patches

Looks like a solid CNC. A little more commercial grade than an X-Carve or OneFinity. What types of things are you looking to cut? 3D (or 2.5D as they call it) contours? 2D templates out f ply/MDF? Whilst I don't have any experience with the CNC routers, some regular router basics will still apply. Speed, Feed, depth of cut (and number of passes). On the modelling side, something free and easy like Autodesk Fusion360 (free for hobby use) is probably your best bet. Youtube will have loads of tutorials on this, as well as some specifically for CNC users. Fusion 360 or the like will make the modelling side easier, then Mach 3 will do the translation for the router to understand. I don't have much value to add, but keen to hear about your learning experience if you do dive down that rabbit hole (I want to get into CNC routing and have already earmarked a spot for a small CNC in my garage, just need to sell a dirt bike to afford it 😅). BTW, sorry for your loss 😥

Upvote for the Bosch Blue. Cordless (although not the be-all-and-end-all) is convenient. Also, Bosch use the Starlock system which not only makes blade changes easier, but also offers more surface contact between the chuck/collect/shaking-thingy and the blade so gets the power down through the blade a little more efficiently... allegedly. Here are a couple of good videos and an article with comparisons between various cordless multi-tools. And Tool Box Buzz's article and final scorecard on their shootout https://www.toolboxbuzz.com/head-to-head/best-cordless-oscillating-multi-tool-head-to-head/ Although the Bosch ranked relatively low, it's still a professional grade tool, and you probably don't intend to use it to cut through nails all the time. I have the Milwaukee (had the AEG before that) and the difference is significant, It's an absolute monster as you'll see in those tests, but sometimes I find it too powerful and it can overshoot the mark if one isn't careful. I also think it's WAY overpriced in SA (at R8750-ish here). I think I paid about R3500 equiv.

Hope all you Auckland dwellers survived the rainstorm yesterday? We got off lightly with just a bit of garage flooding (which was tragic for me, but overall could be worse).

Busy working on restoring the old Record No. 5 Jack plane I acquired and I ran into a little challenge with the totes. As you can see from the 'Before Photo' they were a little worse for wear and needed some sanding and refinishing. But after sanding, it became evident that the rear tote is not the same wood as the front. I suspect that the rear tote is beech and the front is rosewood (I think), as are the front and rear totes on the No. 4-1/2 on the background. So how best to finish the rear tote to have it matching the front? I was thinking about a wood dye/stain, but perhaps another finish may give the desired effect?! Any suggestions?

or WEF

Also just in... Jacinda has announced she's stepping down as Prime Minister https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130990117/live-jacinda-ardern-announces-she-will-resign-as-prime-minister-by-february-7

I worked with a guy who took on $500k extra debt to sell his house and move 2km away (but on the right side) of the highway to send his son to Westlake Boys. Seems ludicrous! (although we're currently zoned for Westlake, unintentionally, haha) So yeah, some Kiwis can be really would up when it comes to grammar schools, but like davetapson said, us Saffers are very "school conscious" and I think it goes back to the private school obsession that middle-to-upper Saffers have back in the homeland. Some can't conceive of sending their kids to a government school, unless it's one of those prestigious ones that breeds elite sportsmen as well as young men with big egos (no offence to anyone who went to KES, haha). In a similar vein, most middle-to-upper class Saffers wouldn't dare risk treatment in a government hospital. Private healthcare seems like the only way to survive a medical ordeal. However it's different here. The public offerings are generally excellent, and in many cases on par with, or better than the private offerings in SA. (I can affirm that especially in the healthcare sector). So like davetapson said, don't stress too much over it. If you pick a decent area, schooling will be fine. Plus it sounds like you have a few years to go before you send the youngster off to highschool, which buys you time to get more familiar with areas and where you want to be. If you really wanted to be selective, previously you could try judge a school on its decile ranking (1-10, with 10 being the schools in wealthy socio-economic areas), but this year the Ministry of Education did away with the decile system and created an "Equity Index" where I think the lower the score, the less the socio-economic challenges faces by students and families. https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/changes-in-education/equity-index/how-the-equity-index-works/ Here's a snippet of the top handful But hey, it's just school! I went to very average government schools and I turned out just fine 😅

For ages I was eyeing out the 40V kit version of that (charger + 2.5Ah battery) as it was the cheapest way to get onto the 40V platform. There's a Kiwi on YouTube that reviews a ton of Makita gear, and he has a vid on the various inflators. Don't think he covers the topic of seating tubeless, but still informative

