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Here’s a short video I’ve made demonstrating cutting a dovetail joint using a router and and a trend dovetail jig. The joint is cut into 18mm plywood and has been used along with 3 other similar joints to connect the sides of a desks drawer.
The term ‘ply wood refers’ to engineered boards of wood, that are manufactured by gluing multiple very thin sheets (veneers) of wood together. Each adjacent layer is rotated, often by 90 or 45 degrees, so the grain of the wood runs in different directions. This adds strength, reduces shrinkage and expansion, and greatly reduces the chance of the wood splitting when it is screwed through. The number of layers used depends on the final thickness of the board, and it is commonly available from suppliers in the UK in sizes ranging from 3.6 to 25 mm thick. A standard full size board is then 1220 wide by 2440 mm long. Smaller boards are available pre-cut and larger, thicker, and thinner boards can be bought, although generally take a bit more searching for.
The veneers of wood are cut from using a rotary lathe. This machine turns logs against a long very sharp blade that peels the wood in one continuous, or semi continuous roll. This technique of ‘peeling’ logs was invented by a guy called Immanuel Nobel in the mid 18 hundreds. One major positive factor for processing lumber in this way is how efficiently it uses up the wood from the tree, compared to milling it into planks.
All sorts of different types of wood are used to make ply. The choice people make depends on the requirements of the project the wood is to be used for, for example, if it’s for furniture, or a buildings structural construction, and whether its going to be used on the interior or exterior of a building. Sometimes the final outside layer of the wood will be an expensive, slow growing hardwood, such as walnut, cherry or oak. This is a very cost effective way to produce a fine finish for furniture or doors.
Once the veneers have been cut, they are dried and then glue is spread over the sheets. They are then layered and then pressed together while the glue dries. The types of glue used, once again vary, depending on the use of the plywood. Often for exterior used the glue is phenol-formaldehyde based and for interior use it is urea-formaldehyde based. One concern in using plywood is the potential off gassing of the glues chemicals long after production, and the possible health concerns that may arise because of this. Many manufacturers now use a low formaldehyde emitting glue, and some are experimenting with producing plywood using soy based glue. Large suppliers stock plywood that comes with an emissions rating, much like a paint’s Volatile Organic Chemical’s (VOC’s) rating. In my opinion this is something to be aware of.
In the plywood production process, once the sheets have been pressed and the glue has dried, the rough edges of the boards are cut away as they are trimmed to size, and then they are graded and packed, ready to be sent out to the wholesalers.
Plywood is produced all over the world from Finland to India and is classed as an environmentally sustainable building material. Certainly, if the manufacturers are using 100% traceable wood from responsibly managed forests, this section of the production is sustainable. As for the glues used, I will research further, and discuss in another blog post as this is extensive subject in itself and worthy of careful consideration.
There is no doubt that ply wood is a highly versatile building material with multiple uses, that simplifies many woodworking projects, compared to making the same thing from solid wood. If it is used correctly, that is; the right type for the job is selected, it is worked with care and finished suitably, it can be used to produce splendid items that should last for many, many years.
Yesterday I received in the post, the certificates that prove I have an NVQ2 in site carpentry.
After 3 years work with Jewell Plumbing and Property Maintenance Ltd. as a multi trader, I was able to apply to gain the qualification through on site assessment.
I chose to use the company Super Skills who provide training and assessment in many areas of the constitution industry.
The assessor sent me a list of information that I would need to demonstrate a good knowledge about and number of 1st and 2nd fix carpentry tasks that I would need to complete. These included: hanging doors, installing door frames, architraves and skirting boards, putting in floor joists, laying floor boards and building stud walls.
On top of this I needed to provide photographic evidence of appropriate use of various power tools including: circular saw, router, planer, chop saw and drills.
When I had collected all of the evidence needed, the assessor came to meet me on site to meet me In the workplace and carried out a 3 hour interview. He went away with the portfolio I had prepared for him and then got back to me, to let me know I had provided him with everything he needed to award me with an NVQ2.
So, I am now Officially a Chippie!
While making a logo in for Hykel Carpentry, I had some fun with some possible colourful options. Here’s a herringbone version that I made in Sketchup.
I recently took apart and rebuilt an traditional, old pine door. I have been told it was left for too long in a stripping vat and this caused the wood to shrink and crack and the joints to come loose leaving the door sagging on its hinges and dragging on the ground as it attempted to swing.
It was a fairly fiddley process that took about 12 hours. All the tenons had to be reconstructed, for which I used various pieces of hardwood. I also filled some of the major cracks with slivers of wood, and for the minor ones I made up a paste from, Lakeland Paint’s natural wood filler and their wood glue, also some fine sawdust and coloured acrylic paint to blend it in with the rest of the door.
Anyway, once it had been cleaned up, glued (also from Lakeland Paint) and clamped and left to set, it came out as a sturdy door with character, and hung again beautifully.
Mr Brown’s Pig is the performance name of Chris Brown, a committed storyteller, puppeteer and musician. He has been an inspiration to me for many years now, and I was delighted when he asked me to remake the framework and playboard of his puppet stage.
