New Computer Desk

[Radio Fixer]

Colin do I understand right?

Are you going to add doors on the base units? If so what about ventilation? My PC sucks in air through the sides at the bottom and is exhausted via a fan at the back. Your new one will probably be similar. You may get away with it with the 'old box' but new ones use a lot of power... can you believe 90 to 100W for the CPU alone... so thats why a massive finned heatsink and its own powerful fan.

Function before form... leave the door off if it was me

Gary

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks for the cautionary words Gary regarding ventilation.

Hopefully in this case I have considered both form and function resulting in a desk that pleases me and Bron whilst looking good and doing its intended job.

The left hand base unit was always going to be left open both at the back and front. The open back allows easy connections and the open front allows easy access to the controls and 3 disc players. Plenty of extra width and height was designed in right from the beginning not only to provide sufficient ventilation but to allow future upgrades with possibly larger towers.

   
Plenty of ventilation.

The built in power sockets are also doing as intended allowing tidy cable storage with just one single short power supply cable to the walled 13A socket this plug is further protected by an anti-surge adaptor. The sockets on the desk are always switched on and powered by the single wall socket allowing a single switch to control the lot. It works very well and no longer are my feet becoming tangled in cables. The cables are simply tied by strong cord to the back of the desk out of harms way.

The door I previously mentioned is a single door only and will be installed to the right hand base unit; this unit is for storage of consumables and has been purposely left open at the back to prevent it becoming cluttered with junk.

   
Door under way.

Usually I would spend time and make a dimensioned drawing for a piece of furniture and work to the drawing but with this desk I wanted to make it up as I went along just to see what I could come up with; the only constraint being my meagre imagination. Not only did I want the desk to look like a piece of expensive furniture I wanted it to work and function well. Given my working conditions apart from our four day summer which was marvellous I'm delighted with the outcome and Bron loves this desk so much she says its a pity we can't have it in our front room. A lot of TLC went into making it after all it is only solid oak; 18mm MDF and Formica; anyone could have made it as the materials are available. I did my best.

I'm working at the desk now and the desk; new carpet and fresh decorations all have finally come together. I hope this story encourages others to have a go at a bit of furniture making; it is worthwhile.

I was happy to cut the old table up to get it out of the way freeing up the front bedroom once again. Bron likes this Formica so much that I bought an extra sheet as she would like new work surfaces in the kitchen covered in it. One job always makes more but it's something I enjoy doing. The door is now trimmed to size and hand scraped so hopefully if it doesn't snow tomorrow I can apply the first coat of varnish leaving only the door and drawer handles to design and make. I never tire of these projects.


Kind regards, Col.

[Radio Fixer]

All well thought out Colin... I might have guessed.

And no! Not "anyone could have made it as the materials are available. I did my best." And its a very good best as all the guys here appreciate. I couldnt do it for a start... you have a lot more experience of using those power tools and have many more of them (your toys) than most people. Also you have a lot of skill and tenacity and love for the woodwork side that I will never be able to muster.

cheers Gary

[Retired]

Hi,

Thank you Gary for such kind words about my work.

Please believe me Gary when I sincerely say I'm no one special when it comes to woodworking; I still make silly mistakes such as a novice would and I've not received any training in woodworking other than to detest the subject whilst at school 50 years ago.

I don't even consider I'm skilled but I do have a great deal of experience built up over the years learning everything the hard way and making every mistake possible before getting it right. Power tools and machinery can be more of an hindrance and many times I reach for my hacksaw rather than push a button. I've just been working on the base unit door and I could have brought it to size by running it over the big planer but instead I nipped it in the big engineering vice with packing protection and went at it with the Stanley #80 scraper which was most satisfying.