Tighten until it goes loose, then a quarter turn back 😅 Just kidding, although I'm pretty sure the previous owner of my dirt bike followed that ethos. As for recommendations, ParkTool is usually the go-to for cycling related, but as you likely have seen their torque wrench is 2 - 14Nm and costs a decent bit of coin (around R2300).. If you can find Kinchrome (Aussie brand) in SA, they do a 1/4" drive 2 - 24Nm wrench which retails for around R1300 equiv over here in NZ. https://www.kincrome.com.au/t-wrench-200-lb-1-4-dr Teng Tools do a 5 - 25Nm that's reasonably priced, just below R1500. https://www.takealot.com/teng-tools-1-4-inch-drive-torque-wrench-5-25nm-1492ag-e/PLID69147076 King Tony do quite a nice one, but it's getting into the R2500 range. https://www.takealot.com/king-tony-torque-wrench-1-4-4-20nm/PLID55063336 And not exactly budget friendly, but I'm a fan of their products... the Wera at over R5500 (with sockets). https://www.takealot.com/wera-torque-1-05004180001-bicycle-torque-wrench-set/PLID73109304 So yeah, the Teng Tools is probably the best value for money and what I'd likely get, although it can't do 4Nm. Hope that helps

Picked up this old boy (Record No. 5 Jack Plane) from the TradeMe (NZ Gumtree) for $35. I figured while I have all the rust remover, primer, paint etc, I may as well restore another plane. This has however become a slippery slope as this plane was sold without plane iron and chip breaker, so I may have to buy ANOTHER old Record No. 4 or 5 to cannibalise. I also may not be able to pass up any No. 6 or 7's that come up for sale. They're like Pokemon 😅 Anyway, I'll post some pics when it's done. All I can say is thank goodness for Evapo Rust! Highly recommend for delicate rust removal!

Easy there, my Mom is only 62 😅 But yeah I've only done the Qantas flights (JHB>SYD>CHC/AKL), which weren't too much more than Emirates and Qatar a few years back. However now, the're more than double the price. I was soo tempted to book my Mom on Qatar, as the airline itself is great, but the layovers and total travel time (48hrs and even 64hrs in some cases) gnawed at my conscience, so I forked out for Qantas... $3500 return... ouch! As I plan to fly my Mom out here for half-a-year at a time (until I can get her residency), I'll see how she finds the first few trips, and I may try her out on some slightly longer (but more budget friendly) routes (Singapore, Emirates, etc).

Most properties should be pretty decent. Generally (especially since the introduction of the Healthy Homes Act) things lie in favour of the tenants and their rights. There's a whole FB group of grumpy landlords complaining, hahaha A few key things that worth looking into are Area (generally speaking. Is it dodgy, etc). Public Transport Insulation (newer homes will have double glazing. All homes should have a heat source) And worst case, you're there for a year. That said, unfortunately my sister won't be able to go round and check out places, but if you know the area or have a specific ad you're looking at, feel free to PM me the details and I can find out.

Thanks! Yeah I put way too much effort in to what is effectively a glorified milk crate. That said, I treated it as a learning opportunity, which taught me the following lessons: How to use the Domino for joinery on angled legs Oily woods don't glue up very easily, extra measures are needed Oily woods can tannin stain your hands, which make it look like you ran out of TP 💩, no matter how much dishwash, isopropyl alcohol, turps or Swarfega you use. None of the aforementioned worked, and I was getting worried. Cant have dirty looking hands while working at a hospital. Lemon juice is the magical potion that will remove the tannin stains from said dirty-looking hands (whew!) Oh! and a common one for all woodworkers... you can never have too many clamps! (my initial glue-up attempt, which failed and resulted in the the image below... AFTER hours of sanding, edge detailing etc 🤬)

Some workshop organizing means my 3D Printer and Laser Cutter are now on the top shelf, making it hard to reach for some of the setup. So I figured I'd make a step-stool to assist. This was a bit of a "wing-it" build, using scraps from the wood cart. Base is made from H3.2 treated pine (90 x 32 decking timber) and the top is made from Kwila/Merbau 70x19 decking boards. My initial panel glue up didn't go very well as Kwila is oily and I didn't strip the oil before gluing. Second attempt had oil stripped and dominos placed to try prevent it splitting again.

