The Shed, November/December 2019 issue no 87, in shops now

The November/December 2019 Issue 87 of The Shed, has a real electronics feel about it but there is also a lot here to keep all sheddies informed, entertained and well-skilled up.
Our cover story is about the goal of a Christchurch boat builder, architect, designer, sailor, Quentin Roake, to find a way to build waka in large numbers. He wants to recreate the appearance and characteristics of traditional craft in a modern version that is portable, durable, and economical to manufacture. Quentin has made it his mission to put Maori waka back on the water by marrying traditional knowledge with today’s technology

The November/December 2019 Issue 87 of The Shed, has a real electronics feel about it but there is also a lot here to keep all sheddies informed and well-skilled up.

Our cover story is about the goal of a Christchurch boat builder, architect, designer, sailor, Quentin Roake, to find a way to build waka in large numbers. He wants to recreate the appearance and characteristics of traditional craft in a modern version that is portable, durable, and economical to manufacture. Quentin has made it his mission to put Maori waka back on the water by marrying traditional knowledge with today’s technology. His journey is a very uplifting tale.



Staying in Christchurch, two sheddies combine to build an electric skateboard that can hit speeds of 45k plus! Gavin Bath and Mark Beckett walk us through the step by step build of this pavement rocket ship.
We have Part Three in our How to weld series, this issue it’s how to TIG weld before we head off to the shed of a record breaking electric motorcycle builders, Eva Hakansson and Bill Dube. This couples’ need for speed has seen them build the record breaking KillaCycle which reached a speed of nearly 390 kph and now a new and faster beast is being constructed, the Green Envy.

This issue sees the commencement of a new series of brewing tips from Bryan Livingston of Brewers Coop fame, Part One is getting to know your hops and some great brewing tips to enhance your own brewing skills.



Coen Smit shows us how to make the humble coffee table something of a talking piece in your home and Enrico Miglino starts out on his new adventures by upcycling vintage tech items. He first completely restores them then changes or adds to their range of functions. Part One is upcycling a mid 20th century Milliampere Meter.

Ritchie Wilson reviews the excellent book EXACTLY How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester before heading to the local workshop of electronic collector and engineer, Tim Pattrick.

Murray Grimwood shares his glasshouse building knowledge in this issue’s Off the grid column and then Ian Parkes heads out to the industrial area of Penrose in Auckland to meet Grant and David Lindsay the owners of Kiwi tool making company Linbide. Many of us will have used their great wee tungsten scraper but they also make saw blades and more.
Mark Beckett has been very busy this issue and gets making some Christmas gifts on his trusty CNC router, Hugh McCulloch uses 3D printing to repair his trusty mobile landline phone and Bob Hulme gets making some fireworks just  cos… it’s that time of year.

We begin to close this issue with a visit to a very talented multi-tasker, Anna Bates. Anna lives out in the West Auckland bush where she creates unique pieces in her newly restored railway-hut shed in her back garden. Prepare here for shed envy.
As usual, Jude Woodside closes the magazine and shares with us his success and the limitations of his newly installed solar power panels that generate 3-phase power, on a good day, for his workshop shed.
To purchase a copy or to subscribe head to https://magstore.nz/

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Steampunk toys

A steampunk toy (for want of a better term) combines two passions of mine. I love making things that are a bit different, even a bit quirky. Something that stands out from the run of the mill stuff that you buy at the shops. Secondly, I enjoy the challenge of bringing together bits and pieces to make seemingly disparate objects into a semi-plausible whole toy. Steampunk toys give me the opportunity to do both.

The Shed magazine December/January 2025 issue 118 on sale now

Full tilt with Dynamite Dave.
Dynamite Dave Alexander is a self-taught doer, with an eye for detail, unquestionable discipline, and a passion for motorsports. He’s been making things since he was a nipper, and has never stopped. He was raised on a remote Hawke’s Bay farm, where the shed was his university.
Dave says he “grew up doing it”, working alongside his father Neil, learning how to keep the property and equipment maintained and running. His first job was welding all the farm gates. His next was putting in a box-section chassis for a 1942 Willys Jeep, which served as the farm’s workhorse.
At 18, Dave commenced his first customisation of his Mk ll Zephyr, installing a V8, dual headlights, and Vauxhall tail lights. Since then, he has restored, driven, and raced an impressive list of classic muscle cars, scratch-built stocks, rods, and record-breaking Bonneville salt cars.
Now – at 70-something – this multitasking, project-a-holic is closing in on his latest quest: to break 262mph (422kph) at Bonneville in his shed-built, RB-powered Lakester – a project that has been close to a decade in development.
Dave says, “I guess I could be playing golf or in the pub. But you have to do something to get you out of bed in the morning, to keep the old man out.”

Building a potting shed

Among small buildings you can create without council building consent, a potting shed is very handy. The fact the builder agreed to put up this structure to get the gardening tools out of his shed is another story.
If you can possibly choose a flat site, do so. In this potting shed, the only site available was on a hill which meant a fair bit of work for the builder because of the extra labour and time.
Then in order to avoid the need for a building consent, measure the site up to ensure the 10 m2-or-less potting shed is no closer to the boundary or to a dwelling than its own height. In this case, the boundary is nearby but there are no dwellings close by to worry about. Here the original idea was a three-metre long building but it had to be shortened to 2.1 metres because the boundary was closer than first thought.