Best selling wood projects - All at Sea

Best selling wood projects

We have been away from the Village and computers for a trip south to Sydney, the mountains and the South West Slopes.  A day of sailing on Sydney Harbour and out through the Heads was our excuse for visiting the big smoke. 
The James Craig is the only restored 19th century barque in the world that takes passengers to sea, and it promised to be an experience not to be missed.

This beautiful ship is a three masted barque built originally in Sunderland, England in 1874. She has an iron hull, and is fitted out with  a variety of timbers making up all but the lower masts and main yards, which are also of rivetted iron - (50,000 rivets).  Re-launched after restoration in 1997, she is fully operational, and with all 21 of her sails set she is a splendid sight.   She has over 5km of standing rigging and around 1000 metres of planking.  For a ship that has done 23 Cape Horn roundings, she looks truly beautiful.

This wasnt just a trip to sea for me, but also an opportunity to see and admire the woodwork and craftsmanship of others. As well, it was a chance for my wife and I to spend some quality time together.

So much of the James Craig is made of timber.



Pulley blocks made of American Ash












 The ships binnacle under construction on the main deck.  This sits in front of the helmsman and carries
the ships compass.

Sailors socks

Walking the yards to adjust the sails is not for the faint-hearted. Some of the crew have devised ways to remember which is port and which is starboard




Winds were light but the days weather was fantastic.  Strolling the deck was wonderfully relaxing while the crew kept us all on track .

The highlight of the trip was totally unexpected, and that was an encounter with a pod of humpback whales.  One spectacular breaching showed one of them near vertical and totally out of the water - took us all by surprise so no photo Im sorry. Best I could do was a pic of a swim-past by a mother and calf.

As far as ships carpenters tools are concerned there were few to see.  I want to introduce you to the largest ships carpenters rebate plane I have ever seen - but thats another story.


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Best selling wood projects - Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Best selling wood projects

Eons ago, in our first year in the Village, a good friend of my son thought to help us out, by delivering a grocers dozen of near-feral chooks that had been terrorizing Upper Rollands Plains. These, the boys had rounded up in one afternoons feathered version of catch the greasy pig.  A car boot load arrived just on sunset - and unannounced.
What the ...!
Where to put them - no chookhouse, no cages of any kind - in short - no preparations at all.  The boys stood there like cheshire cats, so proud of their contribution to Tele Point self-sufficiency.
The poultry spent the night in a zincalume garden shed, and the next day it was all hands on deck to .....lets go make a chookhouse.
There wasnt much in the way of materials - a little wire mesh, some scraps of corrugated iron sheeting, and an old childs swingset pipe frame without the swings.
Inside a day we had a lean-to roof and a half, and a wire enclosure with a rudimentary door.  Good enough for now - well build a better one down the track.
Seventeen years later, and the original dogs breakfast of a chook house was still there, and in need of a make over.

Out came the door, and in its place went a mezanine of nest boxes - three in all.  A new door was added in the side, and that same side extended to provide an A-frame yard. Another door, and we can walk in without stooping.  Add some more corrugated iron to protect against the southerlies and westerlies, and mesh on the northerly outlook - and it was nearly finished.
A small offcut of shadecloth to temper the summer heat, leaving a sunny corner for those cold days - and we are done.
All we need now is for the ladies to arrive and take up residence.
That should happen this week if the chicken gods are kind.

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