November 2018 Sheddie

NOVEMBER 2018 * Seriously Open for business  * Lightening progress on Workbox * Report on Projects * We’ve got a new Trailer

Shed “Buzzz” - what’s been happening this month.

This month saw us have our official Opening Day at the Reliance site after a long lead in period outfitting the interior with a fully complemented machine shop , dedicated work bays for welding, painting, traditional Maori carving , a specialist electrical shop, a dedicated large smoko room and new storage racks for timber and other materials.

Our new branded “Community Assist” service has been rolled out on our website facilitating an easy and fast track way for groups and individuals to contact us to request help with community projects. We have already had a noticeable increase in requests for help and a pretty quick turnaround and completion of two significant projects over the month. It is refreshing to see clients taking the time to complete our short help pro-forma, as it gives us the quality information we need to respond quickly and get the job done.

Our Workbox project really gained momentum this month with lots of dedicated effort by a large team at the Shed, and we think we are now on track to complete this project before Christmas and have it out on the road working in partnership with Helping hands Mega Mitre 10.

Finally this month we have our AGM on Saturday November 24 so If you’re interested in serving on the committee, joining up or have an initiative you want to share come along and have your voice heard.

Workshop report
Preparation of Workshop Equipment / New equipment  

A Dust extractor unit has been installed in the machine shop  by Richard and Mark.

 A Table top drill press has been completed, renovated by Mike G. His restorative work is a treat to see and final results truly impressive.

Community Projects:

Workbox:  Workbox improvements have seen the completion of the lined ceiling compliments of John R John M, Peter, Paul and Denis with John M doing some excellent finishing work painting the interior walls and ceiling. We are beginning to assemble tool storage units and the sparky will be coming in next week to install lighting and electrical circuitry. John R is putting the finishing touches to foldable benches which will be installed on the back wall.

We finished the first instalment of our giant street games for the NCC who are closing off the top of Trafalgar street for the summer, so visitors can have a crack at giant dominos, Jenga or draughts as they relax in this newly installed inner city recreational space. A big team effort by Peter, John (the other painter) Al, Mark, Richard, John R, and Denis to meet the quick deadline was required with this job.   

 Bait Tunnels for Brook Sanctuary: The production team continue to  “pump” them out on demand, with the overall tally heading eventually to the 400 mark.

Shed Trailer: Colin has single-mindedly rebuilt our donated trailer over the last few weeks and it seems is replacing or renovating every aspect and component. The finished product is truly impressive and will be a great asset for general transporting of gear and especially for pickups and deliveries. Great effort Colin !

Piano stool repair: Gavin has repaired a local musicians favourite double piano stool from certain doom with some very clever joinery work which has extended the life of the family heirloom for a few more years.

Angel nests:  Final designs have been drawn up by Mark and a proto-type nest has been constructed by Mark and Richard to run past our clients before we progress further with this project. Sheddies met with our working partner Jamie for Simplicity funerals who has undertaken to line these nest in a professional manner from his business premises.

