General Chat Topic?

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Colin – My wife showed me a piece in her Daily Mail a few days ago all about "man caves", ironic chuckles all round . Your clever piece made us both titter and I have pinned it to the wall in MY cave.

Rik

[colin hawesParticipant @colinhawes85982]

When I lack incentive to get down to my workshop I only have to look at a book or ME to get motivated to leave my comfortable warm surroundings and venture into the cold shed to turn on a heater and do something useful (which means model engines) with my time. Once I get into using the tools I don't want to stop again and if induced to by a coffee offering by my lovely wife to come back in, this reading process has to begin again. Is it just me getting older or do others sometimes have to get motivated somehow?? Colin

[colin hawesParticipant @colinhawes85982]

Ric, I'm pleased that you like my piece, I wrote it some time ago and have just got around to copying it from my "works" word processer. I too saw an article about man caves so we have approval for more time out there! Long live us cavemen! Colin

[Frank.N StormParticipant @frank-nstorm18349]

It's, it's, it's, it's >>>> its, its, its, its!

Frank

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

Colin you are not alone in needing motivation in the cold weather. As a young lad (too many years ago) I enjoyed doing fretwork, so when "Bogs" offered me a 1920s treadle fretsaw in need of restoration I jumped at the chance. The fretsaw has now been restored and with the wife's consent is now installed in a small spare bedroom where I hope to spend the winter making a "John Smith" pipe organ. It should make a nice change from making swarf, and no extra heating required.

Cheers Derek.

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

I like the idea of a virtual "wibble" room where people who share a common interest can simply chat. I think a "Coffee Lounge" would be a nice feature on the forum but in its absence it looks like this thread will have to do. Some chat will be of topic – so what – its not breaking the law is it? Some chat will be on topic – that's good to.

On the subject of motivation, I only have a problem here when trying to make my mind up about which model to start on next. I do (and am doing) a lot of pondering on which model to start next . The motivation to go up the cold shed is not a problem (fan heater soon warms it up anyway) and I can always find SOMETHING worthwhile to do. For instance, some time ago I made a diamond tangential turning tool and a grinding fixture for it but have found that without a clamp for the HSS bit I was having a problem exerting sufficient pressure against the linisher disk to sharpen it so this afternoon I made a strap clamp to secure the HSS bit. A simple job but when done allowed me to create mass sparks and sharpen the tool in double quick time. Very worthwhile.

And while I was doing that (I know its wrong to start a sentence/paragraph with a "And" or a "But" but at least I don't snort cocaine) I thought pleasant thoughts about what I am going to build around an impulse buy (Ebay) in the shape of a five and a half inch diameter five spoke cast iron flywheel which was delivered this morning. It would be smashing to read a list of all the scale model steam engines that require a five and a half inch diameter flywheel but if life became that simple half the fun would gurgle unhappily down the plughole.

Rik (Old, wrinkled and grey but enjoying life's "stuff&quot.

[GaryMParticipant @garym]

Posted by magpie on 05/12/2013 16:45:48:

….. is now installed in a small spare bedroom ……

Be careful who you tell about that Derek, someone might find a way of charging you for it.

Gary

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