patches

I might just have something... I have a Morewood Sukuma trail bike that is gathering dust. You're welcome to take it for a few weeks of test riding to see it it fits and if he likes it. EDIT: I also have a Morewood 4X prototype, that would be a great fit. I'm not too keen on selling, but it's also gathering dust and he's welcome to use it while he grows.

Got myself a little Creality Ender 3 v2 over the December break, as my firs foray into 3D printing. So far I'd compare the experience to restoring and driving a classic car. The tinkering and tweaking can be fun at times, but at others the little glitches can be frustrating as one struggles to troubleshoot. Thingiverse, CHEP, Teaching Teach and All3DP have been invaluable. I have also gone down the modding rabbit hole (probably why I spend so much time troubleshooting) with a dual gear extruder, relocated filament spool holder, and a BL Touch (still on its way) Here are a few of my woodworking related 3D prints. The little Ender printing the obligatory 20mm test cube to check my calibration skills. Printed a bracket to relocate the spool holder (Thingiverse). Printing some little accessories for my Makita track saw rail. Router attachments, and travel stops (all Thingiverse). Travel stops assembled and installed on the rail. Then I got brave and delved into some Fusion360. It was very easy to pick-up as I have about 15years on Autodesk Inventor experience, and Fusion is just a more user friendly, watered down, and free (for hobby use) derivative of that. I also forgot how much fun modelling is. Over the years I have moved from doing to dictating, and it's good to be back "on the tools". So I dusted off my verniers and modelled up a mounting bracket for my AEG 18V tools, based on measurements of tool and battery. The first draft of the Fusion 360 model. Then it was time to print the prototype. (I need to double check my bed levelling as my ironing settings seem a little off and I'm getting some little dimples. Hopefully the BL Touch will sort that out) And finally, the practical test... It fits and would easily hold the tools once wall mounted. However I could refine the tolerances. and my thumbsuck at that side arc/filler was a little off. Overall, not a bad first attempt, I think. I'll do some tweaking and hopefully improve.

I have the little Makita RT0700 router. It's a trim router with a few different bases (one of which being a plunge base). Super versatile, and decent value for money. As for the little doo-hicky on the shelf, it's a Google Home mini with a battery base for portability. It was replaced by the Sonos, which now performs the smart speaker functions in the kitchen (Google or Alexa, depending on how you set it up). But yeah, as you say, useful for setting timers, reminders, adding things to shopping lists while one is looking onto the pantry/fridge. I also had a Google Home Hub (the one with the screen) in the kitchen for the missus to look up recipes etc. But she prefers delving into one of her hundreds of cookbooks, so I reassigned the hub to my bedside table.

hahaha I know I should have rounded off those "clouds" and done something like this I was lazy and figured it'll never be seen ...but I guess that's the difference between a weekend warrior (me) and a true craftsman. The craftsman would do the better job, whether it will be seen or not. Side note though, it reminds messing with an engineer on a site where a big cloud-shaped hole was cut out of a concrete slab. I asked him if there was a revision cloud drawn on the plans. He said there was because he forgot to specify a duct opening before the concrete was cast. I then told him that the contractors must have thought the rev-cloud was the opening itself, so cut the slab to match. He was very concerned, and thought he messed up in his communications with the contractor. Truth was they were just core drilling to get the bulk of the material out, and were going to neaten it up later

Well, like most things in life... it depends... So as a renting tenant there is very little one can do. Even hanging pictures on walls with nails is a no-no. As a landlord/owner renting out a property there is also a fair amount of limitation. Particularly with regards to electrical & plumbing. As one is being paid by others fir the use of their property, trades work needs to be carried out by licensed trades people. As an owner occupier the rules are more relaxed. One replace electrical fittings and fixtures (like for like), run wire (but not connect to mains) and things like that. This is the category I fall into, hence me running all my own wiring, then getting a sparky in to test and connect to mains. Then there are the consenting issues. These transcend DIY and even apply to professionals, and are only granted through applications to the local council/municipality. Depending what one is doing their will either need Building Consent (like replacing a roof, structural modification, extensions etc), or the dreaded Resource Consent. This is where the council needs to approve any works based on if the system (water, drainage, sewer, electricity, gas) can sustain them. Things like adding a bathroom (even within an existing footprint) requires resource consent as it puts more demand on the system. Garages/buildings with roof area over a certain amount also required it from a rainfall/drainage point of view. Anything that requires consent is a PITA. So yeah DIY allowed (depending), but WAY more strict than SA.