November Shed Buzzz 2018 MenzShed – Adding Value to The Community

October 2018 Sheddie

OCTOBER 2018 * Preparation of Workshop Equipment * Report on Projects

Shed “Buzzz” - what’s been happening this month.
This month we have been working to bring the shed up to full operating status and, with the full support and focus of all members, this is pretty well being achieved. We look forward to our first public ‘Open House” (Saturday 27 October 10.00am2.00pm) when people can drop in and check out the facilities available and what goes down at Nelson Whakatū Menzshed. There’s no debate in anyone’s mind that our lease of the mighty Reliance engineering building has been a huge advantage in progressing our establishment and operational base on the local scene. The building is infinitely suitable for our purposes, and it is reassuring that our lease has been extended next year so we can enjoy the facilities we have set up over past months. We are considering options of a more permanent home through discussions with NCC planning an appropriate site, facilities and resources looking into the future. Our “Community Assist” projects programme is gaining momentum with a number of major and minor projects already completed in the community and more in the pipeline. It’s true to say that there is a high degree of support for good causes by our members, and that “We will do what we can to help out when we can.” To this end we have just developed a robust process for handling inquiries seeking community project support. The first port of call is our website homepage under the tag ‘Community Assist’ where anyone may action a request for consideration and help. Obviously we can’t do everything and the final decision rests with our memberships’ time, talents and availability but we undertake to do what we can. Donations of tools, machinery and materials continue to come in and are much appreciated. Most gifts are put to immediate use and often assist in responding to community needs and projects. We are in the final throes of completing our “WorkBox” mobile workshop in partnership with “Helping Hands” - Mega Mitre 10, Boxman, and a substantial grant from Rata Foundation. This will enable us to take on bigger scale community projects with the tools and support to do the job. Finally, it needs to be said that a fundamental purpose of our Shed is for the lads to drop in have a chat and a cuppa and a few laughs, and get stuck into a few personal projects with the support of their mates. The reality - even over the very short time of our setting up - is that we are accumulating an enviable wealth of talent and experience amongst our members, who are proving willing and able to share their knowledge when needed.
Preparation of Workshop Equipment:
Shadow boards:
The mobile shadow boards are now fully completed by Mark, Richard, Brian and Reg. Painting has been completed by Colin and John (Rembrandt) Martin.
    Tool storage units:
These three tier mobile storage units which were designed by Mark and assembled under the watchful eye of Richard and his team are now completed with a dubious range of bright colours applied by Rembrandt John M.
    Work benches:
All the MDF topped work benches have been painted and completed. Paul and Colin have started work on a steel welding/fabrication bench.
     Steel racking:
The steel pallets that Colin sourced have been turned into the first of the timber racks by Wayne and Rembrandt John. The painting was of a somewhat restrained nature compared to the storage bins.
New Equipment:
Welder:
We now have a brand new MMA, MIG, TIG welder and already Paul, Colin and Slade have it assembled and up and running.
Table saw: We have another table saw and small band saw as well as some other assorted small tools donated by Ann Shuttleworth.
Lathe:
We ordered more tooling and a “quick change” tool post for the metal lathe.

Looking ahead to more In-house Material’s Consolidation:

As our first timber MDF/ply rack has worked out well, our next priority will be to produce two or three more which will allow us to move much of the stock currently scattered around on the floor into the racks.
Community Projects:
Start to Finish Iron Duke Sea Scout Group boat refurbishment:
Professional boat builder Gavin, ably assisted by apprentice Peter M, are currently completing the refurbishment of one of the Sea Scout group's sailing dinghies and final painting..
Ruru (Morepork) apartments:
Production on these has reignited with Ron's lead.
Bait Tunnels for Brook Sanctuary:
Production continues on this project. We have a bay, bench and jigs set up specifically for the production of these units and so we can now put anyone onto the production team and simply “pump” them out on demand, with over 60 produced already.
Compost Box:
Another community group, Nelson Environment Centre, asked for a minor carpentry project to demonstrate good composting techniques.
Yoga support boards:
A batch are underway for Chris Roberts’ yoga class
Aotearoa map project:
As payment for the generous donation of the sanding machine from Nigel Brown’s father we agreed to cut out a map of Aotearoa for mounting on his father’s wall. Nigel supplied two attractive pieces of Rimu to cut the map from and Waimea Menzshed cut out the map with their CNC router. John R finish-sanded the project and Nigel is in the process of sorting out a suitable mounting backboard.
Memorial Prize for Nelson College:
Peter Lamb was a Nelson College old boy and one the world’s leading meteorologists. Peter died 4 years ago, living in the USA, and was always very generous with the funding of many grants for Nelson College. Our part in the project is to produce the wooden base for a trophy which will be presented to the top year 13 geography student. Richard is in the process of laminating this project in solid timber. Peter’s sister Joy Oakly will drop by with the final dimension details next week.
Victory Community Centre:
A small garden bed project is being completed/ modified/ improved by Denis and Skid.
Top of Trafalgar Street Project:
This project involves building giant draught/chess/domino sets for the NCC summer program. It will be excellent publicity for us, however it will be a very ambitious project. It will have to look professional and be efficient with a very tight time frame and limited budget.