As an apprentice I was taught to use my head and hands and yes in this respect I do feel highly skilled and the methods spill over into my woodworking; I can saw very accurately using a hacksaw and I can work to extremely fine limits such as hand filing flat to a thou. If you count these skills Gary then I agree I have a head start when it comes to woodworking but engineering and woodworking are two very different disciplines as I forever keep finding out; my bad habit is to try to work to engineering tolerances as I was brought up to do so but wood moves a lot with temperature changes so whereas a thou (0.001”) is considered by me to be a large amount it is common in woodworking to work to tolerances of 1/16” (0.062”).

I installed a fully fitted hand made kitchen at our first house with nothing more than a B&D 3/8” single speed elect drill as a power tool; I did get lots of blisters to my right hand whilst sawing the white Contiplas using a very cheap tenon saw but even so long ago I exercised a great deal of patience and determination resulting in a rather nice kitchen costing extremely little monetary wise.

My power tools and big machines do take most of the hard work out of many woodworking operations but I've not always had these building up my collection over a lifetime. When our friends have been enjoying holidays abroad I've been working on our home and have restored a number of scrap machines which now repay me well and owe me nothing.

What does the average guy do at weekends Gary? Drink; smoke and watch sport on TV or attend a football match or something similar? I've never ever done any of these instead I've been working on our home or restoring machines; Bron and I go out for days but we never go away on holiday and don't feel the need to do so as we are very comfortable. I can do all my projects because I've been gaining experience over the years; I'm certainly not criticizing any guy for doing what he wants to do in his free time but because I now have a really good set up and can make anything I wish suddenly everyone thinks I was born with all the necessary skills and that my power tools and machines have appeared as if by magic. I can assure you it has been extremely hard work and I do at times get fed up and depressed just as anyone does when things go wrong. I never give up because I'm downright stubborn and refuse to be beaten by a problem.

When I'm faced with a complex problem that I've not before encountered I try to find and easy solution by either trial and error or a bit of researching. As you know Gary I restored my AVO wave winder and one major problem was the lack of change gears in fact this scrap machine didn't have a single gear but I didn't let this bother me; I invented a new way of cutting the required gears. When I wanted 3 phase on in the garage again I found a way of installing it and today I've been using the 3 phase system.

I still maintain that if I can do these projects then anyone can but the key here is that person must be determined to win through in the end and not be easily beaten. Those who inform they can't do such work as me are of course correct because it's highly likely they have never tried or had a go and given up once the first major problem arose. There is nothing wrong in this but it does separate me from these people. Many of my chums tackle all kinds of projects successfully; I don't say I can't turn wood like David who is brilliant at wood-turning; I do a fair job at wood-turning and with practice I would get better. I'm not in the same league as you Gary or Tony when it comes to technical radio restorations of a chassis but I don't say I can't do it; I've restored over 100 radios getting them all working; not perfect of course but acceptable and with a lot more practice I would get better. Alan enjoys the heavy stuff as I do and we exchange many messages on the joys of bashing lumps of metal and playing with our engineering lathes; we both enjoy such work in our own way.

I can't express this feeling between I can't or I can any better than my own story of my first contact with you Gary. I had just become a BVWS member and your exemplary cabinet restoration I saw in my first copy of The Bulletin really did make me stand up and take notice; I had never seen such workmanship on a cabinet previously having only ever done general woodworking and cabinetwork around home. To see you take a rough “Woody”and to restore to as or better than new was a delight and inspiration to a novice like me. I've never hidden the fact that from that first article I saw of yours I regarded you as my role model and I could only at that time aspire to such high standards of workmanship.

Since those days I've done as I always do and made steady progress; I can get a chassis working and recently even restored my first TV set much to my amazement. I've learned how to veneer and to French polish to a decent standard. Anything I don't know and want to know about I go out of my way to find out. All the time I'm gaining vast amounts of experience whilst enjoying myself.

I'm sorry if I sound to be a know it all or even to sound smug as this is not my intention. My intention is to try to encourage others to simply have a go rather than say the can't do it out of hand. All my threads etc. are from my own projects and things I've learned the hard way. I stress I'm no one special but I am different to the average guy as I do not like sport or drinking; I spend my time and money around home making both mine and Bron's life better and more comfortable. I'm not scared of failure or looking a fool and to date failure hasn't been an option; if I hit a major problem of which there are many in my various projects I simple dig in until I resolve the problem one way or another.

