Men Sheds!

[powertools]

I think that the idea mentioned earlier in the thread about a shed that is a mens shed on a Monday, a Ladies shed on a Thursday and a hobbies shed on a Wednesday for all comers is great idea. When I retired from a lifetime in and around the Motor Trade and the Building Trade the thing I missed the most was the male banter. I also enjoy ŧhe mix of female and male banter but it is different but still a great way to enjoy a Wednesday. When this place opens let me know.

 

[Spectric]

But, part of the original concept as I understand it, is that older blokes are more likely to have open conversations about their health and wellbeing with other men of similar age than they will have with women present, or with younger men for that matter. The logic is that men will open up about these sorts of issues in a setting that is unrelated to them. Just blokes working side by side as many would have done in the workplace.

Another aspect which comes up with retirement is the simple fact that often a couple are now spending much more time together because no one is going off to work. On a retirement course I did this was brought up as a problem which causes many issues, suddenly the wife has her partner around her all day and she can feel they are in her space. So things like the mens shed can get him out of the way and the womens institute can give her an escape.

 

[Puggers]

After my retirement we relocated to where we are now and as my wife still works and has family close by, I contacted two of our local sheds.

The first (about 12 miles away) told me I was probably too far from them - pardon, really? A local shed for reaaaally local people!

I made contact at another who were more welcoming but said they were quite hard to find if I didn’t know the area. I don’t and he was right, I wandered round with no luck and none of the locals I asked had any ideas either so I emailed and left voicemails which would hopefully get me better directions.

Todate, none have been replied to….

Nearly a year on, this thread has prompted me to try again at the risk of them hopefully not thinking I’m a stalker of some sort.

 

[bourbon]

After my retirement we relocated to where we are now and as my wife still works and has family close by, I contacted two of our local sheds.

The first (about 12 miles away) told me I was probably too far from them - pardon, really? A local shed for reaaaally local people!

I made contact at another who were more welcoming but said they were quite hard to find if I didn’t know the area. I don’t and he was right, I wandered round with no luck and none of the locals I asked had any ideas either so I emailed and left voicemails which would hopefully get me better directions.

Todate, none have been replied to….

Nearly a year on, this thread has prompted me to try again at the risk of them hopefully not thinking I’m a stalker of some sort.

That sounds like they are very 'clicky' And somewhere you wouldn't want to join anyway! If I were a member of the second one, I would have come and fetched you the first time, so you knew how to get there.

 

[Puggers]

@bourbon I’d like to think a load of lads at the second one were watching me out of a window smiling ruefully and saying ‘another one that’s failed the initiative test’

 

[clogs]

just wish there was such a thing here.....language is a bit of prob......
I have little free time as it is but would be happy to help out......

My feelings although a little dark is that when ur gone all your experiences turn to dust....
I feel they should be shared where ever possible.....

 

[Doris]

Not sure where in Essex you are, however your experiences sound all too familiar with my own - as someone who volunteers for an Essex based charity and was approached to assist setting a mans shed up. Initially I offered to use my own workshop on a limited invite basis, however they -the Mens Shed association have strict rules on this and they preclude any 'shop on private land. The charity appear to have access to a lot of donated kit but because of bureaucracy and the charities entrenched 'decision by committee' approach - where most committee members are quite frankly clueless, they have made little progress in the ~3 years that this subject was floated.
Hats off to those who do have access to one that is well run/organised and provides the social, learning and practical skills that folks want, I personally have given up trying with the lot I'm affiliated to, and gender discrimination doesn't even enter into the equation although I guess I am unsurprised at your unfortunate experiences...

We're south Essex. I've had trouble at the Men's Shed at Hardie Park and New Life Wood in Pitsea who refused to sell me wood.

I get the whole Men need there space away from women and do appreciate this is part of what men in sheds is about. But all I was offering at the time of them starting up was to help set up the machines, dust extraction, health and safety etc that was it. I was then going to step back and let them get on with it but never got the chance. It's nice to know it's not just me (a gal) who has had trouble with Men in Sheds.

 

[Jameshow]

just wish there was such a thing here.....language is a bit of prob......
I have little free time as it is but would be happy to help out......

My feelings although a little dark is that when ur gone all your experiences turn to dust....
I feel they should be shared where ever possible.....

Many ex pats where you are?

Might be a goer would work in France, Spain Brussels or Prague for instance.

 

[Adam W.]

We're south Essex. I've had trouble at the Men's Shed at Hardie Park and New Life Wood in Pitsea who refused to sell me wood.

