patches

Thanks! yeah, quiet and small were the operative words. Very small occasion. Would have even been permissible under Level 3 rules (9 people including celebrant and photographers) Yup, NSW is a circus at the moment. between rampant case number (rampant for Australia. Not rampant by world standards), and the protests. It's not looking great! But yeah, we were lucky that the in-laws were able to come over in June, and with the wedding done and dusted the pressure of the travel bubble doesn't seem so critical. However I would like to get me some Aussie retail in before the end of the year, hahaha!

Congrats Slowbee! I'm guessing you're moving to Auckland? I moved over super-minimalist. 2 duffle bags, a backpack, and a bike in a box. However I was a single guy in my early 30's and didn't need too much. My sister, brother-in-law and their little one did the container shipment thing. pros and cons to that too. One bit of advice I had for them was: "Unless your TV is top end and less than 1yr old, don't bother bringing it. Rather get one this end." Reason being, TV's here have Freeview (like free digital television with On Demand streaming etc). I don't think SA smart TV's are compatible and although one can pay like $100 to get a Freeview decoder, it's probably best just to get a new TV unless your current one is super-duper. My Sister didn't listen and brought a thick bezel, 5yr old Samsung 40" over. She waited 3 months for it and regretted Anyway, there's no shortage of advice, personal experience and option on this thread. But all that aside I hope this is a great new adventure for you and your family, and as you know we're always here to help out where we can. A little while ago a close friend and I were having a chat about him returning to SA. There were a few life events etc that he was missing out on by being in NZ and he was feeling rather homesick. I asked him if he could assign percentages to what the biggest draw is, what would the pie-chart look like. Is it things like missing the places (scenery, climate, wildlife, etc)? Missing the people (South Africans as a whole) and culture? Missing friends and family? Missing certain conveniences and luxuries? Anyway, it came down to that 90% of it was missing friends and family. My answer would be the same, and I'm guessing your wifes' would too. It's a tough one! Especially now that travel isn't as free as it used to be. Good call! A little bit of time to adjust before jumping into it. I was late for my 1st day of work (3 days after I arrived in NZ) because I overslept due to jet-lag

The battery battle. Subscribing to too many platforms. Added the Makita and Milwaukee to the charging station.

hahaha good tip. I tried to unkink them as much as possible, but they still look a little wavy.

EDIT: Just saw your subsequent posts, but yeah track saw's are great tools. Pricey though. Were you looking at the plunge cut or regular? Plunge cut is optimal, especially when it comes to dust collection. I have a Makita 36V track saw and although I only have a 1.4m track for it. I have managed to rip a 2.2m piece if 25mm thick oak veneered ply. The trick was to mark the entire straight line, set the track at the start. plunge and cut to about half way. Then releasing the power trigger but not the plunge (keeping the saw in the cut) and carefully shifting the track to line up with the 2nd half of the cut, I then proceeded to complete the rip. The beauty of a track saw is that it cuts perfectly on the line (if you have trimmed your splinter guard correctly). So if my marked line is straight and I line the track up on my markings, it gets it near as dammit. It's not ideal to shift the track and I do have the 3m Makita track on my wishlist, but I think it was more accurate than trying to manhandle a 2.2m sheet of ply through a jobsite table saw and run it perfectly against the fence. I think I was far more likely to deviate from a straight cut like that.

You and me both. A 1950's house. Original ceilings. You don't want to imagine what had accumulated up there. P3 respirator, mechanix gloves, and a disposable full body overall.

Yeah my HVLP is a dinky little Wagner one. I think contractors either use the full sized Wagner HVLP's or the airless systems. Wagner makes an HEA (High Efficiency Airless) which they claim reduces overspray by 50%. I guess it much of it depends on labour rates, and here minimum wage is about R200/hr equiv. That said, I remember school holidays where I would paint walls for my mom (child labour) and it would take forever on the textured walls (common in many SA homes), so a sprayer would make great sense there. The prep was extensive, but to be honest, quite fun compared to cutting in with a paint brush. Maybe it was just the novelty. The ceilings were tricky (thanks to ye ol gravity). Lots of hair and face scrubbing to look presentable for work the next day. As for finish, it is silky smooth, but a contractor friend pointed out that on the big commercial jobs they would do, their painters would spray the undercoat and first coat, but roll the last. Reason being is that if that drywall ever requires patching and someone rolls paint over the patch, it will never blend in. I just sprayed it all! Future me will deal with painting repairs, haha

