patches

Last night after work it was time for some sanding and installing the cornices. I'be been converted to the coping method of joining cornices over the mitre method. Good practice would dictate that my copes should be on the long 5.2m lengths and the shorter 1.2m pieces for the width of the room would be square cut, as ones eye is drown down the length of the hallway and so looking down the cope would appear more seamless. However I wasn't keen to wield 5.2m lengths with fragile coped ends, waiting to brake off at the slightest bump. Also if I messed up the coping I would waste a full length of material and not just 1.2m worth. Not my finest work (or tightest copes) but gap filler and paint will do what my novice skills cannot

Thanks Ed! Keeps me outta trouble and gives me an excuse to buy tools without my partner batting an eye. Plus at the labour rate of tradies in New Zealand, I'd be broke! Haha, you joke but if I took ceiling board from the hospital they would probably contain asbestos Coincidentally the head of asbestos management was kind enough to lend me his drywall lifter to assist with the job. These contraptions are game changers when it comes to installing plasterboard ceilings.

As all my trim mouldings are white, I just went for a white wood filler (whatever's cheapest at the hardware stores here in NZ). That said, because I use an 18Ga brad nailer to fit most of it, the holes left behind are tiny. With wall screws one will have to finesse the filling a little more to make the fasteners invisible, but a decent fill and sand and you should be fine!

I had it delivered direct from the manufacturer, through one of the big building supply chains (Placemakers). Bunnings wanted to charge $270 delivery to do the 1 board (which itself is only about $60). Part of that high cost is because of the small order quantity, and part is because they get the manufacturer to delivery to my local Bunnings branch, then that branch has to hire a truck big enough. Or if I increased the order to all the boards I need to do the rest of my ceilings (10 sheets of various sizes, approx $400 worth), delivery would be over $600, $350 of which I would get back when I return the special pallets to them, but how am I supposed to return giant plasterboard pallets if I can't transport giant plaster boards in the first place. So although I paid more for the boards from Placemakers (about $520), they charge a flat rate of $100 delivery (as they just get the manufacturer to deliver direct). Plus they deliver about 1 week quicker. EDIT: That said, I did have to buy 2x 2400x1200x18mm sheets of ply to create a sturdy lean surface to store the boards in my garage. Those sheets, along with 2x 5.4m lengths of cornice, got transported on the roofrack of a Polo

This past weekend was a long one here in NZ and with the better-half away in Aus, I decided it was a good time to make some mess... Behold... some nasty swirly textured ceilings with ugly power-hungry lights. After Dexter-ing up the hallway it was time to start the messy work The manky "insul-fluff" insulation goes everywhere. Between a rake and a garden-vac I managed to clear most of it up. After sorting out some electrical for the new lights (and a 24V supply to my Google Nest Doorbell) the new insulation needed to be installed. But before I could do that I had to remove some of the nogs between the joists as they were down the centre of the hallway, which meant I couldn't install downlights in those positions. I replaced the single removed nogs with 2 offset to either side (as seen by the pink treated timber). Then some new R3.2 pink bats could go in. The new framing nail gun was a treat when installing the new nogs! After that it was the real challenge. The crazy (or lazy) part of me decided to try get away with installing 1 giant sheet of drywall, to avoid having to plaster the joints. The hallway is 5.2m long by 1.2m wide. The largest board available is 6m x 1.2m, and because it's a ceiling I went for 13mm thick (as the 10mm versions tend to sag). The result more physical exertion than I have done in a while. Fortunately I had a drywall lifter, but wrestling a 50kg 5m sheet along a hallway that it just fits through was still no easy task. I ended up trimming 20mm off the width of the board because it kept getting wedged when trying to lay it flat up against the joists, but ultimately, it worked! Here it is, installed with probably over a 100 drywall screws (thank goodness for autofeed collated screw guns) and a all 3 coats of plaster over the screw dimples. Zigbee controlled smart downlights with a Zigbee smart switch which all work with Philips Hue, also installed. Unfortunately I didn't get as far as installing the cornice, sanding and painting this weekend, as I had to wait for the 3rd coat of plaster to dry. But all-in-all, it went pretty well.

