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Don't hold back on the basis of dust extraction. A vac attached takes some of it, and the rest can just be swept up later. I think sliding mitre saws have a reputation for being pretty terrible unless you spend loads.

Ah. So the acrylic is just to seal and then the subsequent coats are the magic mix? I will look into trying that.

I used to have an Evolution r255 db and it was surprisingly good. Not especially accurate even before I treated it quite harshly, but very capable. I appreciated being able to bevel both sides as space was a bit tight in my small workshop, but that costs a bit extra. The rear projection drove me...

I will have to give that a try at some point. I have tried a similar version with 10+ very thin coats of polyurethane and lots of very fine sanding but never acrylic. I have found either epoxy (for practicality) or shellac pretty good for gloss.

In that case, what can I do to get more of that? I am indifferent to shine levels, so long as chatoyance is maximised!

Maybe more coats is the answer. Still it isn't the glossiness I am fussed about. It looked more alive when I wiped it with meths to take the dust off than with the oil. Problem is I don't quite know the word I want. I have been using depth of finish, but perhaps that is misleading. On a scale...

Not a great pic, but I feel it looks strangely dead

It isn't the gloss I am worried about - that will need lots of coats. I also know what you mean about plastic looking - done some tables finished with flood coats of epoxy and the finish after working all the way up to polishing compounds is fun but not for everything. I guess I was more...

I made a TV unit out of some beech I milled a while ago and put a coat of gloss osmo polyx on and was a bit disappointed. When I cut it the colours were superb and I had hoped it would pop when finished. Instead it looks oddly flat, with no depth. Possible options: Sanded too much (320 grit)...

I would agree that epoxy ought to work. Would need a bit of practice and possibly several layers. Glasscast 3 would be my choice.

I have recently made some insulated double doors for a shed. Much cruder than for a house, but an osb internal skin gave a very simple box of 2x4 a lot of stiffness. Built on a flat concrete floor. 100mm insulation made finding suitable hinges difficult and the middle where the 2 doors meet had...

Someone is selling an Axminster AWSL 1000 on here which would seem an ideal upgrade - 14 inch capacity over the bed and swivel head. I used to have the smaller version (900) and it was great. Mechanical variable speed, but cheap and simple. Could make surprisingly big stuff too (18" with head...

Looks like a jubilee

I think in that case a swivel head is your best bet. They would be fine on a bench (the riser block suggestion is good to tweak the height). The traditional bowl lathes can all have modern variable speed motors fitted, but I think they are all floor mounted.

Is it the length or the bench top aspect you like? Plenty of options for short bed lathes with big bowl turning capacity. If you feel you have outgrown something with a 240mm capacity, £500 seems a lot to pay for the extra 65mm. Swivel head is a good way to go. I have a nova DVR xp that I love...

I have tried, but nobody wants to sell just the slide. Makes me think it must be a really great addition!

Where in London are you? Could you be tempted to sell the sliding extension without the rest of the saw? I have a TS-250 but no slide. Thanks, Alex

I don't know what sort of design you are thinking about, but it could be worth considering structural insulated panels for the roof. They will span around 3m unsupported and make the design way simpler. Instead of having to build a traditional roof, just sit these on top. If it was a bit...

Very impressive work. An excellent technical challenge, though certainly not one I am going to try. Looks a lot like hard work! Could make for a very interesting extension to it - what would be the minimum starting point to be able to create not just a single box, but a functional workshop...

Being fancy is all very nice, but how about asking him to explain why he thinks it will be 2.5x more effective than OSB? All you need is something functional, save the good stuff for making actual projects! OSB ample for the job.