10 things you need in your shed

I’ve been working out of my old shed (2.5 car garage cut sort of in half) for the last few years, and I’ve built up a list of things that you need, always, your shed. (I was going to say manshed, but I don’t wanna die…)

Suizan Japanese Pullsaw

Suizan Japanese Pullsaw

  1. Multi-function screwdriver/bit set. Kids toys, electronic things, annoying stuff… Those funny-looking screws that you can never undo (They’re called hex head screws or some variation of that, depending on who you ask!) (Alternate if you’re a FatMax fan like me)

  2. A good cordless drill! Now, I have two drills, both Bosch as that’s my brand of choice, but my super-old Bosch cordless drill (the green one) just keeps on going! My new one is a Bosch Blue, got it in a kit (this one) as a drill/driver combo.

  3. A speed square! Have a speed square around at all times! This one comes in a kit with a combo square. bargain.

  4. Quick Clamps can be used for thousands of different things, from holding work-pieces to clamping naughty children in place! We’ll explore bigger clamps further down the list, but grab four of these.

  5. A good digital caliper is essential, I’ve found… repeat, precise measurements are a good thing!

  6. Titebond wood glue… This stuff is the mutts as they say in England.

  7. A good Japanese Pullsaw with a replaceable blade for cutting fine cuts in timber, I was sceptical at first, but this thing is very frequently used in my shed! (Thanks, Anthony!)

  8. Safety goggles, do not take eye safety for granted. They don’t grow back unless you’re an alien. The ones I use are kinda mini snow-like-googles, they elastic onto my head and keep things from getting anywhere.

  9. There really is a difference between good and average clamps! Pair these pipe clamps from Bessey with a bit of gal pipe and you’ll have a good rig.

  10. Drill bits! While I advise having a ‘good’ drillbit set, I also keep a cheap boxed set of drillbits around for general use, these have lasted a good while, and have been super handy!

Well, that’s my first ‘shed’ list, I hope it helps someone that’s starting out into hobbyist woodworking or similar!… My ‘shed renovation’ project started last week, so there’s lots more to come. (Don’t go to sleep yet!)

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28 Days Later, before the Zombies?

This short bit of footage struck a weird chord with me…

(Sidenote: if you’re after actual facts “what to do vs Coronovirus” click here)

Gotta say though, despite it being a large problem, the media could use a bit of “whoa there, tiger…” My 10yo coming home from school, worried, waking up at 2 in the morning concerned he has the virus because he’s hot… There needs to be some common sense in this stuff, like there wasn’t with the fires in Australia and the global reporting - the WHOLE of Australia was on fire and everyone was going to die.

But yeah, cool footage.

Zombies?

Taking time for yourself

If you work in a space that’s often clouded with toxicity, make sure you make time to get away from the ‘desk’ and breathe in the air.

By ‘space’ I mean industry.

By ‘away from your desk’ I mean down to the ocean.

The Rancilio Affair - An Update

Prototype wooden base number one happened last weekend… I say ‘Prototype’ as I stuffed up a cut, put it in the wrong spot and left the base having to be cut upside down, still, good experience! The glue up worked great, the clamps were fine, the process without an electric planer was totally fine.

I used a couple of my old Stanley Tools hand planes, and my Bosh orbital sander and brought the piece back to flat, well, flat enough for the prototype…

It taught me that cutting out the timber that I needed to remove to sit the drip-tray in, was a long old job without the dado set on my table saw, but it also taught me that maybe I should have whipped up a router sled type jig - which I might for next time…

Anyway, so you don’t fall asleep from boredom, here are a few photos of the weekend’s progress (if you don’t progress, but you get stuff done, is it still called progress?)

Also stripped out the entire internals of my little Rancilio, was cheered on by Rancilio USA over on Instagram, so, no pressure then! Haha…

More to follow.