SSYTC010 The Blowfly

SSYTC008 – Blowfly Spider Cookies

Now I’m sure that name makes little sense to anyone, so let’s clarify.

I grabbed the little digi-camera and shot a quick look at the Rockler Bench Cookies in action. They can be seen securing a board while edge routing with a hand-held router, while sanding with a ROS (random orbital sander), and while using the Blowfly Sander and Spider Sander, both from T&T Design.  There will be more on these 2 sanders shortly.

During the video, you’ll see the blowfly looking like it is catching my shirt- it isn’t, it is just generating quite a breeze, but it will be something I am more aware of in future.  Also, you’ll see me generating a ton of dust without breathing protection. I have a high volume air cleaner (Microclene MC1000) directly overhead, and during the dust production, I wasn’t breathing, so hopefully that puts anyone’s safety concerns at ease!

SSYTC006 Miter Gauges

Not that long ago, I posted Shed.TV episode 51 on the Tablesaw, and in it there was some discussion about Mitre Gauges (or Miter Gauges, which ever is your preferred spelling!)

One of the site’s readers (I’ve been combing my emails to find out who!) pointed out that there was a better way for attaching the Mitre Gauge, that I hadn’t picked up on, so this YTC episode is an addendum to the Shed.TV video, and quickly shows a technique that I’m bit embarrassed that I didn’t know!

SSYTC009 New Domino Jig from Terry Forgarty

Terry Fogarty runs the Domino and Furniture courses for Ideal Tools, and having owned and used the Domino in a production setting since they first went on sale just over 3 years ago, he is particularly experienced in their use, and has developed a number of jigs to extend its capabilities.

This is his latest jig, and is a clever, and simple way of using the domino to create adjustable shelves (similar to the old dowel hole method typical in many commercial furniture carcasses), but it produces very consistent shelf holes very easily and accurately. He finishes it off with home-made shelf supports that look so much better than the commercial plastic or metal ones.

 

SSYTC004 Ideal Tools – Festool Mecca

SSYTC003 Ideal Tools – Festool Mecca

Ideal Tools – Festool Mecca in Williamstown, Melbourne
A perfect synergy of sales, training, and getting real hands-on experience with the next potential addition to your workshop.

I really enjoy this approach.  There is no sales pitch here – the tools either sell themselves, or they don’t.  You get to see the tools in a real work environment, get to use the tools in the same, and get professional training in their application.  I’m not even getting the point across well – it sounds like there is an undercurrent here of sales and marketing, and that is far from reality.

It came across as a training facility, running really interesting courses that happen to make available the whole Festool range of tools, and it just happens that you have an opportunity to buy any Festool you need.  It isn’t even a shop – the physical aspect of Ideal Tools is a training facility, and getting in is through the courses, or by appointment.  Ideal Tools has a strong web presence, and purchasing can be done primarily through their website.  They also have a bonus scheme, where you earn points from purchases that can be used to purchase other items from their store.

This is the workshop/training facility that will be used for the Hall Table course I am attending from 2nd August for 6 weeks (of Sundays).  There are still some places available, so get in quick if you want to be a part of it.  What I am looking forward to on this course is that it is not formulaic, and it doesn’t produce a bunch of tables that all look the same.  You are encouraged, and supported to try different modifications to the base design, different materials (or at least different timbers), and to produce a table that will suit your needs, and an opportunity to express yourself in a fine furniture form.

SSYTC006 Welding

Very bad example of MMAW 😉

Stu’s Shed YouTube Chronicles 001 Introduction

An introduction to a bit of an experiment called “The Stu’s Shed YouTube Chronicles”

Raw, unedited, short clips, the video equivalent to the micro-blogs of Twitter and how they are supplementing the main content of this website/blog. Like Twitter, this is an experiment to see if it is a worthy supplement to Stu’s Shed.