Rocket-Boy

That would be a really fun build. Might be that project you wanted to do over a period of time while fitting in stuff that brings in the income in between.

Very clever saw guide that! really like that idea.

At the rate I use screws they arent too bad but Im fairly sure I will resort to normal chipboard screws if I need to use a lot at some stage.

Ah damn, so yesterday I bit the bullet and bought a Kreg R3 pocket hole jig. Now Im not into all of the various wonder gimmicks that come out but this thing has completely blown me away. I looked at the tork-craft version and the Wolfcraft one too but the prices were too close tot he Kreg to go for the lower quality kits. So I made a test joint with a single screw to see how strong it is and Im dumbfounded by how strong it actually was. I honestly dont think a butt joint with 5 screws in will be as strong as that single screw was. So I used it to attach the cross bracing on the lathe cart Im building and it was super simple to do along with very rigid. Only real gripe I have is that the included no2 square drive bit is very long and I couldnt get the driver in on a 300mm gap so had to resort to using a manual screwdriver for it. Will have to check if I can find a half length bit for jobs like that. If you are on the fence about one of these then I can tell you its well worth the money.

Would something like this work? https://www.tools4wood.co.za/product/wixey-digital-protractor-electronic-angle-gauge/ https://www.tools4wood.co.za/product/gauge-groz-depth-150mm-pdg6-proctract/

Buying 6 would make them R356 each including shipping and estimated duties. I think I might have some friends coming over from the states in the next month or two though so will check with them. At R170 each(price minus shipping) they are a no brainer.

Having the name Starrett on it I can tell you its going to be crazy expensive but will be dead accurate and last a lifetime.

Those are dirt cheap on Amazon. When I checked they were around $13 each with $18 shipping. Its always the shipping that bumps up the price so much.

Thanks I would really appreciate that.

The clamps are a good price but the shipping price is law dropping stuff! Its actually cheaper to ship directly from Amazon which is pretty unusual with stuff off Aliexpress.

I drove around a bit looking for pipes and or clamps today, seems East London is in the dark ages because I couldnt find either at any of the hardware stores. Seems they might be more pain than they are worth at the moment!

Do any of you guys use pipe clamps? Im looking at getting some but cant find a store locally which has them. Looking online I can get hold of the Pony ones but it seems you need to have pipe cut and threaded to make them up, do normal plumbing type stores do that?

It took me a long time to get that together because I couldnt figure out what I wanted. In the end I went for blocks holding groups of tools because I can just remove the screws and move them somewhere else. I thought about french cleats too but I have limited space so a single board worked out better. Im still going to add some drawers I think for smaller items I use less often, only problem with drawers is they become a catch all type thing for junk. The lathe cabinet Im busy building definitely needs drawers for all of my chuck jaws/pen turning/centres etc

Im 100% with you on that one, lathe has no time limit for me because its pretty quiet. Fortunately turning is my favourite thing to do so that keeps me busy.

I dont live in an estate but I have a great relationship with my neighbours and dont want to annoy them. I stop using things like the table saw after 8pm so I assume most people in estates/complexes would do something similar.

I spent some time trying to get organised over December, made a tool wall for behind my bench and started working on a lathe cart. Once the lathe cart is done I will make a holder for the lathe chisels and then should be able to start working a bit more efficiently. Chisel holder works quite nicely and holds them securely. I couldnt figure out what to do with pencils etc so I hand carved this guy out of a piece of bluegum I had lying about. Im really enjoying having a specific place for the tools I use the most, they always go back to the correct spot and I dont have to spend ages figuring out where I put them, which has been the case up to now.

With a belt sander Most of those will be pretty deep so generally easier to just stain or use coloured varnish in a similar shade.

Aww damn I replied something along those lines before seeing your post :/

too much powaaaaaa!

I thought all of that fell away a few years ago?

Very nice, half laps are super useful joints. Do you have a laser engraver or do you get them done somewhere?

Finished the lidded boxes that I made as Christmas gifts last night, better late than never and all that. My wife made the little ceramic succulents to go on top so I created a recess and epoxied them in place. The one with the coves cut into it was a bit of a sad story, it was mounted in cole jaws while I was cleaning up the tenon and I got an endgrain catch which sent it flying and resulted in some heavy gouges. So design modification was called for and the coves were used to cut through the dents. I think they came out ok in the end though.

I have been pretty bad at taking pics of stuff I have done over the last while. I made two of these mallets as Christmas presents. Still have the cut to size pieces to make another two which I will get around to when I have a bit more time. Oak faces with the main contact surface being a solid chunk of mahogany. Not 100% sure what the handle is, was a mystery wood given to me but its got nice tight grain and was quite pleasant to work with. Small zebrano wedge on top. The handle was turned on the lathe keeping the flats but rounding the edges. I used that to make a square facing end that meets the head but still allows for a 20mm hole to keep everything squared up nicely. *edit* I will take pics of the process when I make the next two, because Im sure my description doesnt explain much.

https://www.youtube.com/user/SamuraiStu2/videos?disable_polymer=1 Not sure if any of you have ever taken a look at this local knifemakers channel? Makes some pretty interesting stuff.

What Myles said, the majority you should be able to do yourself and that is half the fun. You can get the respraying done professionally if you want but I have seen some great resto's done using just a tin of spraypaint.