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If the shed is only twenty years old there's a good chance that it's not traditional creosote but the modern version with all the good stuff taken out - basically coloured water with added smell. I'm not sure what the supposed risk with actual creosote is, but my guess is that if you don't...

I have gone back to old-fashioned screwdrivers for most of my work, because I can't be bothered fiddling about changing bits if the job requires more than one size. Also, many of these adaptable screwdrivers tend to be too fat to be used in counterbores, though I accept that long bits are...

Been there, done that, very satisfying work! I took a slightly different route and used the 'Circle Scribe' disk compass - basically a plastic disc with a metal central peg and a series of holes at different radii which you put your pencil point into and swung the disc. It worked well in a...

Jaco, I don't see any real resemblance to a long-arm stapler. My best guess is that it's a fence or hold-down of some description, though what or why I've no idea. Les

Oh dear, perhaps I'd better stop doing repairs and PAT testing for the local charity shop. Still, let's look on the bright side: It's only paranoia if they're not out to get you. Les

Cooper, I didn't see this thread until today. I hope your session went well. I've been involved with our local Repair Café for about five years, and I feel that a lot of the comments made in this thread are based in ignorance, and I would suggest that for some of us more time spent...

In fifty-plus years of motoring I've never seen a serious accident, but I still drive defensively! Les

A cabinet maker friend of mine with many years' professional experience absent-mindedly brushed the sawdust from his table saw with his right hand and nearly lost his thumb and index finger. Recovery was long and painful and only partially successful. We can all make mistakes if we lose our...

There's no such thing as an old joke - there's always somebody who hasn't heard it yet! Perhaps we could give it a try. Les

People speak well of electrolytic rust removal, where you immerse the item in a bath of washing soda (sodium carbonate) and pass an electric current through it. I haven't tried it myself - is there anybody here who has? Les

I believe Boeing can help with this... (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Les

I've got one of Tyzack's catalogues from about 1910 (regrettably it's not dated) and your plane is similar to their No. 246 Steel Panel and Jointer plane "Steel frame, Rosewood body, Gun-metal lever". It was available in various lengths from 13½" to 26½" and widths from 2½" upwards. It's...

I've found that self-adhesive labels tend to peel off the black plastic, especially as so many cases have a textured finish, and I suspect that there may be some sort of release compound from the moulding process. I've resorted to one of the white correction pens and my Best Handwriting, and it...

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. Niall's suggestion of Avon Ropes sounds most promising - they select, fell, process and air-dry their own ash specifically with bell stays in mind, and you couldn't ask for better than that. They also have a very progressive approach to the manufacture...

I've recently got involved in maintaining a church bell installation in the Portsmouth area and need a supply of ash for the stays that prevent the bells from turning over the top when they are rung. The stay is the 'fuse' in the system and is designed to break before anything else does, and...

That looks useful! Les

Amazing stuff, sold under the name of Polymorph. The regular stuff softens at 62 C and there is a low temperature version. I've used it a lot working with disabled people to make personalised hand grips for things. Les

And thanks for letting us know how it went. Not everybody remembers to do so! Les

This seems unnecessarily snippy and not what I'm used to on this site. Les

Idigbo!