A new/old addition to the toolbox... For Christmas, my father-in-law gave me an old Record No. 4-1/2 smoothing plane that belonged to his dad. He said his father bought it shortly after WWII as buying new furniture in Aus was a challenge, so many people resorted to making their own. The plane was in decent functioning condition, mostly just some cosmetic issues, so I undertook a little holiday project that was pretty rewarding. Before After And she works too...

I can't remember his hub name (only his real name), but I do know an MTBer that moved to Wellington about a year or so before I did (c. 2014/15). My sister also lives in Wellington. Her and her husband moved from JHB to Wellywood early 2020.

Call it too much YouTube influence, a tool addiction, or just being left alone in the tool shop unsupervised for too long... but that's all water under the bridge now... I've been testing the recently acquired Domino and it really does feel like woodwork cheating... ...but I'm ok with that 😅 I used some scraps to practice some of the typical applications (end to face butt joints, bevels, bevel to face and mid board joints). and this tricky one that required a CA glued clamping caul Now I need to build something useful. Although I'll never truly justify my splurchase (financially), as I'm a mere hobbyist, not a tradesperson... I did like the one point I heard stating that although Domino joiners are an overkill for hobby use, they can be invaluable for those that take more joy out of the design and creative part of woodwork than the technical skill honing (like hand-cut dovetails etc)... that's how I justify it to myself anyway... as for how I justify it to my wife... I promised her some new built-in cabinets 😅

Happy Back to Work Day (for most of you, I'm guessing). This December break went by WAY too fast, plus with the horrendous weather this last week has brought, I feel I'm due for another holiday already 😅 To post a holiday pic that's cycling related, here's an awesome looking bike shop down in Greytown for those that like the vintage 2 wheelers... And for those that like a tipple and a pedal... they even have some artisanal gin in some unique oil-can like packaging

We're in Sydney at the moment (Christmas with the in-laws) and yesterday my wife had girls lunch with her cousins. I was left to my own devices for about 2 hours, so went to visit Total Tools. It ended badly and now I need to explain to my wife why I have barely any room in my bag for my clothes 🙈 (Domino DF 500 set) This is exactly what happens when I'm left unsupervised!

I finally finished the Christmas prezzies that my wife volunteered me to make for the in-laws... The walnut turned out really nice. I made 2x walnut and 2x maple. Here you can see each version with and without finish (danish oil) They're replicas of the clothes-hanger-hangers I made (with a number of improvements)

I've been riding with Nuke Proof Electrons for the last 12 years (14 different bikes). At one stage I had 5 sets of them on the 5 bikes in the stable at that time (from a trials bike to a downhill bike). They're one of only 2 things I keep consistent on all my bikes (the other being Renthal Fat Bars), and it's no coincidence that these 2 areas of contact (hands and feet) are where one has the most control over your bike (unless you have crazy strong butt-clenching skills). They're not the flashest, or the biggest platform. But they're that sense of decent performance and consistency I rely on. I also like that they have no centre pins, allowing a bit of float when tring to readjust a foot (also helps one's shoes last a bit longer) That said, no flat pedal discussion is complete without acknowledging the rubber side. I'm a big fan of FiveTens. I know they cost a pretty penny and some think they're just an overpriced skate shoe... until they try them. In my opinion the right footwear is equally as important as the perfect pedal. In fact in my case I've always gone for a decent (but not top spec) pedal (like the Electron) and spent a little more on the shoes (as you can see below 😅) May the flat pedal gods please forgive me for my moment of weakness when I tried cleats (fourth pair from the left). I soon saw the error of my ways.

This one also seems to be an option https://www.insurancesafenz.com/explorersafe/explorer-safe-inbound Pretty decent for 6 months of insurance. Their Student Travel Insurance seems to be recommended by a number of NZ Uni's

Anyone got any good travel insurance recommendations for Saffers visiting NZ for a number of months?

Booked my Mom's flights. Exciting times! been nearly 5 years since I last saw her, and it'll be her first ever visit to NZ. She'll be here for roughly 6 months, so that'll be a nice break from the Joburg hustle and bustle for her. Got a Qantas deal that wasn't tooo bad. Only about $300 more (for a return ticket) than the usual suspects (Qatar and Emirates), but with less than half the travel time than some of those flights, and an easy transit through Sydney.

I know right?! And I'm skating on thin ice every time I say "damn Auckland and it's weather, Christchurch wouldn't be like this" 😅