Show us yer house and house-related meddlings

[kabbes]

Hmm, this is trickier than I had anticipated. It is a valuable table, yes, but it is a chunky rustic French oak job, not a finely polished mahogony thing. Surely I can handle getting out some burrs and splinters without bringing in a pro? I don't like the sound of "You'll be there forever" though -- it's 2.25m long.

Zapp, I don't think I'll go orbital sander because I want to stay with the grain but you've thrown me by suggesting I need to stay low grain rather than high grain. Are you saying that a high grain will remove the character rather than maintain it?

This is why I never normally touch wood.

 

[Johnny Doe]

That little red brick wall in the middle, with the turrety bits, is it just there to preserve the privacy of the wheely bins ?

Was there when we bought it. Bins are normally behind that gate to the left, but the chaps who did the work have left their cement mixer in there, and along with the scaffold for next door, there's no space the moment.....

 

[mauvais]

Hmm, this is trickier than I had anticipated. It is a valuable table, yes, but it is a chunky rustic French oak job, not a finely polished mahogony thing. Surely I can handle getting out some burrs and splinters without bringing in a pro? I don't like the sound of "You'll be there forever" though -- it's 2.25m long.

Zapp, I don't think I'll go orbital sander because I want to stay with the grain but you've thrown me by suggesting I need to stay low grain rather than high grain. Are you saying that a high grain will remove the character rather than maintain it?

This is why I never normally touch wood.

Character is lots of things: the form of the item, the innate properties of the wood, the surface treatment, the wear and damage inflicted on it over the years. Some of those things will survive whatever you do to it. Some you are going to have to compromise on if you want to refinish it.

You use as coarse a grain as you need to do the actual sanding work effectively, otherwise as said you will be there forever destroying sandpaper, and then when you reach your chosen depth, you finish it with progressively finer grains until you get to the smoothness you want.

You could do a light job on a 2m table by hand but every time I do such a thing I wish I'd bought a sander. I do technically have one but it's primarily a car polisher.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Hmm, this is trickier than I had anticipated. It is a valuable table, yes, but it is a chunky rustic French oak job, not a finely polished mahogony thing. Surely I can handle getting out some burrs and splinters without bringing in a pro? I don't like the sound of "You'll be there forever" though -- it's 2.25m long.

Zapp, I don't think I'll go orbital sander because I want to stay with the grain but you've thrown me by suggesting I need to stay low grain rather than high grain. Are you saying that a high grain will remove the character rather than maintain it?

This is why I never normally touch wood.

Go to a high enough grade paper and you'll end up with a glass smooth finish. The different colour characteristics of the grain will still be there but the "texture" will have been smoothed out.

I'd suggest an orbital sander at 80 (it will take 2 mins tops, just a once over so as not to take too much off), then if you want to a hand finish with the grain at 180.

 

[Sweet FA]

This is useless without pictures

It'll take ages and be a massive arseache without a sander.

 

[kabbes]

Won’t using an orbital sander leave round marks? That’s the bit I’m worried about. Or is an orbital sander different to a rotary one?

 

[fucthest8]

I am inordinately pleased with my new bathroom floor that I finished today. Previously we had cheap, shitty, stick down tiles that were bought in haste after a flood, were the wrong colour and fitted badly.

Now we've got cheap, average, stick down tiles that were carefully selected (to be forgiving, as you can't see the joins) are the right colour and have been very well fitted if I do say so myself

 

[mauvais]

Won’t using an orbital sander leave round marks? That’s the bit I’m worried about. Or is an orbital sander different to a rotary one?

Yes it will but you'll remove those in the finishing phase as Zapp described.

Also an explanation of sanders: What's the Difference: Fine-Finish Sanders: Orbital vs. Random Orbit - Fine Homebuilding

 

[Sweet FA]

Finished the box.

Lesson learned - spray paints seem like they might be a good idea but actually aren't.

 

[Sweet FA]

Wrong thread possibly...

 

[fucthest8]

View attachment 263666

This makes me happy. Good work

 

[kabbes]

I have commenced operation sand

 

[Reno]

Like many people, I've been getting through the lockdown by finally doing up the flat. My biggest project was to take out the cheap laminate flooring which my flat came with and to replace it with a wooden floor. DIY isn't much of a thing here in Germany, my German friends are incredulous that I'm doing this myself. Many products I would easily get at Homebase aren't available here or they are poorer quality and more expensive. Had I known what I let myself in for, I would have thought twice. The parquet glue I was sold was past its sell by date and therefore too dry, which made working with it a nightmare. Getting there though, the bedroom floor went in this week which was the last room, now I'll just gave to varnish it. I also scraped off the woodchip wallpaper and painted every room a shade of green or blue. I hated the green I initially painted the living room with ( it didn't look like avocado on the tin ) so repainted it with a darker shade. I bought some nice furniture and some of the cheaper Ikea stuff is going out. Will post more when finished.