One thing I do have is a great deal of confidence in my own ability; couple this with a lot of patience and a powerful driving force then there is no stopping me.

All I can say to the people who are watching what I do and say “I can't do that” please take the “t” out of “can't” then you can.

Look at the fabulous workmanship from centuries ago when most things were done by hand taking a great deal of time; these craftspeople didn't have a workshop full of power tools or machines. I've not always had my well equipped workshop or garage either but it never stopped me from doing decent work.

Many forum members are doing lots of work around home such as Lawrence putting a new roof on in dire conditions; both Mark and John have made their own computer desks having the satisfaction of doing so; some people just get on with it whilst others watch.

Forums are great for helping members and hopefully to offer encouragement; I enjoy adding my stories even though it does take time and hope my stories come across as nothing more than information and encouragement because I like doing my projects. Keep up the good work guys and keep sharing your stories.

Kind regards, Col.

[Radio Fixer]

Well, you are right Colin most things are possible if someone, with reasonable coordination between brain and hands, wants to. And the key words here are "wants to". It is possible for most to learn hand and even machine tool skills if the desire is there. Of course you are vastly better prepared if you used hand tools as a child (my Dad was a carpenter and let me make things as a really young kid) and served an Apprenticeship. In one of these you learnt them from experts, a little at a time, small task by small task, eventually building up to major work. I think you dismiss this advantage too lightly.

Giving someone, who has worked a desk most of his life, a falling apart radio cabinet, for example, and expecting him to make new pieces, put it back together and refinish it to a good standard isn’t going to happen. It might if he took years and played with simpler items first, building up to “major work”. Effectively he will be doing an apprenticeship and getting some of those years of experience you and I have gained since. Then he might not be daunted, make a start and actually produce a successful result.

Another thing, I think, is that not everyone has coordination between brain and hands. I have seen desk types with a screwdriver and had to walk away it was so painful. But I have seen complex formula spreadsheets that they have produced that someone with no computer skills would take years to produce, if ever.

I have wished many times in my sporting endeavours, that really good brain, eye and hand coordination were easy to acquire. They aren’t: you have it or you don’t and hours and years of practice never made me competitive with those to whom it was natural.

Thanks for the kind words said about my efforts and if some of my articles were inspirational to you, it made them well worth the effort to produce.

cheers Gary

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks Gary for your well reasoned reply to which I in general agree with.

Irrespective of upbringing or background I think Gary you summed things up perfectly in two words “Wants to”.

I hated woodworking at school and detested the woodworking teacher; the last thing I would consider doing upon leaving school would be to do anything with wood. Taking this into account is the reason I stated if I could do woodworking then anyone could and I still stand by this.

Marrying Bronwyn 36 years ago changed my outlook on woodworking. We took on a huge mortgage and part of this mortgage was being withheld until the rotten timbers to the front room bay window had been replaced to the satisfaction of the building society inspector. We could not afford to pay anyone to do the work so all we could do was to attempt the repairs ourselves. It took a few weeks to gather enough money to buy the planed softwood and I bought a meagre kit of tools including a single speed B&D drill together with a miniature circular saw attachment called a “Record Corrucut”. I needed this saw to cut the shallow rebates. A hammer and wood chisel was used to cut the mortices and a very cheap tenon saw was bought from the market. The old glass panes were leaded and with a great deal of patience these were removed one by one allowing the wooden frames to be changed; the glass was re-installed bedding in putty and the frames painted. To our surprise they passed inspection easily and the remaining funds were then released.

