Cheap wood (mainly soft woods)

[sawtooth-9]

rafezetter is mentally ill, he's sent me abusive private messages on several occassions and even threatened violence, for a disagreement over breadboard ends...

I suspect you might be right
Very very sad really
Do I care - no ! It's his choice
I can accept his differing view ( with respect ) - but not the venom.
It appears he cannot do the same.

 

[Keith 66]

Anyone would think wood grows on trees!
But seriously 40 years in the boat trade & then education i saw a lot of good timber get thrown away, i managed to save some of it!
Subbing a one of repair in a local yard I was just finishing off on the last day when a guy walks in & says "Anyone want to buy some teak?" The yard owner said "No thanks", I ran after the bloke as he was getting into his truck. Bought a lorry load of heavy teak duckboards from a telephone exchange for £150.
I have had timber from all over the place, the college i worked scrapped tons every year, biggest problem was storing it all!
Good pine, mahogany, oak, iroko, you name it. I find it on the seawall walking the dog & my wife & i often pull good timber out of the creek or off the marshes when out rowing. Use what you can get Its all wood in the end.

 

[thetyreman]

I suspect you might be right
Very very sad really
Do I care - no ! It's his choice
I can accept his differing view ( with respect ) - but not the venom.
It appears he cannot do the same.

exactly double standards, even despite reporting it to the mods was told to 'grow up' and nothing was done about it, very harsh in my opinion and not great moderating, trolls thrive on this kind of thing and he'll continue to bully, harass and send abusive messages to people.

 

[stuckinthemud]

I was asked to run a taster course in beginners woodwork. The adult Ed course was free so the materials budget as close to zero as possible. Our local wood recycling centre provided ex-library oak shelving for a few quid, made lovely boxes, everyone was happy. Just made a set of fitted shelves from old pine bed slats I’ve been storing for 15 years waiting for the right job to come along

 

[morqthana]

... and even threatened violence ...

If he's done that you could try reporting him to the police?

 

[okeydokey]

Is this thread being moderated?

 

[thetyreman]

If he's done that you could try reporting him to the police?

I was going to but didn't think it was ethical, I'm still really angry about it thoug, that's all I am saying.

 

[Doris]

What about drift wood, gets washed up on our shores and many an artist uses it to make, well art and providing you are artistic can be interesting but for me all to often just reminds me of driftwood.

I am always amazed at the "penny-pinching"approach so often seen on this site.
What value do you place on your skill ?
If you are going to expend your efforts, experience and skill - why choose the poorest of raw materials ???
Truly skilled artisans will select the the most beautiful woods to complement their efforts and skills.
People who work with "rubbish materials" produce a "rubbish" result.
Where do you stand ?

I now only carve with driftwood at this time (unless a commission specifies it to be a certain species). Bits of wood that float along the Thames, some smell awful when they are carved.

I spent years carving with Oak, Walnut, Lime (which seems to be what many wood carvers only use), mahogany etc and to me driftwood is my favourite wood to work with now. I can happily sit in the garden on a sunny day and carve away with a knife and a bit of sandpaper, no rotary tools, dust extractors, face masks involved really. I am aware that driftwood isn't a species in itself but usually when you pick up a piece you don't know what it's going to be like until you start carving it and many have spalting. Many also check as they dry out and I know certain woodworkers would reject a piece of wood because it has checked, because it's not "fit for purpose" or "rubbish". I usually use a break in the wood and use this to my advantage, they are not all perfect but then that's the challenge of making them

My driftwood birds are now in my local gallery, the owner can't get enough of them and they tend to sell out quickly. All for bits of rubbish that float along the Thames

I love recycling centres and I think there should be more of them about. To the original poster, we are based in Essex and have one based in Pitsea (New Life Wood), however when I have been there by myself I have found they tend to hold wood back for themselves and their own projects. Lots of sexist remarks made as well - but I'm quite immune to it all really nowadays.

 

[Blackswanwood]

I now only carve with driftwood at this time (unless a commission specifies it to be a certain species). Bits of wood that float along the Thames, some smell awful when they are carved.

I spent years carving with Oak, Walnut, Lime (which seems to be what many wood carvers only use), mahogany etc and to me driftwood is my favourite wood to work with now. I am aware that driftwood isn't a species in itself but usually when you pick up a piece you don't know what it's going to be like until you start carving it and many have spalting. Many also check as they dry out and I know certain woodworkers would reject a piece of wood because it has checked, because it's not "fit for purpose" or "rubbish". I usually use a break in the wood and use this to my advantage, they are not all perfect but then that's the challenge of making them

My driftwood birds are now in my local gallery, the owner can't get enough of them and they tend to sell out quickly. All for bits of rubbish that float along the Thames

View attachment 138400View attachment 138401View attachment 138402

I love recycling centres and I think there should be more of them about. To the original poster, we are based in Essex and hopefully in the future we will come along and have a butchers at the place.

Superb work Doris

 

[Jonm]

Just made a set of fitted shelves from old pine bed slats I’ve been storing for 15 years waiting for the right job to come along

I recently put some old pine bed slats in my wood cart. Had to tidy it up to get them in and even removed some wood to make space and (impressively for me) took it for recycling.

