Steve's workshop - Painting the outside walls

[Steve Maskery]

Byron were the cheaper of the two.

 

[lurker]

Are you committed to the exact window size?
I ask because I have access to piles of double glazed "units" that are on the way to landfill.
It's just a matter of waiting for suitable sizes to turn up

 

[Steve Maskery]

I am, really, Jim. 1318 x 508mm. If they just happen to turn up...
S

 

[Doug B]

Laminated will be dearer than TSG.

Not in my experience.

If you want me to get you a quote Steve PM me your sizes & quantity.

Also beware of second hand units, if they are toughened you won't be able to cut them down.

 

[JakeS]

I also want them tinted.

I don't know how this is usually done, but in case it's useful: the last place I worked had put a kind of self-adhesive foil on the windows. It was supposed to cut down on reflections on computer monitors, but it reduced harsh light in general, and looked like a two-way mirror from the outside of the building. I heard at the time it was a cheaper alternative to putting non-standard glass in.

 

[Ring]

Buy clear glass then use the window tint film from lidl works great.
Jim

 

[shipbadger]

Steve,

If you search the internet you will find all sorts of window films are available, they're not all designed just for turning your ordinary car into something the drug dealer in the corner of the car park drives! I think your windows face the house so you need to remember that films that look silver or gold from the outside will act a mirrors and you may not want this when stood looking out of the kitchen. Applying them, like most things, has a knack but the better suppliers should provide full instructions.

Tony Comber

 

[Steve Maskery]

I'm not really trying to make it impossible to see in from outside, I'm trying to avoid being dazzled when I'm working. I plan to have shutters on the outside anyway, but I prefer some natural when working, especially at the bench. But I am very sensitive to bright light, so I want to get this right.

We had all the windows at the Community Workshop replaced last summer. They are now black. You can see in omly when standing close and peering in. But we can see out easily from inside. That would be ideal.

 

[lurker]

But I am very sensitive to bright light, so I want to get this right..

Steve not trying to be funny but have you had your eyes tested recently?
I was an habitual sunglasses wearer until I had my eyes tested and started wearing prescription specs.


Plus one for film on standard glass

 

[Steve Maskery]

Steve not trying to be funny but have you had your eyes tested recently?

LOL! Only every few months since the age of 5!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

If you stuff the shavings into cardboard tubes from kitchen or loo rolls or present wrapping paper they become "logs" and burn well in the stove.

 

[JakeS]

I'm not really trying to make it impossible to see in from outside, I'm trying to avoid being dazzled when I'm working.

That's exactly what the film on my ex-office windows was for. The sign outside on the road made it pretty clear that it was a software company and the building would be full of expensive computer equipment, the film was just there to make it possible to make software in the middle of winter with the sun low in the sky!

 

[wcndave]

I also have film on my office windows, works well - lots of different grades / reflectiveness etc, and you can replace it / darken it etc if you get it wrong, better than replacing glass.

I missed a few pages, but regarding cabling, all my electricians, and the telecoms guys had a reel of metal cable which they used for feeding wire, I am surprised that none of your BT lot etc had one, and that you can't borrow one from someone...

If you're going to bridge wifi then you may well have a device with only one eth port, so I would run one cat5. then use a mini hub at the other end if you really need it.

I know you've probably been here, but if you have the chance, use cat7, it's £1 pm and better now than later.

Having said that, if you have a wifi bridge it's not going to make much difference, is there really no way to get cable all the way? A wifi bridge will not only affect speed (with wifi n in real life you'll be at 45Mbps max, halved for the two way = 20Mbps, best case), but also latency, security, power consumption etc...

Probably not your highest priority, just my IT takes equal priority with the woodworking ;-)

 

[Steve Maskery]

My bro rang last week.

"I've had a flyer from Costco. They have some steel cabinets in, I'm thinking of getting one for my garage, what do you think?"

Well they looked good, 96 Lin Bins in the doors, plenty of shelf space. I'll think about it.

"They've also got rolling tool chests. 17 drawers."

Hmm, very nice. A lot of money, but I have to store my tools somewhere and if I made a 17-drawer cabinet, I'd probably spend close to that just on materials.

Fast forward to Saturday:
"We are on our way to Costco in Derby. Do you want to meet us there?"

So off I toddles to Derby, only to find that they had sold out of the cabinets, but the rolling tool chests were in and they looked very nice indeed. Too big to fit in my car though. I'll have a think.

Sunday:
"We are in Costco in Birmingham. They have the cabinets and they are £60 cheaper than in the flyer. I've got the van, do you want one?"

So he brings this cabinet up from Brum,

then drives me to Derby to get the rolling chest.

The weather was filthy, the cabinets weigh a tonne and I was very glad that I have a dolly to help roll them down the garden. I very nearly returned it to its owner last week, so was very glad I didn't. I don't know how we would have managed without it.

The rolling chest is superb. The cabinet is heavyweight, but the workmanship is a bit sloppy. The doors do not line up. Not even close.

So I have some very nice storage and a rather lighter bank account as well as the national collection of cardboard packaging.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Sparky has been today. We used a roll of his wire to act as a draw wire through the conduit.

We discovered that we were a tad short of pipe.

We've extended the Cat5 conduit with a bit of white pipe I scrounged some months ago.

So, keeping the power and Cat5 as far apart as we could, we sprinkled in a bit of dirt, then covered over with old slates from when Ray did his barn roof. These should stop any enthusiastic digger from doing much damage.

Then a warning, courtesy of MindThatWhatOuch

Meanwhile, Darren the Spark was busy drilling holes in walls and hauling cable through. I thought I'd been generous in my length, but in fact he had to cut off only about 2ft. That was close.

But just enough is enough and the end result is neat enough., and he's happy to sign off the installation.

So we have a bit of a problem with the water pipe, in that we are a foot or two short at the house end, so we need to scrounge a bit of 25mm pipe and couple it in. I can do the rest of the Cat 5 connection (at least, I hope I can, I was a Cat5 installer in the 1990s but now I don't know my green-whites from my oranges), and finish the back-fill.

I don't know when Ray is coming again, because the weather forecast is not good tomorrow. But Akram wants to come over again, and he used to work for Diamond Cable and so I hope he can sort out my wireless network extension, which is currently reporting an error.

 

[n0legs]

Nice neat job, very pleased for you Steve.
I approve :lol:

 

[lurker]

How much was that chest Steve?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Erm, 370 +VAT...

But what would I spend if I built a birch plywood equivalent? Drawer runners. Locks. Handles. Wheels. Non-slip liners. Finish. Hinges. I bet it would come very close.

 

[lurker]

Ta I will ask a mate with a card to take a look to see if there are any left. Interestingly mates surname is Kirkland

 

[Graham Orm]

A steel cabinet's always good for flammable liquid Steve.