 Projects (in-house)
Shadow boards/mobile storage bins:
These units are now completed and work has started on attaching tools and storing fastenings etc. After our open day we will sort the tools and equipment into the various categories to enable us to prioritise tools & equipment storage.
Work benches:
All the MDF topped work benches are now completed and in position in various areas in the shed. Paul completed the steel fabrication bench.
Steel racking: The first steel timber rack was a composite MDF/steel version but since the acquisition of the MIG welder the remaining two racks have been of full steel construction. Paul is our number one MIG welder and doing a great job.
Trailer donation:
Wayne and Colin have been working on the donated trailer but with Colin away and other priorities at the moment this project is on hold.
New equipment:
Paul and Colin are putting the MIG welder to good use. Meanwhile, Al and Slade have the 3D printer running in the upstairs “Techno lab”.
  Warehouse Stationary flat packs:
Wayne, Grant, Peter and Al assembled most of the donated flat packs. The shelf units are already in use in the shed with the benches on display in the foyer. These units are for sale, (all offers accepted!)
Carving:
Cairo and Shane have made a beautiful Whakairo “Nelson Whakatū MenzShed” carving in pride of place over our main front entrance. This was unveiled at the Open House, and completed using the carving chisels which were purchased recently. We now have an equipped “carving” bay and bench in the shed.
Workbox:
John has the work benches for the box under construction and Denis has started on the ceiling lining.
Personal:
Philip has had a spell in hospital with suspected appendicitis. ZD made light of his recent motor vehicle accident but he is still very sore and on crutches. Denis has returned after a lengthy stint on the other side of the world. Ron “Skid” has returned from places North. Richard is away up North. Wayne will be visiting his granddaughter in Ozz until mid November.
History:
These monthly reports for the committee have been only produced since we moved into 236 Haven Road but of course there was quite a bit happening after the two sheds joined. One of our members reminded us of probably our first project/donation exercise. Mark Fielding needed an office clean out and we needed furniture. So - Mark, Denis, ZD and Wayne moved quite a quantity of very valuable office furniture into temporary storage in the Logan basement. When we moved into 236 the furniture was transported to the shed and installed upstairs. So now you know where those excellent draughting drawer units came from in the upstairs “office”.
Finally, Health and Safety, Always First:
Electrical, Mechanical, and Woodworking Safety:
Al and Mike continue to keep up the electrical maintenance and safety standards on more leads and machines.
  Dust extraction:
A dust extraction system has been ordered and should arrive in the next week or two.
Visitor safety equipment:
The cabinet in the foyer now has extra personal safety equipment installed, such as eye and hearing protection.
“Greeter”:
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Grant often shows visitors and prospective members our facilities. ZD suggested he will be the “Shop Greeter”
Sunday mornings:
As soon as a “Shop Supervisor” volunteers for that day.
  “Supervisor” Support:
Many members are very skilled, while all are very independent, but Wayne has kept the workflow and troops in order as the primary Supervisor. If you have wide-ranging skills in this area, we need more volunteers to fill both positions - “Greeter” & “Supervisor” - to open NWM on more days.

OCTOBER 2018 MenzShed – Adding Value to The Community

September 2018 Sheddie

The SHEDDIE    September 2018 

Shed “Buzz” - what’s been happening this month. 

The big move leading up to this month has been to bring the shed up to full operating status and with the full support and focus of all members this is pretty well being achieved. Next week we look forward to our first public ‘Open Day” (Saturday 27 October 10.00am-2.00pm) where people can drop in and check out the facilities available and what goes down at Menzshed in Nelson. 

There’s no debate in anyone’s mind that our lease of the mighty Reliance engineering building has been a huge advantage in progressing our establishment and operational base on the local scene. The building is infinitely suitable for our purposes, and it is reassuring that our lease has been extended next year so we can enjoy the facilities we have set up over past months. Attention is also being paid to considering other solutions of a more permanent home with on-going discussions with NCC and associated planning of appropriate  site, facilities and resources looking into the future. 

Our “Community Assist” projects programme is gaining momentum with a number of major and minor projects already completed in the community and more in the pipeline. It’s true to say that there is a high degree of support for good causes by our members, and that we will do what we can to help out when we can. To this end we have just developed a robust process for handling inquiries asking us for community project support. The first port of call is our website homepage under the tag ‘Community Assist’ where Nelsonians can action a request for consideration and help. Obviously we can’t do everything and the final decision rests with our memberships’ time, talents and availability but we undertake to do what we can in the available circumstances acknowledging that we can’t always say yes.  

