I often use a lathe as one of the tools to produce the things I make, I also use a variety of other machines, power tools and and hand tools, not everything needs to be round

Wave Fence
   See our article on the construction of our Wave Fence in
   Woodworking Plans and Projects

   We had been keeping the fence alive for some time with
   additional bracing and lots of stainless steel screws

   However, the time had
   come to replace it
   and we wanted
   something special

   So it was off to the
   drawing board

   Then out buying wood

   And getting some help
   in to assist with it's
   construction

   What emerged was
   a wave, which increased
   in size, and breaks




Dominoes
   See our article on the Dominoes in
   Woodworking Plans and Projects

   A competition at a Sussex Woodcraft
   Society annual show was to make
   something out of a block of oak.

   Wanting to do something a bit different,
   as many of the members are very good
   carvers and turners, I decided to chop
   my block into lots of bits and make a
   full set of Dominoes

   OK, they are a bit on the thin side, but
   I just managed to get a full set out of
   the supplied block of Oak

   As luck would have it, they won first
   prize in that category

Cross Stitch Stand
   See our article on making the Cross stitch Stand in
   Woodworking Plans and Projects issue 102

   My mother 'ordered' a cross stitch stand for her birthday and I
   thought that it would be relatively easy to make, so off for a bit
   of research on the internet

   Some while later a suitable design emerged. She had insisted
   that it should fold up into a small and convenient to store
   package - that was the hard bit

   Ensuring that it was stable and could support the load of a
   cantelevered cross stitch were also essential




























The clamp mechanism was the most fiddly bit to make, as it needed to be height adjustable and lock securely with little effort.
The clamps for the cross stitch frame were made to size and all the knobs were turned from square stock leaving a square
portion for easy grip

The bottom legs are a friction fit, so that they stay where they are put, but the main column needed a lever lock so that it could be tightened sufficiently to stay upright or folded as required. When folded it is a neat, relatively light package - easy to store




Recycle Bins
   Jean, is a keen recycler, and was always rushing in and out to the
   wheely bin to deposit the latest item she had rescued for recycling.
   So I wondered if I could help to find a better solution

   There was a handy space behind the kitchen door that was small
   but un-used

   A quick trip to the wood yard and I was in luck. I happened across
   a water damaged oak faced 8' x 4' sheet of MDF

   Following a session in the workshop two recycling bins were born!!!

   As you can see,
   they fit snugly
   between the
   kitchen units
   and the door,
   and yes the
   door still
   opens fully

Now Jean can save her recycling up so that a trip outside is
worthwhile. A good thing in cold wet weather




Ash Trees
   A cluster of trees in ash, produced on the bandsaw and shaped with a
   flap disc in an angle grinder

   The trees will also rest at an interesting angle on their lower branch.
   So when it has been windy out I tilt them over.

   Much to the disgust of their owner!









Custom Made Skirting Boards
OK it doesn't look much, but have you ever tried to buy Kempass skirting? Thought not! We chose the wood for the floor only to realise that it wasn't available. So, off to the workshop to convert some of the laminate flooring into modern angled skirting by planing off the back at an angle until only the top layer was visible on one side



Bird Table
Jean 'ordered' a bird table, and having plenty of offcuts of Iroko from a previous job, I used that. I also found stainless steel poles on a well know auction site and I was done, or so I thought. She then 'ordered' two more as presents for my Mum and Aunt

   Pergola
   See our article on the Pergola in Woodworking Plans and Projects

   My mum moved back to Sussex from Gloucester bringing a favourite
   garden bench but found nowhere she liked for it in the garden

   Rather foolishly I offered to get her an arbor. After a bit of a search
   many of those in garden centres had an obvious flaw - they sagged
   in the middle. In local gardens we saw several that were almost
   falling down

   So the solution was to design one from scratch, and use up some
   more of my stock of surplus Iroko

   She is keen on Yoga, so I made an attempt at carving some Chakras
   on the scrolls and finial




Bathroom Cabinet
See our article on how we made the Bathroom Cabinet in Woodworking Plans and Projects

An extension to our bungalow had left a blocked up window recess in the bathroom which seemed ideal to turn into a bathroom cabinet. I wanted the mirror panels to be flush with the bathroom walls but I would have needed to leave an expansion gap which would have looked unsightly, so they had to overlap slightly - but that led to the problem of how to hinge them. Eventually I found some dog-leg hinges, so the outer panels appear to sit flush on the wall