L2T

I always thought there was a conspiracy for Google to take over the world, but when Santa brought me a new Android phone I new I could no longer resist.  Seeing my site on the small screen compared to all my favorite blogs made me reconsider Google's Blogger.  

Hope you like it   

http://licensed2tinker.blogspot.com/ 

Adding epoxy fillets to all the plank laps has been a slow process without any interesting photo opportunities.  With that done though I was able to start on the deck structure and bulkheads so I thought a blog post was in order.  I have used a scrap of cardboard to determine the bulkhead profile and transfer the shape to the 4mm plywood.

Finally, a day with a good wind and not too hot.  The forecast for 20 degrees and 10 to 15 knots was spot on.  We sailed out of Warneet over to Barrillier Island in an hour and a half and then down to Fairhaven.  We hove to off Fairhaven for lunch and returned home with a tail wind against the tide arriving back in Warneet right on the low tide.  

Six hours on the water with 3 hours at the helm brings the total to 120 hours.  

 

In principle starting the new year with a sailing day was a great idea.  In practice 38 degrees centigrade and a flukey 5km/h "wind" made the event more of a leisurely drift on the water.  The highlight was the resurrection of "Jolly Roger"  the 18 foot fibreglass flower planter.  The drainage holes had been plugged, a few structural reinforcements added and a rig from bamboo poles was all it took.  Made me keen to get back to my own canoe build.
 


Another hour at the helm brings the total to 117.

Our new carpet has been installed bringing our six year renovation project to a close and work has finished up for the year so I'm feeling ready for the holidays. It's been a while since I spent any time online but I chanced across a doosy.  "shopdogsam" has been keeping me entertained with his 256 videos.  I started with the drill guide and some of the engine restoration videos but got hooked with the cooking videos.  The cock chip and peanut cobbler and the r-o-matic coconut sheet cake are worth watching.  I haven't made it to the more "esoteric" videos but there is always next year.

Enjoy the holidays.   

 

Last weeks post about my raspberry patch started me thinking about how I was going to get it under control.  A leisurely drive through the countryside seems to have provided the answer.  I have made the commitment not to add to my project list so I will be looking for the "Widowmaker 650" on my next trip to Bunnings.

Treatment for my obsessive compulsive disorder  is progressing well.  I have a new job that involves lots of work, I have had contact with friends and family lately, renovation work is progressing and the garden is blooming.  The asparagus has done its thing and the artichokes are about to do their thing.  The raspberries have gone bananas and the figs are looking fantastic.  This weekend sees us communing with nature under canvas and the joy of Christmas is approaching...quickly.

And the three unfinished canoes sit in the workshop waiting...but that's OK....it's the journey that counts.

Yes I'm ready to rock, but keep the noise down I'm trying to relax.

 

Another great edition of Shed magazine arrived recently from NZ.  More great articles including Colin Howard's fabricated Alfa Romeo 8C Monza, sharpening a racing axe and building a belt grinder.  Readers of my blog who had safety concerns about my belt grinder might be interested in the new Kiwi brand open toed safety boots. 

Seriously though, I love this magazine.  
More Australians should ask to have it shipped over.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic, and with the summer gift giving season approaching I can't see and let up any time soon.  Thankfully I have had some time to keep plugging away at the chair build and I have to say I have really really enjoyed it.  All that irregular geometry and the challenge of making the chair strong, light and comfortable have really got me hooked.  Unlike boat building I could make dozens of chairs before reaching my storage limit.  Also, it is feasible you could give chairs away which is something you can't do with wooden boats.  I have sourced some 1 inch cloth tape so I will be using that to make the seat.  I will also be using a wipe on poly finish for the first time which is a bit sophisticated for me.