The Shed

This issue of The Shed seems to have a real electronics theme to it. It’s not intentional, it just turned out that way. We have electronic sheddies, an electric build project, electronic restoration and upcycling articles, and more. Our sheds used to

Political decisions often have farreaching effects. When American president George Bush decided to invade Iraq in 2004, it set off a tailspin of events for the Roake family that indirectly led to Quentin’s waka project. At the time, Quentin was livin

The loss of two dozen yachts and 19 lives in the Fastnet Race of 1979 led to scrutiny of boat design. Researchers at the US Naval Academy Hydromechanics Laboratory in Annapolis tested models of the yachts that got into trouble in tanks equipped to ma

I read with great interest the article about solar energy in the latest issue of The Shed [Go Solar, Issue No. 85]. The in-depth discussion provided much to think about. However I was disappointed with the comments about solar hot water systems. I ha

1. Clean the area to be welded thoroughly. Cleanliness cannot be stressed enough. It’s not like MIG or stick welding where you can get away with welding over a bit of rubbishy or unclean metal. Try to TIG weld over rust, paint, or heavy oxide and you

Aluminium is a really useful metal because it is light and strong. In many applications it is superior to steel, not least because it can be left out in the weather for years without significantly deteriorating. Steel in similar situations would need

At last the end of the year is nigh. I don’t know about you but it was a pretty mild winter for me. We had the usual cold days and some rain but overall it seemed a bit milder and drier. Doing my bit for climate change I installed a bank of photovolt

A lot of jobs or processes, go a whole lot better if the work surface or equipment is level and secure. Do it once and do it right. Contact Hi-Q, distributors of the comprehensive range of affordable, high quality, European Martin levelling component