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Things I've been making....

I've always enjoyed being creative. Whether I've made an Airfix model or a piece of furniture it's so satisfying to craft something from raw materials. The drive behind some of the things I've made is purely an issue of cost, or more accurately an amazement that retailers charge so much for items that I know can be produced for far less... until the advent of IKEA that is!!! ;-) Other things such as the dog tags or model making are examples of things I've made for the fun of it or as one off's that no one else has. Either way I enjoy the process.

This is my first attempt at a weathered frame. The weathering is not as pronounced as I would have liked but I have ideas for a better effect on other items in the future.

Simple name engraving on the lid of a Pinewood box.

This is an RC model of a Piper Cub. I spend a a great deal of time building this aircraft mainly because I wanted it to look as realistic as possible. I added flashing lights to the belly, wingtips and tail to imitate navigation lights and I inverted the motor so that it was hidden as much as possible within the nose of the aircraft but making sure it was adequately ventilated for cooling. I added flaps, not because they were on the original aircraft but for the challenge, and I used bolts to secure the wings instead of the rubber bands that came with the kit. On its maiden flight it crashed!! Doh!! This was essentially because I'd added flaps. The Cub has a broad wing span and has long ailerons on the wings to help it turn. Adding flaps meant that the ailerons were shorter and no longer directly in the propeller blast making for a slow rate of turn. Piloted by a friend with experience of RC aircraft the Cub climbed well but the slow turn rate meant we couldn't avoid a tree. Thankfully the damage was light and easily repairable. The addition of airflow guides to the wings will help direct more air from the propeller onto the ailerons and hopefully resolve the slow turning problem next time.

My sister asked if I would make her a cabinet as she need somewhere to store her growing collection of swimming medals.

Graham Routledge, dog tags, metal engraving

I've cut and engraved a number of plaques and dog tags. These are just strips of aluminum cut to shape and then the text or designs are engraved using a hobby drill. If you have a dog called Scooby he must have a Scooby Doo dog tag!!! IT'S THE LAW !!!!! .....apparently!?!?

I was asked if I'd make horse jump stands for someone. I think I made a total of 14 or 16 individual stands.

These are just a few of the picture frames I've made over the years. I've essentially been driven to make these because of the shear cost of buying ready made frames. Smaller pine frames aren't too expensive these days but frames for some larger pictures can run into hundreds of pounds, I've made these for a fraction of the price.

My family lived in the Middle East for a while when I was very young. My dad used to weave rugs as a hobby while we were out there and in recent years took it up again. I made this loom for him so he could work more comfortably.

I couldn't find a large enough wardrobe at a reasonable price to fit in the recess of a bedroom, so I decided to make one instead. Unfortunately I moved away from the property before I could finish the bottom draws but no doubt I'll attempt something similar in the future.

This was my first car, a Lancia Delta rust bucket! I learnt so much about the in's and out's of cars from this and my next car. The Lancia's doors were all rotten so I found four good one's from a scrap yard and replaced them. The rest of the bodywork was patched up with filler and fibre glass, primed and painted Midnight Blue if I remember correctly!?! Looking at this photo I wish I'd removed the door handles, lights and so on before I started the re-spray! The end result was pretty good though I can't find any finished pictures. The next car I/we owned was a Citroen Visa (One up from a 2CV!!!?!) that I shared with my sisters. Mechanically I learned a great deal from this car not least because changing the clutch involved completely removing the engine first!!! I had help from some friends and a great 'Home Tune' Mechanic. Those experiences and others such as alarm and stereo wiring have given me a pretty good understanding of basic mechanics & electrics and I'm certainly not afraid to have a go myself if things go wrong.

Sneaky pup (pictured) prompted the need for a Wiley proof food box for the dog food. Didn't like any of the plastic tubs in the shops so figured I'd make one.

Basic pinewood box to encase and protect a grinding stone that's used to sharped knifes, chisels, plane blades etc. Not the best I've ever made but given the lack of a workshop and the limited tools I had it's not so bad.... certainly functional.