idostuff

I final got round to fitting our reclaimed, Victorial Cast Iron Railings. It’s involved a fair bit of learning, discovering how they where originally assembled with lead and fitted with Rivets.

It’s an fantastically successful design. A 100 or 200 year lifespan is proven. Compared to around 20 years for uPVC windows, the timber sliding sash window is a winner.

What would you do to win a £20?
A Friend from Ireland has spent about 700 hr’s of hard labour to win a £20 bet from me.  He had to build his fantasy wooden bike before I finished my trike.
An amazing amount of fantastic craftmanship and inginuity has gone in to the build. The result is stunning. 
You’ve [...]

Making a Door isn’t the average DIY job but with the right woodworking tools and the right information its not too difficult. I’ve made my own timber front door and recorded how I’ve done it.

(All the Door design, build, details, videos etc.  are POSTED HERE)
A  new year and fresh resolve to get some jobs finished.  I’ve bought the timber for making my sliding sash windows and got pressed in to another job. 
Whilst I was getting a big order for timber together, the wife asked me about the front door [...]

* Extreme DIY Warning * This is project not for the faint of heart.
I have already built one sliding sash window as a working prototype. It’s been installed now for for over a year and I’m happy with the basic design. For more details of the prototype build please visit my Sliding Sash Blog.
The next [...]

After writing about using a wood-burning stove and looking at how much gas we are saving , I realised some simple steps were needed to stop some of the heat loss from our house.
I’ve draught proofed our problem front door. I had tried in the past without much success due to a wonky door, frame [...]

I’ve put this guide together to help beginners, just like I was a couple of years back. It covers the kinds of questions that can be embarrassing to ask as they seem so basic. If you are starting out on some serious wood working, carpentry or joinery, it will help you avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made.

Quick background to this little project.
We’ve had an idea for a Trike for a few  many years now. A friend has bet me £20 he will finish a wooden bike before I’ve got the Trike done. So now the race is on.
The Trike is unusual as it’s bike based but will carry 3 passengers. It’s [...]

The images below show the new bare wood and the existing finish effect I want to match.