Donations of tools, machinery and materials continue to come in and are much appreciated. Most gifts are put to immediate use and often assist in responding to community needs and projects. We are in the final throes of completing our “WorkBox” mobile workshop in partnership with “Helping Hands” - Mega Mitre 10, Boxman, and a substantial grant from Rata Foundation. This will enable us to take on bigger scale, deserving community projects with the confidence we have the tools and support to do the job. 

Finally, it needs to said that a fundamental purpose of our Shed is for the lads to drop in have a chat and a cuppa and a few laughs, and get stuck into a few personal projects with the support of their mates. The reality even over the very short time of our setting up, is that we are accumulating an enviable wealth of talent and experience amongst our members, who are proving willing and able to share and assist their knowledge when needed. 

Shed update September 2018

General 
Our priority has always been to have the shed “set up for business” and this milestone has now been achieved. As a result we are now in a position to really concentrate on our community projects.

Projects (outside)

Ruru (Morepork) apartments
With Rons return we can now proceed with this project as prototypes and drawings of these wooden nesting boxes are now complete.

Bait Tunnels for Brook Sanctuary 
Production continues on this project. As we now have a bay, bench and jigs set up specifically for the production of these units and so we can now put anyone onto the production team and simply “pump” them out on demand.

Angel Boxes
With Ron’s return we can complete the prototypes and drawings of this worthy project and start production.

Iron Duke Sea Scout Group boat refurbishment 
This project is still ongoing with with great progress having been made. The first top coats of paint have been applied as it nears completion.

Small table repair
This repair has been completed.

Yoga support boards
A batch of these boards are underway in the woodwork department for Chris Roberts’ yoga class

Aotearoa map project
As payment for the generous donation of the sanding machine from Nigel Brown’s father we agreed to cut out a map of Aoteroa for mounting on his father’s wall. Nigel supplied two attractive pieces of Rimu to cut the map from and Waimea Menzshed cut out the map with their CNC router. John R finish sanded the project and Nigel is in the process of sorting out a suitable mounting background.

Memorial Prize for Nelson College
Richard is in the process of laminating this project in solid timber.
Peter Lamb was a Nelson College old boy living in the USA and one the worlds leading meteorologists. Peter died 4 years ago and was always very generous with the funding of many grants for Nelson College. Our part in the project is to produce the wooden base for a trophy which will be be presented to the top year 13 geography student.
Peter’s sister Joy Oakly will drop by with the the final dimension details next week.

Victory Community Centre
A small garden bed project is being completed/modified/improved by Denis and Skid.

Top of Trafalgar Street Project.
This project involves building giant draught/chess/domino sets for the NCC summer program.
It will be excellent publicity for us, however it will be a very ambitious project. It will have to look professional and be efficient with a very tight time frame and limited budget.

Projects (in-house)

Shadow boards/mobile storage bins
These units are now completed and work has started on attaching tools and storing fastenings etc.
After our open day we will re sort the tools and equipment back into the various categories on the pallets to enable us to sort and prioritise where the tools and equipment will be hung/stored etc.

Work benches
All the MDF topped work benches are now completed and in position in various areas in the shed.
Paul has completed the steel fabrication bench.

Steel racking
The first steel timber rack was a composite MDF/steel version but since the acquisition of the MIG welder the remaining two racks have been of full steel construction. Paul is our number one MIG welder and doing a great job.

Trailer donation
Wayne and Colin have been working on the donated trailer but with Colin away and other priorities at the moment this project is on hold.

New equipment
The MIG welder is up and running with Paul and Colin putting it to good use.

Wharehouse Stationary flat packs
Wayne, Grant, Peter and Al assembled most of the donated flat packs.
The shelf units are already in use in the shed with the benches on display in the foyer.
These units are for sale, (any offers willingly accepted!)

Electrical/Mechanical/Woodworking/Safety
Al and Mike continue to keep up the electrical maintenance and safety with more leads and machines being brought up standard.

Dust extraction
A dust extraction system has been ordered and should arrive in the next week or two.

3D printer
Al and Slade have the 3D printer up and running in the upstairs “Techno lab”.

Lathe
Extra tooling is on order for the lathe.

