eccc whippet

the only reason i bought a VW transporter...my son was an appy at Apline motors ( so i know what they earn ) ...now has his own business doing custom built V8...hot rods etc. insurance is replacing the key.

i take you have never been to VW to have your car serviced? I have to replace my key...R890 per hour for the artisan to reprogram my key...R4400 to replace the key.

no it doesnt...i have edited the post.

The price to have a hair cut has dropped ...from R120 down to R50 ...last week I took R50 to pay the fella...he said it was R 30 ...I paid him the R50 I took with to pay for the cut. The reality is unless you have a specialized job...which nobody else can do...or customers who pay your worth....to get work you need to drop your price and do what it takes to get work...even if it means working products which might not be up to your standard.

All of the above...a certified alarm installer...cctv installer...and gate installer...certified installation electrician...master electrician...10 years experience in thermography...10 years experience in power quality analyzing using a fluke 435....many years experience in water treatment and waste water automation and instrumentation...overhead reticulation and special lighting contracts to Durban electricity department for many years...experience in air conditioning and refrigeration panel building and installations...been a consultant to a few big companies for specialized fault finding issues...and to sit in meetings as an advisor to make sure the contractor is not trying baffle with bull****....to mention a few of the things I have done while running my business for the past 27 years

by the way...i have done a lot of kitchen remodels ( the electrical part) i am yet to see a kitchen "cabinet maker" there is a difference between a cabinet maker and a chipboard installer. cabinet makers generally build solid wood units...not chip board solid wood "looking" units.

If you are paying less than R800 per hour for an artisan...you get "skilled" labour or a technician...including alarm...cctv etc if you paying R800 - R1200 per hour...you should get an experienced artisan/craftsman who knows his stuff and been around a while. anything over R1200 you should be getting a master craftsman. So if you paying R450...the going rate in Durban for an electrical contractor...you should be happy with a skilled labourer collected outside builders and left on your property to do a task...what we call hit and run contracts...this is the norm when doing work with a builder...where the building using "his" electrician...you go in...dump staff and so long as the light switches on...you collect your money and run...make sure you dont leave a number ...the owner will eventually get his electrician to come an fix all the issues or when they try sell...end up with a R 20 000 repair bill. say amen if you have been one of these suckers...who tried to sell a house and now sit with a massive repair bill.

It is simple...people are not prepared to pay for a "qualified artisan" so you get what you pay. there is a trend starting in SA as people are getting smarter...i have been asked on numerous occasions about my "teams" who are dropped on site...it is simple you want a cheap job...you get teams of "skilled" people...if you want a quality job and prepared to pay the price...you get me on site managing and doing the job. you get qualified people...who have a piece of paper with a big red stamp who served their time and "passed" the trade test. then you get skilled people sometimes referred to as "technicians" ...people who have done a 1 or 2 week course...and now skilled to carry out a specific task. then you get the handyman... R18000 for a surgeon to do an op on my wifes foot...took him 1 hour...plus the R18000 for the night in hospital...people whine to pay R450 for a qualified artisan to drive to their house and do a job...you pay peanuts you get skilled labour. Attention to detail costs money.

hell yes.

Any tips on a cnc router...Could cut a logo ...burn and sand.

From small fly rod stands.... With a little reel storage To double layer stands We even need to cut holes in the centre for those extra just in case rods DIY kit format to make postage easier and reduce volume. Space restriction...above the window and they are out the way ...what's left of my fishing tackle...now that the other 3 walls have bicycles [emoji3] Simply wrap and they ready to... Now I just need to figure out how to setup a website...arrange fumigation certificates...so that I can sell them worldwide...get a little capital ( maybe sell my bicycles) to invest in a cnc router...a laser cutter for custom logos and new templates and to brand the product. Man it's frustrating having such active mind...and no trust fund to experiment

Do you have to get fumigations certificates to move wood/shutterboard from SA to Namibia ?

What happens when you can't cycle. ...You start seeing crazy images in your mind...this is the result...a mix of black and ally...my favorite so far.

Something a little different...mix of ally and wood

I tried to upload the video...it just keeps showing network error Here is a pic of the mdf after going through the thicknesser...I did use this dud template first just in case [emoji3] Templates are done...now the easy work starts...I can take a full sheet and attach any template I choose and cut up a full sheet...looks like the 8 mm bit is going to be the best choice.

eeeish i think back in the day when we still had tradesman ...i see a lot of kitchen cabinets built...and they certain dont quality as cabinet makers. now days they fall into the same category as "technicians" ..."kitchen cabinet makers" ...a 2 day or 2 week course gets you a qualification which the customer seems to think entitles them to a R600 per hour + labour cost...yet they squeal to pay certified skilled artisans R 400 per hour (the rate most electricians charge) and they wonder why the boss man drops off a couple "semi skilled" while he spends the rest of the day on his bicycle or in the pub.

i get my metal templates laser cut...i am told cutting sheets of plywood gets expensive and burns the wood...the guys who do the templates design and modify my templates at no extra charge. talking of bending aluminum...anyone have a strongman square tube bender (complete...with 16 ...20 and 25 mm die) they want to sell

trying out stuff...i will try the masonite..in fact i am going to attach the steel template to it for strength and see how it works...the reason i want to go thinner on the template is cut depth...longer bits = more cash outlay..had the 51 mm 1/2 inch bit hit the template after it got hectic hot while cutting the 16 mm mdf templates...absolutely destroyed it...R500 later i normally finish off on the table router with a trim bit...however it means moving back inside the workshop...and more mess...at the moment i do the cutting outside...less mess...and boy does the wood dust get into everything...especially mdf...i also use a proper dust mask other wise my throat feels like sand paper by the end of the day.

i have been experimenting with templates and plywood... the long process (just got so use to it) ...mark the wood with a koki... cut close to the outside line with a band saw then the inside with a jigsaw... then on he table router to clean it up.. slow messy process. watched a cnc router cut the shapes with a little motor...decided to get a beeeeg router...a makita rp2301 fc and put a 12.7 mm straight bit with a template guide...it takes a bit of pushing to get it going and keep it going...i tried using a 10 mm bit...better...then tried an 8 mm bit...it flies through the wood...i thought i was on a roll so i went down to a 6mm bit on my small router...it cuts...not as fast but with way more noise. this process cuts out the marking and bandsaw/jigsaw work...now i just screw thew template onto the plywood and use the router bit to cut and trim. any suggests or better ideas.... i have also found working with the hand held router is safer than pushing the plywood around on the table router.

i sent it through this afternoon...just peels it off with a nice smooth finish...my blades are sharp.

eeeeish...mdf prices in Durban (Timbercity the only people who do all the sizes) 6 mm R520 9 mm R655 16 mm R706 16 mm at builders R560 and they cut to size for free...look like the 16 mm is going through the thicknesser

thanks for that info...i didnt know mdf was made in other thicknesses...i need 9 mm for my templates...was gona send the 16 mm through the thicknesser

the web site for the AWSA http://www.awsa.org.za/Contact-Us

my advice would be to join the wood tuners guild/ association in his area...the fellas have a wealth of information and offer really good first hand experience...good chance he could get a chiesel or 2 from one of them. there is one in east london. he will also need a good chain saw to keep in his car

Because I had sell all my bass fishing stuff just to buy 1 bicycle...I only need a small space above the window for what is left of the rods [emoji12] Some of the bicycles now take up the rest of my office... Busy designing a unit to support the bicycle wheels with a lock on the pedal and crank arm...so you just hook the pedal into the lock and the wheels are supported...no need for chains ...straps and wire.