I didn't want to do this work and dreaded the prospect knowing my history of woodworking but needs must. We had nothing to start our married life with other than the huge mortgage but from successfully repairing the bay window little by little I began to buy more tools doing even more difficult jobs around home and with only a handful of tools I installed a fully fitted home made kitchen. The work was carried out in the spare bedroom on a very rickety kitchen table. I'll never forget on each wage day calling in to a local DIY store on the way home and buying one length of timber at 50P each time; it took a very long time to put this kitchen together but I'm not one to give up easily; 50p per week was all the spare cash we had.

I didn't have the tools given nor did I have the necessary woodworking skills; I was desperate though.

I accept that I now have a workshop and garage fully kitted out to die for but it has taken me a lifetime to reach this happy position. I've produced some top class work even with very basic tools but applied with a great deal of patience.

I'm still not in the position to throw a log into my machines and let them produce finished items although many of our visitors appear to think this is what happens as they look around our home. I would never expect anyone unfamiliar with woodworking to produce first class work right from the start but I maintain if the desire or drive is there in the person he or she will succeed.

It is now much easier for people to take up woodworking because power tools are readily available and can be bought extremely cheaply. With practice these power tools will give excellent results but I must stress here that safety precautions must be adhered to at all times. Too many people leave B&Q with a beautiful shiny power tool that sends them directly to A&E the first time they attempt to use it. Any power tool operation which feels wrong is wrong.

There appears to be a tide change as more guys tend to laze around at weekends whilst their girlfriends/wives or partners are now taking up much more DIY and I say well done to these lasses and shame on the guys.

My education didn't give me a lead either regarding woodworking in fact until I reached 11 years old I missed a lot of my schooling due to severe asthma. “Want to” are two very powerful words and those who “Don't want to” never will. I'm hopelessly colour blind and because of this I was always scared of electricity but over the years I've picked up working knowledge of electricity to the point I'm no longer scared but treat it with the utmost respect. I've learned to use electricity to my advantage by restoring scrap machinery. I've read extensively over the years on all aspects of woodworking and now have my own collection of books on the subject this also applies to books on mechanical engineering. I now surf the Internet for information but one way or another I can tackle anything with confidence; what I don't know I will find out. Why am I so different to anyone else; a normal person has two hands and a head? Practice will bring these together and the more practice and the more mistakes made will pay dividends long term. To say “I can't do that” is in my opinion just a cop out.

I found it extremely hard trying to learn veneering and French polishing; no one taught me in fact I didn't know anyone who had these skills. The materials didn't drop into my lap; I had to spend ages tracking them down then even longer learning to work with them. I now get told “its a gift” if it is indeed a gift why the heck did I have to make so many mistakes?

I would say to anyone go out and buy a few tools and a few lumps of wood and get to know them; you will surprise yourself if you stick with it. Both Gary and I have not tackled a basket case woody radio cabinet as a first attempt but we can both make a lovely job of them now and the only inspiration I had was to see Gary's exemplary work in the Bulletin to get me motivated; I could only aspire to such workmanship but with a lot of practice I gained the knowledge and experience required to carry out such workmanship. Knock up a workbench or put some shelves up but don't say “I can't” just do it.

I agree with you Gary that some people have a natural leaning to certain skills but this has never been the case with me because you wouldn't believe the stupid mistakes I've made over the years and in fact still make; no it certainly isn't a gift I possess as I've fallen down every black hole possible but I stuck with it to the point I now enjoy myself tremendously playing with all my toys and still making the stupid mistakes.

At the risk of boring everyone please let me tell you a true story.

A few years before I retired; one day at dinner time I was walking through an adjoining department at work and noticed a group of guys standing around some were crying with laughter. As I approached the group I noticed a guy (lets call him Jim) and Jim was standing on an upturned dustbin lid whilst trying to lift it with both hands? I was appalled by this as Jim was considered to be “slow on the uptake” and these guys were taking the Mickey out of him which was a regular occurrence. I requested Jim be transferred to my departments and put the word out that such pranks would not be tolerated in future.