Workbox
John has the work benches for the box under construction and Denis has started on the ceiling lining.

Safety signage
This is ongoing as required

Safety inductions
Graeme is continuing in this area.

Visitor safety equipment
The cabinet in the foyer now has extra personal safety equipment installed

New member meet/greet
This area is going well under Grant

Sandwich board
This is in constant use and is a real asset.

Carving
Cairo and Shane have made a beautiful Maori “Nelson Whakatū MenzShed” carving which will take pride of place over our main front entrance.
This was completed using the carving chisels which were purchased recently and we have also set up a “carving” bay and bench in the shed.

Personal
Philip has had a spell in hospital with suspected appendicitis.

Zack “ZD” May have made light of his recent motor vehicle accident but he is still very sore and on crutches.

Denis has returned after a lengthy stint on the other side of the world.

Ron “Skid” has returned from places North.

Richard is away up North.

Wayne will be visiting his granddaughter in Ozz until mid November.

Looking ahead

In-house Shed

Consolidate
Our timber racks are now in full use with no MDF strewn all over the floor - great!

Open Day
We have an open day on the 27th Oct from 10am until 2pm.
Phillip has publicity underway for this event and it would be great if as many members as possible can attend to show people around and answer questions etc.

History
These monthly reports for the committee have been only produced since we moved into 236 Haven Road but of course there was quite a bit happening after the two sheds joined.
One of our members reminded us of probably our first project/donation exercise.
Mark Fielding needed an office clean out and we needed furniture. So - Mark, Denis, ZD and Wayne moved quite a quantity of very valuable office furniture into temporary storage in the Logan basement. When we moved into 236 the furniture was transported to the shed and installed upstairs. So now you know where those excellent draughting drawer units came from in the upstairs “office”.

MenzShed – Adding Value to The Community 

August Update

Shed update August 2018

Projects (outside)

Last month our priority was to have the shed “set up for business” and this has not changed.However as the set up is going extremely well several outside projects and activities have also been completed.

Ruru (Morepork) apartments
Ron has produced prototypes of these wooden nesting boxes and so Richard and Mark will be starting production on these during the next month.

Bait Tunnels for Brook Sancturay 
Production is well underway with this project with 60 produced already.
The tunnels have a plywood base and the top tunnel is made from “realestate” sign core flute material.
The team consisting of Mark, Richard, Brian, Reg, John and Ken have a really efficient production line going on this project with folding,cutting and assembly jigs all set up.

Angel Boxes
Ron has been working with the hospital on this project.
Approximately 30 pregnancies in the Nelson area result in stillborn babies each year and so we could be involved in producing these miniature coffins.
Ron has already produced a prototype and production should start on this project next month.

Dining table modification
A friend of one of the members required a dining table to be shortened as she has down sized her accommodation.
John has now completed this project. The workmanship from John is of a very high order and we believe there will be a quality morning tea as payment.

Iron Duke Sea Scout Group boat refurbishment 
Professional boat builder Gavin ably assisted by apprentice Peter are currently completing a refurbishment of one of the groups sailing dinghies consisting of some fibre glass reinforcing and repainting.

Small table repair
A member of the public requires a small repair to be carried out on a glass topped table.
This work will be carried next month.

Projects (in-house)

Shadow boards
The mobile shadow boards are now fully completed by Mark, Richard, Brian and Reg. Painting has been completed by Colin and John (Rembrandt) Martin.

Tool storage units
These three tier mobile storage units which were designed by Mark and assembled under the watchful eye of Richard and his team are now completed with a somewhat dubious range of colours applied by Rembrandt John M.

Work benches
Although all of the MDF topped work benches have been completed, Paul and Colin have started work on a steel welding/fabrication bench.

Steel racking
The steel pallets that Colin sourced have been turned into the first of the timber racks by Wayne and Rembrandt John. The painting was of a somewhat restrained nature compared to the storage bins.

Trailer donation
We have been given a trailer which will require some refurbishment work.
Wayne and Colin stripped it down to the bare chassis to discover that some welding repairs are required on the chassis and a broken spring has to be replaced as well as the tail lights. Mike has started work on the tail lights and as we have the engineering skills in the group to complete the repairs we will go ahead with the project as a check on Trademe of second hand trailers and spare parts revealed that it will be economic to repair.

