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If you want to use 9,mm ply you could cut a 6mm groove 4mm in from the rear face and then rebate the back edges of the ply to fit your grooves. Sizing ply and cutters doesn't always work well.

The pick of all the timbers mentioned above is definitely Iroko in my opinion. It's oily in nature not easy to work and produces evil dust. It will however last thirty years outside without any trouble. Teak can still be obtained but at a price between three and six times that of Iroko...

Why not have both types of gazing in one? You can have double glazed units made with one or two sheets of laminated glass. I have made lots of roof lights with a top pane of toughened glass and an inner one of laminated. You can chose what thickness of spacer bar you require,this dictates the...

A Manual of Carpentry and Joinery by J W Riley. I regard I it as the best reference work, and it's free on line as its out of copyright. Mike.

Since your good lady is located in Scotland and I'm safe and anonymous in the midlands I will risk saying yes, go for it! Mike.

In the days when I did this sort of work I tried to avoid the hemlock doors, it doesn't seem to me to last very well and it's a pain to plane by hand. The hardwood one is quite likely to be made from one of the poor quality materials like light red meranti, again not a long lasting material. Now...

If you have access to a welder perhaps the bench builder will donate some steel angle or HRS so you can do it the easier and lighter way. Just tacking a few bits together is more attractive than grinding castings and it would be tailored to your needs. Mike.

Just a passing thought (otherwise known as a daft idea) what about a figure about half a metre high digging in the flower trough? Better still perhaps stick with snoozing in a rocking chair. Mike.

Hi Coley Yes the cartwheel is still hanging on the garden fence. My first question on siting your wheel is 'can you still get into the shed ? To be a bit more constructive, you will need some sort of trough beneath the wheel to contain the water and pump so perhaps combining that with the some...

Yes I think the Pully will provide power for whatever you want. With that amount of power you might even floodlight it!

Hi Coley The finished wheel looks great! I can sympathise on the fitting of the metal tyre, some years back I made just one ornamental cart wheel using the traditional materials and mostly traditional methods. All went well up to the job of heating and fitting the tyre. I burnt a huge pile of...

So Just the sand and cement to sort out now then!

Good timber has always been expensive but I think it's more so if you go along with a cutting list for planed timber rather than buying a length or two to plane yourself. Knowledge of the stock sizes of sawn timber allows you to plan your cutting list to eliminate wasteful finished sizes. Many...

Hi Coley It's looking very good, and huge compared to my toy version. I'm looking forward to the video of the wheel spinning while you take a well earned rest in a deck chair listening to the soothing sound of the water! Mike.

Hi Mark That's a reasonable comment since that would be the best method if the panels were being retained by beads. I was assuming that the shoulder lengths on the tenons would be different between the top and bottom rails and that the middle rail would probably have a diminished shoulder on the...

Dear Empora Ming Rather than be sent to the uranium mines I will tell you anything you wish to know. Please give more details of the frame your highness wishes to construct. Cringingly yours Mike.

The amount of expansion is controlled by the width of the panel and the variation in moisture content. Quarter sawn timber will move by a smaller amount. For example if the panels are 200mm wide I would be making the grooves 14mm deep and ensuring the floating panel has a gap of 6mm each side...

Hi If you are going to make doors with solid raised panels please be aware that you must allow plenty of room for the panels to expand and contract. The power of the expanding panel is huge. Some while ago an alleged boat builder made a narrow boat which had internal cupboard and other doors...

I'm pleased with the overall result and I'm hoping that it will keep going through the summer. Unless I can think of any minor additions I will be taking it back into the workshop before winter to see if the moving parts have worn or need any improvements. It's been enjoyable to make and a...

Thanks again! There are a lot of wheels on the net who's only job is to look good, so that's a good starting point. With a wheel the size of yours you might think of a full size rocking chair or swinging garden seat when time allows. I think the saw shaft will mean that the bearings are a...