Odd jobs.

Taking advantage of a short spell of good weather, I managed to spend some time putting together the poppets for the pole lathe, which as you can see is nearing completion. The triangular pieces which hold the poppet of the bed will also be used inverted as supports for the tool rest, and once the metal studding is fitted, and the treadle is assembled the lathe will be ready for it's first spin.

The poppets are held in place by wedges which fit snugly into a tapered hole on the poppet. Altogether the project has been very simple to build, even for someone with such limited woodworking experience as myself. The only other issue is the building and fitting of legs, which at present are not essential. However, if I wish to take it outdoors it'll need something to stand on.

Second task for the weekend was making a new handle for the froe. Making tools for the pole lathe seems to be a constant chicken and egg situation, where the things you need to make are made by the things you need...ad infinitum. Here you can see an ash log split four ways. I used a curved piece so that the finished froe handle leans away from the moving mallet and so lessens the chances of bashing one's knuckles. You can also see the 'mallet' of an oak log until a real mallet, or 'maul' has been fashioned.

Job number three was cleaning out the shed where I intend to do some work. The broken window has resulted in a damp environment, but hopefully it should dry out soon enough once that's fixed properly. In the photo you can see a selection of elm (or possibly scots pine) logs which I came across while walking on Sunday. I'm not sure if they're suitable for turning; if not they'll make good firewood.

That's it for now. Back soon....

The joy of skips

Last week I went into work as usual and arrived to find some workmen refurbishing an empty office in the same building. They were busy tearing the place apart so that a new company could move in and had an enormous skip parked out front into which they were throwing large pieces of carpet.


Ever the opportunist I approached one of the demolition men and asked if I could have a piece of carpet, to which he replied I could take my pick of the bits.


Later that same day I nipped out in the car to heave the enormous roll, which had been left outside work for me, into the car and took it home.

Having worked in the trade, I didn’t forget to slip the guys a ‘drink’ (of a tenner) I managed to carpet our lounge for virtually nothing and get rid of the identikit laminate floor in the process. The fitting wasn’t difficult, but very tiring, having to force and squeeze and stretch the carpet to fit, releasing a barrage of curses and expletives.

Here’s a during and after of the fitting, note the exhausted look! It always amazes me the amount of quality materials that end up being skipped without a thought of an alternative use for them. I never miss an opportunity to pick something out of the ‘rubbish’, much to the consternation of Julia, who usually sees the benefit in the end.


The wood project is going well too. The pole lathe is ready to be assembled and I’ve managed to obtain a few decent lengths of ash and oak logs ready for turning. The only impediment is limited space in which to work.



Until next time...