Jim was employed as a sweeper up so I set him on sweeping the departments but as the weeks and months passed by I kept working with Jim time permitting. I found out Jim was a handy guy with a paint brush and enjoyed such work so he was given the job of painting my three offices both inside and out. I taught him to uncouple the waste compactor then put him in charge of it. Little by little I taught Jim to remove bar code stubs from motors to be despatched; scan them with a bar code reader then use the computer to print off the consignment notes adding the correct notes to the correct consignment. Yes it was slow going but on a personal level to me very worth while. Not only did Jim and I become friends but I could trust him to get on with any job I assigned him to knowing he would do the job well without skivvying off.

Jim had the last laugh on his previous tormentors because he was such a good worker I would allow him to work weekends on overtime putting him with another guy to do jobs such as painting the factory floor and once my departments were sorted I then loaned both out to other departments; Jim worked and worked hard for more hours on overtime but I bet his take home pay was more than the guys took home who had tormented him.

Without the will to succeed or desire to do so Gary I feel people are beaten before they even make a start. I accept some people are genuine and will never even consider doing certain work. One of the guys on my team was terrified of machinery; he would have packed the job in before attempting to run the overhead cranes or drive a fork truck. He was a top guy at attaching nameplates to motors though and this he did full time. During my working life I've found the average guy to be like a sheep; turn up for work and go through the motions with little interest in what was going on around; it wasn't hard for me to easily gain promotion over such guys who had worked at the various companies for many more years than I had then when I did gain promotion; yes they resented me for it. Tough old life isn't it when they can't be bothered to better themselves then turn on someone who can. It's this attitude that prevents so many from achieving what they are actually capable of; it's not a case of training or skills but one of sheer laziness.

I know severely disabled people who never moan but get on with their lives and are a true inspiration to others like me who can only moan about the weather. Bron and I were once at a timber yard near Ripon and there was a guy in a wheelchair negotiating the rough ground and going in and out of the timber storage sheds. We came across him in one of the sheds and he was throwing big lumps of oak around as easily as I could whilst still seated in his wheel chair; I mentioned to him if he wanted a hand to give me a shout; he thanked me but assured me he was OK. I later was informed by the yard owner this guy in the wheel chair was a top class wood turner and was selecting timber for demonstrations in his wood turning classes; yes he was the teacher and I take my hat off to him.

As Gary inspired me into tackling radio cabinets I hope my ramblings inspire other to have a go; not only at woodworking but any task or job starting small and working up. Did I mention I love woodworking?

Kind regards, Col.

[Yorkie]

I think there's a natural tendency for people to gravitate to things that interest them, and which they seem to have a natural aptitude for. Many people could probably be good at lots of things if they had an interest, but aptitude without interest, or interest without aptitude leads to no useful outcome.

Most people tend to gravitate towards David Ricardo's principle of 'maximising your comparative advantage' and Adam Smith's concept of 'opportunity cost', both of which will be well known to anyone who has studied Economics, the basis of which is that it makes little sense for a surgeon to service his own car, except of course if he does it for a hobby, enjoys doing it and is good at it, but of course in opportunity cost terms, it will cost him far more to service the car himself than to pay a garage to do it for him.

See:

http://www.econlib.org/library/Topics/De...ntage.html

The 'opportunity cost' to me in writing this message is the lost opportunity to have been developing my woeful CAD skills. Basically, because I have more of an aptitude at being a blowhard waffling windbag than at being computer literate. I also have a tendency to dabble in lots of things, but to not get deeply involved in anything, but I'm happy in my own skin, and after all, that's what matters most in life!

[Radio Fixer]

Colin said " Did I mention I love woodworking? ".

But is what he does really woodworking? To me its just using his engineering training and years of experience where wood happens to be one of the materials.

Its certainly not what my Dad would call woodworking and he was a carpenter and joiner by trade although he aslo did decorating and general building; anything he could get really. I can remember his workshop clearly from the hours I spent in there. Not a machine tool in sight but racks of hand tools, big benches with stops for 'shooting' (planning flat) timber with large jack planes, saw horses and more .

