The Shed

What happens when life throws you a curveball, something changes, and you have more time on your hands? It could be a change of circumstance that gives you more free time, you need to keep busy, or you have a hunger to attempt something you never hav

The four-year wait since the last Emex — the showcase for the latest in the engineering, manufacturing technology, and electronics sectors — ensured the expo at the Auckland Showgrounds had plenty of new technology on display. Emex is normally held e

Former Targa driver and VCC member, Rod Corbett, got together with Ultimate Rally Group MD, Peter Martin, to stitch on a traditional time trial category, harking back to the original Targa Florio in 1906, which was also a time trial. This added the e

LETTER OF THE MONTH There are frequent announcements in the media about new technological advances and also lots of warnings about looking after our planet’s health. Many of the advances require electrical energy to make them function, and many of th

Why a cabinetmaker’s bench? The bench has a fundamental role within any workshop, and we feel the higher the quality of the bench, the more care will be taken in its use. Consequently this will reflect in the work being carried out. A true and flat s

ONE YEAR $75 SAVE 16% DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE FROM $39.95 MAGSTORE.NZ OR 0800 727 574 • Prizes/gifts are as stated, not redeemable for cash and the publisher’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.• Prizes/gifts are admin

Panel fixing has just been made a whole lot easier with the Button-fix system, distributed by Hi-Q Components. Designed and manufactured in the UK, the simple but extremely robust system offers five main types of button-fix connectors. It’s a cinch t

So many things have changed in the past 20 years or so that it’s easy to forget. Many will remember the telephone on the wall, the adding machine with a hand lever, the mechanical typewriter, and the vinyl disc, to mention a few oncecommon contrivanc

When I was a boy I got to handle a reasonable range of tools at school. In year three or four we had an hour of fretwork on Friday afternoons (we provided our own coping saw and plywood and worked on our school desks). My intermediate school had a me

In New Zealand, Mitre 10 markets a series of woodwork kits for children, aged 5–12, made from untreated pine, which are assembled into things such as butterfly houses and pencil cases. The one I bought was for a toolbox with dimensions of (H) 200mm,

English is full of short pithy phrases that speak eloquently to the human condition. It was one such phrase that was the stimulus for this project — ‘Happy wife, happy life!’ Now and then during one’s long-term relationships, conversations will begin

Tales for Makers, which will be published in The Shed in eight parts, is a storytelling experiment dedicated to the makers’ community. For each issue, I will propose a new fictional story where one or more unbelievable technologies interact with the

I’m coming to the conclusion that Japanese culture is primarily about art, and how to express just about anything, beautifully. Presentation, balance, and tension, precision and scale — much of it going back hundreds of years, and still as relevant n

www.seekandthrive.com ‘Less is more’ — no doubt, most of you would have heard that phrase. I have a sticker on my Royal Enfield motorcycle that says just that, and I am proud to say size isn’t everything! Let me explain before the rock throwing start

Upon reaching the retirement age of 65, I was looking for something to do when a friend suggested going to a Menzshed. Although I knew nothing about it, I decided to check it out as I had purchased some woodworking tools over the years. However, havi

Russia invaded Ukraine, supply lines became a media catchphrase, blame got attached to the usual suspects. As usual, I contemplated these developments in energy terms and ran a mental eye over what we could do hereabouts to become more resilient. We

Hammer handles may appear bland in comparison with hammer heads, but this is far from true. Indeed, handles are often critical to the effectiveness of a hammer. This effectiveness primarily relates to two design elements: shape and material. In terms

The distant hiss and roar of steam engines, the screech of locomotive brakes, a guard’s whistle blowing, and the clang of railway-crossing signals greet visitors arriving in George Hawkins’s shed. Above the sounds of the rail yards come intermittent

ONLY $15 EACH ONLY $29 EACH Issue 102 May-Jun 2022 Issue 101 Mar-Apr 2022 Issue 100 Jan-Feb 2022 Issue 99 Nov-Dec 2021 Issue 98 Sep-Oct 2021 Issue 97 Jul-Aug 2021 Issue 96 May-Jun 2021 Issue 95 Mar-Apr 2021 Issue 94 Jan-Feb 2021 Issue 87 Nov-Dec 2019

Visit www.menzshed.nz or email: secretary@menzshed.nz Nikki 027 375 9662 aucklandcentralshed@gmail.com Terry Moore 021 0829 0970 mensshedaucklandeast@gmail.com Tom Murray 09 445 8786 tomandlily@xtra.co.nz Maurice Browning 021 799414 hibiscusshed@outl

Sandy Bay at the northern tip of the Coromandel, reachable along 11km of gravel road — what seems like the back of beyond — is, for David Reid, a perfect spot to cast bronze. Reid is a master bronze caster and sculptor who has perfected a much more a