I guess the other question is whether the architraves are to be painted or not. Paint (and no-more-gaps) can hide a multitude of sins As Rocket-Boy mentioned, a mitre saw will not be as accurate as a dedicated framing sled for a table saw. However the chances that your window openings are perfectly square is slim-to-none, so pefectly 45deg cuts may not help you anyway. What may help is something like a Starret protractor I've been installing a fair amount of new skirting board, cornices and the odd architrave or 2 over the past year and this little tool has helped get more accurate angles on out-of-square walls and windows.

Architraves are pretty easy to do and there are a number of decent YouTube resources out there. From the bespoke carpenters to handy DIY tips from hardware stores. As for equipment, a mitre saw will definitely make life easier, but take the time to make sure it's calibrated properly. Assuming they're square out of the box can lead to frustration when cut the mitres as any error will be magnified 6x (2x per side of the architrave) and look terrible. Fixing wise, are you fastening into wooden jambs or brick? If into wood, a finish/brad nailer will make your life a while lot easier. If you already have an air compressor, you can pick one up pretty cheap. Not sire about brick, but I guess it would involve wall plugs, screws and countersinking. Here are a couple of those youtube vids I found handy. SkillBuilder has some great tips on all sorts of carpentry tasks. Mitre10 is one the 2 main hardware stores here in NZ. Their "Easy As" videos are great for quick reference And just for Hairy, here's the Scott Brown version (Hairy and I are Scott Brown Fans)

Hi eibmoZ, I've pinged though my application to join this North Shore Bicycle Gang which you speak of!

Is all the Irwin stuff in your part of the world orange and black? In NZ and Aus it's typically blue and yellow. Just wondering if they "regionalise" it?!

That looks remarkably similar to what my little 350 once did (circa 2017).

Whilst my last attempt at judging the size of a kids bike was horribly incorrect (ask Wayne, haha), I can concur that Torpedo 7, 99 Bikes (formerly Bike Barn) and Evo Cycles are likely your best bet for new. Alternatively there are 2-3 large FB groups for buying and selling MTB's in NZ, if you want to try the previously-loved route. There may be some sweet deals up for grabs. These are the 2 main groups: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1771529079799907 https://www.facebook.com/groups/273350502828890

One of the best Price vs Time Saved (or could have saved) tools recently purchased. I spent nearly 2hrs trying to route lighting cable through two 8mm holes perpendicular from each other, behind the back panels of some kitchen cabinetry. I tried wire, magnets, the vacuum cleaner, and just about everything in between. No luck. Quick trip to the hardware store and an attempt at explaining what I was looking for ("the long silver spring-thing with the claw that comes out the end" ), I eventually found this $5 piece of magic! Got home, put some twine through the one hole. The pickup tool through the perpendicular one, and in seconds I was able to do what hours of "ingenuity" could not. The result: (LED light strip driver fed from power outlet in tall left cupboard) Best $5 I ever spent!

The Battery Battle! Recently I purchased another "tyre deflator", to round out the set required for doing anything from furniture making to building walls and fences. After much research (and watching many episodes of Scott Brown) I settled on the Milwaukee M18 Framing Nailer (gasless and cordless). The Plus Side: No more renting a gas powered one (and no more paying for gas cartridges) The Down Side: All 3 nailers are on 3 different battery platforms (Ryobi for the 18Ga, AEG for the 15Ga and now Milwaukee for the framing). The result is that I'm now on 5 battery platforms and run 6 chargers: 2x AEG 18V (as most of the tools are AEG so I doubled up to allow flexibility)1x AEG12V1x Ryobi1x Makita (dual charger at least)1x MilwaukeeSo in the battery battle, it is almost impossible to consolidate down to 1 as not all the above brands make all the tool options. Makita would be the closest as they make an equivalent of everything I have, with the exception of the gasless framing nailer, but I started off with AEG and was fairly well kitted with those until heading down the Makita 18V path. In the words of Cher... "if I could turn back time!"

