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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.

 

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A man of many sheds

22 May 2025

Sitting on the edge of a little paddock in the river mouth settlement of Kakanui, ten minutes drive south of Oamaru, is a ramshackle shed where Lindsay Murray creates things of rustic beauty.
The shed has a long history. It was built in 1875 as the house and shop of a nurseryman, George Packwood, who came from Scotland to plant and tend trees around the mill manager’s house in Kakanui.
When Lindsay, an artisan wood worker and sometimes blacksmith took it over in 1993 the back wall had fallen off, half the roof was collapsing and the floors were rotted through in the living quarters. As far as Lindsay was concerned, it was perfect.
It had the remnants of the original dwelling: a kitchen with no running water but with a working coal range, and two other rooms which have served, over the years, as sleeping quarters and a sitting-cum-dining room. This is where Lindsay stays overnight when working on a major project. It also serves as temporary accommodation for visiting artisans and is currently home to Rolands Selis, a highly skilled leather worker.

VERSATILE SHED OF THE YEAR COMPETITION!

22 May 2025

Do you have New Zealand’s most interesting shed?
Whether it’s the cleanest, most cluttered, an epic man cave, or simply one-of-a-kind, we want to see it!
We love them all, and now it’s your chance to show off your shed and win!
Think your shed has what it takes?
Enter today and claim the crown!
HOW IT WORKS:
We’ll select the Top 5 sheds. The finalists will be showcased on Facebook, and the public will vote – most likes & comments wins!
WHAT YOU WIN:
A $500 Prezzy Card. A feature spot on the cover of The Shed Magazine, 2026 Calendar
HOW TO ENTER:
Send a high-res JPG image of your shed
Email your entry to: [email protected]
Entries close: July 31st
Facebook voting runs:
August 1st – 10th. The winner will be notified by email.

Lights galore

15 May 2025

If you are interested in adapting and using discarded bits and bobs to make something useful, then building lights, table lamps, and the like, offers an endless source of relatively inexpensive projects to amuse you. What’s more, they make unique gifts and nice conversation starters for visitors. Lamps are also a good way of supporting a decorating theme. Whether you are into an Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, modern or industrial look, it is nice to enhance your chosen theme by constructing a light from an object that is reminiscent of it.
Of course you are dealing with 240-volt electricity, which is potentially lethal, so it is essential that you use common sense and particular care when wiring up lights (see the safe wiring tip box). The advent of 12-volt downlights powered by small transformers has also made the construction of lights much safer. Lights can now be wired in such a way that the 240-volt transformer is remotely located or secured and independently earthed. There is no electrocution risk posed by the 12-volt wiring in the rest of the light.

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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.

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