The Shed Logo
SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW

The Shed Issue 79, July/August 2018

In The Shed Issue 79, July/August 2018, we head to Wellington to document Shea Stackhouse making a small knife from Damascus steel, fondly known as a Puukka (that’s Finnish for small knife). While we are there we hang around to meet some knife fans who receive knife making advice from Shea at one of his regular knifemaking classes.



In The Shed Issue 79, July/August 2018, we head to Wellington to document Shea Stackhouse making a small knife from Damascus steel, fondly known as a Puukka (that’s Finnish for small knife). While we are there we hang around to meet some knife fans who receive knife making advice from Shea at one of his regular knifemaking classes.
Whanganui is where we meet master birdhouse builder, Steven Price. Steven went from building practical houses for people to building amazing houses for birds before Enrico Miglino introduces us to an Arduino-type board, BBC micro-bit. In this issue, we build a houseplant moisture monitor.
Raf Nathan shows us how to build some simple iPhone speakers from native timber that make great gifts and we discover the world of spectacular glass artist, Carmen Simmonds. Carmen makes her own glass, creates pieces from it as well as giving tuition to those eager to learn this fine craft. Lachie Jones follows the install of a flat-pack kitchen by Gary Hatfield and gets some solid tips and advice for us sheddies and, if you enjoy the art of clockmaking, you will be blown away by the work of Aucklander, David Curry. Not only does David make skeleton clocks from scratch, he makes the tools to manufacture the parts! As well as stationary engines electronic ignition systems and more.
Landlocked Piopio is where we find Max Laver Marine making unique boats and canoes from Macrocarpa, David Blackwell discusses the essentials and beauty of a good square and Geoff Merryweather forges a set of sturdy loads skates for moving heavy pieces of machinery around your shed.
Jude Woodside completes his strong and sturdy-as lathe bench by making and fitting steel drawers and Mark Beckett warns us of the dangers of cheap USB chargers. Part 5 of our series on 3D printing sees Enrico explore the features of the 3D software, Tinkercad, that make it perfect for newbies and we go on a journey with Ritchie Wilson, to save money, get some history on and learn all there is to know about sharpening stones and sharpening tools.

 

Share:

More Posts

Soldering tips part 2: Getting the job done

21 February 2025

We touched on some simple de-soldering methods in part one of this two-part series.
Just like other workshop tools, there is more than one way to achieve it and with less damage and frustration.
De-soldering involves removing the solder from the joint to either release the component or repair the solder joint. The aim is to do this with minimal damage to either part, but since you can generally replace the component, protecting the PCB is paramount.
SMT (Surface Mount Technology) is a whole other subject, and because of the design and density of the components, different tools are required.
De-solder or rework stations consist of a box controlling a heated tip and a vacuum pump. There are many manufacturers, but I’m only going to discuss some of the ones I’ve had experience with.
While the control box may have shrunk, there is a limit to reducing the handset. The handset consists of a tube to collect the solder and filters to absorb the flux residue. The tips are hollow and reach right through into the collection tube.

A movable bench with fold-away legs

14 February 2025

Before I down-sized my workshop, I had a garage workshop area and plenty of room to have the traditional type of sawhorses or saw stools. Now I have just half of a double-garage which means the stools have to be stored out the back in all weathers.
I was looking at a sheet of 16 mm ply that was 1200 mm square and could see it would make two stools that would fold away flat and could be stored inside. They wouldn’t take up space standing permanently in the garage/workshop and they would need very little room folded away.

Waka building – Tradition goes hi-tech

4 February 2025

Architect, designer, sailor. Add lateral thinker, enthusiast and passionate Kiwi to the mix and you have the CV of a Christchurch man who has made it his mission to put Maori waka back on the water by marrying traditional knowledge with today’s technology.
Quentin Roake’s goal is to find a way to build waka in numbers, recreating the appearance and characteristics of traditional craft in a modern version that is portable, durable, and economical to manufacture.
“The big question is, how do you translate the traditional form of canoe into modern materials? You can’t cut down a big totara tree every time you want to make a canoe,” he says.
Quentin’s quest for a solution involved consultation with tohunga waka (canoe experts), including Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr and Sir Hekenukumaingaiwi (Hector) Busby, and led to Nga Waka Tangata kaupapa, a collaborative project to develop contemporary forms of waka.

The Shed Logo

The Shed magazine is eclectic, informed, and always fascinating. Aimed at those with a few tools and perhaps a few clues: this is the magazine for real sheddies.

Packed with ideas, projects, advice, and peeks into other people’s sheds providing inspiration, ideas, and techniques, or just for the sheer enjoyment of the sheddie’s endless inventiveness, The Shed is the project enthusiast’s bible.

Contact us
  • Rusty Media
  • PO Box 46194
  • Herne Bay, Auckland 1147
Advertise with us

Get in touch with The Shed’s commercial team here. 

Sign up to The Shed newsletter

Sign up here to The Shed monthly email newsletter for exclusive reader offers.

Sign up here to The Shed monthly email newsletter for exclusive reader offers. For signing up, we’ll send you a free copy of The Shed, just simply put your postal address in the form.

Copyright © 2025 Rusty Media Limited. All rights reserved.