I dont see any mortise and tenon joints in Colin's work... all cut on a regular basis by hand with tennon saw and very sharp chisels in the old days.

Were they the "good old days" No! of course they werent. Dad didnt even have any motorised transport after WW2, mainly as he had no money and I expect getting petrol was a problem. He used to get to jobs and take finished work on a massive wooden barrow with iron shod wheels. He must have been one strong man, how he pulled it and manouvered it up and down the few hills around where we lived I cant imagine.

Later he got a twin side valve BSA motorbike (great on the pillion as a kid) and made a huge box sidecar for it. As things picked up the first van came along, it must have been bliss for him.

We still really have it so good

Gary

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks for posting the interesting link David. I never even considered personal monetary cost when I stated if I can do this work then anyone can. I was merely speaking in general terms and this statement appears to be deviating from what I meant. I do these projects for the love of simply doing them and I like to pass on my experiences in the hope of encouraging others to attempt such work. When I first saw Gary's top class cabinet restorations in the Bulletin I could only aspire to such workmanship. Regarding you being a dabbler in many many things David surely this is written tongue in cheek; Bron and I cherish the beautifully turned wooden gifts you so kindly gave us and they remain in pride of place in our front room; we show our visitors them and they are always most impressed. Your wood-turning skills are to be admired and set a benchmark for novice turners to aspire to. You are no slouch either in your other many endeavours always producing excellent results.

I've really started something Gary with saying anyone can do the projects I do. I still believe this to be true but as David says the person must be interested in doing so. Without this interest it is pointless proceeding further because failure is sure to follow. Ability is a different matter entirely; I wouldn't expect a severely disabled person to throw big lumps of hardwood around. The average healthy person if interested enough will learn most things and I don't mean rocket science or brain surgery either. Two forum members have already made their own desks but on a different level but each desk full-fills its duty and will give pleasure knowing it is home made. My desk is very similar; it has to be or it wouldn't be a desk it is only my interpretation of what I wanted my desk to be and I spent considerably more time making it.

I agree Gary that the “old timers” led a very hard life indeed; my father and grandfather were both miners and I too followed them into the pit aged 15. I've never had a “cushy” job in fact I've held down some rotten jobs during my working life but every job has afforded me new experiences moulding me into the person I now am. Like your father Gary I too am an ex biker. I passed my test on a 650cc BSA A10 Golden Flash fitted with a double adult side-car. As an apprentice I used to cycle miles to work in all weathers never missing a day. I've also owned motorcycle outfits with just a bare side car chassis fitted and these must be just about the scariest thing ever to learn to ride; left hand turns easily gets the side car wheel in the air and if the steering damper isn't screwed down then I could expect a a massive steering wobble. I've lived in terrible poverty as many of my school chums also did; in those days people had legs and had to use them; no personal transport and no bus fares either. This is the back ground I come from and to rub it in I was a very sick child missing lots of schooling.

You are right Gary in that yes I received very top class training as an apprentice mechanical engineer; this training was in the harsh environment of the coal mines. I was exposed to massive machines that could rip me apart without even slowing or missing a beat. I was taught safety right from my first day in fact before I even started at the pit I had to attend a training course. I was given a pair of hob nailed safety boots which weighed a ton to a kid like me; my tool kit was a set of big Whitworth spanners; file and 2lb hammer both without handles. I was also given a cold chisel that I was to get to know very well indeed. I was also given the luxury of a donkey jacket and heavy gloves.

My back ground is mechanical engineering. I was taught to cut heavy sections of metal using an oxy/acetylene burner then join them together with either nuts and bolts or by electric welding. I was taught oxy/acetylene welding. These are indeed my skills and very valuable ones as I can use these as stepping stones bringing the disciplines learned into other fields of interest. Having learned these skills doesn't automatically mean I can do woodworking; cabinet-working; French polishing/ veneering or even electronics. I was taught on big machines such as lathes and mills but an engineering lathe is totally different to a wood-turning lathe; both spin material but the method of reducing is quite different. Metal turning is usually to very precise dimension whereas wood-turning unless such as pattern making is done to less critical dimensions. I found it just as difficult learning wood-turning as the next guy; I've made the mistakes such as suffering nasty dig ins and the work becoming detached being turned into a missile; my training didn't cover this. As with many things I do in life my apprentice training remains with me and gives me confidence to tackle anything. My training doesn't do the job and many things I do learn are done the hard way but as you say Gary I have the basic training to guide me.