New equipment

We now have a brand new MMA, MIG, TIG welder and already Paul, Colin and Slade have it assembled and up and running.

Table saw

We have another table saw and small band saw as well as some other assorted small tools donated by Ann Shuttleworth

Wood lathe and bandsaw

Wayne has donated both these machines.

Assorted tools and timber

Local boat builder Trevor Arron has donated these items from his late fathers shed.

Assorted tools, equipment and fastenings 

Paul Verco donated these items after his shed clean out.

Wharehouse Stationary flat packs

We have an excellent connection with Wharehouse Stationary now whereby any office furniture which is damaged or incomplete comes to us rather than being dumped. Some of these items may be of no use but many are complete and so can be kept by us or resold.

Electrical/Mechanical/Woodworking/Safety

Al and Mike continue to keep up the electrical maintenance and safety with more leads and machines being brought up standard.

Mike has made up a lead rack and is setting up a dedicated electrical bench and electrical station.

Lathe
To make the metal lathe more efficient we hope to purchase some more tooling and a “quick change” tool post.

Workbox
John will be starting on the benches for the workbox this month and with Denis’s return we should be be able to continue the contact with Mitre 10 more efficiently.

Safety signage
A “qualified operators” list is being set up by Graeme with Grant and Wayne continuing with machine signage as required.

Safety inductions
Graeme is continuing in this area.

Visitor safety equipment
Grant and Wayne have installed a cabinet in the foyer area which will be used to store visitor safety equipment such as eye and hearing protection.

New member meet/greet
This area is going well under Grant with a steady increase in membership.
We have currently have up to 18 members on the “shop floor” with the “smoko room” bursting at the seams!

Sandwich board
Mark and Brian produced a sandwich board in double quick time and Zac arranged for the sign writing to be applied.
The completed unit was delivered recently and the result is a very classy looking unit.
This will great to show show the public we are open and generally improve our profile.

All Black test day display.
On the Saturday afternoon of the big match we manned a display in Trafalgar Street which was a great success with a number of contacts made.
Thanks to Zac who coordinated the event and John M and his wife who produced the flyer by Kiwizing an Aussie Menshed flyer, setting out the format and arranging the printing. The end result looked very professional.
Thanks to Zac, John M, Peter M, Reg, Philip, Gavin, Wayne and Richard for manning the display.

Visitor
We recently had a visit from Mike Freestone from the Bundanoon Menshed in Ozz.
Mike was very impressed by what we have achieved in the short time we have been operating and had some great ideas for projects including a garden stake driver which they sell to the public.

Looking ahead

In-house Shed

Consolidate

As our first timber MDF/ply rack has worked out well our next priority will be to produce two or three more which will allow us to move much of the stock currently scattered around on the floor into the racks.

Mike instigated the idea of placing our donated goods in some sort of order and so now we can actually find stuff and we are now in a position to store equipment in the new storage bins and place tools on the shadow boards.

We want to have an open day in the not too distant future and so our priority now is to generally tidy up (but of course still keep those outside projects rolling)

August Sheddie

AUGUST    2018      * Preparation of Workshop Equipment   *  Report on Community Projects   __________________________________________________________________________________________  

Shed Set-Up Nears Completion 

The main thrust over the last month has been to complete the shadow boards, storage bins and work benches. Despite continuing set up work, and new donations, we have accepted some new community projects. As soon as we can roster shop supervisors, we will open NWM more days. 

Preparation of Workshop equipment 

Shadow boards:  Two mobile boards readied by Mark, Richard, Brian & Colin. 

Tool storage units:  Four of these three-tier mobile units are virtually completed with just the drawer units remaining to be fitted. 

Work benches:  Charles, Gavin, Colin, Peter and Don completed all the steel framed MDF benches. Colin has set one up as a tool refurbishing unit complete with upstand, shelf, vice, plus power supply and lighting provided by Mike. 

Lathe cover:  A new fabric cover with material supplied by Wayne, sewn by Mike on his industrial sewing machine, currently set up at the Shed. 

Sheet Storage:  Colin has a source of light weight steel pallets which will be ideal for a multitude of uses. An immediate application will see them converted to timber and MDF storage racks. These racks will be bolted together so that they can be dismantled should we move premises. 