I get the whole Men need there space away from women and do appreciate this is part of what men in sheds is about. But all I was offering at the time of them starting up was to help set up the machines, dust extraction, health and safety etc that was it. I was then going to step back and let them get on with it but never got the chance. It's nice to know it's not just me (a gal) who has had trouble with Men in Sheds.

Being a fellow Essexer/anian, I sympathise. I don't think I could survive very well in such an environment.

 

[hlvd]

The problem with Men Sheds is that it’s full of YouTube taught “experts” and a Health and Safety nightmare.

What they usually lack is a person from a trade background to oversee and make sure everything complies to safety regulations, ensuring a safe working environment for everyone.

 

[Rewound]

The problem with Men Sheds is that it’s full of YouTube taught “experts” and a Health and Safety nightmare.

What they usually lack is a person from a trade background to oversee and make sure everything complies to safety regulations, ensuring a safe working environment for everyone.

The biggest breaches of health and saftey that I see are those ex professionals who will often set a terrible example. eg. removing riving fences so as to get through 6" on a table say only designed for 4"

 

[hlvd]

The biggest breaches of health and saftey that I see are those ex professionals who will often set a terrible example. eg. removing riving fences so as to get through 6" on a table say only designed for 4"

It’s a dangerous practice whoever does it and shouldn’t be done.

I’m not making excuses as I dislike the practice however, the ex trade(carpenters/joiners aren’t professionals) would always be safer due to their experience.

 

[Spectric]

I’m not making excuses as I dislike the practice however, the ex trade(carpenters/joiners aren’t professionals) would always be safer due to their experience.

The problem with someone who has been doing something over a long period of time is they get into bad habits and can become blind to bad practice because it is something they have always done. Just look at driving standards, you are taught how to pass your test when young and then away you go until you are seventy. I had been driving for more than forty plus years before I knew the actual definition of a dual carriageway and I was told there are many more around as well. Perhaps they are using these speed awareness courses as a means of enforced driver training !

 

[hlvd]

The problem with someone who has been doing something over a long period of time is they get into bad habits and can become blind to bad practice because it is something they have always done. Just look at driving standards, you are taught how to pass your test when young and then away you go until you are seventy. I had been driving for more than forty plus years before I knew the actual definition of a dual carriageway and I was told there are many more around as well. Perhaps they are using these speed awareness courses as a means of enforced driver training !

I totally agree, however, an experienced driver “should” have the acquired muscle memory and knowledge to tackle a potential accident/hazard better than an inexperienced learner driver as they’ve reached the unconscious/competence stage of driving.

 

[Sideways]

I totally agree, however, an experienced driver “should” have the acquired muscle memory and knowledge to tackle a potential accident/hazard better than an inexperienced learner driver as they’ve reached the unconscious/competence stage of driving.

Or passed through it into the unconscious/INcompetence stage


I suspect most sheds are living on borrowed time. You need a genuinely knowledgeable person to manage the H&S risks of a building full of amateurs and that person needs to be able to lay down the law without having to get the agreement of a "committee". That is as likely as finding a unicorn ...

The old "know it alls" in a shed are just as dangerous as kids at school and we have all heard how schools do less and less practical because of their difficulties in finding skilled, experienced people to teach and because of the difficulty of managing the H&S risk.

When that one bad accident happens and the HSE then come knocking, I doubt many sheds will be able to defend themselves. They'll just be closed down and sued / prosecuted.

 

[Rewound]

I think when you join you have to sign a disclaimer that you won't use any machine that you are not competent in using. So unless the machine is faulty then it is all down to the user. If they don't know how to use it safely, then they shouldn't be using it.

 

[hlvd]

I think when you join you have to sign a disclaimer that you won't use any machine that you are not competent in using. So unless the machine is faulty then it is all down to the user. If they don't know how to use it safely, then they shouldn't be using it.

That’s where they’re going wrong, the person in charge should be responsible for all machine maintenance, who uses that machine and how it’s used.

 

[Adam W.]

Best be hand tool only then.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

So how about a Mens shed thread/list? @Spectric @Sideways @MikeK so peeps that aren't so enamoured with bundles of tools or space/places etc to work can find somewhere?

 

[MikeK]

So how about a Mens shed thread/list? @Spectric @Sideways @MikeK so peeps that aren't so enamoured with bundles of tools or space/places etc to work can find somewhere?

Create one and let's see how much support it receives. We're trying to reduce the number of stickied threads, but if the Men's Shed thread is popular, we'll find a place for it.