24 May 2016

Things to do while convalescing Part 2

The danger of surfing Trade Me and other auction sites is that you might be temped to buy stuff.  Like this busted up old oak table - $20 - bargain!


It appears to be English, maybe 80-100 years old, so not really an 'antique' as such, but with a lot of potential.  It's currently more of a kitset than a table though.


The top is a collection of warped and mouldy planks - it appears that all of the animal hide glue joints have failed, possibly as a result of a trip in a very hot shipping container from Africa.  Hide glue does not like extreme heat and is the main reason why antiques can be repaired again and again (unlike modern furniture).


Some pieces have come off the turned legs, but fortunately they all seem to have been carefully collected and stored by the previous owner.


 The table once had a winding mechanism for extending it but that has disappeared.  Apart from that though, it looks like an excellent project for the future, when I eventually regain the use of my left hand.



23 May 2016

Things to do while convalescing Part 1

I now have a fancy new semi-rigid cast on my writing hand:



In between answering work emails and watching the local wildlife go past...



... I've been teaching myself to write with my other hand.



The results are a bit patchy, but both speed and technique are improving slowly.

13 May 2016

Really?

Adding insult to injury (literally), as I sat bandaged up on the sofa recovering from surgery, the cat got a fright from an imaginary threat and decided the best place to be was on top of my head.


 Not impressed at all.  She is currently felina non grata.



A box of silky and beech

Before going under the knife I made a small box for my lovely wife using some leftover Australian silky oak and New Zealand red beech.


 Hand cutting the dovetails and sanding the finished box put paid to any ideas of further woodworking projects until I can sort out the whole pain-in-the-ass hand issue.  An ass hand you say?  Why, that's a cross between a sawhorse and a hand plane of course.  Good for not much.

A short break in transmission

The lack of posts this year has only been partly due to an old (1986) injury, which has progressively got more and more painful until I decided I had to get something done with it, and voila!  Eight screws in the wrist:


The other reason has been a lack of time or inclination when there are other more pressing things to attend to.  But now I will be somewhat limited as far as work or recreation I have no excuses...