If I wasn't interested in my hobbies I would be useless at them. The interest has to be there in the first place; I take it a couple of steps further and apply tenacity (stubbornness) and lots of patience. I get told many times by people seeing my work “I don't have the patience to do that”.

I have a head and two hands and I was taught how to use them to good effect in my apprenticeship but I'm finding out I can apply what I was taught into my everyday life. The biggest skill I possess is being able to think for myself. I don't throw my hands up in the air saying I can't do that; was I taught cabinetmaking/woodworking/French polishing/ veneering or the many and varied projects I tackle; no I wasn't and it has been hard work for me to learn them. I find it annoying in the extreme to be told I have the skills; I have the tools/ I have the machines/ I have the space and I have the time. I've worked extremely hard for a lifetime to acquire what I have and finally it's all coming together for me where I can afford a bit of decent hardwood or Formica.

I can use the old fashioned tools you mention Gary and for years I used a shooting board with hand plane to produce tight fitting joints; I used to cut mortice and tenon joints by hand and I even had a Stanley shoulder plane bought for me as a gift to trim the tenon shoulders. I can use a tenon saw in fact I like to use my hacksaw which again harks back to my training. I have lots of hand tools and still enjoy using them.

My collection of power tools and heavy machines has been built up over the last 50 years so it would be foolish of me to expect a novice to have such kit at their disposal. Your father did a lot of good work Gary without a lot of power equipment but times have changed and it is much easier for a novice to take up any hobby as there is such a vast array of kit in the stores these days at very affordable prices. A cheap router with a few cutters will do a heck of a lot of good work and will even do the job of a biscuit joiner. A router will cut many different types of joint including the more difficult joints such and comb and dovetail with ease. Good quality hand tools are still expensive but if bought one at a time over a long period they will earn their keep.

Being taught good basic skills Gary doesn't automatically ensure a person can do anything otherwise everyone on this forum would be doing what I do. The interest or motivation has to be there in the first place; I actually forgot about motivation and this is where a person is faced with say a repair but can't possibly pay for a trades person to do the repair.

I do my projects for the love of doing them; I don't set out to impress because when I start many of my projects all I have is my confidence as there is no guarantee of success. I hope I don't be seen to preach or come over as a know it all; if I knew it all there would be little to interest me because it is the stuff I don't know that drives me to find out. I spend ages on my projects; this time is extended by taking many pictures of work in progress then later in the day writing my story up for inclusion in the forum/s. I'm not the most educated guy and it takes time running the spelling and grammar check before I add anything to the forum.

Because I have such a decent set up now after working towards it for half a century I'll spend less time on the forums after all it is so easy for me to do decent work having all my kit why should a novice aspire to similar so perhaps I'm wasting my time trying to encourage others to get off their back sides and have a go.

The average educated person can read and write so why is there only one William Shakespeare?

The other man’s grass is always greener.

Here is a picture of my finished desk with the door slightly ajar; the catch was fitted after taking the picture

Kind regards, Col.

   
Finished desk.

[Radio Fixer]

That is one beautiful desk Colin that should last several life times. The knobs are another small piece of art. Now you arent going to tell me that any old guy could make those if he wanted to? Even as an apprentice I wasnt good on a lathe ... some got on with it better... aptitude maybe? And I'm certainly not going to go out and buy a lathe and tools now and start years of failure and still not make any thing as good as yours. Go on Colin, admit you do have talent and skill honed over 40 or more years.

Cheers Gary