The dimensions and hinged folding design were to remain the same so that he could continue to use it in the same manner as the previous one, but he wanted it to be constructed sturdily enough to last the next twenty years. As he transports it by strapping it to the roof rack of his car, it is clearly subjected to a fair amount of wear and tear, and this durability requirement needed suitable consideration.
It was my opinion that the original stage had become rickety because the wooden frame had only been butt jointed and screwed together, and there was a lack of sufficient bracing. Also, I noticed that the hinges that allowed it to fold up were not particularly robust.
The answer was straight forward; cut decent sized mitred braces to support every right angle join, and to cut a shallow mortice and tenon for every joint, before gluing and screwing them from the reverse side into place.
I sourced some lovely brass hinges, which although were slightly too wide, were easy enough to trim to size with an angle grinder.
The playboard on the original stage was made from laminated MDF which unsurprisingly was looking pretty tatty. I chose to use a piece of locally grown hemlock. I let it sit in my workshop for a month or so and then cut it to size, planed it smooth and rounded the edges with a router. We wanted to darken it as much as possible so it’s finished with a dark oak coloured wax.
The result is a robust frame and shiny playboard that should stand the test of time, and allow Mr Brown’s Pig to continue performing his excellent puppet shows for many years to come.
According to the book by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, ‘Ikigai’ is The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. They write that ‘It is a concept, which roughly translates as “the happiness of always being busy”.’
Apparently, our ikigai is hidden deep inside of each of us, and finding it requires a patient search. According to those born on Okinawa, the Japanese island with the most centenarians in the world, our ikigai is the reason we get up in the morning.
When the authors of the book interviewed 100 of the eldest members of the Okinawa community (all of whom were over 100 years old) they discovered that every single one of them keep, tended and eat from their own vegetable garden and drink green tea on a daily basis. Some of their other statements on their secret to a long and happy life are;
Well, it all sounds like good advice to me and it is a book that I thoroughly recomend reading. I’m off to make a pot of green tea! (Without rushing, before I go to work!!!)
All houses need looking after. Property Maintenance is just as important (if not more so), as building new ones.
Over time, for various reasons, properties are subject to wear and tear and if not attended to, they will deteriorate, and one of the key factors that can cause major damage is water leaks.
Whether it’s a leaking waste pipe under a bath, a cracked tile on a roof, crumbling grout in a shower or worn out silicone around a sink, if it’s exposed to water, the water will find a way through.
Once it’s through, and then builds up over time, water can cause all sorts of expensive problems; wooden floors will rot, plasterboard walls will turn to mush and concrete will crumble. I write this from plenty of first hand experience, having been working with Jewell Plumbing and Property Maintenance Ltd. on a regular basis since April 2016 (that’s long enough to do a degree).
So what is Property Maintenance and why is it so important?
Well, I can tell you one thing it generally is, and that’s grotty work, particularly when water has been leaking, undiscovered, for a period of time. Despite having been part of a team that have refurbished numerous bathrooms and kitchens, I never cease to be surprised at how much damage a small water leak can cause. It’s ironic really; water is massively important to us in so many ways. We use it to drink, cook with, wash in and to transport heat around our homes. But if it gets into places it shouldn’t be, it can quickly create a massive mess!
The skill set required to repair the damage to property, during a refurbishment is extensive, and includes;
Controlled demolition; ripping out the old stuff (this is particularly grotty work!).
Carpentry; rebuilding floors, walls, box work, doorways, skirting boards and kitchens.
Dry lining; plaster boarding stud walls, ceilings and box work.
Plastering; Creating a durable, flat, paintable finish on walls and ceilings.
Decorating, Tiling, Electrical and Gas engineering and very importantly, Plumbing.
This is not a complete list, but I hope to use it to help explain why I have titled this post ‘The Zen of Property Maintenance‘; The true nature of a house is that over time, it will need looking after in order for it to remain pleasant. And problems, particularly water leaks, are better found and rectified, sooner rather than later. If a person wants to work efficiently, doing property maintenance, they will benefit from a broad, practical skill set, excellent problem solving skills and a knowledge of materials, both modern and traditional.
It is important to be intuitive, as not all problems have a straight forward solution, and if one is not calm and focused, the already grotty work only becomes harder. Meditate on it if you like.
Can you imagine what it’s going to take to look after your house? Maybe you’ve already noticed a wet patch in the ceiling and are wondering what to do about it. I certainly recommend doing something as if there is a problem, the damage is probably only going to get worse and more expensive to repair over time. If you feel like tackling it yourself and have any questions about how to proceed I am happy to help if I can.
Or, If you live in the Bristol area and want some help maintaining your property, then I highly recommend you check out Jewell Plumbing and Property Maintenance’s website; www.jppm.ltd
They deal with small problems fast, which will save you money, and can also handle complete property refurbishments. To demonstrate the range of work
Jewell Plumbing and Property Maintenance have experience in, I have included the following photo gallery, that shows various stages of work from some of their projects, that I have been involved in.
Want to find out more? Click here to get to the jppm.ltd website.
At work recently we built a little section to box in some bathroom pipework and support a new sink, vanity unit and loo. We built a wooden frame work, as close to the pipes as possible, to free up the maximum amount of space in the small ensuite. Then we covered the wooden frame in plasterboard, pastered it, painted it, put in the loo and sink and finished off with some skirting boards.