One of the most versatile but often overlooked tools. The humble router! I'm still pretty novice when it comes to router skills, but I keep fining more and more uses for it to make simple tasks neater/easier. This past weekend I wanted to mount put a Sonos One smart speaker on a shelf in the kitchen, but wanted the power cable to be hidden. Router to the rescue! Bottom on the shelf Underside of the shelf. Excuse the messy handiwork. I had to route out a recess so that the cable isn't pinched when this sits on top of the cabinetry. Getting power from the adjacent cupboard where the range-hood lives. Shelf in place. Looks like it was designed that way. Simple job. Could have used a drill, but the overall finish of the router looks way better. Keen to hear any handy router uses, tips and tricks you guys may have come across over the years.

Finished sanding and added some butcher's block oil (fancy name for paraffin). A little more red-ish than I'd like, but it may go away as the oil soaks in and dries out a bit. Overall though, pretty happy.

A former colleague down in Christchurch laughed at the whole double-glazing thing, and how Kiwis think of it as such a luxury feature. He's from the UK and said most of his projects there (Building Services Engineer) specced triple glazing. Double Glazing was considered too inefficient. I haven't even had a peak at what it would cost here. I'm guessing our little 115sqm bungalow would be around $20k - $30k. Loads of people here opt to replace the entire vintage native timber window with aluminium look-a-likes that have double glazing pre-installed, but that seems a little sacrilegious.

Flights were my other consideration when choosing the over ears. If I went for wireless in-ears it would make it hard/impossible to use them to watch movies on the in-flight entertainment systems. A prerequisite for my choice was that they hard to be hard-wireable (which both the Sony and Bose are). I will miss my Bose QC20's. They served me well for about 3yrs. Too many bundled tangles in my pocket got the better of them though. RIP

Wasn't there a statement in Aus 2yrs ago where de Brenni that said more people bought their 7th house than their first. Whilst it was later determined that his statement was not entirely correct, I'm sure it didn't come outta nowhere and the ratio of multiple home owners to first time buyers is likely pretty close.

Some Friday night progress on the chopping board The Men's Shed is closed for the year, so I had to bust out the track saw. In the right situations it makes for a pretty good table-saw alternative. Some slight burning at the start of the bevelled cut, but that was user error The Diablo 40T gives a great finish.

Recently got myself some Sony XM4's as my Bose QC 20's are on their way out. Was a tough decision to switch from in-ear to over ear. I wanted cable free, but didn't want to look like I had rhino beetles or electric toothbrush heads in my ears. I commute via bus most days, (about 1.5hrs/day total), so these weren't for cycling or sport. I was also torn between the Bose NC700's and the Sony's. The Bose look cool, and are "different" (*loads of people here have the Sony XM3/XM4). In the end I went with the Sony as they were $100 (about R1000) cheaper, and in every review I have read or watched the Sony come out tops. Anyway, so far so good. Great noise cancelling. Loads of features. Comfortable. Will see how they hold up after 6 months of daily use and abuse.

It's official! Auckland housing frenzy is worse than Aussies Toilet paper hysteria, hahaha! The school zone thing is a huge deal in Auckland. And as we've discussed before, the DGZ (double grammar zone for those not familiar with Auckland), is the holy grail for most Jaffas. Fortunately we are in a good school zone, albeit the sought after schools are segregated (Westlake Boys & Girls). That said, we're still keen on Christchurch when the mini-humans come along, we can hopefully get ourselves a nice house down there for a fraction of the price, and benefit from renting the Auckland house out to someone hellbent on the school zone It's a combination of things. Not all are affording them. Many people that would have been first home buyers, if they could go back a year-or-two are now being locked out of the market. As davetapson said, money is cheap (for now), so people are borrowing to the hilt. Cashed up expats are returning to NZ It's mindset/perspective to a degree. As a Saffer I find it hard to stomach the prices. My partner is from Sydney, so these prices seem reasonable (or even cheap) to her.Last October I was at a wedding in Perth and while chatting to some of the other guests (young professionals in a similar industry, similar age), they were saying that they could never see themselves paying over $600,000 for a house as it's unaffordable. Funny enough they are likely on better salaries in Perth than someone from Auckland (especially those working FIFO on mines/roading projects etc). So yeah, realistically they could afford, just instinctively they don't think that they can. My guess is that many Aucklanders will easily spend 6-7x a household income on a home. Based on the people I met in Perth, they're aiming more towards the 2-3x mark.As for affordability, somehow it works. We have decent jobs, but are paid market rates, and are by no means coining it. Currently 40% of my net income goes into my half of the mortgage. This seems high, but we are paying at about a 17yr rate for now, so that when kids come along we can kick it back to a 30yr rate, and still cover the full mortgage while my partner is on maternity leave. So yeah, it is doable, despite how ludicrous it may seem.