Gee clamp racks:  Gavin, Charles, Peter and Colin have now completed this project so we can now store the dozens of clamps that Gavin has donated. 

New Community Projects Commence 

A number of projects coming up in the not too distant future and some small projects have already been completed, such as:.    

Ruru (Morepork) apartments:  Rex and Ron have produced prototypes of these wooden nesting boxes which could develop into an ongoing production project. 

Rat traps for the Brook sanctuary:  A Prototype trap has been produced and like the Ruru project this could be an ongoing production project. 

Compost Box:  Another community group, Nelson Environment Centre, asked for a minor carpentry project to demonstrate good composting techniques. 

Angel Boxes:  Approximately 30 pregnancies in the Nelson area result in stillborn babies each year and so we could be involved in producing these miniature coffins.  Ron has been working with the hospital on this project, and he has already produced a prototype. If we participate with the project, it is envisaged that we would produce the basic box which would then be handed on to another commiunity group with artistic skills to decorate the exterior. Another group could complete interior linings. 

Electrical Installations in the Shed and the Workbox 

Al and New member Mike installed the new lathe and repaired the abrasive cut off saw switch donated by Charles.  Al continues work on the 3D printer.  Murray Leaning will coordinate the electrical installation in the Workbox.  Al has his testing certification renewed, which means that all power tools and leads will be tagged. 

Steady Flow of Donations Arriving  

Table saw:   A heavy duty, quality “Wadkin” table saw was delivered by crane truck. 

Drill presses:  That is not a misprint it is meant to read plural! Two bench type drill presses have been donated as well as a range of assorted hand tools. 

Large table belt sander:  Nigel Brown has donated a terrific sander, a beautifully made piece of equipment, and a credit to his father who built the complete unit.  An artistic exchange, Nigel will help us cut a wooden map of Aotearoa from a piece of Rimu timber which he will supply.  

Linisher:  Mike has engineered a very effective belt tracking system as well as improving the electrical safety on this machine. 

Lathe:   Mike designed, made and installed a safety micro switch system whereby the lathe cannot be started until the chuck key is removed and the chuck guard is swung into position.  Mike also donated and wired in a swivel light on the lathe.  Wayne gave the lathe its first workout by machining six supporting foot plates and then levelling the machine up. 

Finally, Health and Safety, Always First  

Graeme & Ron continues H&S inductions, repeated for the new members arriving steadily.  

Wayne has replaced all the loose rivets and worn pivot bolts in our step ladder. 

Grant is showing visitors and prospective members our facilities.  As suggested by Waimea MenzShed, the “Front door Greeter” eliminates interruptions to workflow. 

MenzShed – Adding Value to The Community 

Full July 2018 Sheddie

            “Shed facilities action” 

 ________________________________________________________________________________________ 

THIS EDITION IN SHORT   * Donations of Workshop equipment   *  Report on Community Projects  * Steady Progress with WORKBOX  *   __________________________________________________________________________________________  

New donations continually offered! 

*  Margaret Hunter kindly donated a considerable quantity of Melteca MDF Board from her late husband’s joinery business. 
*  Member Mike Gough has donated a very high end Record wood working vise.  (Mike can also supply a dust extractor at a very reasonable price.) 
*  Committee Member Gavin has donated two heavy duty fire extinguishers. 
*  NMIT have donated the following; 
Colchester tool room lathe complete with additional tooling, 
Heavy duty Pedestal grinder, 
Two High quality bench vices. 

Our first major Community Project Completed for “Light Nelson” 

Display Table for the “Light Nelson – Alice in Wonderland Show” 

This involved the construction of a 7.8 metre x 2.4 metre table for Larrise Hall who was one of the artists involved with the mid winter “Light Nelson” held at the Queens Gardens. We decided to build 18 saw horses to support a sub frame which in turn supported prepainted MDF panels. 

The table was totally set up in the shed and then all the components were numbered and coded. In a team effort, on the Monday morning before the event, a large crew of Sheddies dismantled for transport to the site.  We were fortunate to have Adrian Faulkner offer his large van, and steady hand, to facilitate loading.  Great teamwork allowed smooth transport of the sawhorses and the 4-metre main bearers to the set up zone. The weather was not consistently kind over the weekend of the show, but the painting of the MDF table stood up well. 

