Notes from the 'van

Ta da...

2010-01-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

And then finally, there it was, curved and shaped to perfection (well, nearly)....

Seat Box. Done.

Comfy, are we?

2010-01-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

And while all this was going on, who was fast asleep in his 'new bed'?.....answers on a postcard, please!

God, that's heavy...

2010-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

Now for the really hard bit.

The plan is to upholster the chair and seat back but not over the frame so i had to build a seat box to sit within the frame around which the upholstery will fit. Building the side pieces wasn't difficult as I already had a template from the frame so it was just a case of cutting it 1mm smaller all round. The front piece, however, was a different story. The initial starting block had to be HUGE to accommodate the depth of the curve in the front leg. In fact, I had to glue up six pieces of 25mm birch ply to get sufficient depth. And that made it REALLY HEAVY too.

And then I had to shape it. Some of this could be done on the jointer but finishing the outside shape had to be done by hand. I could feel my plane dying a little more with each stroke as it tried to fight it's way through the myriad of glue lines that make up a piece of ply. In the end it caved as the blade chipped and I headed off to try and revive it. And then I planed some more. And then it chipped again. And again. And again. And then my arm fell off!

Getting round the bend...

2010-01-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Finally, I made it back. What with a house move, and Christmas, and snow... and more snow... and more snow. And did I mention the house move - and the lack of broadband ever since. But don't get me started on BT. So, here I am writing this from the pub, which has the fantastic service of offering free broadband to its customers. Genius.

But back to the chairs - I'm back progress at what can only be described as a 'slow 'n' steady pace! Having cut all the components for the external chair frames, the next job was to glue them together. Not easy with so many curves around. The only solution was to build another jig to hold the pieces in place while they were glued, and then clamped. It took a while but I got there in the end!

And here you have it, one chair frame....

And here's the one with arms....

2009-11-22T05:04:00.000-08:00

Having made the templates for all the main components for the full scale model (which took bloomin' ages, BTW), the next job was making the real thing. Easy, right!

As all the frame components are cut from solid maple, the first step was to make a series of jigs to cut them out using the spindle moulder. This was no mean feat, given the length of the back leg - and quite a job manouevering it around the machine without banging into either the wall(!) or one of the many piles of wood stacked up in the machine room.

It turned out I've enough Maple to make two chairs - one with arms and a second without. A bit more work in the finishing but at this stage, once the jigs are made, cuttung the components for both chairs at the same time takes no more time.

2009-11-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

As it turned out, making the full size prototype wasn't half as complex as I'd imagined. As I headed off to TP's to buy some pine, Daren armed me with a sword to cut the wood down so as to fit it in the car. 'I'm sure the guys down there will help me out with that,' I said. 'No they won't,' came the swift reply. THing is, they did. And why? Because at no point did it even enter the heads of those guys down there that a woman would a) know what a saw is or b) be able to use one. So, of course they offered to cut it up for me - and load it into the car! Result!

The concern in making this has long been the seat shape but thankfully a piece of 3mm MDF nailed into position was easier than I'd thought, instantly creating the effect I was after - and making one helluva comfy chair (even if I do say so myself!)

Just the real thing to do now...

Size and scale

2009-11-20T12:57:00.000-08:00

So, here we have the chair model - definitely not the easiest thing in the world to build but it's pretty much there now. Just one thing... as it's quite a complex design, the next step is to make a full size prototype. (sigh). Oh, well, onwards and upwards

A place to sit...

2009-10-08T13:11:00.001-07:00

With the table now nothing but a distant memory, the last few weeks have been devoted to designing my next project - a reading chair. Definitely more complicated than the table! I arrived at what was to become the side elevation pretty quickly on paper. And then got stuck. And stuck. And stuck. And then I made a model. To say I 'made a model' sounds way more straightforward and successful than the process actually was. In reality it was a long and frustrating journey that had Daren sending me back and forth to redo various bits until I could have screamed.

Part of me was enjoying making the model while another part felt a bit like I was wasting 'making' time. A couple of weeks on I now realise how important the model making phase is - even more so in this case as I was essentially designing the chair in 3-D. With nothing but a side view on paper, the model had to represent the exact dimensions, look and feel of the final piece, only in one third scale.

Job done.

2009-10-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

And then suddenly, there it was. Done.

And worth all the hard work. I remember receiving my first book back from the publisher. Sure, it was a rush but nothing compared to completing this table. It has now been delivered safely to one very happy customer.