I know we have collectively despised them before... but estate agents, right! I have had 2 attempted visits (as notified by my Nest doorbell) and 1 letter from estate agents, trying to coax me into selling (ie, making them lots of money). The letter yesterday stated how a house about 150m from us sold for $700k over CV, and how the unsuccessful bidders are still very eager to buy and if we could assist. Are definitely mental! Based on that letter, the house sold for around $2.7m. For a 200sqm 1920's bungalow on 800sqm land. Another one (on the same street) sold last month for $1.6m at half the size, half the land. It's effed!

More a grudge purchase than a boast... Snapped one on my last ride. Haven't bought a chain in ages and all my other bikes are 10sp, so this price was hard to stomach (about R680 equiv).

That's an insanely good price! Those are about 4-5x the price from my local.

Yeah, I commute to work (about 45min via bus, each way) and I use the time to watch Youtube vids on either woodwork, 3D printers or tools in general. I've watched the Teaching Tech one on the Ender 3 v2, as well as how to upgrade it to a low-budget CR10 equiv. I'll be sure to check out more vids from him and Chep before I even think about clicking print On the topic of Youtube educations... I'm a huge fan of AvE's tool tear-downs. The guy is crass, unrefined, but so knowledgeable about all sorts of things, and can laugh at himself. If you want to laugh, and don't mind some cussing, check him out. On the woodworking front, I watch content by Chris Salomone (Foureyes), Jonathan Katz-Moses and Bourbon Moth, amongst others. I especially like Chris Salomone's calm, detailed explanations, as well as his design style.

Cant wait to get going on the little Ender 3 I have on the way. However, before the fun stuff, I have to model up and print a replacement part for my dishwasher, which I broke during the kitchen reno After that It'll be fun stuff! Keen to print templates to make routing easier and other woodworking activities easier and more accurate.

Yup, I added building paper and wall insulation. As for the rough sawn native timber, I'm kicking myself! I had heaps of it when I ripped out the old laundry and framed a new wall. I chucked it all in a skip because I couldn't see myself doing anything with it. I should have kept it, removed the nails, and planed it down

Built well in terms of built to last, but not necessarily to be cozy. I live in a 1950's bungalow and it has native timber hardwood framing, original native timber floors, horsehair/straw plaster ceilings (although I'm slowly getting rid of those). So tough as nails... But they can be drafty, damp, cold, and "uninhabitable" (according to the housing tenancy laws). That said, many people do the old houses up because of the character and "good bones". I'd venture to guess that some of the most expensive houses (per square meter) in Auckland are 1910-1920 era villas in the fancy areas (St Mary's Bay, Herne Bay, Ponsonby, etc) that have had the front restored to look original, then the back of the house is blown out with a modern extension. Not dissimilar to what Scott Brown does for some of his clients. As for the hardware stores, they're great! All the major ones: Bunnings, Mitre10 and Placemakers (Scotts fave) do the drive through materials yards. Currently my local Bunnings is open from 6am - 9pm. I find myself looking for excuses to visit it before/after work

Scott Brown is awesome! I watch most of his vids and have gained a good few tips, tricks and insights from them. It's also cool seeing the villa and bungalow projects and how he carefully works around these 70 - 100yr old homes.

It's the kiwi way! If it doesn't smell damp, how do you know it's a genuine NZ built house? "rumpus rooms" seem to be the worst as there are generally no/very few windows. and poor ventilation.

