New workshop

[BigFryMan]

13 hours ago, Rue said:

I don't mind the staggered windows, but why stagger them like that?

Two reasons.

1. I was too lazy to work out cutting the studs in the wall to do a single wider window, 2. I really value having my tools super close to hand so 2 windows just above bench height eats into my tool hanging space too much. 3. (bonus reason) I really like the look of it now and (bonus bonus reason) it means sun on my bench from a couple of different angles depending on the time.

[Rue]

...I can certainly buy into the bonus bonus sun!!! 

 

[BigFryMan]

Time for a progress update.

Got the first coat of varnish on the wall and window trims, got a big piece of 33mm laminated ash cut to size for my main bench and found some rot in the corner in the wall to the right of the wall i'm working on.

So it looks like the termite barrier/flashing on the outside of that right wall sight on a concrete overhang and therefore doesn't slope away the wall. On the contrary, in a few spots it slopes toward the wall. Any time we get rain, the water ends up running into the wall. I think my only real solution is to lift to temporarily bend/lift the flashing up and angle grind the edge of the slab into a slope away from the wall so I can bend the flashing down. Anyone have any better ideas? I'm not really sure how anyone thought this could ever work. Aaaah one step forward 17 back.

[Ken_N]

Could you add another piece of flashing under the siding that goes down to the slab, and over the edge on top of the other flashing?  Then, the wood is sealed from the possibly damp slab, and from the outside rain.  I don't know much about construction. But I built my deck, of my own design 25+ years ago, and it's still standing!

I like the way the inside is looking.  I need all the light I can get.

[David Burgess]

Most high-level makers and restorers these days have a great fondness for oblique lighting, which can reveal much more than can be seen under "northern-facing window diffused lighting".

I have experience with both. Even a candle can reveal things which are not evident with a diffused light source.

Yes, I have actually experimented with stuff like that.

[Julian Cossmann Cooke]

20 hours ago, David Burgess said:

Most high-level makers and restorers these days have a great fondness for oblique lighting, which can reveal much more than can be seen under "northern-facing window diffused lighting".

I have experience with both. Even a candle can reveal things which are not evident with a diffused light source.

Yes, I have actually experimented with stuff like that.

After years of pursuing my dream to be a pirate, I took off the patch and -- voila! -- I saw my instruments in a whole new light.   (Does this mean, David, that we should declare Oberllin "Restore Like a Pirate Week"?)

[FiddleDoug]

You really need to add a flashing that goes up under the siding (a few inches) on the outside of the wall, and it needs to extend out past the galvanized flashing on the bottom, so that no water can get back between the two. Calking between the two flashings would help also. Just remove the bottom row of siding.

https://www.thespruce.com/zip-tool-for-remove-vinyl-siding-1824719

[BigFryMan]

11 hours ago, FiddleDoug said:

You really need to add a flashing that goes up under the siding (a few inches) on the outside of the wall, and it needs to extend out past the galvanized flashing on the bottom, so that no water can get back between the two. Calking between the two flashings would help also. Just remove the bottom row of siding.

https://www.thespruce.com/zip-tool-for-remove-vinyl-siding-1824719

Thanks FiddleDoug,

I have been thinking on the same idea, but without removing the siding. There's probably a gap of about an inch between the bottom of the siding and the flashing. That might be enough slope to get the job done. Alternatively, I've been thinking about getting an angle grinder and just grinding the edge of the slab down a cm or two as it's unnecessary overhang anyway. This would allow me to bend down the existing flashing. I think the garage may have originally just been a carport and someone just decided to wall up the gaps between the pylons and that's why this wasn't thought out very well.

[BigFryMan]

In other cool workshop news I managed to pickup a well loved tormek T7!

Came with the horizontal tool, knife, ax and scissor jigs. The 3 things on my list to add is the japanese waterstone wheel, gouge jig and the little leather wheels for honing the inside of gouges.
Had a bit of a play with it this morning and sharpened up all the kitchen knives and they came up well enough to shave my hand so that's a good start. I usually like my carving gouges a little bit fingernail shaped and struggle to keep the shapes consistent by hand so hopefully with will help a lot. I love it, but I don't think I'm ready to get of my waterstones just yet.

[FiddleDoug]

Bending down the existing flashing won't do it. Water will still run underneath. I would run flashing up at least 4 inches under the siding, and at least an inch out past the existing flashing. Doing it correctly is probably easier than angle grinding a bunch of concrete off.

[Mampara]

Your flashing needs to be UNDER the siding and OVER the slab for it to be effective in keeping water out. The way it is now means that it's neither a water nor a termite barrier of any sort. Generally speaking flashings are not effective termite barriers, you need fine stainless steel mesh (Termimesh or similar) to do the job properly.

Good job on getting that Tormek - it will work well for a long time.

[BigFryMan]

Got a board of chisels and gouges up on the wall this week and have started on getting my workbench prepped. 

 

 

[Bill Yacey]

The construction methods there in Australia are very different than how we do things here in Canada.

Here, the walls would be sheeted with plywood or OSB before the vinyl  siding is put on. This keeps the walls square, as the vinyl siding has no structural strength to speak of.  Then the insulation is put in place, and a polyethylene vapor barrier installed before the sheeting is installed on the inside walls.

[BigFryMan]

17 hours ago, Bill Yacey said:

The construction methods there in Australia are very different than how we do things here in Canada.

