Innehållsförteckning för No 114 April - May 2024 från The Shed

An exciting new collaboration between Resene and AkzoNobel brings you authentic Resene colours made into quality Interpon powder coating, perfect for finishing powder-coated surfaces inside and out. Choose your favourite Resene colour for powder-coated surfaces for an integrated colour palette from paint to powder. The Resene Powder Coating range is ideal for projects inside and out, including on frameworks and building structures; windows, doors and garage doors, façades, curtain walling, louvres, and shutters, fencing and railings, ceiling tiles, verandahs and conservatories. Find out more: www.resene.co.nz/powdercoating.…

My six-year-old grandson, Mars, has been diagnosed as autistic. With his birthday coming up, I decided to build him a hut – one that could go outside or in the garage; one where he could do whatever he wanted to and it wouldn’t be a problem. Mars likes tools, so a place where he could randomly hammer some nails, for example, was part of the thinking. Mars is always on the go, bouncing from one activity to another, to the point at which I’ve taken to calling him ‘Jumping Jack’. After a brief conversation with his parents, I set to work. It began with a pallet I decided to start with a pallet; I had a number on hand as I like to work with pallet wood – you never…

In the Kiwi sailing world, there are a handful of evergreen designs; ones that got it so right that they’ve stood the test of time. The Starling dinghy, the Noelex 22, and the Farr 727 come to mind; but the one I have the most affection for is a wee catamaran known as the Paper Tiger. I noted the design when I was 20ish but didn’t get to sail one until I was 46; I mildly regret that delay, and from here on I’ll sail one until I can’t. Given that I’ve been putting most of my sheddie effort into my own Paper Tiger lately, it seemed an obvious topic for this issue’s column. History Designed in 1966-8, reputedly on a beer coaster, and aimed at beating the then-formidable Javelin,…

The story of Chris Gordon making a seatless tricycle from components inexpensively sourced from Christchurch’s EcoShop was related in part 1 of “Chris Gordon keeps busy” – The Shed, issue 113. A consequence of buying several second-hand children’s bicycles was that Chris ended up with a number of forged cranks. Originally, these cranks would have transmitted the push on the bike’s pedals to the chain and then to the back wheel. The chain is driven by the chain wheel, a sprocket with a diameter of a bit less than 200mm, which has a hexagonal-shaped central opening that fits neatly onto a hexagonal housing on the crank. This makes a strong attachment between the crank and the chain wheel. Chris naturally thought, “This is a neat arrangement; I wonder what else…

I’m a boomer. I was born in that exalted era between the end of World War II and 1964. I was a rebel, a hippy, a rock music fan. I grew up during one of the longest sustained periods of peace and prosperity. That changed when the Americans brought us into the Vietnam war in 1965, and when they introduced monetarism in the 1970s. The fight against Nazism was our parents’ fight – a fight that took millions of lives. It was necessary. The Nazis planned to enslave most of Eastern Europe to work in their factories, mines, and farms. The idea appealed to the Japanese, too. They planned to do the same to us and anyone in between. Fascism was the Italian name for what had originally been called…

Additional photography courtesy of Athanasius Santamaria When Athanasius (Athow) Santamaria made an “impulse decision”, to buy a pile of old Austin parts in 2015, he didn’t really have a project in mind. At the time, he was a freshly minted DOC ranger working in the Nelson Lakes National Park, with a strong hobby interest in making things. However, for $1500 he had landed himself an original chassis, a radiator, three cylinder heads, a crankcase, and 10 wheels from a 1929 Austin Seven. “Most of it wasn’t very good,” he admits, “somebody’s junk from their project. They’d picked off all the good stuff.” Athow rented a storage unit until he figured out what to do with it all. Fast forward a few years, and Athow is now working for DOC on…

Get ready for the wheels and tracks extravaganza as Wheels at Wanaka makes a triumphant return next year, promising petrol and diesel heads an unforgettable experience. Nestled against the stunning backdrop of Lake Wanaka, Australasia’s largest all-vehicle event celebrates the diversity of vehicles, from classic cars to cutting-edge earthmoving innovations. Enthusiasts can revel in non-stop parades, jaw-dropping displays, interactive exhibits, the legendary Terra Cat Earthmoving Extravaganza, tractor pull and Enduro X competitions, heart-pounding live demonstrations, and so much more. With a commitment to showcasing New Zealand’s agricultural and construction vehicles and the characters who operate them, Easter 25’s edition of Wheels at Wanaka guarantees a thrilling blend of history, technology, and pure adrenaline. Mark your calendars for 18–20 April 2025, and join the roaring celebration for an unforgettable all-wheeled adventure.…