And onto the next thing....

Ouch...

2009-08-30T12:41:00.001-07:00

Nice curves....

2009-08-27T14:06:00.001-07:00

Blimey, my hands hurt. I've just spent hours taking miniscule shavings off one of the table legs with a plane that looks about as old as I feel! The plane is one of Daren's 'Rounds and Hollows' set that have curved blades, thus enabling you to plane into the curve - but it's really, really narrow and takes ages! Doing both legs took about 3 days in total.

Next up sanding... and sanding.... and sanding.....and................

This is all about getting just the right amount of curve in just the right place. Needless to say, my carpal tunnel is suffering the most after more than a week in this position.

Next up... saw kerfing

2009-08-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

With the pieces all glued together, next it was time to shape the pieces using a technique called saw kerfing. This involves running the table saw over the piece numerous times, each time adjusting the blade height to create the desired shape - in this case 125 saw cuts (and height changes) per leg! And about 6 hours in the machine room.

What you are left with is a series of grooves that then have to be planed out by by hand.

From here on in it's all handwork....

The right angle

2009-08-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I never thought I was that bad at maths. Strike that. I'm not that bad at maths. But when you're standing looking at six pieces of wood, each of which needs two (different) angles cut on either end, suddenly brain freeze sets in and you find yourself languishing in a special needs category all of your own. And then the brain thaws out again and you realise it wasn't so bad (or difficult) after all. Just needed a bit of concentration.

And that's exactly what happened.

Then comes the next challenge - fastening your six beautifully angled pieces of wood together! This had to be done in stages to ensure all the joints were right. Joining four pieces together wasn't too bad, once I'd made a set of blocks to hold the pieces in place...

Adding in piece number 5 also meant also adding in some downward pressure and a new set of blocks...

And the final piece - well, a minor miracle really!

Table talk

2009-08-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been really crap again about keeping this up to date - so you'll be getting daily blogs this week by way of recompense....

So, now it's all about the Adya Table - a coffee table with concealed magazine shelf in honduras rosewood. This design is all about the wood - it's strength, it's ability and pushing that strength and ability to its limit. It's all about the material. And in one sense, less about the design. Though, that is not strictly true as it is via the design that we get to make all this happen.

First step (and definitely the easiest) was prepping the table top and shelf - board selection, rough cutting both to size, planing and thicknessing. Am I the only one who can see Snoopy in the top...

It gets to a point sometimes when you've looked at a piece of wood for so long that all you can see in it is cartoon animals and weird shapes!

Next up, it was a case of cutting all the pieces to size - the table top is made up of six pieces of rosewood - gluing them together and planing the whole new single piece flat - much easier said than done given rosewood's propensity to tear out at the mere mention of a plane! At least I knew what to expect this time after the whole box debacle and hence had my scraper plane freshly sharpened and permanently within arm's reach.

More boxing

2009-08-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

The box hinges were pretty straightforward but the finished article wasn't as good as it should have been so I decided to make a second box - this time in oak and maple. Daren puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of making the box well on this course and says it makes a real difference to the quality of the furniture you then go on to make so I figured a mediocre box would lead to mediocre furniture, which I have no interest in making whatsoever.

It just shows how the rosewood box taught me though. It took the best part of a month to make whereas my subsequent effort took only a week and looks a million times better.

Cutting the components

Ensuring everything's square in the glue-up

The finished box

Complete with oak liners

How NOT to make box liners!

2009-07-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Still trying to nail the box - figuratively speaking. The main body is is done and glued up. Next, the liners. I am making the box to hold my wood samples so the original box dimensions were specifically decided upon so the box was just wide enough to hold one sample. But then the wood kept moving and the sides ended up 3mm thinner than planned. As the outside dimensions remained the same there's now a 3mm gap either side of where the samples will sit. Solution: split the box into three sections using dividers and run the samples across its length instead.

This is how it went.

Monday - set about making the liners. These are about 5mm deep and sit inside the box. It was all fairly straightforward - cut the pieces to size, plane, sand, mitre the ends and fit. Then it was just a case of routing a couple of grooves along each side piece to hold the dividers. Which is when I cocked it up by making the groove too deep, thus rendering the liners useless.

Tuesday - set about making the liners - cut the pieces to size, planed, sanded, mitred the ends and fitted. Only this time they didn't even fit. The mitre guillotine is one of those 'take too little and nothing comes off, take too much and it rips the wood into a nasty curve' jobs leaving said liners fit only for the bin. Finishing any day further behind than when you started it is never a good thing.