Youtube and practice, haha! Over the last 2 years I've probably spent double the time watching tradie youtube channels than I have watching series or movies Some really good stuff out there. This would be the 5th ceiling I've replaced, so the plastering gets a little more efficient each time. As for the electrical, if it's something not too straight forward (like 3 way switching, or 2 way switching with a smart controller linked in), then I build a lower voltage (18V) test bench to try it out first. Once the concept and schematic are correct, I'll install the real deal.

Once again, not too much "woodwork" involved, but here's the carpentry, electrical and builder's work that has been keeping me busy over the past few weeks. The "Original" This was what the bedroom looked like at the open home when the house was purchased (early 2019). So much beige! The Inbetween Decided to rip up the carpet to reveal some original hardwood floors, and give the walls and trim a little paint refresh. The Revamp Demolished the nasty textured ceilings and cleared out the insul-fluff Ran new electrical for downlights (with 3 way switching), and bedside pendant lights. Installed new insulation and started lifting new drywall sheets into place. First coat of plastering done. Tried an HVLP sprayer vs traditional roller and brush. A fair bit more effort masking it up, but so quick and easy to do coats and clean equipment. The painted product. Came out pretty good for 1st time spraying. The Result Furnished and ready to re-inhabit. Overall happy with the result. 2 more rooms to go though!

Australian visa granted yesterday! So around 1 month processing time (not the 5-8 they stated ) ???? Also, they gave me 2 years again. Now just to wait for NSW to get their act together Funny enough, I (a Saffer with the little green book) can now legally go to Australia but my wife (an Australian) cannot (her passport expired a couple of weeks ago, haha).

The key words right there, haha! I'm sure nearly everyone has seen this meme

Just finished The Man in The High Castle. Overall it was one of those shows that took me on a journey. Really enjoyed it. Last season (season 4) felt a bit crammed, but without spoiling it, I still would recommend on the whole.

If you want a witty feel-good British comedy give Trying on Apple TV+ a go. My wife and I just finished watching Season 2, and it was great. There are not many shows we watch together as our tastes differ, but this was one we both thoroughly enjoyed.

Tested this out last week. Used it on some plywood to mark out 480mm and 300mm measurements. Gauge is accurate. Weight does make it hefty to position and push along the reference edge. But the weight also helps the scribe wheel cut in without the need from downwards force by the user. The mechanical pencil also worked well. Overall though, it was a splurge purchase and there are plenty of other ways to get the job done. The cost of convenience for a home-gamer like me definitely outweighs the benefit.. Still a beautifully manufactured tool though.

Just a heads up to any NZ residents planning on visiting Aussie (for tourist reasons) in the next little while. Apply for your Class 600 Visitors Visa asap. Current processing time frame is listed as 5-8 months ???? If you had a visitors visa that expired during the covid restrictions, you can apply for a new one and not repay the $160-odd. One just needs to pay for new biometrics $25.

Oh yeah indeed. They make a 150mm version for smaller applications. This version has a larger fence to counteract the length. I think with the fence firmly against the sheet and an even movement, the cutting wheel should stay parallel to the reference edge. Guess I'll find out this evening when I mark some and cut some ply panel intended as structural support for some pendant lights I'll be installing.

The Woodpecker Panel Marking Gauge I bought was delivered today. Being my first tool from the pricey red brand, I inspected it pretty carefully. I can confirm that the workmanship is top notch. However, it also weights a ton due to the 650mm long x 20mm diameter solid stainless steel shaft. They did produce an alu shaft version, but the St/Steel was the only one I could find.

There are a few options for mitre saw fences and stops out there Here are some ideas A DIY system using aluminium extrution The FastCap Best Fence option. And then for the stops, the Katz-Moses No Deflection Stop Block seems to be quite a popular option. Typically used on cross-cut sleds, I'm sure it can be used on a Mitre Saw station if there is a universal T-track in use. It it's accuracy you're after then mitre saws are not usually the go-to. Cross cut sleds are generally considered to give better results. Although one can spend some time and effort tuning their mitre saw (watch the Build It Fix It series of videos for more detail). If it's just ease of use and speed that you're looking for, the Kreg system should do fine.