Nice simple method. I may have to up the thickness of the material. Although I would probably route a 10mm slot down the centre of each wall interfacing edge. That would still give 4-5mm thickness above and below the cleat, and the cleat (at 10mm) would be wide enough to accommodate the fasteners. However, my better half is still undecided on the whole idea (mostly concerned about drilling into the brand new tiles (which are being installed as we speak). So I pivoted (becasue I had freetime and wanted to make sawdust) and decided to make a cutting board with the spare maple I had lying around. cut, faced, jointed and clued up the boards on Saturday. Need to go back to the Men's Shed to unclamp and plane it. Basic design will be similar to the Ikea Lamplig lipped board (but out of hard maple instead of bamboo)

Thanks guys! Some great replies and good ideas! Epoxy and wiggle room. Good idea for if I try the 45deg dowels and totally stuff it, hahaha!I do like a french cleat, but yeah, as stated it may be tricky with only 18-20mm material thickness.The perpendicular dowel on 1 side and dovetail on the other is a great idea. My dovetail experience is nil, but I have access to a router table so can run some tests pieces through. grain alignment may be tricky (or not possible) due to the material being removed for the depth of the dovetail, but I can't have everything, right! As for the thickness and laminating etc. These shelves are going to be very shallow (like 100mm) at about 200mm above the kitchen counter. So the top would be the most visible part. And I kept them thin in proportion to how shallow they are... and also because I'm cheap and lazy and have already milled some 20mm thick boards I did think about doing it in 2 pieces. In fact I even tried to gauge if the missus would be happy with 2 separate shelves. I may have to get rid of the mitred corner as one wouldn't be able to slide the second piece in perpendicular with the first one in place (or I'm just visualising it all wrong, haha)Top & bottom halves could be possible. Even though my stock is only 18-20mm thick, I could hollow it out and create the 2 clam shells. Side Note: I am adding some LED strips under the cabinets on one of the sides. Originally went with Philips Hue, but the LED/m spacing is terrible (think it's like 30/m), and even with a frosted diffuser channel the spotting is really bad and looks like a kebab shop sign. I ended up buying a single colour (4000K) with 240LEDs/m and wired it to the Hue controller. It looks great. Even though I don't have the full colour spectrum, I can still control it with the Hue Bridge and my Samsung Smartthings setup.Anyway, lighting is a whole other battle Coach Bolts. I actually went and bought some yesterday. M10x180mm bolts will more than suffice. I bought them in the event that the missus approves the 2 separate shelf idea. I also marked out the wall stud location (which I would need either way). But yeah, coach bolts, directly into the studs with a simple jig to make sure they're perpendicular, then 10mm holes into the back of the wood. That's a recipe for a string and simple solution. Maybe a combination of that, with carrera4s' slightly slotted hole idea, and possible like a set-screw system from underneath would enable one to have perpendicular coach bolts and still slide a corner shelf into place. hmmmm!Anyway, lots of food for though. Thanks for all the responses. I'll go and do some more option modelling and see if I can find one that my limited hands-on skills can manufacture

Another woodwork question to this experienced bunch... I want to make some floating shelves. I know there are 1000+ youtube vids on DIY floating shelves, but I have a few tricky constraints/parameters that I'm trying to think my way around. Corner: I want to make a shelf that bends around a corner in my kitchen. This means that many of the dowel methods may not work as the shelf needs to be pushed into position against 2 planes. Wall Composition: This shelf will be installed on subway tiles on a frames wall (timber framing with drywall lining). So support methids may be limited and have to line up with the wall studs. Shelf Composition: I want to make the shelf out of solid hard maple. Likely 20-18mm think (depending on how much I need to plane back). Many of the floating shelf designs are either framing with hollow plywood shells inserted over, or thick (30mm +) pieces of timber. Shelf Size and Capacity: The shelves will only be about 100-120mm deep, and only be carrying some small items like salt & pepper grinders and spice jars. The relatively small cantilever should mean support s don't have to be ultra beefy.Some of the ideas that may work: Pocket holes with long screws going through carefully drilled holes in the tiles, straight into the studs. However I don't have a pocket hole jig, and don't feel like spending $200 on one Another idea is the dowel method but in stead of having the dowels perpendicular to the bracket (which based on the corner design means that the shelf cannot be slid onto the dowels in both the X and the Y direction), the dowels are at 45deg to the brackets so that the corner shelf slides on in 1 direction towards the corner. The catch with this is that one would have to be VERY accurate with their drilling. Here's a quick design I threw together of what these 45deg dowels may look like Dowel positioning and length will be refined. And as for drilling them, they on't have to be a perfect 45deg, as long as they are all parallel. I reckon a jig to hold the wood at an angle in the drill press may work. I'd drill the holes first, then cut off the little wedge part that forms the wall bracket. That way the holes should all line up. I will lose a kerf's worth of length and grain won't be perfect, but small price to pay for lines up dowels. So yeah, I'm keen to hear what you guys may think, or if you have any other smart ideas?!