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Workshop community update #26   Hi all,   I hope you have all read our latest member profile on passionate woodworker Wayne. @Wayne has shared many fantastic projects on Workshop in rece... See more...
Workshop community update #26   Hi all,   I hope you have all read our latest member profile on passionate woodworker Wayne. @Wayne has shared many fantastic projects on Workshop in recent weeks and his personal story is very inspiring.   Most of Wayne’s skills are self-taught and have only been picked up in recent years, highlighting that anyone can have a go at D.I.Y. if they have the determination to learn.        I encourage you to take the time to read all of our member profiles. I’m sure you will find them inspiring and motivating.   It’s been another interesting week on Workshop, with plenty of D.I.Y. and gardening discussion. Some of the most popular Workshop posts from the past week included:   Ideas for @John1's proposed outdoor kitchen under his patio   Comprehensive accounts of @Wayne's new dust extraction system and downdraft sanding table   Helpful advice about pruning roses   Discussion about the first tool that Workshop members bought or were given   Suggestions for replacing katsmith's vertical blinds and blocking out the summer sun in @Trying's she shed.   Tips for building a raised garden for growing vegies in @Scottyw's backyard.   It was also great to see new photos being added to the gallery this week. Make sure you check them out. I particularly liked @RodAndo's planter box made from recycled decking.   Special thanks to our top contributors to Workshop this week. The community members who posted the most popular content in the past seven days were @Wayne, @Benskimo, @Isobel, @Brad and @John1. Thanks again for your fantastic contribution to the community.    Jason Community Manager
It's very romantic, but just wondering how many people would ever consider installing a fireplace in the bedroom?   If you had one, would you ever use it?  
I am endeavouring to eliminate as much dust as possible when woodworking in my shed. The first step was to enhance the dust collection ducting of my Dust Extractor (detailed in another topic) the sec... See more...
I am endeavouring to eliminate as much dust as possible when woodworking in my shed. The first step was to enhance the dust collection ducting of my Dust Extractor (detailed in another topic) the second part of that was to build a bench top Down Draft Sanding Table to capture dust when I am sanding projects. The got the design ideas from a YouTube search on dust extraction, it is nothing more than a box with a bottom, a top with holes (in this case Pegboard), sloping panels internally to channel the dust and have a smaller area to increase suction and a vacuum port on the back. I cut the front, back and side pieces to size to make a box 850mm x 600mm x 140mm high. I used a Dado Blade stack on my table saw to rebate 15mm x 5mm rabbets in all of the panels to hold the bottom and top sheets and also 25mm x 15mm rabbets on the ends of the front and back panels to accept the sides. I chose to be a bit cute and engraved a name on the LH side of the front panel and also cutout a 100mm hole in the back panel for the dust oulet. Then I glued and clamped the front, back and sides together - no mechanical fasteners used at all. Next I measured up and cut some 7mm Ply Wood sheet that I had on hand to make some sloping panels internally, this reduces the overall internal voume which increases the suction. I then ran a bead of silicone around all the edges and also silisoned in the rear duct adaptor. The overall size was too great to simply fasten the pegboard to the top and it would have sagged, so I made a simple frame out of pine with 2 cross strips to strengthen the pegboard top. This was glued and bradded together then just bradded to the main body. I screwed the peg board top in place and made a mess because the screw heads fluffed up the screw holes. I have since sanded those high points down and have placed some UMHW plastic tape around the perimiter and the two cross strips. I didn't want raised screw heads scratching or damaging what ever I was sanding. All done! I simply attach my quick connect dust hose to the port and sand away. It really makes a huge difference. When sanding you will usually see dust on the surfaces where you are sanding but additionally there is fine dust that circulates in the air and it is this fine dust that it is pulling in and away from my lungs.
Here on Workshop we want to create an inclusive, welcoming community where anyone feels like they can seek help, including absolute beginners. After all, everyone has to start from somewhere.    ... See more...
Here on Workshop we want to create an inclusive, welcoming community where anyone feels like they can seek help, including absolute beginners. After all, everyone has to start from somewhere.    Today I thought it would be fun to take you back to when your D.I.Y. or gardening journey was just beginning.   What was the first tool you ever bought or were given?   Jason  
I have a Leda Dust Extractor that I sourced from auction several years ago, it has dual 100mm inlets and up until now I have just used it with flexible hose for two machines only (Table Saw and CNC R... See more...
