The Shed, Author at The Shed

Can you open the right door for someone near you?

10 October 2018

In the good old days, kids who had an aptitude for trades or technical subjects would discover this at school in woodwork, metalwork, tech drawing, and the like. They would then move into apprenticeships. Today, many trades today are crying out for new entrants. Many youngsters have had a non-stop diet of academic study so they may have no idea they could have great hand skills and a promising career in a trade. It’s up to us to spot that talent and steer them in the right direction.

The Shed Issue 81, Nov/Dec 2018 on sale now

8 October 2018

In The Shed 81, Nov/Dec 2018 issue, we head to Blenheim to meet school teacher and dedicated sheddie Dave Pauling.
Dave makes extraordinary guitars in his shed from recycled native timber and shares his skills with us so readers can have a go too. He nicknames some of his electric guitars ‘Les Paulings’ – nice touch.

Photos from the Auckland Blade Show, October 6 & 7 2018

7 October 2018

The 2018 Auckland Blade Show in Parnell this weekend was a huge success. Over 25 knife makers from all over NZ took stands as well as a shop from Gameco Artisan Supplies. A steady stream of visitors enjoyed an awesome display of great Kiwi knife making with no exhibitor quite like another. Organiser Brent Sandow promised us all we won’t have to wait as long for the next event which will require a larger venue to accomodate all the knife makers that couldn’t attend this 2018 Auckland show. If you are a fan of knives and knife making, do not miss the next show.

Build a basic trailer – part one

4 October 2018

A crucial step in building this trailer is to get the axle stub straight, otherwise your tyres will chop up as they run. I use a jig of angle iron to get this straight. But I can show how to do it for home workshop, simply by holding the axle stub ﬁrmly against the bottom and one side of the box section axle to ensure it is square. There must be good welds on the axle stub.

Another reason to subscribe to The Shed

25 September 2018

If you often wonder whether you should subscribe to The Shed magazine, this just may be the reason you have been looking for.

Go your own way: Have fun making your own coffin

16 September 2018

As the saying goes, there are only two certainties; death and taxes. While we can do little about the latter, we can at least be prepared for the former. That is the motivation behind the group that gathers every Wednesday in a former warehouse in Rotorua

Find your copy of The Shed magazine in Australia

12 September 2018

Great news for Australian Shed magazine readers, The Shed is now on sale again in all Australian states at all good newsagents.
Click on this link for a complete list of Australian retail outlets so you can find your nearest stockist. Welcome back to The Shed.
https://www.theshedmag.co.nz/…/find-your-local-australian-t…

Electric motorbike build

10 September 2018

As a designer and motorcyclist, I had the idea of building an electric motorbike for a long time. The opportunity arose when I was in my final year of an honours degree in industrial design at Victoria University. I rode a 1987 Honda VFR400 to my lectures and the bike started having engine problems. I pulled out all combustion-related components and sold them. By the time I had a plan for an electric motorbike laid out I was part-way through a post-graduate diploma in Computer Aided Design (CAD) at Christchurch Polytechnic.

The Shed magazine is back on sale in Australia

9 September 2018

Great news for Australian Shed magazine readers, The Shed is now on sale again in all Australian states at all good newsagents.

Find your local Australian retailer for The Shed magazine

6 September 2018

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Video of Judy Waterston, blacksmith in Duntroon North Otago

2 September 2018

In this short video we head to a small town in North Otago to enjoy the ancient skill of the blacksmith. This smithy is unique in that it also acts as a school that a group of farmers rallied together to ensure its survival. As featured in Issue 80 of The Shed

Make your own linisher

28 August 2018

A linisher is near the top of the list of the most-used tools in the workshop, whether for deburring steel to stop cuts in the hands, or sharpening tools and drills. There are few projects where it doesn’t get used. They seem to be expensive for what they are, and can easily be made for a fraction of the purchase price. The budget using new parts for this project is around $400.

Video of Des Thomson and his workshop dust extractor system

22 August 2018

In Issue 80 of The Shed, Des Thomson gave a step by step guide on how to build a workshop dust extractor system from an old vacuum and a few bits of metal. In this video he demonstrates his mobile unit for housing the finished extractor set up.

Child’s play: How to make a cubby

17 August 2018

My daughter in Christchurch emailed that she would like a cubby house for her three young children. They had recently moved into their new house and there was a 1.5 x 5 metre garden strip adjacent to the fence in the back yard. I had read Rod Kane’s excellent article in the August/ September 2013 issue of The Shed on building a playhouse and thought at the time what a fun project that would be, so the planets were in alignment.

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