Take your friends to the workshop...

[Pekka Huhta]

I just finished a project with my friend and his wife and I thought I would share a few smal projects done with friends.

Quite many friends come to ask me if I could build something for them. The standard answer is "no, but you can come to the workshop and I'll show you how to build it". I think that it's the best thing to give to people: your time and a skill to learn.

First, a very simple project: speaker stands. The wood was some exotic wood from a packing crate that has sent over here at least 40-50 years ago. (Sorry for the dreadful pictures, I don't know shait about photography)

The same friend who built the stands got so much hooked on woodwork (stands were his first project) that we had a bit more challenging project with an old turntable. The frame is massive MDF-plywood sandwich (those hi-fi-things, you know), teak and ash.

My sister (aged 16 at the time) wanted a bookshelf. In the end she did it mostly herself. It was a wonderful project, we had plenty of fun. I did not make things too difficult for her, so the shelf was assembled with glue and counter-sunk screws thet got plugged over.

I especially like the "eye" that's behind the top shelf. The wood, "tiama" has a nice grain pattern, but it's all cross-grain.

A friend at the work asked about how to build a small shelf and a stool and he ended up building them over here with his wife. Here thay are in my livingroom...

...and the stools in their final placement. The holes on the shelf were for spotlights. Construction was the same, screws and glue. Wood was solid beech.

Just as an idea: next time someone asks you to build something for him/her, take them to the workshop, give them the tools and let them work. I have been surprised how much people enjoy working with wood. Many have worked only with blunt and scruffy tools at the school, many haven't done anthing with wood ever. And they all will learn, you probably could not tell from my sister's bookshelf that it is the first thing thet she ever has made from wood.

And the pride she gets from showing the shelf to anyone even faintly interested is almost too much

Pekka

 

[greggy]

hi pekka, thats ok when everything is working fine,until someone gets hurt using your tools,especialy power tools cos if they get injured they can sue you. so please be careful. nice projects by the way.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Great idea, Pekka =D>

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Anonymous]

BHi Pekka

I like that idea, much better than agreeing to build every thing or risk offending by saying no.

I don't see that you would be liable if someone is hurt using your tools in your garage, it is effectively the same as if they borrowed your tools and used them in their own garage

 

[Mike.C]

Great idea Pekka.

Your photos are hell of a lot better then mine.

Cheers

Mike

 

[greggy]

tony, a friend up the street asked his neighbour to lend him his ladder, which he did. whilst up the ladder the rung gave way and he broke his arm, off work for 8 weeks.anyway he took him to court and the judge said it does not matter what tool a person lends to a friend if the person gets injured it is the responserbility of the owner of the tool. my injered friend was awarded £2.000 damages. here endeth the 1st lesson.

 

[ike]

I'm fairly sure your standard house insurance policy covers accident to 3rd party. That would include a home workshop.

Ike

 

[dickm]

I'm fairly sure your standard house insurance policy covers accident to 3rd party. That would include a home workshop.

Ike

I'm sure they <say> they do, but I'll bet they would wriggle like h*** if you actually tried to claim. Not quite the same situation, but a contractor working in our garden sliced through the mains supply, which cost me some £500 to have repaired. His insurance claimed it was my fault for not knowing the cable was there, and my household insurance claimed that since the cable was "not my property" it wasn't covered.
So, in spite of it being to everyone's benefit to let others use your workshop facilities, be VERY careful.

 

[Woody Alan]

the judge said it does not matter what tool a person lends to a friend if the person gets injured it is the responserbility of the owner of the tool

Well I would have thought he didn't have a very good solicitor then, because safety is the responsibility of the individual to a greater extent, as is doing a risk assesment. Part of any risk assesent would be to check that the ladder is fit for purpose. Having said that it is a fairly pointless argument, because there any number of anecdotal events that can be found to cloud the issue.

Alan

 

[Pekka Huhta]

Well, I won't use any power tools on my workshop, so only risk they have is to slice their hands themseves with a chisel. (A task that I perform regulary myself, by the way :wink: )

Of course you have to be careful. Every time I'll show first how to do it. After a while they'll know what to do. And I'll let them do stupidities as well, and small damage to the workpiece as, as long as it can be repaired. What would they learn if I just gave them a plane, perfectly adjusted and said "push"? Far better to give them a well-sharpened plane, let them adjust it themselves and find out how it works. Of course giving hints on the way.

