also Escudo (Tony) from the wilds of Norfolk...great to meet everyone.
I intended to try and get hold of a couple of lumps of Elm but there wasn't anything suitable so I ended up with two decent bits of quarter sawn oak that I'll use for drawer sides. I've been looking for some time for anything decent and it's quite hard to find so I was pleased that I managed to find a couple of good bits. I also had a delve into an oddments box of African Blackwood and managed to find a little bit which ought to provide enough for a couple of marking knife handles. I also picked up a bit of African Ebony for a few more octagonal chisel handles should the need arise a later date...it's not as though I'm a collector of tools, but you never know.
All in all, a really fabulous day out with the lads.
Philly's planes provided much practical 'hands on' experience and it was also very pleasant to meet David Charlesworth, though not for the first time. I won't say anything about the first time which was at the last Axminster show when he had a very small embarrassing moment with a LN chisel, so I won't say anything more about it save that it entailed a trip to the local hospital!
It was great also to meet Martin and Mike Reilly again as well as Tony Sutton who I hadn't met and of course there was also Escudo (Tony) from the wilds of Norfolk...great to meet everyone.
I intended to try and get hold of a couple of lumps of Elm but there wasn't anything suitable so I ended up with two decent bits of quarter sawn oak that I'll use for drawer sides. I've been looking for some time for anything decent and it's quite hard to find so I was pleased that I managed to find a couple of good bits. I also had a delve into an oddments box of African Blackwood and managed to find a little bit which ought to provide enough for a couple of marking knife handles. I also picked up a bit of African Ebony for a few more octagonal chisel handles should the need arise a later date...it's not as though I'm a collector of tools, but you never know.
All in all, a really fabulous day out with the lads.
05 April 2008
Tunnel Light
The mammoth decorating job (for me anyway) of sorting out the decoration of the lounge is almost done. Yesterday and the day before I put laid the new laminate floor which went down without mishap and does, I have to say, look rather posh. Today I've been making up the new skirting boards to go over the top and finishing them with a couple of coats of acrylic varnish. I could have kept the old ones in place on the wall but then I would have had to use that revolting little bit of quadrant moulding to cover the expansion gap 'twixt laminate and skirt....yuk!!! All being well then the new skirting boards should be up tomorrow and then I'll have to fit the curtain poles ready for some new drapes later on.
SWIMBO had a small lump sum pension pay out today from a really grotty job that she had (I worked as well at the same factory) several years ago and she decided that she wanted a new flat screen telly and DVD recorder to go in the newly decorated lounge...so today that's what she's got! A 32" Panasonic LXD700, 160Gb HDDVD recorder, HDMI cable and tilt/swivel wall mounted bracket are now residing in the lounge awaiting the truly glorious moment when I can emerge into the light at the end of a very long tunnel, install the new TV system and finally say that the decorating is done...and better still, it'll be done before the SWIMBO's return from distant climes. Winner!
SWIMBO had a small lump sum pension pay out today from a really grotty job that she had (I worked as well at the same factory) several years ago and she decided that she wanted a new flat screen telly and DVD recorder to go in the newly decorated lounge...so today that's what she's got! A 32" Panasonic LXD700, 160Gb HDDVD recorder, HDMI cable and tilt/swivel wall mounted bracket are now residing in the lounge awaiting the truly glorious moment when I can emerge into the light at the end of a very long tunnel, install the new TV system and finally say that the decorating is done...and better still, it'll be done before the SWIMBO's return from distant climes. Winner!
31 March 2008
I hate panels...
I'll be really glad when this back panel for the Elm Cabinet II has been done. After initially bookmatching the joints the completed panel took on shape of it's own as it started to warp. This of course made rebating with the router table impossible so I had to cramp it flat to the bench and use the smaller hand held router to make the rebate.
Except that I got the measurements slightly out and now the gap 'twixt frame and panel is too large. This means that I'll have to plane something off the tongues all round to reduce the gap to about 2mm, which is the same as the panels in the carcase sides.
The result of this is that the frame will have to be made smaller to fit the now reduced panel size and doing this little exercise will mean that the exterior dimensions of the framed up panel will make it sloppy in the carcase rebate.
Bugger!
The only way out of this fine mess I've got myself into is to glue on a slither of elm on all of the outside faces to make it fit and hope no-one has a fancy to look at the back when it's installed. Fortunately, the interior will totally mask the utter cock-up that I've made of it all so it ought to look tolerable. The only saving grace on this sorry escapade is that the material for the panel itself has quite an acceptable grain pattern with some rather striking figure in it...anyway that's a job for next week, here's hoping I don't get myself further into the mire!
Except that I got the measurements slightly out and now the gap 'twixt frame and panel is too large. This means that I'll have to plane something off the tongues all round to reduce the gap to about 2mm, which is the same as the panels in the carcase sides.
The result of this is that the frame will have to be made smaller to fit the now reduced panel size and doing this little exercise will mean that the exterior dimensions of the framed up panel will make it sloppy in the carcase rebate.
Bugger!
The only way out of this fine mess I've got myself into is to glue on a slither of elm on all of the outside faces to make it fit and hope no-one has a fancy to look at the back when it's installed. Fortunately, the interior will totally mask the utter cock-up that I've made of it all so it ought to look tolerable. The only saving grace on this sorry escapade is that the material for the panel itself has quite an acceptable grain pattern with some rather striking figure in it...anyway that's a job for next week, here's hoping I don't get myself further into the mire!
