Making stuff at the Men's Shed

 

Although I spent a year at high school doing woodwork, I was never really interested in doing it until I retired.

Now I'm working on becoming a 'gifted amateur', but still have a long way to go.

I'm a member of a Men's Shed where we turn beautiful pieces of timber (lumber for those in the US) into ... other things.

We have a lot of fun doing it and the companionship is wonderful. 

My first job after leaving high school was as a boilermaker/welding apprentice at a mine in the middle of Australia. So, I have some skills that are transferable to woodworking. That, along with my high school experience helps, but I've developed an appreciation for the high level of skills required by carpenters and specifically cabinetmakers.

Boilermakers (now called Fabricators) and welders use a fairly narrow range of tools and equipment (I still have my 32 oz ball pein hammer and a chisel given to me on the first day at work) and there is some leeway in measurements. Carpenters/cabinetmakers on the other hand have a huge number of different tools they need to master and an astonishing number of different processes. For example, just think of the dozens of different ways wood pieces can be joined.

Having an adult education and training background (post boilermaker days), I set out to do what training would require of an apprentice learning carpentry ie, I decided to use scrap wood to produce the most common joints. This is the method professional trainers call 'competency-based training' where one keeps doing the same thing until it is mastered. It also includes the equipment used in the process.

To date, I'm still in the early stages. The food platter above is my first real project where I have used mitred 45 degree joints that are glued and I intend to drill holes horizontally in each corner and place a dowel in them.

The base consists of two joined vinyl cliplock floor pieces and it is slotted into the pine sides where I created slots using a router.

By the time I finish this project and varnish the pine sides, I'm hoping it will be a half-decent job 

What do you think?

#Robinoz

PS: I watch many of the carpentry videos on YouTube including Anika's DIY and on Instagram I'm always impressed with the quality of a guy who presents as the Dusty Lumber Company. He is a true master of the craft.