I have a Leda Dust Extractor that I sourced from auction several years ago, it has dual 100mm inlets and up until now I have just used it with flexible hose for two machines only (Table Saw and CNC Router. I have been wanting to be able use other machines with it as well without having flexible hose all over the shed floor. I toyed with the idea of using PVC storm water pipe and fittings to set up a small extraction ducting system but the extractor fittings and PVC fittings are a mismatch when trying to join to one another. A catalogue from the local woodworking store arrived this month and featured a clear tube dust extraction fitting kit on special, it appeared to have everything I needed to achieve what I wanted. It has 900mm tubes, joiners, 90 and 45 degree bends, T pieces and blast gates for opening and closing different ducts. The plan was to run the rigid ducting vertically from the dust extractor then a 90 degree bend to the centre of the shed A frame and then straight down the middle of the shed through the other A frame truss, with 2 additional outlets along the way. The new centre duct inlet is directly above my work table and I have put a 3 metre concertina flexible hose with a quick connect fitting attached and will utilise this for several places including Belt Sander, Band Saw and also to a Down Draft Sanding table that I am building now. I also have a 100mm Floor Dust Wand and Hand Tool which I can use with that quick connect fitting to vacuum the floor or benches. As you can probably see in the pictures I have a dust problem in the shed which also means I am probably breathing in that dust when not wearing a mask or respirator, there is a fine film of dust over everything and that is what I am trying to eliminate or at least cutting out as much as possible. This is the Down Draft Sanding table that I have made (I will do a seperate topic of that build) I will sand my projects on this table and the dust will be sucked down through the pegboard and into the dust extractor.
Have a small kitchen indoors as we live in Queensland and would really like to spend more time outside under the patio which is a descend size square meters. It isn't enclosed but thinking about usin... See more...
Have a small kitchen indoors as we live in Queensland and would really like to spend more time outside under the patio which is a descend size square meters. It isn't enclosed but thinking about using clear blinds. Would really like to hear from the normal everyday do it yourselfer and not the deep pocket champagne type. so please give me your ideas and if possible photos so I can see your creation.
Wishful thinking in this winter weather don't you think ? My she-shed has a rather large sliding glass door which faces north and will give wonderful bush views with light and warmth from the winter ... See more...
Wishful thinking in this winter weather don't you think ? My she-shed has a rather large sliding glass door which faces north and will give wonderful bush views with light and warmth from the winter sun. However, in summer I don't want to lose the view by using blockout type window coverings to keep cool. I've already purchased light filtering panel blinds but I'm thinking of having the glass covered with that window tinting film used for windscreens. Would love to have advice or opinions from other workshoppers if anyone would be so kind. Thanks in advance. You wonderful people have no idea how much your help means to this old girl. Cheers.    
Another quick gardening question. Is now the right time to prune roses? If so, can anyone give some quick and easy tips? We've inherited some old roses from our new houses former owners and I would h... See more...
Another quick gardening question. Is now the right time to prune roses? If so, can anyone give some quick and easy tips? We've inherited some old roses from our new houses former owners and I would hate to kill them!     
I would like to grow vegies in a raised bed. I was thinking about building a planter box, although I have seen that you can purchase them. Would you build one yourself? If so, anyone got any (simple)... See more...
I would like to grow vegies in a raised bed. I was thinking about building a planter box, although I have seen that you can purchase them. Would you build one yourself? If so, anyone got any (simple) plans I could follow? 
We have vertical blinds in our front lounge and dining that are dated.   What would you recommend we replace them with?   Thanks for any advice, Kat.
Workshop community update #25   Hi all,   There’s not a day on Workshop where I don’t marvel at the skills and ingenuity of our members. One of the most popular projects shared this week... See more...
Workshop community update #25   Hi all,   There’s not a day on Workshop where I don’t marvel at the skills and ingenuity of our members. One of the most popular projects shared this week was @swynne's fantastic fire pit on wheels, which allows him to enjoy a fire anywhere in the backyard, and even on a timber deck.   Great work Shaun! Thanks for sharing and a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next.   Many thanks to all members of the Workshop community who have shared their projects and wisdom on the site in the past week. The top members who posted the most popular content in the past seven days were @darylhewston, @Andy_Mann, @ProjectPete, @Wayne and @SoMuch2Do. Thanks again, we look forward to more of your posts.   Some of the other popular Workshop posts from the past week included:   Suggestions for new trees for @Flower24's garden   @darylhewston's new drinking hole   Help with combating aphids for @Emily   @SoMuch2Do's newly painted decking   A straw poll on how many pillows are on your bed   Advice for caring for a cactus about to flower and whether a lilac can be moved   Discussion on the growing popularity of apartments.   Workshop members are also looking for advice about identifying a tree, wardrobe doors and comparing dowel and biscuit joiners. Please share any advice and experiences.   Finally, I really enjoyed reading about the last thing that Workshop members bought at Bunnings. It again highlighted the incredible range of interests and skills of our community. Please check back on the blog next week when we share another great story of a Workshop member.   Jason Community Manager
The boss wants the overflow of tropical fish to be kept in the back shed...   After looking at prebuilt kitchen cabinets and aquarium stands, along with Rack-it and similar products, it was time to... See more...