Wednesday - third time lucky!

The moral of the story being don't try and rush these things otherwise you just end up making more...

and more...

and more...

until finally....

...you get it right!

Next step: hinges

Thinking outside the box

2009-07-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

With the bench now complete, the last couple of weeks have been all about the box. In fact, this was supposed to be a quick two- week project - and probably would be in any other wood. But not Honduras Rosewood. It's hard, heavy and boy does it like to move around. This is actually the same wood that I'll be using for my next project but we're advised to make a small box straight after the bench to get us back into the habit of focusing on the details of a small project after the larger-scale bench.

First though, I had to order the wood. Having been given a sample of Indian Rosewood and decided it was the way to go, I called Timberline in Kent and placed an order. Only when it arrived it looked nothing like my sample of Indian Rosewood. Why? Because the sample I had been given wasn't Indian Rosewood at all. It was East African Pau Rosa. And how did I find this out? By schlepping all the way to Kent with said non-Indian Rosewood to return and it and hopefully get the right one. I should say that this was not the fault of Timberline. I had ordered Indian Rosewood and they had supplied it. The problem was that I was given a sample that I was told was Indian Rosewood when it wasn't. Just a 5-hour drive each way plus a couple of extra hours of post-Glasto chaos just to top things off. And yes, I was pissed off.

That said, it did give me the chance to visit a great wood yard. My 'Indian Rosewood' was identified almost immediately as East African Pau Rosa but they didn't have any. So it was time to find an alternative. After about an hour of block planing various woods to find, first the right one and, second, enough right pieces of the right one, I was good to go. It cost me a couple of hundred quid more, plus petrol plus two days out of the workshop. But I'm not bitter. Much.

But the box will be pretty straightforward from here on in, right? Wrong. All was going fine until I tried to flatten it. Almost every shaving I took with the plain cause the wood to tear out. And just when I thought the piece was flat, I'd take a lunch break to find it had moved again. And so it went on... tearing and moving, and moving and tearing. The 8mm sides are suddenly nearing 6mm and still moving. Aarghhh.

2009-07-05T04:20:00.000-07:00

First up, apologies for the delay in posting over the last month. Bit of a family emergency that meant I had to disappear overseas for a couple of weeks. Before I left, I had just completed the tail vice on my bench - a pretty complicated job, as you can see from the number of components...

Then, once the pieces had been cut and fitted came the glue up. I almost had a catastrophe when, once the glue had been applied, one of the dovetails wouldn't hammer into place but Tim saved the day with a couple of almighty (manly) whacks with the hammer. Then out come the clamps to make sure pressure is being applied in all the right places until the glue dries.

And there you have it...

I'm really pleased with the way the purple heart has worked with the maple. I also used it to create the handle for the vice - which also involved creating a composite of the two and then using the lathe (another first) to shape the wood.

And finally....Ta Da....

2009-06-01T13:47:00.001-07:00

in position and ready to go...

I've still to make the wood vice to fit on the right hand side but that's this week's job.

Vice squad...

2009-06-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Then it was onto the vice. The workbench has two vices - one metal (which you buy) and the other wood (which you make). Managed to get a great metal vice on Ebay for about twenty quid - but it was bue (the standard for all Record vices). And I wanted it to be silver. Time for a quick paint job...

Then it was onto the surround - purple heart and maple.....

Bring on the bleach...

2009-06-01T13:34:00.001-07:00

I decided a while ago that I wasn't too keen on the colour of the Iroko we used for the bench frame. It's a sandy colour when you first cut it (which is fine) but over time darkens to quite a dark brown (which isn't). Not in my line of sight anyway! It's usual to then finish it with Danish oil, which gives the wood a golden tinge - again a no-go for me. So I decided to bleach it with a special wood bleach and then wax.

It's a bit of a faff - apply Bleach A, wait half an hour, apply bleach B, wait a couple of hours, if not light enough apply bleach B again, wait another few hours and so on. Then, wash down with a weak vinegar solution to neutralize. Then wash down with water. Then wait 72 hours. Then sand. You get the picture. So that was last weekend pretty much spoken for. It took a few coats of bleach to get the colour to lift sufficiently but I'm really pleased with the result.

Stuck on you...

2009-06-01T13:29:00.003-07:00

After a week of planing and thicknessing, it was time for the big glue up of the bench top. The top is made of three pieces of (very heavy) maple which then have to be glued together to create a single piece - just a few clamps required to hold it in place!

