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Likewise i find it pleasant to own tools with a history, some known some not! A Norris smoother found on a council tip when i was 13, my Dads 21st birthday present a Norris jack plane bought for him by his father (pity he lost the box!) A selection of planes from Seakings yard at Old Leigh once...

I just sold my Dads two benches, they fetched £100 each & to be honest i think i did well at that. I simply had nowhere to keep them so they had to go. On the plus side i did keep the tiny bench he made for me when i was 5 this was an exact copy complete with a ninature vice. Its just 4ft long &...

The resin to hardener ratio with 207 is fixed at 3:1 you must not alter this either way or insufficient cure will result, Fish eyes like this can be caused by silicone contamination or amine blush, I have dealt with amine blush a few times & soap & water Is not really up to it. However the...

Union Graduate, its an ex school machine that has seen little use, Its too big for what i ever need to turn and its taking up space that is better utilised! It has a big selection of faceplates, a three jaw chuck & various jaws, revolving centres, drill chuck, driving centres, short & long...

If you are cooking a Chilli con carne the secret is to put dark chocolate in it, that mellows the heat a lot. As for oriental food, coconut milk? But if you want a real fearsome Chinese cooking sauce here you go, I got it from the You tube channel Souped up kitchen. Duo Jiao (Fermented Hot...

I have just had the unpleasant task of clearing Mums house part of which was Dad's workshop (he died 5 years ago). He was a real craftsman & loved good tools. I have kept the best of his tools & will use them all. It feels like he is still there when i pick them up. I sold the rest to a cabinet...

You state that you did some fibreglassing 8 to 10 years ago? Is it epoxy or polyester? They are not the same. If its polyester chuck it as by now its way past its sell by date & liable to not work. As far as epoxies go they have a shelf life, I have used a lot of West & SP systems products & the...

Southern yellow pine, Longleaf Yellow pine, is one of the finest boatbuilding woods going, I read an article in wooden boat magazine about it a few years ago & the pine cones need fire to open them, no fires = no new seedlings. As many have said it is highly resinous & its worth remembering with...

A few years back i bought a secondhand Tangye engine crane, it is a substantial bit of kit far stronger than the far eastern engine cranes on the market. Rated at One Ton with the jib right in it could probably lift two. Although it gets in the way sometimes It makes lifting heavy things easy...

Shape of the hull, It has two chines (corners on the hull) so three panels each side. Wayfarer is similar shape but is 16ft long. A GP14 is 14ft long squarer & has one chine so a bottom panel & a side panel, The enterprise is regarded as more "Tippy" (unstable) than a GP. If there is no mast or...

To confirm, Its an Enterprise, Do you have the mast, boom & sails? enterprise sails are likely to be a pale blue colour. The deck edge rot damage will likely extend quite far into the plywood, Look anywhere on the bottom where water has been laying, top tip if its too far gone burn it! I was a...

You are not the only one who had problems. I bought a multimaster twenty years ago, its one of those tools that doesnt get used much but is very useful now & again. So it got bouts of use & then sat in the drawer. One day ten years later it blew up, big flash & the magic smoke came out...

I would say teak, i have used quite a lot of it on boats & a lot looks just like that.

Unfortunately wiring the planer in at its current location wasnt possible as its in a boatyard site where its a 13 amp plug or nothing. When it comes home the 3 phase motor goes back on it!

Nice job, I have one of those as well. i bought mine back in 84 from a tool dealer on Canvey, it had been in a fire & most of its paint had gone. I stuck some grease in its bearings, a new feed roller chain, new 3 phase motor & put it to work for the next twenty years. It now sits in the shed...

A few years ago i had a stand at a Cigar box guitar festival, there were about 15 exhibitors who all had some really good well made guitars for sale. Unfortunately some blokes from Glasgow turned up with a stand full of stuff made in a council & charity funded workshop, they sold out their...

Some craft fairs should be worth going to, near us is RHS Hyde Hall, they used to have an annual craft fair & it was run in house. This meant local craftsmen & women & artists tended to attend. It was an eclectic range of excellent quality stuff on sale to an audience with money to spend. After...

Amazing skill by the surgeon & his team.

Actually they sent me off first, he had to wait until sometime the next day. I was quite glad as after 5 days of iv antibiotics i was told by the doctor that i came close to losing my leg. Moral of the story is dont treat doctors & nurses like dirt.

We went to stott park bobbin mill about 15 years ago, we went there early in the year on a wet rainy day with only us there. The old boy showing us round had worked there as an apprentice & most of his life & had come out of retirement to demonstrate the bobbin mill museum. A real gent. It was a...