We dismantled the table the day after the conclusion of the show and transported the components back to base. We now have the all the materials back in stock and 18 sawhorses for our shed 

 Minor Community Projects Resolved 

Trestle table rack for Victory Community Centre:  This was a simple construction made very efficiently by Richard and delivered in the Logan Ute. 

Stepping platform for “Health Kids” early learning centre: This was a pallet type unit quickly and efficiently constructed by Richard. 

Bar stool modifications:  Gavin shortened up the legs on two bar stools for a member of the public for the reasonable charge of a bag of savouries. 

Electrical Installations 

Al and New member Mike installed the new lathe and repaired the abrasive cut off saw switch donated by Charles.  Al continues work on the 3D printer. 

Shed Furnishings 

John has further improved the existing timber rack. 

Colin has refurbished and mounted the first of the engineering bench vices. 

Mark and Richard have the prototype storage bin system completed. 

Next on the list will be the tool shadow boards. 

Mark has moved the drawing office to the northern room on the first floor. 

We have official NCC permission to use the new larger smoko room on the first floor. 

Steady Progress on WorkBox, the Mitre10/Boxman container  

John Rominger and helpers are making great progress with the lining now completed.  

Mark designed workbenches and tool trolleys that have been cut, so components are ready to assemble & paint.   

Finally, Health and Safety, Always First  

Graeme has started H&S inductions, which can be repeated by appointment. 

Grant and Wayne are continuing with machine signage. 

The First Aid cabinet is mounted adjacent to the workbox. 

MenzShed – Adding Value to The Community 

July Sheddie Update 2018

July Sheddie Update 2018

Although our shed is not totally up and running we have completed our first project.

Table for the “Light Show”

This was the construction of a 7.8 metre x 2.4 metre table for Larrise Hall who was one of the artists involved with the mid winter “Light Show” held at the Queens Gardens. We decided to build 18 saw horses to support a sub frame which in turn had prepainted MDF panels mounted on top.The table was totally set up in the shed and then all the components were numbered and coded.
The table was then dismantled for transporting to the site.
Members set the table up prior to the show and we were fortunate to have Adrian Faulkner turn up with his large van as we were loading up and so Adrian kindly transported the sawhorses and the 4 metre main bearers to the set up zone. Unfortunately the weather was not kind over the weekend but due to the painting of the MDF the table stood up well.

We dismantled the table the day after the conclusion of the show and transported the components back to base.

We now have the all the materials back in stock and 18 saw horses for our shed

Trestle table rack for Victory Community Centre

This was a simple construction made very efficiently by Richard and delivered in the Logan Ute.

Stepping platform for “Health Kids” early learning centre

This was a pallet type unit quickly and efficiently constructed by Richard.

Bar stool modifications 

Gavin shortened up the legs on two bar stools for a member of the public for the reasonable charge of a bag of savouries.

Toilet doors 

Toilet doors for Rutherford Kindergarten were made by Richard and fitted by Wayne.

Mitre10/Boxman container 

John Rominger and helpers are making great progress with the lining now completed.

Donations

Margaret Hunter kindly donated a considerable quantity of meltica board from her late husband’s joinery business.

NMIT have donated the following

A Colchester tool room lathe complete with additional tooling.
2 High quality bench vices.
A heavy duty Pedestal grinder

New member Mike Gough has donated a very high end Record wood working vise.

Mike can also supply a dust extractor at a very reasonable price.

Gavin has donated two heavy duty fire extinguishers

Electrical installations

Al and New member Mike installed the new lathe and repaired the abrasive cut off saw switch donated by Charles.
Al continues work on the 3D printer

Shed set up

John has further improved the existing timber rack.
Colin has refurbished and mounted the first of the engineering bench vices.
Mark and Richard have the prototype storage bin system completed.

Next on the list will be the tool shadow boards.
Mark has moved the drawing office to the old smoko room
We have official permission to use the new larger smoko room.

Health and Safety

Graeme has H and S inductions starting soonGrant and Wayne are continuing with machine signage.
The First Aid cabinet is mounted adjacent to the workbox
Graeme and Zac have a new member detail sheet developed.

Watch this space