If I store it for 15 years and are then able to make something with it then I will be pleased.

 

[stuckinthemud]

One carver to another, those birds are stunning

 

[Majimoto]

I got involved with reclaimed timber in the 1970's a now well know window screen fitter had them imported in large packing cases with timber boards up to 12" wide 1" to 2" thick by 14 feet long his yard soon got full, I organised a truck to go and pick some up and when they were delivered back to the farm I de-nailed them all burnt the scrap and packing materials.

The local farmers soon saw it as a quick build shed in the making and I kept the window screen yard clear for two years until the business was sold on.

When i got more involved with furniture making I found demolition guys were burning timber onsite to get rid of it the old Coop building in the middle of Derby was my first large project, beams 12" x 14" up to 20 foot long in pitch pine, floor joists, flooring boards, I had lorry after lorry loads.

Next was the old John Players factory in Nottingham some out of this world timber came out of here, beams, joists and flooring but this time a lot of Oak and other hardwoods I did not know. Under one floor hidden away for years they came across a complete snooker table with all fittings including balls, clocking in clocks, many many slave clocks and a couple of master clocks.

Bass brewery in Burton Pitch pine again and other redwoods those were the days never to be seen again.

Reclaiming timber has been going on for years repurposed into fine furniture and house fittings all have been made out of it so no one should look down there nose and criticise the use of re-claim.

Reminds me of my FIL had the taking of stuff in closed down factory in Dublin (Denny's in Fade st). We got tables, chairs etc. I looked in toilet area and saw a long bench along the wall. Checked it with my trusty pen knife. It was pure teak/ mahogany. It now acts as an incredibly beautiful mantle piece in my house.
He also got the floor of local parish hall-- 1" thick red deal. I'm still reusing them fifty years later. Deadly for splinters ,though!
Great memories! He was a lovely man-- I miss him-- we were so alike!

 

[Majimoto]

So "Gammon" can be applied equally to a gender - nonspecific "person - of - colour" without being in any way a pejorative term? I think we know precisely what you mean by the term "gammon", and it is as racist and classist as you can possibly be. Again - why do you get to be offensive, when I am not allowed to be?

Again from wikipedia :
Gammon is a pejorative popularised in British political culture since around 2012. The term refers in particular to the colour of a person's flushed face when expressing their strong opinions, as compared to the type of pork of the same name.[1][2] It is characterized in this context by the Oxford English Dictionary as occurring "in various parasynthetic adjectives referring to particularly reddish or florid complexions".[3]

In 2018, it became particularly known as a term to describe either those on the political right or those who supported Brexit.[1][4] Due to its referencing of skin colour, there is controversy as to whether the term is racist.[a]

I feel it is a racists term, and how I feel is all that matters, surely? My reality is all that counts - if you use a term that I feel is racists, then it is offensive to me.

I would never have known that about "gammon" --- there was me thinking"why are they talking about ham on this site?"

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

Back in the day when becoming a supplier to a Mr. H. Ford of components for his vehicles was a plum contract, if he told you that the gearboxes/axles/whatevers that you supplied had to be in packing cases (always wood in those days) of a particular size because that was what worked for his loading bays and stores, you did it. The reason was fiction - the truth was that he could break the packing cases down and with no more machining whatsoever use them as floorboards and truck bed sides.


This is genius! What a great story.

 

[Majimoto]

That should of said cowpat but it amounts to the same thing

Should " have" said

 

[Majimoto]

Should " have" said

Why are my replies put out of context?
Makes a haimes of the thread!

 

[Phill05]

As an add-on to my earlier post here are a few images they were all taken by camera at the time so please excuse the attempt to re-take from those.

All the items were made from the old timber from demolition NO new wood was used at all, the time span was early 1970's to late 1990's.

Beams were taken down on a 48 inch band re-saw to produce all the section required to make this furniture.

 

[morqthana]

He also got the floor of local parish hall-- 1" thick red deal.

Talking of Deal - friend of mine had a house there once which he did up, and it was just round the corner from the old barracks which was being demolished/redeveloped. He got (by asking and paying a nominal "fee") a load of Victorian parquet blocks from the sergeant's mess which he'd spotted being skipped.. Mahogany, IIRC.

When rotated (they were traditional blocks) then sanded, they looked superb.

 

[morqthana]

Why are my replies put out of context?

They're not - they are where you post them and with whatever context you give them by quoting.

Not sure what you think should be different....

 

[fred55]

NO No No maybe yes I agree with all that has been said ; since I come from a long line of penny pinching forefathers I see nothing wrong with getting cheap wood with to practice making Chippendale type furniture, then to see it reduced to rabbit bedding before her indoors sees it - " oh what you made today love; Oak long table with King and Queen Chairs" well yes; but now i've changed into 4 bags of rabbit bedding as the table wont fit into the terrace house. I maybe the first to admit it but woodworking is a secondary pre-occupation, the primary is to get out the house and away from - you know who. Who here hasn't set up the TV and broadband into their shed / workshop and got a locked cupboard containing alcohol; and who else hasn't phoned up for a curry to be delivered to the back shed. mmm talking too much - Sorry there must be therapy for us some where or is it just me ???