Then it's back to the plane to make sure the surface is completely flat...

A busy week.....

2009-05-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Another busy week here at Rowden. I started the week with a Life Drawing session (my third) and really enjoyed it. This was the result....

Then it was onto finishing the underframe for my bench and making a set of wedges.

The two sides are glued together but the stretchers are dry fitted using wedges so that the bench can be easily disassembled and moved if/when necessary. I decided to go for Maple wedges (to match the bench top) spliced with a strip of Purple Heart - a hint of what's to come vice-wise...

And then it was on to the bench top and lugging a number of 2-metre plus long (very heavy) planks of maple about the machine room to get them down to size. I managed a couple before needing a cuppa and a sit down! I'm still digging the splinters out of my hands.
Meanwhile, as it was pouring with rain outside (and I mean really pouring) Stanners decided it would be much more fun to sit outside the workshop and keep lookout than stay in on his own and have a snooze in his basket. Hence, I returned to find one very wet dog!

And amidst all that I've been working on the design for a coffee table - my first commisson post-bench! I can't believe I've been here nearly four months already. It's going way too fast.

More next week.....

2009-05-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

I made a pair of smaller trestles for when I'm making something heavy and can't lift it onto the big ones. Stanley, however, had other ideas!

It's got legs....

2009-05-10T12:22:00.001-07:00

First up the trestles.... this was our Machine Room induction project. Very basic - made from pine - with a few too many compound angles for my liking!

And now for bench news ....

After a weekend of solid sanding, the frame is just about complete. Phew!

You've been framed

2009-05-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

So... the wood arrived for my bench and I've spent the last week getting it from this (above) to this (below).

Most of this was done in the machine room - now that we are officially allowed in, post-induction. But the final surfaces still had to be planed by hand. Having gone from spending the best part of a week getting a flat planed surface to this, there are definite signs of progress.

That said, I'm rubbish at maths so getting the angles right wasn't the easiest of tasks. Maybe I've just forgotten it all from school - or maybe I'm just a bit rubbish at it. Either way,
I probably still wouldn't have worked it out had it not been for Tim's step-by-step guide (and patience!) Just a couple more cuts on the tenons to do tomorrow and then we should be set to assemble the frame - very exciting.

I also nipped over to Yandles woodyard in Somerset this weekend in search of some Purple Heart for my vice - not to be confused with the drug of the same name prevalent amongst pill-popping teens in the sixties, and indeed a vice of a very different kind! But more about that later - the wood and the vice.

Getting revved up....

2009-04-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of communication recently. I finished my mallet the week before Easter but then we moved on to finishing, which involved sanding and oiling (just the 8 coats) everything I've made so far (winding sticks, breadboads, bookends, mallet). The danish oil seemed to be turning my breadboards a very murky shade of green which sent me into a bit of a panic but Daren assured me it would be fine once the wood dried out. To be honest, I didn't believe him at the time but I did trust him - and he was right. Then it was up north for a few days rest over Easter. Back in Devon now though and back on track.

So, with the starter projects now all done, this morning take our first tentative steps into the machine room. Yes, it's Machine Induction week, after which we make a set of trestles and then it's onto the big one - the workbench. We spent last week working on the technical drawings for said bench - no mean feat, let me tell you (especially for the mathematically challenged like myself!) Anyway, it's done and the wood ordered (iroko for the legs, maple for the top and a few shots of zebrano just for good measure). It should be delivered early this week, hence the Machine Induction in between.

Oh and Life Drawing this afternoon. YIKES.

Doing it by the book...

2009-03-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

Had an excellent couple of days at the beginning of the week with everyone in good spirits and much laughter in the UB. And by the week's end, the bookends were finally done (bar a final tidy up). They're made from oak dovetailed together and with chamfered edges. Can't say it was easy though. In fact, getting the dovetails to fit was a bloody nightmare - it's a very fine line between getting the joints to fit snugly and taking out too much, thus leaving a nasty gap. My tendency is to go: slowly, slowly, slowly, oh sod it, a bit quicker.... shit! Lots of helpful tips from Sue and Mark got me there in the end though. And a comedy glue-up to finish off!

Next task - the mallet. And then it's on to the machine room for trestles and then the big one: the work bench.