I have to admit that I was rather late to the party with this device, which was introduced in late 2017. Readers may have heard of the BBC micro:bit (The Shed July–August 2018), which was developed to enable UK schoolchildren to learn coding. It was cloned by Calliope, with added features and on-board hardware. Then came the sino:bit. The Elecrow website states: “The sino:bit was created by Naomi Wu, an open-source hardware evangelist and DIY enthusiast. It was executed and engineered by Elecrow Technology, a Shenzhen-based electronics company that offers contract manufacturing and engineering services to maker and hardware enthusiasts.” Naomi made the challenge more difficult for Elecrow by communicating only in English, as if she were a westerner collaborating with a Chinese manufacturer. Of greater significance is that this…

We walk into Bill Thomas’s Waikanae Beach house through his shed. The trestle tables in the shed are filled with things Bill plans to show us but they have dust-sheets over them for now. Inside his home, a tiny house awaits. The tiny-house project is a huge achievement that has taken Bill 40 years. He is justifiably proud of it and wants to show it to us first. Bill had always wanted to build a miniature house and when he spotted this one while on holiday, he bought it. “We bought the kitset in America in 1983 and I’ve only just finished it,” he explains. “Only the outside came with the kitset; I have had to make all the interior – the ceiling scotias, the staircases, and the large skirting…

Every week, we upload new content onto The Shed website to add to the hundreds of articles and videos already on the site for readers to discover, learn from, and enjoy. Some uploads of the past few months include: Just in time for autumn, make a snack shack for birds https://the-shed.nz/snack-shacks-for-birds/ Customise your plane blades for your unique projects https://the-shed.nz/customising-your-plane-blade/ One sheddie follows his dream and quits his day job to make it happen https://the-shed.nz/carving-out-a-career/ Simple is best when making a basic forge https://the-shed.nz/make-your-own-backyard-forge/…

FAST FACTS NUMBER 7 Supporting postal delivery: It will come as no surprise to anyone that not only is the amount of mail being delivered to your home’s letterbox decreasing but the service itself is also actually in danger of completely disappearing. Magazine subscriptions are one of the biggest users of the postal service in NZ. By subscribing to magazines, you are doing your part in supporting the longevity of our postal service. SUBSCRIBE TODAY ONE YEAR $79 SAVE 22%! SIX MONTHS $43 SAVE 15% ONE-YEAR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE FROM $35 TO SUBSCRIBE VISIT MAGSTORE.NZ OR CALL 0800 727 574 The Shed magazine subscription terms and conditions: • 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 administered…

If your shed is larger – much larger – than your house, is it still a shed? This is a question Marty and Zoe Radford might well ponder in their spare time – if they had any. Their house, a well-furnished, modern two-level dwelling, is built into a corner of the sizable factory unit that is their shed. Let’s start at the beginning. Marty’s petrolhead father had a strange love affair with the German automaker NSU, home of the Wankel rotary engine. A frugal man, he worked two jobs and would never pay for something he could do or make himself, meaning he had little time for the kids (or for the wife, who left) – although that does not seem to have stopped Marty from turning out in a…

NEW ISSUE ON SALE NOW CLASSIC CAR MAGAZINE CELEBRATES 6O YEARS OF THE FORD MUSTANG One of the greatest of classic cars, the Mustang, hits the 60-year milestone this year so we party and showcase one of the best-presented Shelby Mustangs in New Zealand: a Paul Fahey replica, driven by long-time classic racer Rodger Cunninghame. Rodger is also celebrating a huge milestone this year – 50 years of competitive racing – so these two make a perfect anniversary combo. In 2019, Rodger took his new Mustang #104R (replica) to Taupo for the Dennis Marwood meeting, and was persuaded to go onto Manfeild for the Alfa May Madness meeting; 104 was the original race number when Paul Fahey raced his Mustang – his actual car is now resident in the Bowden car…

Best of The Shed Featuring 18 of the best projects from the last 10 years, The Best of The Shed includes all of our most popular projects. With step-by-step instructions, the 176-page book will take you through a variety of projects, including a pizza oven, a trailer, a rocking horse, and a knife. How to Weld Learn how to weld with this best-selling book on the subject. Suitable for beginners through to experienced welders, this 207-page book will help you to transform ordinary steel into a blank canvas for invention. Professional Sheet Metal Fabrication The most detailed sheet-metal book available, this 304-page paperback includes clear instructions on a variety of subjects — including directions for using pneumatic hammers, an English wheel, and more. Learn how to form door seams and…