An Afternoon At My Wife's School

So it really doesn't feel like I've stepped out the workshop much over the last month. I have been having a good month of sales, and I have been putting in the hours to try and keep up! I'm looking forward to that say when the last posting date is done. 

Yesterday I did take a bit of time though. My wife was doing DT with the children in key stage 2 and asked if I would come and give her a hand.

I aways find something like this fascinating, how some children will listen and just get what they're being told, how others need to be shown and how some won't get it this time! I managed to have about 4 sawing at a time, and it was running pretty safely. 

 I did think her school needed a bit of an upgrade with some of the equipment, I'm going to make them some new bench hooks, as these were just too small and not up to the job. The grove in the top was to put the wood in, but it meant that you couldn't hold it very well. I think it was trying to be too clever, and I encourage the children to cut up the side of it. the bottom of the hook was also really small so it slipped off the table. 

An interesting afternoon and always interesting to see your partner at work (although I doubt my wife would say that as I work in a workshop 20 yards from the house!). 

A Patch On My Work Trousers

 Make do and mend. Something I try and live by, there's plenty of appliances and household items here that I've fixed, alerted and maintained.

I was really pleased the other day when our eldest said she was bored and wanted some crafting to do. I suggested she mend my work trousers and she jumped at the chance. Later I walked in and saw her sat stitching it by hand, listening to an audio book. 

The trousers were near new, but I caught them on a fence, be such a shame if they were to be wasted over that instead of repaired. 

She handed them back to me, she was worried it wouldn't last, but I was so happy she gave it a go, and so far so good. 

She's been going to a sewing club at school and looks forward to it all week, coming back really fired up about it. 

I often say that crafts and producing something (anything) is one of the keys to being happy, and she embodies that, always making (all three are to be honest). 

Sweet Chestnut Laptop Stand

 As you know, I'm always making something! This was a project for a magazine article (in Woodworking Crafts soon), but also was something we needed. 

I managed to find a nice piece of sweet chestnut for the project and thought it would work well for what was in my head for a simple stand for my wife. 

I'm quite pleased with it. Looks modern and fits in nice with other stuff we have in the house. 

Wheelbarrow Soil/Compost Sieve

So another product added to my range. This one is another that has come about due to wanting the product myself. 

Store bought compost seems to be getting worse and worse, so I'm either making more of my own or I'm having to sieve out big chunks of wood from the compost I buy. This sieve goes on the wheelbarrow and lets me sieve it easily. 

Wooden Compost Sieves

I'm always looking for new products to make and sell. One that people have asked about is sieves. I wanted to make some that were quite chunky and would last a long time. 

I made them so the bottom is completely rebated in and held with a bead. This should make them strong and durable.