Tools

Knifemaking by Leif Haseltine

The design for this article is my everyday carry knife, a four-inch (100 mm) dropped hunter—an all-round knife whose blade is ample, large enough to skin that buck and small enough to carry all day without getting in the way.

READ MORE »

Safety in the shed

One of the things guitar legend Eric Clapton and I have in common is tinnitus.
Eric blames the years he spent in the band Cream, playing in front of the bass speakers of fellow band member Jack Bruce, who always had his amplifier turned up to 11.

READ MORE »

Maintain that chainsaw

It’s just like another tool. Your chainsaw should have a basic service by a professional shop six-monthly or yearly. But you can do several things to keep your chainsaw up to scratch at home. To show how to dismantle and check a chainsaw, we are using one of the big, forest 95cc machines. A home machine would usually around 30-60cc, but the principle of maintenance is the same.

READ MORE »

Plug or cap it with Stockcap

When you are pulling apart engines, machinery, and hydraulics, and you need protection to plug off or cap fluid lines, ports and threads, throw away the rags and the tape and contact Hi-Q components.

READ MORE »

Shine like a diamond

It’s been a long-time Kiwi favourite for a very good reason — Autosol Metal Polish is the ideal way to clean, polish, and protect all types of metal surfaces.

READ MORE »

Drumming up a top kiln

Nothing vertical beats the excitement of opening a kiln and seeing the effect of naked flame on your creations. Gas kilns produce glaze finishes that are often unexpectedly beautiful but commercial gas kilns are usually expensive and bulky.

READ MORE »

Make a swarf sump

It’s a hassle to clean out my workshop vacuum cleaner bag. Metal swarf tends to clip itself onto the fabric and I spend a lot of time picking off the bits individually.
Question: How to pick up small swarf in the workshop without sharp metal or other rubbish going into the vacuum cleaner bag?

READ MORE »

The Shed March/April 2020, Issue 89, in shops now

Issue 89 of The Shed has a great mix of projects and sheddie talents to enjoy.
Nigel Young records the build of a mega-sized spit roast BBQ. Built by the team at the Halswell Menzshed as a fundraising project, this big trailer-mounted gas-burning beast of a cooker can take a full-sized pig for those big gatherings or fund-raising projects.

READ MORE »

Its hammer time

Making a hammer head is a project not really worth doing financially, given the cost of a handle alone vs. a new hammer and how easy it is to get an existing hammer and re-forge it to suit your special needs.
Having said that, mere project economics never stopped a true Sheddie.

READ MORE »