Line Shaft Live

Probably the thing that I enjoy seeing more than anything else at Sovereign Hill, are all the line shaft driven machinery.  I’d love to have a workshop straight out of the 1890s.  I’d feel right at home.

This is one of the many working workshops at Sovereign Hill, powered by steam, and line shafts.

Shot by my daughter on an iPhone (without any encouragement from me – something starting to rub off?!! 🙂 )

 

SSYTC038 Bodging

While visiting, my Dad showed me some quick videos he had shot at a recent bodging demonstration in New Zealand, so have spliced them together here for your viewing pleasure.

I found the hook knife particularly interesting – rather than hacking in to remove the material, this provides a lot of control over the cut.

SSYTC032 Tormek T7

SSYTC023 Visit to Rockler, Denver

YouTube Chronicles reminder

Having not posted any Stu’s Shed YouTube Chronicles (SSYTC) for a while (or any video for that matter), just a quick reminder: the SSYTC are deliberately a very low production value offering – handheld on a cheap camera, with no real editing (or pro sound recording) – a quick’n’nasty way of getting some video out to cover a point.

I will be getting back to producing some more Stu’s Shed TV (multicamera, fully edited, external sound), but they do require significant amounts of time, and that is often a commodity in very short supply.

So bear with me, excuse the poor audio and the shaky camera – if I cared too much about the production quality of the SSYTC episodes, I’d never get around to actually uploading any!

SSYTC19 Linseed Oil Experiment

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!

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.