Not strictly woodwork, or nearly as skilled as the amazing work of Carrera4s, but this is how I kept myself busy this weekend. First came the lighting... I was granted permission to once again, drill into the nice new kitchen cabinets to install some "tasteful accent lights". The main conditions were: light fittings that are barely noticeable no visible wiring lights should "not look like a kebab shop sign" (ie. densely spaces LEDs, no spotting)The result... Zigbee 3.0 Smart drivers hidden at the back of the drawers on the inside of the cabinet. (Condition 2, check!) Slim profile alu extrusion, sprayed white and mounted to underside of bench top (Condition 1, check!). I did have to drill a hole in the cabinet facing side of the extrusion, which lines up with the hole through the cabinet and solder new wires onto the LED strip to ensure Condition 2 was still met) Subtle lighting with zero spotting thanks to the 240LED/m strips and frosted diffuser on the extrusion. (Condition 3, check!) The Laundry got the same treatment. The LED strips are the same (4000K neutral colour, but the lit surfaces (maple vs tile) add a huge contrast to how they appear. After playing electrician, I decided to try pimp my table-saw some more. This time in the form of a collapsible, portable floating outfeed table. I made it collapsible to save space and make it more portable (I often use the table saw on the front lawn, especially when I don't want to clean up sawdust). I made it floating as it removes the reliance on level working surfaces. It should always be perfectly flush with the table saw top (or as perfect as I could get it ) The hinges (rated to 250kg) were from a folding work bench I picked up for $20 on clearance from a local hardware store. I had to fashion some creative mounting out of plywood, steel brackets, and aluminium angle to fit and level the 2 hinges. The worktop is a layer of 20mm bamboo (the top that came in the workbench kit, cut to size) with some 9mm MDF on top as a sacrificial layer and a lazy way to create the extended mitre slots. Only thing left is to flush trim the MDF to the bamboo and put some protective coating on. As the first part of my compact "voltron-style" workbench I think it came out pretty well! This is the sort of concept I'm going for

Oscillating multi-tools are super handy! For years Fein was the only option for these (they had the patent) and they were some ridiculous price. I've got the AEG one which has interchangeable heads http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rOAAAOSwgYdb0ZuF/s-l500.jpg Pretty handy to be able to just add heads in stead of buying a whole new tool, especially if it's just a small application. I picked up a reciprocating saw head for mine. Combines with a Diablo demolition blade, it has been great for deconstructing timber stud walls in my renos (no need to invest in an actual recip for the amount I use it). And the oscillating head with the right blade cuts through those pesky nails that snap halfway during extraction. Just flush-cut the suckers! Fun fact: oscillating tools have been used in the medical industry for decades. From cutting off plaster casts, to slicing through bone. They work so well because they do very little damage to flesh, which is why the handyman equivalents are pretty safe when compared to jigsaws and circular saws.

Welcome Kenneth! Where on the Shore are you staying? There are a number of us (myself included) on the Shore (Saffer genetics draw us to Browns Bay, despite how much we resist )

Got my first dose of the vaccine a week ago. They're rolling them out to hospital staff very methodically. I was pretty impressed and can see why such a thorough process may take some time. Some of my colleagues suffered from the reportedly common post vaccine "flu like" symptoms or fatigue. I didn't have any adverse reactions. My immune response must be terrible

Damn! AEG in NZ finally released their 18V sub-compact range and I'm seriously tempted! Pricing (L-R) Drill - $199 Cut-off tool - $249 Impact Driver - $229 Impact Wrench - $329 Combo kit (Drill, Impact Driver, Charger, 2x 2Ah batteries, bag - $399 These look like great little portable options! Need.to.resist.