 

[fucthest8]

That is a beautiful floor Reno
Or should I say
That is a beautiful phwoaaar <rubs thighs>

 

[fucthest8]

dp

 

[kabbes]

The wax turned up today so I was finally able to finish off the table. Happy with the result!

I did hand sand it in the end. It took a while but it wasn’t too bad.

 

[bimble]

Very nice wood pics all round. Makes me want to join in though I’m not sure it counts as meddling, I didn’t make it but I did pick out the giant slab of tree, and wait four months for the man to do his excellent things. My new kitchen table, by far the heaviest object I’ve ever owned that’s not on wheels.I do love it. Not sure how to look after it though.

 

[Saffy]

I wanted an Adirondack chair but they're expensive and so my bloke bought some plans off the internet and made one. He's got the bug and now wants to make another one but use better wood and a table saw.

 

[bimble]

Wood is just the best material isn’t it. I mean, not for airplanes I suppose but yeah, I have a fantasy alternative life as a wood crafting person.

 

[bimble]

I did make the wood coasters! Cut and varnished. Very proud. They stick to hot mugs though and then make a big noise when they fall off the bottom of the mugs whilst you’re drinking from them.

 

[mauvais]

Very nice wood pics all round. Makes me want to join in though I’m not sure it counts as meddling, I didn’t make it but I did pick out the giant slab of tree

It's 100% certified meddling. It's my thread and I didn't make any of my shit, I just fucked about buying things or having people do it for me.

I did assemble something today.



This required a lot of drilling - and, as it turns out, sanding down to fit - but also quite a bit of TLC. These things are surprisingly expensive so we went for one that was half price for having been stored outside. It does have a lot of green spots in the timber, but whatever. Anyway I sanded it down a bit, oiled it up with whatever Danish oil I had left over from other jobs, and then put it together. Once I sort some compost it can get filled up and be home to sweet peas or whatever it is my missus is going to do with it.

 

[bimble]

is there a need for an Aspiring Woodworker thread?

 

[Epona]

There's some lovely wood on this thread

 

[teuchter]

It's 100% certified meddling. It's my thread and I didn't make any of my shit, I just fucked about buying things or having people do it for me.

I did assemble something today.

View attachment 264586

This required a lot of drilling - and, as it turns out, sanding down to fit - but also quite a bit of TLC. These things are surprisingly expensive so we went for one that was half price for having been stored outside. It does have a lot of green spots in the timber, but whatever. Anyway I sanded it down a bit, oiled it up with whatever Danish oil I had left over from other jobs, and then put it together. Once I sort some compost it can get filled up and be home to sweet peas or whatever it is my missus is going to do with it.

Well, it's an unusual location for a composting toilet but good work!

 

[kabbes]

There's some lovely wood on this thread

And not a fnarr to be seen

 

[Epona]

And not a fnarr to be seen

Well I was fnarring heartily when I posted the comment My fnarring probably makes up for any other lack of fnarring, I can be a bit juvenile sometimes

 

[moonsi til]

We inherited a garage with a huge wooden workbench & lathe with our house. My partner spent today doing more sorting in there as he has way too much stuff but the aim is a storage area & a work area.

His recent meddling is pulling out a tree stump so we can put a greenhouse there.

 

[Epona]

We inherited a garage with a huge wooden workbench & lathe with our house. My partner spent today doing more sorting in there as he has way too much stuff but the aim is a storage area & a work area.

His recent meddling is pulling out a tree stump so we can put a greenhouse there.

Please let me know if you work out a way to get your partner to throw some stuff out, we are drowning in tons of stuff that has "sentimental value" (there are MH issues involved tbh), so if you find a good workaround for this problem, let me know!

 

[moonsi til]

Epona its not sentimental items just lots of stuff. For example he has a lot of lights as he used to do them for clubs /his own club nights & then he doesn’t throw stuff away that might be useful which so far he hasn’t been wrong but it can take 5-10 years for that item to get a use! He is very much not a minimalist but he has a good eye & is creative. He is a tidy person too.

 

[Red Cat]

Very nice wood pics all round. Makes me want to join in though I’m not sure it counts as meddling, I didn’t make it but I did pick out the giant slab of tree, and wait four months for the man to do his excellent things. My new kitchen table, by far the heaviest object I’ve ever owned that’s not on wheels.I do love it. Not sure how to look after it though.

View attachment 264570

View attachment 264571

View attachment 264572

Gorgeous bimble. Am super jealous about your house, looks lovely.