On the subject of clamps (or at least quick clamps) and the fact that one can never have enough... What do you good people use? I really like the Jorgensen EZ Hold clams. Mostly because I got two packs on sale (so 4x 150mm and 4x 300mm). I have some Bahco clamps for my 600-900mm applications. They have the dovetailed back ends so can be linked together to extend the length. pretty handy. I know Bessey clamps are like the gold standard, but the price isn't justifiable quite yet.

Yeah i have also noticed that Drillpro features quite a bit. I bought some Drillpro versions of the Kreg corner clamps. They looked almost identical in the pics. Made me wonder if Kreg just buys the Drillpro ones and brands them (not uncommon in the cycling world). I can confirm that although they work ok, they are not quite the same quality as the Kreg ones. But at 1/3 of the price, I'll make that trade off.

One of my work mates is BIG into mountain biking. He typicaly does Riverhead Four40 and Rotarua all summer, then in winter (when it's muddy), he'll switch to Woodhill and Muriwai, which I believe is not bad, and free.

I really enjoyed that one. Was one of my bus-commute shows last year. Wish there was more!

I've been looking at some of these "equivalents" on Aliexpress. I did buy a $7 auto-punch from them. I figured it only needs to make dimples where I put it, so how bad can it be. But yeah, been looking at the Aliexpress versions of router bases, jigs etc too. Haven't searched to see if they have a version of Woodpecker's famous pocket T-square, but may be worth a look. Your case in point... That's a heap-load of pricey red aluminium in the background! But yeah! That's why guys like AvE are so good. They buy the tools with their own money/patreon donations and don't care what they say about them. I would love to get a Festool Domino, but I do admit that YouTube sponsored content creators are largely responsible for my Domino desire, despite how many of them make "do you really need a Domino?" type videos to try be more relatable to us budget constrained hobbyists. I guess though, if they can influence just 2 people to buy [insert whatever fancy tool here] based on their content, then the [insert fancy tool sponsor] has made a return on their investment. There must be Starrett and "Starrett" because the squares I have seen here are way more affordable than Woodpecker, but also seem cheap, mass-produced and not dissimilar to anything from Stanley. The specialist woodwork shop here in Auckland sells Incra and Rockler too. Those are pretty good alternatives, and story-sticks are free! ...unless you want the Woodpecker version

Are Woodpecker tools available in SA? I notice that most of the YouTube "woodworking celebs" use Woodpecker squares, jigs etc. It's not easily available here in NZ, so I made the mistake of venturing onto their website... some seriously drool-worthy items. Anyway, recently someone was selling a bunch of unused Woodpecker tools on TradeMe (NZ Gumtree) and I couldn't help but jump in on the action... Got myself a Woodpecker Panel Marking Gauge (the 600mm metric version) from their OneTime Tool collection (a series of tools they make based on some innovative new idea, for a limited time). Their marking gauges come with dual cutting wheels with spacer kits (for marking dados etc) and a mechanical pencil which stores away in the shaft. It was a bit of a splurge for something my drywall T-square can do, but I thought it may be nice when working with plywood, panel glue-ups, or other sheet goods.

Recent and current shows on my playlist. Some I watch as gap fillers. Some I binge. Some I watch alone (as my wife has different tastes in shows). Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet - Apple Tv+ Similar to Silicon Valley. I watch the weekly episodes as gap fillers The Morning Show - Apple TV+ Star studded cast and similar to Newsroom. I binge watched with the wife. Looking forward to Season 2 (Mid September) The Man in the High Castle - Amazon Prime Video I watch this on my bus rides to/from work. Loki - Disney+ Watch weekly episodes with the wife, sometime during the weekend as a gap filler. See - Apple TV+ Was my previous bus commute series. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to Season 2 (late August). Other series worth a mention: Invincible (Amazon Prime) Chernobyl (HBO) The Righteous Gemstones (HBO) Vice Principles (HBO) Luther (Netflix) Broadchurch