I've been teaching furniture making for students in the local university and I know my bit about legalities on the subject. And to be a bit witty about it, around here we are not civilized enough to sue each other for over-sharpened chisels or whacking yourself a black nail with a hammer. (hammer)


Pekka

 

[Woody Alan]

His insurance claimed it was my fault for not knowing the cable was there,

This is an example of these anecdotes. It is totally unreasonable for a householder to know or understand the presence of an electric supply cable, most people think it's magic, a contractor who digs the ground for a living should be aware and make all necessary enquiries as to whether services are present and if you answer negatively then it is up to him to test for their presence. I work in a business where contractors are digging up our services all the time and believe me if they get caught they pay because they always have the opportunity to ask for service location.
Alan... on soapbox at present

 

[Losos]

Pekka,

I think you've worded your last statement the wrong way around

The UK is going the way of the USA in litigation, recently somewhere in England someone sued the British Legion because there was a hole where once the BL had had a flagpole, and this stupid man put his foot in it and twisted his ankle :x

Thankfully the judge slung the case out saying that it is the responsibility of people to look where they are going!!

 

[Pekka Huhta]

Sometimes it feels that the worlds are so, so different.

A friend suing me? A friend, asking me a favor (building a piece of furniture) suing me? A friend who is building his own furniture or whatever, suing me?

Sometimes it feels that the worlds are so different. Sometimes I'm just very, very glad about it. :roll:

Pekka

 

[Losos]

Pekka,

Be glad, be very glad, you're not in UK. I quoted a case where thakfully the judge used common sense, but there are now several thousands of cases every year, some of which involve familly members suing each other.

The English attitude ('tho I'm sure UKW members wouldn't do it) now is like this:-

'Oh my God I've done something stupid, who can I blame and claim compensation from!!'

 

[ByronBlack]

I barely let SWMBO in the workshop let alone let her touch my tools!! Are you mad man!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[MikeW]

Good for you, Pekka.

I do the same with folks which would want something. I always invite them over, except for my mom!

Last was a teacher starting a drumming group. I taught him to make drums so he in turn could teach kids in an after school program.

As to people suing other people? Life is too short to worry about it. If I added up all the money which people have ever cheated or sued out of me it would be an easy 75k. Never happened at what I would call a convenient time in my financial life, but it is afterall only money.

It's a risk of life. Being involved always carries risk, but the rewards include a better feeling at the end of the day.

Take care, Mike
Who's sorry to be so preachy--but hey, it is Sunday <g>...

 

[MIGNAL]

I recognise that as a Lenco L75 with a Rega arm? Tell your friend he should have bought a classic-plinth :wink:

 

[Pekka Huhta]

I recognise that as a Lenco L75 with a Rega arm? Tell your friend he should have bought a classic-plinth :wink:

Close, but no smoking on this flight, unfortunately. It's some sort of a SMG. I've got the Rega he wanted and the modified plinth is designed with a possibility to fit in a second arm 90 degs from the original. There is already a cutout in the MDF-ply-sandwich for it. Don't ask me for details. I do the wood, he'll do the rest.

We have this "garbage hi-fi club" with this friend. I've got the same Lenco model myself, found at a garbage recycle plant and a good share of our "old school hifi" hardware. Including a heavy set of Harman/Kardon etc. local hi-qvilities.

I'll give him a hint the there is a discussion about it, I know that he'll be happy to flood the forum

Pekka

P.s. I'd say that I'm sincerely hoping that it's just a thread gone bad. If working with friends is so dangerous, I don't know what to say.

I was not going to show this project. Probably showing it isn't nice and someone might get depressed.

My friend asked me that we could build a coffin for his dead baby together.

He wasn't blaming the hospital, he wasn't blaming the world and the only comfort he got was to make the coffin himself - with me. I took that as the biggest honor that someone has asked me. Did not fear that much of a sue, though.

Pekka

 

[Paul Chapman]

That's a lovely piece of work, Pekka.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Smudger]

It's a lovely piece of work, Pekka, and the simplicity is very moving.

A good friend made a beautiful, but simple, ash box for my son to keep some things in when his little girl died. Simple is very, very beautiful in those circumstances. Well done.