28 March 2008
Sorted
After a harrowing few days I've finally got the computer back from the menders who did a pretty up front job. I took it in several times and the techies had a look at it each time free and gratis but in the end they couldn't fix it so it was booked in for a proper inspection. In the end Windows had to be reinstalled and the guys also set up the printer and external hard drive. I had some extra RAM installed while it was at the shop so when it was lit up this morning the difference in the speed was amazing. Internet access is now through MS Internet Express rather than AOL which suits me as well.
I've made some progress on the back panel of the Elm Cabinet II as well. Things haven't gone quite according to plan, so some minor adjustments have had to be made, but hopefully all will go well when it's finally done. I realised the other day that I was trying to be too much of a smart arse in it's making and should have made it in a completely different way. Never mind, you lives and you learns.
SWIMBO's return is about three weeks away now and things have moved on with the decoration of the lounge. The first coat of paint has gone up onto the walls and all the nasty, dusty, throat clogging work of hacking out brickwork for sockets (surface mounted previously) and plastering has been done so the end is in sight. Tomorrow should see the next coat of paint on the walls and after that it's rubbing down the white work and a lick of gloss.
I've made some progress on the back panel of the Elm Cabinet II as well. Things haven't gone quite according to plan, so some minor adjustments have had to be made, but hopefully all will go well when it's finally done. I realised the other day that I was trying to be too much of a smart arse in it's making and should have made it in a completely different way. Never mind, you lives and you learns.
SWIMBO's return is about three weeks away now and things have moved on with the decoration of the lounge. The first coat of paint has gone up onto the walls and all the nasty, dusty, throat clogging work of hacking out brickwork for sockets (surface mounted previously) and plastering has been done so the end is in sight. Tomorrow should see the next coat of paint on the walls and after that it's rubbing down the white work and a lick of gloss.
23 March 2008
'Puters...who'd have 'em?
I got up bright and early yesterday, fired up the computer to check on emails and decided to reply to one by including a scanned copy of an old pic from college. Trouble is the scanner didn't work and to cut a long and very sad story sideways, I managed to do all sorts of stupid things to the machine, all of which were of my own making. The result was that I had to take it down to the menders who fixed it...sort of. It's still not quite right so it's going back again this morning and if they can't fix it on the spot (which they may well be able to do) then I'll have to book it it in for them to have a look at later in the week. The upside is that while I had it in the shop yesterday I took the opportunity to increase the RAM from 512Mb to 1.5Gb so that when I started up yesterday it was much quicker.
I'm off on Wednesday with Paul Chapman to see Dom Valente at his 'shop in Hertford so that should be a very interesting day out. I'll be taking the Elm Chest and Teak Casket for him to have a look at...quite looking forward to it and the bonus is that it gets me away from the decorating for a day.
I'm off on Wednesday with Paul Chapman to see Dom Valente at his 'shop in Hertford so that should be a very interesting day out. I'll be taking the Elm Chest and Teak Casket for him to have a look at...quite looking forward to it and the bonus is that it gets me away from the decorating for a day.
20 March 2008
A Month To Go
This time next month, the 20th April to be exact about these things, SWIMBO is going to turn up on the doorstep 'fresh' and I say that advisedly, off the aircraft from the Falkland Islands, but she will have had a three day stop over at Ascension Island on the Equator which will have cost next to nothing (the main one being a hire vehicle to get around in) in addition to a small amount of readies for 'beer and skittles'...
Which leaves me exactly one month to get the decorating done and dusted!
I'm still in the prep stage at the moment as I've just finished the first bit of plastering. The electrical sockets have been sunk into the bricks (instead of surface boxes) and a couple of spurs run off. The fireplace has been ripped out, bricked up and is ready for plastering. I've spent a couple of days removing umpteen layers of wallpaper dating back to at least the 1950's, judging by some of the truly ghastly patterns that emerged so now I'm down to decent plaster and it's just a question now of making good before the paint can go on.
The next few weeks (in between shifts) will see me painting like mad, after which it's a new laminate floor, then skirting boards go back and finally finishing off with some decent curtain poles and drapes.
SWIMBO has decreed from afar that a new telly would be 'just the thing' to go into the newly decorated lounge (it's going to go where the old fireplace was). I've done a lot of research and I reckon that the Panasonic TV's will take a bit of beating, so I'm going to opt for one of those (wall mount it, to take up less space) and a HDD DVD recorder to complete the set up.
Which leaves me exactly one month to get the decorating done and dusted!
I'm still in the prep stage at the moment as I've just finished the first bit of plastering. The electrical sockets have been sunk into the bricks (instead of surface boxes) and a couple of spurs run off. The fireplace has been ripped out, bricked up and is ready for plastering. I've spent a couple of days removing umpteen layers of wallpaper dating back to at least the 1950's, judging by some of the truly ghastly patterns that emerged so now I'm down to decent plaster and it's just a question now of making good before the paint can go on.
The next few weeks (in between shifts) will see me painting like mad, after which it's a new laminate floor, then skirting boards go back and finally finishing off with some decent curtain poles and drapes.
SWIMBO has decreed from afar that a new telly would be 'just the thing' to go into the newly decorated lounge (it's going to go where the old fireplace was). I've done a lot of research and I reckon that the Panasonic TV's will take a bit of beating, so I'm going to opt for one of those (wall mount it, to take up less space) and a HDD DVD recorder to complete the set up.
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