Not "Equipment" as such, but there you go!

[Nick]

Apologies in advance for the non-radio content...

Small present I made for SWMBO using reclaimed items - a neon letter from the front of a theatre (about 6" tall), some offcuts of an oak floor we had laid 9 years ago, bits and pieces from the workshop... some specialised neon bits - the silicone covers for the electrodes and the special latex "blocking paint" to conceal the electrodes themselves, all bolts are hex-headed to prevent curious children opening it (2000V inside) - cable clamp was stolen from an old light fitting. Oak was thicknessed down from 20mm to to 14mm and the joints cut, backing timber was 4mm thick so 4.8mm x 5mm deep groove set round inside of box (176mm x 210mm internal), Forstner bits used to cut 20mm holes for tube electrodes, lots of use of router table, table saw, planer-thicknesser etc.

Mounting/back panel for the neon was very rare timber, Ziricote, sourced from Timberline in Tonbridge - lovely bit of wood - they sell 100s of different rare (legal) woods for turning, musical instrument manufacture & repair etc. Amazing place. Absolutely amazing...

Finished on Xmas Eve... still to do: small uP to PWM-modulate the HV to dim the tube a bit - bearing in mind it was originally an outdoor display sign designed to be read from 50ft away, its a tad bright for the kitchen, so I wil change the standard electronic transformer I'm currently (!) using for a PWM version when it arrives from the USA - a small uP, or even just a PWM 555-based design, will control brightness nicely.

Luckily, SWMBO likes neon and absolutely loved the sign...
                       

[pwdrive]

Nice joints.

Lawrence.

[AlanBeckett]

Splendid.
I fear my Woodworking wouldn't be up to standard.

Alan

[Alan Douglas]

Very well done. Any points for guessing what the original sign read? Are some letters missing?

[Mark Hennessy]

Nice dovetail joints there - what jig have you got? I've been thinking about buying one for ages, but can never decide.

Sadly my table saw broke earlier this year. It's a Bosch GTS10 - and it turns out they have a habit of failing armatures. Spares are available, but the cost is close to what a basic Axminster might be. Although I've got on well with Bosch power tools over the years, this one isn't up to their usual quality, and the screaming motor is not great. Shame that it's hardly had any usage in the 5 years I've owned it - and it's been kept in much better conditions that most "contractor grade" table saws.

I chose the Bosch because it's light enough to get up and down the cellar steps, but am hoping to sort out my garage as a woodworking workshop later next year - so a cast-iron job with an induction motor is on the wish-list. I'm thinking about the Axminster own-brand jobs, as they do get good reviews. What do you use?

Cheers,

Mark

[Nick]

Nice dovetail joints there - what jig have you got? I've been thinking about buying one for ages, but can never decide.

Actually, they are "half blind" dovetails

I used to use an Axminster White DTJ but was offered a lightly used Leigh D4R Pro with a VRS dust extraction attachment a few months ago. The Leigh jig is truly wonderful but takes a fair bit of learning and setting up - I now love it but have at times cursed it roundly Not a cheap jig, but it does everything you could ever want. And then some...

I only used the old jig a few times and was going to sell it on eBay -great condition and in original box - no reasonable offer refused if you want to give it a go...

To use a jig you need perfectly true timber - perfectly flat and perfectly square ended - otherwise you'll never get perfect fit...

[Nick]

...should have added that the thicknesser is a Metabo HC260C (very common good middle-range unit), the router table is a Kreg PRS1040 (on casters) with a Trend T11 2000W 1/2" router permanently mounted and the optional Kreg micro-adjusting lift and precision miter guide - I use 1/4" -> 1/2" and 8mm -> 1/2" collets so I can use the Leigh and small cutters in it without changing the router...

The saw table is a cheap Axminster BTS10 - early model - which is just about OK - I use one of those digital bevel measurement blocks to ensure that the blade is EXACLY 90 degrees to the table bed to ensure the ends are true - also added a UJT Precision Mitre Fence which I feel is excellent value and is very well made - it seems very similar to the one on the Kreg (which was much more expensive).

The saw table is the weak point in the chain, but I have no space in the workshop to machine stuff so it has to be taken outside, which is a MAJOR pain as it means that serious machining can only be done on fine days and that I have to have a mobile saw table...

Ideally, when the new workshop is on-line, I'll have a nice cast-iron-topped saw table with decent fences...

[Mark Hennessy]

I'm tempted by the Axminster TS-250 - in fact it appears that they've updated the model and there are a handful of the originals available for just £221. But until I sort the garage out, I haven't got anywhere to even store it - so despite the cost saving, I'm unable to jump on the old model at the clearance price. Pity...

[Nick]

Very well done. Any points for guessing what the original sign read? Are some letters missing?

Never replied to this - apologies!

I wish I could say that there was some hidden & secret message, but regrettably there is none

These are the only letters left, and as it happens, all my kids' initials are available - the "letter in a box" went down so well that now they all want one too...

However, like most here, I don't much like buying stuff I suspect I could make myself, so SWMBO is kindly sending me on a one-to-one neon workshop course up in Wakefield (there are almost no options for proper tuition in the UK) - I'll get a couple of days of one-to-one instruction from an expert in the workshop and learn the basics as well as making my own projects.

I've also managed to negotiate with a commercial neon sign maker in the next village down here (Wakefield is a 5 hour drive from me) for hot glass studio rental (workshop rental with all equipment and materials at cost) at a very good rate. Usefully, the UK's main wholesaler/supplier for neon manufacture parts & materials is in another local village, so it looks like I'll be making the signs myself

The cost of setting up your own hot glass studio is about £6,000, which for someone like me would be madness, but renting space & equipment at £100/day is excellent value.

[Nick]

Two new tubes (about 4 inches tall, made from 8mm glass tube) - this time, instead of a neon fill, I went with Argon + about 5mg of mercury, which gives the bright blue-white light.... you can just see the aerial of the "exciter" in the background... (that and the pattern of one of our sofas!)