The boss wants the overflow of tropical fish to be kept in the back shed...   After looking at prebuilt kitchen cabinets and aquarium stands, along with Rack-it and similar products, it was time to bite the bullet and custon diy the carcases using 16mm melamine.   Experiance with commercial cam construction while ok for most things struggles with the fact a liter of water weighs 1 kg and there can be a lot of water, not a fan of pocket holes as  I seem to break a lot of drill bits, I blame the low quality jig naturaly than any lack of skill on my part... dado routing looked fidly and the boss is not allowing cabinet screws for visual reasons. (Boss is planing to sell aquarium and cabinet packages)   That leaves me with the choice between dowel joints and biscuit joints.   Preconcived ideas -   Dowels make a stronger joint as they are tighter fitting. Buscuits rely too much on glue and the play in the joint can mean you end up with poor alignment.   After some reshearch -   Have to be more accurite with dowels. ( I did know that already, honest I did ) Buscuits allow for some adjustment while your glueing and clamping up and the glue expands the wooden biscuit taking up the slack.   So what to buy- Dowel Jointer - Mafell is the gold standard while the Triton is affordable. Triton 600W Dowel Jointer Duo TRI-TDJ600   Pro- Will work with the notched Mafell rail. Nice repeatability of drilling holes that will line up. Easy end and edge drilling. Cons- Price of Mafell rail if you can find a place willing to ship down under. T-joins take some setting up. 8mm standard drill size, in 16mm board that is just 4mm meat each side. But wait there is more, minimum drill hight is 9mm so 2mm one side and 6mm the other  along with needing to be more carefull with alignment. Fix is shim the top plate so you can get 8mm height. So while your fixing things why not get a drill that would let you use 6mm dowel and you could drill shelf pins as well... Only Mafel make a 6mm drill and you guessed it they are expensive, in fact Triton have just 8, 10 and 12mm drills available and if you stuff up one your back to importing again.   There has to be an easier way!   Buscuit Joiner - Makita as from what is readily available it has the best reviews.   makita-701w biscuit plate joiner   Will start with cons this time - Same problem with setting up t-joins as the Triton. 10mm minimum height of blade.   Pro- Included adaptor so you can work with 12mm stock. Same simple set up for edge joints. Almost every man and his dog sell them and blades. More forgiving of senior moments with alignment. Cuts 3 sizes of biscuits right out of the box.     Ok so a little reluctantly I now know what to buy, as a long time ago tradesman whenever posiable for repeat jobs use a jig!   Good better Bosch   OK so I would have to import it but it has the 32mm spacing for dowels. 6mm bit shouldn't be hard to find so I can do dowels and shelf pins! T-joins are easier with the trade off that edges take more set up. Well need a new bench so I can edge drill the boards. I could make a jig to clamp corner joints and I could use dowels... Getting a bit complicated again?   Pro-grip Will make t-joins easier. Can set up for edge joins using stops, will work with dowels or biscuits. Can drill shelf pins using drill guides. Has t-slots both sides. Plenty of matching bling! Makes glue ups look easy ( well for an experianced person anyway ) Claims it would clamp a door ( maybe set up I would bring out something stronger after ) Won't make you a coffee though. Still needs to be imported Carbatec only carry one piece here.
Can anyone please advise me as to to possibility of shifting a pink lilac tree. It is about 1.5 metres high and has been in the ground for about 3 years. I would loke to shift it to another part of t... See more...
Can anyone please advise me as to to possibility of shifting a pink lilac tree. It is about 1.5 metres high and has been in the ground for about 3 years. I would loke to shift it to another part of the garden. 
Hi Everyone   A few months ago I bought a Christmas cactus (Zygocactus) on special.  I put it in a pot with some orchid mix and have watered as needed.   It looks like it's getting ready to f... See more...
Hi Everyone   A few months ago I bought a Christmas cactus (Zygocactus) on special.  I put it in a pot with some orchid mix and have watered as needed.   It looks like it's getting ready to flower, as I have multiple buds appearing.     Should I consider giving it some form of fertiliser before it flowers?  If so what type of fertiliser would I use.   Thanks  
Patches of my poor little vegie garden are slowly being taken over by aphids. They got to my potted mint first, so I read on the internet that spraying them with very weaky soapy water should ki... See more...
Patches of my poor little vegie garden are slowly being taken over by aphids. They got to my potted mint first, so I read on the internet that spraying them with very weaky soapy water should kill them but perhaps I mixed the soap too strong.... long story short I might be the first person ever to have killed not only one but TWO mint plants.   They've appeared on a few other plants now as well so I'm hoping not to make the same mistake twice. I'd prefer to avoid industrial pesticides if possible, but if there's a vegie-friendly option I might consider it.
An award-winning architect has suggested that the booming popularity of apartment living in Australia over the past decade indicates that living in houses is now passe.   “There’ll always be some... See more...
An award-winning architect has suggested that the booming popularity of apartment living in Australia over the past decade indicates that living in houses is now passe.   “There’ll always be some people who prefer to live in a harbourside mansion in Vaucluse or a big house in Toorak, but increasingly they’re discovering that well-designed apartments offer a very good standard of living," Frank Stanisic says in Domain today.   “They also offer certain things that large mansions can’t, like interaction with neighbours – or not, if you don’t want it – wonderful communal facilities that you don’t have to look after yourself, and extremely high-quality fittings, well-designed floor plans and excellent amenity in terms of sunlight, solar access and cross-ventilation.”   Do you agree with Stanisic that houses are on the way out? Would you be happy living in an apartment? Let us know in the discussion below.   Jason