I also got a nifty little machine last week to help with the tool sharpening - and hopefully save my Carpet Funnel, which has been playing up again this week. The ingeniously named Tool Sharp. You can't re-grind big plane irons on it but for everything else it does the job in seconds rather than hours. A bit expensive but worth every penny if it keeps the pins and needles at bay.

Drawing the line

2009-03-15T04:14:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah-a breakthrough on the drawing front, albeit a minor one. (You should've see what I did at my first session.) And we now have an easel set up in the workshop should anyone either wants a bit of extra practice, or feel the need to capture the moment!

The oak bookends are still a work in progress. I've had the wood planed and cut to size for a few days now but the next step is dovetails, which have to be learned. And are definitely harder than they look. I've spent the last 3 days practicing them but still need a few more goes before attempting the real thing - not least because it took me two days to plane and cut the oak flat so I don't want to cock it up and have to repeat the process !

Much more interesting at this point is the electric guitar that Mark has designed and is now in the process of making. It really started to take shape this week, which was very exciting. Mark's been here a few months longer than me so it's great to see how much further on he is - and really encouraging for a newbie like me who is still struggling with the basics. The guitar is made from zebrano, maple and walnut and is going to be fantastic.

And thanks for the comments on the music situation. We're all a bit bugged by it as it's creating tension in the workshop, which no one wants. The general consensus seems to be that to have one person insisting on silence is pretty selfish when five others prefer otherwise.

'Til next week...

Please don't stop the music...

2009-03-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

To listen or not to listen? That was the debate this week in the Upper Benchroom (i.e. the upstairs workshop). The question being: should music be allowed in said workshop or not? My answer: a resounding 'yes' but what if not everyone has the same opinion? Is it a case of 'majority rules' (in which case, it would have been a 'yes' again), or 'all or nothing'? That's the dilemma we found ourselves in this week, resulting in a very grown up discussion and, some would say, compromise. Sure, you can stick a pair of headphones and an iPod on but then you suddenly find yourself in a world of your own, isolated from any conversation/discussion/cries for help when someone saws off a finger(!) Whereas, a bit of background music, the opportunity to exchange playlists thus introducing each other to new sounds, fosters a positive breeding ground to exchange thoughts and ideas about music and beyond. Just my humble opinion anyway. We'll have to see how it plays out.... all thoughts welcome

Carpal what?

2009-02-28T06:00:00.001-08:00

I'd never heard of a Carpal Tunnel until this week. But it turns out the pins and needles I've been getting in my right hand are the result of some sort of pinched nerve/inflammation or something in the aforementioned Tunnel. I keep wanting to say carnal instead of Carpal but that would be a whole other story - and most likely not one I'd be sharing here! Basically, it's due to overuse and occurs when you use the hands a lot in a way that it hasn't been used before. The Doc has advised rest and maybe taking a few days off. Rest? Days off? Not an option, I'm afraid. But I am prepared to compromise-ish and take it a bit easier. It's already feeling a bit better after a weekend's rest in a Carpal Tunnel brace! Yes you did hear me right. A Carpal Tunnel brace. And where would one pick up such a specialist bit of kit? Only at Boots! Yep, good old Boots the Chemist. Who knew that so many people are right at this very moment having problems with their Tunnels that Boots sells Carpal Tunnel braces as a stock item? Not me, that's for sure. Handy though (geddit?) !! Said brace comes in that classic natty shade of OAP beige - that 'flesh coloured' colour of no piece of flesh I've ever seen. Why do they do that? It's horrible.

Also picked up an easel and a sketch pad while I was in town too. After a couple of Monday evening art classes, it turns out my drawing skills really are as dire as I'd anticipated. I had hoped to feign surprise at my own artistic ability in the way you do when you say you can't do something but secretly know you can. No surprises here though, more's the pity - except maybe at just how bad I really am. I'm assured it can be learned, however, so I'm now all tooled up (artistically speaking) and planning a daily session in this very 'van. I attempted a wine glass this evening with not completely disastrous consequences. Actually, it was pretty disastrous but made easier by consuming the contents of said glass prior to packing up for the night!

Here's a pic of the beech octagonal breadboard, complete with chamfered edge, that I spent last week working on. It still needs a sand and polish (like the Winding Sticks) but that comes later. Next up, another breadboard to fit exactly within the octagonal shape of the first...

It's a dog's life

2009-02-22T14:11:00.001-08:00

Having bought Stanners a lovely new (and not cheap) basket for the workshop, he's now decided he prefers to be (on) top dog. Yep, on top of my workbench. He never did like being the underdog - but then neither would I. Bless.