Here, the walls would be sheeted with plywood or OSB before the vinyl  siding is put on. This keeps the walls square, as the vinyl siding has no structural strength to speak of.  Then the insulation is put in place, and a polyethylene vapor barrier installed before the sheeting is installed on the inside walls.

To be fair to Australian construction - this is not a typical example. I have come to the realization this whole structure use to be a truss roof carport on 9 uprights and then some DIY-er decided to put stud walls in between the roof supports. Absolutely terrible work. I don't think there are that many houses here using vinyl siding. I agree with you that it has zero structural strength. I find it very disconcerting. Our house is also clad in this stuff and also is missing the plywood. You can bend the walls with your fist. In QLD people seem to be particularly lazy when it comes to wall insulation which I find really frustrating. Many places don't have any wall insulation whatsoever which makes for expensive cooling.

My wife and I lived in Whistler BC for 2 years and we got to watch a friend build a house that was only a couple of efficiency points off being a passiv haus. Some serious wall systems in that. We stayed with them for a few weeks and it's such a comfortable house to live in even in winter. No annoying drafts or hot or cold spots - very stable.

[BigFryMan]

New workbench top is now in place. Still need to add some bracing for the legs and a support for the cupboard/draws I'll have underneath and then capping around the outside.

Once that is done I can lay all my frequently used tools out and work out what I want on the wall close to hand and what will live in drawers/cupboards. Starting to feel like this is actually coming together now. 

[joerobson]

On 11/25/2019 at 10:46 AM, David Burgess said:

Most high-level makers and restorers these days have a great fondness for oblique lighting, which can reveal much more than can be seen under "northern-facing window diffused lighting".

I have experience with both. Even a candle can reveal things which are not evident with a diffused light source.

Yes, I have actually experimented with stuff like that.

I  have 7 different light sources around my bench.....never enough

[BigFryMan]

Slow progress as still plenty of other work to do and Christmas coming up.

Got a few more bits and pieces organized on the wall and started reinforcing the legs on the bench a little bit.

I like quite a few holes up one end of my bench for bench dogs. Anyone have any good ideas for drilling clean and vertical 19mm - 3/4 inch holes? On my last plywood bench I got a little bit of tear out using a spade bit. Any better ways to do it? Was half thinking of trying a hole saw, but not sure if it'll be any cleaner.

I think I'm going to put all my carving knives, pens, markers, calipers on a smallish shelf under that left window.

[Jim Bress]

Shop is looking nice.  Especially with tools all over the bench.

[J Corry]

Very nice indeed!

A Forstner bit should be able to drill those bench dog holes quite neatly. 

[Julian Cossmann Cooke]

big Fry, you are living proof that it pays to take ones time in building a shop.  Looks great1

[BigFryMan]

On 12/14/2019 at 1:43 AM, Julian Cossmann Cooke said:

big Fry, you are living proof that it pays to take ones time in building a shop.  Looks great1

Well I'll let you know when it pays 

[BigFryMan]

Got distracted with building a christmas present for some family friends this week.

It's a little table for cheese and wine on a picnic.

I wanted to make it food safe to cut cheese on so I melted some beeswax and mixed in some linseed and MCT oil (type of coconut oil) and it seemed to come up nicely.

[Rue]

How cute is that???

[tamiya]

On 9 December 2019 at 12:20 PM, BigFryMan said:

To be fair to Australian construction - this is not a typical example. I have come to the realization this whole structure use to be a truss roof carport on 9 uprights and then some DIY-er decided to put stud walls in between the roof supports. Absolutely terrible work. I don't think there are that many houses here using vinyl siding. I agree with you that it has zero structural strength. I find it very disconcerting. Our house is also clad in this stuff and also is missing the plywood. You can bend the walls with your fist. In QLD people seem to be particularly lazy when it comes to wall insulation which I find really frustrating. Many places don't have any wall insulation whatsoever which makes for expensive cooling.
 

How olds the house?  

If it's ~50yo+... it's probably originally built as a weatherboard with overlapping wooden boards. Very popular in the 1950-60s alongside the "Brick Veneer" (which to the non Ozzies is cladding your house with glued-on thin slices of redbrick).

Then after 20-30yrs of neglect from not regularly repainting etc weatherboards would've been consumed by the QLD sun if not boarders & whiteants. Big industry in the 1980s replacing them with floppy vinyl facsimiles... yeah I've never seen them add board behind the vinyl, it's just rip off the rotten boards and tack on plastic in place.

1980s were also the time that new suburban houses started getting full secure garages as standard... so existing neighbours got envious and started boarding in their "car ports". Yep did that in our 4BR BrickVeneer family home... added a B&D Tilt-a-Door, framed up the space between pillars and boarded up with non structural pine. Plus a door for side access. 

I'm down in VIC and where that house stands, it's cold enough in winter to find a layer of crunchy frost on the grass some mornings. Wasn't too comfortable wrenching in that converted carport... i'd rather be working indoors, spare bedroom much better  Lotsa hungry termites around too.

[Bill Yacey]

On 12/17/2019 at 5:40 PM, BigFryMan said:

Got distracted with building a christmas present for some family friends this week.

It's a little table for cheese and wine on a picnic.

I wanted to make it food safe to cut cheese on so I melted some beeswax and mixed in some linseed and MCT oil (type of coconut oil) and it seemed to come up nicely.

I hope you used food grade flaxseed oil, and not hardware store linseed oil.