The Shed 94, January — February 2021

There’s a real Triumph in the issue of The Shed and a twin-engined one at that as well as the bonus of our annual The Shed 2021 calendar.
Our cover story this issue is about a central South Island marine engineer sheddie who really is living the dream. A love of classic cars and motorbikes has seen this marine engineer buy a working garage to store and restore his own collection as well as operate it as an everyday mechanical repair garage for local customers.
Gilbert Bailey has one dream though that he hasn’t realised yet, and that’s a land speed record at Bonneville Salts Flats in the US state of Utah on his purpose-built motorbike. He has built a demon speed machine for the attempt aiming to better an existing record speed of 356.425kph. We meet the man and his awesome machines in this the summer 2021 issue of the magazine.
We welcome new writer David Montgomery to The Shed and Dave shows us how to make a unique and personalised LED clock for only a few dollars. A great gift and a possible talking point for your shed.
Geoff Lewis takes us to a knife- and axe-making school for beginners in the Waikato, the Kowhai Forge, and Emil Nye has a second crack at restoring his favourite historic instrument, a rare clavichord.
Bob Hulme gives us part two in his series of how best to use your metalworking lathe, before Nigel Young gets our appetite ready for summer with how to make a fish smoker from, wait for it … an old steel kitchen sink. This project will make you hungry for sure.
Our guide to brewing beer this issue is about cloning. How best to copy a drop you already like and recreate it yourself. Imitation can have its rewards.
In this issue’s smart home project, Enrico Miglino commences making a distinctive door security peephole, while Coen Smit walks us through fitting a handy electric winch on your 4x4 vehicle.
Jock Miller of Christchurch is a lifelong model maker and a retired professional engineer and what he doesn’t know about steel isn’t worth knowing. Ritchie Wilson meets Jock and gets some valuable knowledge on steel and its make-up and whether some manufacturers claims are all they’re cracked up to be.
Covid has changed many things for a lot of us and in this issue’s Off the Grid, Murray Grimwood figures that it’s time to be more solar powered at home. He walks us through the latest solar-power additions he has installed.
Peter Brocklehurst might have guessed he was starting something big when he gave his wife Lynda a copy of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House by Mary Stewart-Wilson. This resulted in Peter, his wife Lynda, and their children all getting involved in making doll’s houses. The results will just amaze you with their detail, finish, and accuracy. A real treat here for those who appreciate great skills.
Jude Woodside closes off the issue with trouble down on the farm. There’s fighting, sex, and death involved, so it’s a truly drama-filled read.