Isn't she lovely

2009-02-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

The Lie Nielson No. 6: I'm not sure at what point it became she but now I'm thinking she deserves a name. I haven't got quite that far yet so any suggestions welcome...

Sticks from the sticks

2009-02-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

A couple of pics of the much talked about Winding Sticks, as promised. They still need a sand and polish but thought you'd all like to see the work in progress. With both bench and block planes now flattened and sharpened, I've started on the next project: bread boards! Planing technique is definitely on the up (see what I did there?) though far from perfect.

Away from the workshop, went to Exeter on Saturday - via Okehampton (oh, and Waitrose!)
Not that I went looking for Waitrose or anything but there I was driving through Okehampton en route to Exeter and suddenly there it was. Right in front of me. Well, it would've be rude not to. Spent far too much but the Jackson Estate is helping me through.

The Daily Grind

2009-02-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

Take 2 Japanese water stones, 1 Lie Nielson No. 6 plane blade and grind… and grind… and grind. Yep, that just about sums up the last 3 days (approx 24 hours of flattening the back of a plane against a stone. Oh, but you can only grind for 2-3 minutes at a time before having to flatten the stone that you are grinding on so as it stays flat too. We were warned that the excitement of the new tools would quickly wane once the process of flattening and sharpening began but talk about coming back down to earth with a bump (and a grind). It probably wouldn’t have taken quite so long had I not cocked up so spectacularly on Day 1 by make a slightly convex blade concave and thus making so much more work for myself to get it flat again. But once it’s done, it’ll last a lifetime, so I’m told. And it is indeed done. Well one blade is. Just 2 block planes and 5 chisels to go…

Cleanliness is next to....

2009-02-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

on this occasion, a great mural!

Went to the launderette on Saturday – something I’ve not done for the best part of 10 years when, living in London, I was more than happy to take advantage of a service wash courtesy of Stella, a larger than life African lady, who regularly saw to my smalls. No such services on offer (or required) here but I did find a great little launderette in Torrington. I must admit, I went in thinking life is too short for this lark but came out an hour later thinking quite the opposite. Few activities offer the opportunity to just think for a while. That old cliche of just watching the machines go round and round... I'm sure the novelty will wear off after a couple more visits but for now, it's all good. And made even better by the great mural on the wall - an unexpected surprise.

Even more of a surprise came when about a dozen teenagers came through the door screeching at each other like some kind of bizarre mating ritual for the ASBO generation. Girls showing off to boys. Boys looking suitably unimpressed but actually revelling in the attention. I managed a fairly respectable ‘tut’/eyes to the ceiling (think Blanche a la Corrie) which they all ignored with even more panache. Marvellous.

2009-02-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like a good sunrise to get the day started.

Another long day in the workshop yesterday - in by 8.30am and out at 8pm - but got loads done. This week we're making winding sticks - best described as two pieces of wood that are lain across the wood you are working on for any given project to see whether it has any twist in it. They have to be identical in size, which meant another day of planing. The tolerance in the workshop is a max 0.25mm so there's no room for error. Needless to say my hands are pretty stiff this morning - something I've been told to expect for about the first month - just another 3 weeks to go then!!!

Stanley has also taken up residence in the workshop, much to everyone's amusement. Most day's we have what is known as a 'Dimblebie' during morning tea break. These are basically mini-talks given by either David or Daren, each lasting about 10-20mins about different wood/design based topics, and some of which are filmed, as was the case on Monday. We were all set to start when Stanley decided to abscond out the back door and took off into a nearby field. Not being the most obedient of dogs, it took about 5 of the guys to stage a 'corner and grab' to get him back inside, where he proceeded to spend the next 10 minutues wandering around as I willed him not to trip over the cables and take out the lights. Tuesday's Dimbleby provided a slightly more modest offering in terms of canine capers, with just the occasional whine when he was either a) bored or b) not the centre of attention.

Looking forward to new tools arriving later today - very exciting....

2009-02-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's taken a couple of weeks to get this up and running but what with the snow and the snow and the gale force winds and the torrential rain.... the perfect time of year for a spot of caravanning, no?! Thankfully our arrival in Devon, complete with the aforementioned caravan, preceded all the above by approximately 2 hours.Had it not, I think it's safe to say we'd probably be floating around Gloucestershire by now.

I've much to say about the wonders of the modern caravan but no time just now as there's planing a plenty to be done - which is why I'm here after all... more on that this evening.