So I slipped even further down the Makita rabbit hole and purchased a battery-powered mower kit yesterday. Makita DLM460 Brushless 36V (18V x2) mower + 2x 3.0Ah batteries + Dual Rapid Charger This may seem foolish as just a couple of months ago I bought the AEG equivalent under attempt at a "free lawnmower upgrade" scheme. ie. Buy combo kit. Keep mower .Sell everything else including old mower. Walk away with very little out of pocket. Think it cost me $50 in the end. Anyway, the Makita mower is to try get batteries and charger for "almost free". Mower kit combo: $599 (on secret squirrel stock clearance) Mower by itself: $700 regular retail Batteries by themselves: $220 ($110 each) regular retail Charger by itself: $250 regular retail Goal selling price for mower skin: $599 (realistically I'm thinking it may be closer to the $400 mark, but still good value getting 2 batteries and charger for $200) Sale method: $1 reserve auction on classifieds website Current leading bit: $5 (still 1 week to go, 300 ad views and 60 ad "watchers") So here's hoping the scheme pays off and I get some free/cheap batteries and a charger outta it *all prices in NZD and equiv to approx 1:10 to ZAR

Yup, that's the one I'm selling at the moment. Got it in a kit with various bases. Kept the bases and accessories and only replaced the unit itself with the cordless version. Only other benefit (besides the lack of cord) seems to be that the cordless one has a light This was the original kit I purchased. There are local (NZ) made CNC's here that use them too. I had my eye on one, but budget and space are the main limitations. https://www.phoenix-tech.co.nz/collections/vertigo-cnc-machines The YouTuber famous X-Carve uses the Dewalt equiv as far as I am aware.

haha! I have a few colleagues that live out that way. They love it. Good proximity to the Riverhead trails too!

I've heard from a few builders here that besides the obvious advantages of portability and working on sites that don't have power, the other benefit to going cordless is avoiding the need for tools to be tagged & tested. I believe the usual intervals are every 6 months, however some commercial sites require re-tagging & testing each time work is started on a new site, no matter how current the previous tagging was.

I watched that on my bus commute last week. I need a Makita sponsorship like Scott Brown has, hahaha! Those 40V tools are nice, but pricey! I do have my eye on that 36V dust extractor with AWS, but at around R7200 (equiv) here, it's a pretty pricey sawdust sucker (plus I'd have to buy at least 2 more batteries) That said, I did treat myself to a router upgrade and got the brushless trim router (and finally some Makita batteries, 2x 3Ah). The nice thing about this router is that it has the same body as my Makita RT0700C corded router so the plunge base and all other accessories are compatible. As for the batteries and charging, damn that rapid charger is awesome! Charges the 3Ah from dead to full in under 30min.

I think that's the tricky part. I have seen cycling groups at Woodhill where most of the riders have eBikes and maybe 1 or 2 don't. It doesn't seem to work. The ebikes gun ahead on the climbs while the conventional crankers slog it out and the group becomes segregated pretty quickly. Myself and my riding buddy have observed this on a number of occasions and came to the conclusion that if one of us got an ebike, we can't be friends anymore That said, when Pivot was having a demo day, I signed up to test their Shuttle Team ebike. Not because I was in the market to guy one (good heavens no! the things is $20k), but exactly the opposite. It was the bike of theirs that I was LEAST LIKELY to buy and the most different from my current bikes, so I wanted to see what it was all about. Unfortunately they sold the demo bike a few days before the event so I didn't get the chance. Would still like to try one though.

Yeah, 150hp is pretty impressive! Wonder if the purists will disapprove as it ditches those 2 iconic features mentioned in the Fortnine vid. Pushrods ("side penises" ) and air cooling. But it had to right?! To produce 150hp it needed to rev faster, forcing Harley to move into the future present. Love it or hate it though, I'm just glad to see that technology is finally prevailing with the Milwaukee brand