The Shed #86 Preview

THE SHED SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE 86

BUILDING A WINEBARREL GO-KART

RECREATING A HISTORIC INSTRUMENT

BLACKSMITH

KNIFE

MAKER

NZ $14.95 INCL. GST AUS $15.95 INCL. GST

9

771177

045002

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MAKE A VIKING KNIFE MAKE ANY BIKE ELECTRIC SEAL YOUR SHED FLOOR BUILD A WINE-BARREL GO-KART BATHROOM SHOWER RENO LASERS

SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE 86 the-shed.nz

MAKE ANY BIKE ELECTRIC

FIT YOUR OWN ELECTRIC MOTOR

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SHED FLOOR

Contents

ON THE COVER

4

Making knives the blacksmith’s way “I’m not a knife maker; I’m a blacksmith who makes knives”

44

How to weld — part two Learn the basics of MIG welding

40 26

Protect your shed floor

We trial a paint product designed to keep your workshop floor looking like new

18 2

Barrel go-kart

Building an American barn If you are going to build a shed you will want to do it right

Who says you cant make what you want from whatever you want? Not us or this clever sheddie from the Waikato

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

56

A rare instrument

106

A sheddie designs and builds a clavichord from scratch

Get on yer bike

We show you how to make any bike an electric bike by fitting an electric motor

66

Bathroom shower upgrade

How a small job quickly became a complete overhaul of a shower unit

Laser cutting and engraving

76

Explore some creative alternative uses for using lasers

96 36

Micro Bit experiments

Get the charming sound of a music box using BBC Micro Bit and Arduino technology 1 14 16 34

54 125 126 128

Every issue Editorial News Letters Subscribe to The Shed — every new and renewing subscriber gets tickets to Big Boys Toys this November Product showcase — which dust extractor is best for you?

Shed books for sale Shed back-issue order form Back o’ The Shed — Jude gets back into brewing and is enjoying the big changes in home brewing

116

Plastic welding

We found one Dennis McDonald, a plastic welding guru

Driftwood artist

An artist makes stunning sculptures from driftwood

84

Off the grid

Generate your own electricity using micro-hydro

88

LED lighting

A guide for those considering making the move to LED The Shed 86 September/October 2019

3

Blacksmith

4

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

R A Z O R S H A R P

HOW TO MAKE A GOOD ALL-PURPOSE VIKING KNIFE

By Helen Frances Photographs: Tracey Grant

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

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Go-kart

A great vintage — the barrel racer on display

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The Shed 86 September/October 2019

A FURNITURE RESTORER HAS A GREAT TIME USING A WINE BARREL TO MAKE A BESPOKE RACER

A BARREL OF FUN

By Tom Rodwell

Photographs: The Shed

Y

ou’d be hard-pressed to find a more appropriate match of man and machine than Russell Cooper and his barrel racer.

The surname ‘Cooper’, after all, means ‘barrel maker’, and is derived from the German for ‘cask’, which is in turn from the Latin word cupa meaning ‘barrel’ or ‘tun’ (a large cask). To that piece of poetic justice, add Russell’s career in both fine furniture restoration and upholstery, plus a passion for motorsport, throw in a kitset go-kart, and you’ve got a recipe for a witty and offbeat vehicle that gives a new twist to the term ‘drink-driving’.

Traditionally, coopers used heat and steam-bending techniques to produce barrels — in fact any wooden cask with a bulge in the middle. Logically enough, a furniture restorer has the patience and experience with fine timber — in this case French oak — to repurpose a barrel for an eccentric new purpose.

Wood is in the blood

Based in Hamilton, Russell’s business is Furniture Refabricators, specializing in the restoration of pre-1960s furniture of all types, including tables and chairs, wardrobes, suites, and the like, as well as stocking supplies for the DIY enthusiast. 

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

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Trade profile

Building an American barn

Kiwi-style QUALITY AND PROFESSIONALISM MAKE FOR A REWARDING SHED BUILD

American-style barn garage at home in Northland

40

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

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f you are going to build a shed you will want to do it right. The owners of this stylish American-style barn are happy to recommend the team that put this together.

Shannon Jordan and Louise Simmons sold up in suburbia and bought a block of land in Ruakaka three years ago.

They planned to live in a caravan while planning and saving for their house.

From this magazine’s point of view, they had their priorities right and decided to build a shed first. It would give them space to expand into and meet both current and future needs. They parked the caravan alongside and put a bench, fridge, and small oven in the shed. It

also gave them space to store all their furniture from their previous home and building materials for the next one.

The shed was designed to take their boat and the caravan which meant they needed oversized doors, even though both vehicles had to live outside in the meantime.

Finding the perfect shed

Shannon and Louise shopped around for the right steel-frame building. “My background is in sales but frankly the attitude of some of the other companies put me off,” says Shannon. “One said come back when I knew what I wanted … I knew then what I wanted was to

go somewhere else.”

They had already decided that an American-style barn would look much better in their spectacular setting than a plain steel box, and it would give them the height they needed in the middle for the boat. They also had colours and materials in mind that would complement the house. Shannon went to Kiwispan, and builder and Northland franchise operator Stephen Cross struck the right note straight away.

“He showed us a couple of options for door and window placements, and he pointed out that the higher door meant he could line up the angle of the roofs, which would look better,” Shannon says. 

By Ian Parkes Photographs: The Shed

Shed specs Width: 12m plus 3.5m open lean-to Length: 12m Height and knee height: 3.3m plus 4.5m Cladding: Walls — Slimclad in Grey Friars colour; roof — corrugated Zincalume

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

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Electric bikes

GET ON YER

BIKE!

IT’S A SIMPLE PROCESS TO CONVERT YOUR BIKE INTO AN E-BIKE. HERE’S HOW

By Rex Thorley Photographs: The Shed

Rex Thorley fits electric motors to new and older bikes

56

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

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Plastic welding

Dennis McDonald’s shed has tools for “any job”

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The Shed 86 September/October 2019

Driftwood artist

Jack Marsden Mayer’s big bullock made from driftwood — now a feature in the middle of Eastern Taranaki’s Whangamomona, pulling a big log in recognition of early pioneer bushmen

116

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

Wwondooerdelannd AN ARTIST MAKES STUNNING SCULPTURES FROM DRIFTWOOD

By Ray Cleaver Photographs: Rob Tucker

The Shed 86 September/October 2019

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THE SHED SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE 86

BUILDING A WINEBARREL GO-KART

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SHED FLOOR

RECREATING A HISTORIC INSTRUMENT

KNIFE

MAKER

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MAKE A VIKING KNIFE MAKE ANY BIKE ELECTRIC SEAL YOUR SHED FLOOR BUILD A WINE-BARREL GO-KART BATHROOM SHOWER RENO LASERS

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SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE 86 the-shed.nz

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MAKE ANY BIKE ELECTRIC

FIT YOUR OWN ELECTRIC MOTOR

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THE SHED JULY–AUGUST 2019 ISSUE 85

WELD LIKE A PRO — ARCWELDING TIPS

CONSTRUCTING THE ULTIMATE ELECTRIC TRIKE

THE ART OF SEGMENTED WOODTURNING

BUILD YOUR OWN LPG- OR OIL-POWERED FORGE

JULY–AUGUST 2019 ISSUE 85

TWO WAYS TO

HOW TO WELD — ARC WELDING

BUILD A

MAKE WOODEN CHEST AND BOX HEIRLOOMS

FORGE

USING LPG OR OIL

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CONSTRUCT AN ELECTRIC TRIKE

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