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Hello folks, another week gone and I suspect one of mixed weather for all of us to raining on John in Oban to my getting a very stiff breeze up in the Pentlands today followed by a rainstorm when I was not under cover! We were having some problems up at Harlaw which I thought I had traced to severe cavitation and lack of water going through the turbine both of which should not have happened with an overtopping dam. By reducing power yesterday I was able to keep it running and when the service engineers came in today of course there was little or no noise but still not as much power. To cut a long story short once quite a few very large and decaying fish had been blasted out we are back to normal operations so I’m free for the shed tomorrow.
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While up at Harlaw on Wednesday I met up with Kenny (Gun Russell) who is one of the Friends of the Pentlands and was there doing a clean up. We had a wee chat about the shed and electric bikes!
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Iain has had a visit to a person who wants to donate us some wood and it is worth collecting. Lyall has offered to store it (hopefully short term) and I’ll arrange or liaise with Iain to get it picked up in due course. We could make use of this super new shed Allister is building but as it is not yet complete giving him extra wood for storage may not be a good idea!!
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There is a wood lathe in the same place as Iain visited which is for sale. He sent me a photo and it would make a good starter lathe for the shed as it is not fancy but very functional for straight line turning and small bowls. In fact it is a similar type to the one I started on but more modern(!). If I go with Iain to collect the wood I can give it an assessment and check what tools/accessories are with it because from experience these lathes are not easy to come by in good condition and this one is relatively local. Lathe tools are rarely available in good condition as they take a lot of wear with serious woodturners. It looks as though there is a good sturdy bench with it too. I’d like peoples comments on that plan and I will research typical second hand costs as at present I cannot find the exact model match.
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As before a tentative meet is planned for tomorrow outside the shed but keep an eye on Whats App in case this changes due to weather. If we can I propose we get the Fence sections ready for painting if not also painted, and sort out more pallets for other projects (more tepees, another playbus). I’ve got clearance for entry to Nether Currie on Friday afternoon to put the number plates on the bus (my granddaughter tells me they will be ready by then) and also to hand over a set of dominoes and I’ll do that straight after lunch. Also I’d like to take the trailer to the shed in the morning and load up the Tepees to take to Currie Primary in the afternoon. At the same time in the afternoon, but we can discuss this at the shed tomorrow, it may be worth trying to paint the place where the kitchen Stewart built is to go so that we can install it maybe the week after. Some able and willing volunteers will be required for that. All of this is with the aim of getting some clearance of finished stuff and more room to make more. The orders are building up.
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Geoff and Alastair helped me install the Playbus and Planter at Nether Currie last Friday and I had a chance to speak with Geoff about the derby track and cars. Given the situation with the scouts at present we thought that it would be a good idea if we had some cars available to go with the track (originally the scouts were going to build cars) and Geoff is going to make some cars to go with the track so that it can be presented as a unit ready to roll when the opportunity arises. Before you all shout together you and the scouts can still make your own bespoke cars once you see the finished track and its performance and meet your own wishes and specifications and perhaps he derby car regulations too!.
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On the administrative side I’ll get in touch with Lyall and Ian (the other two trustees) to see how we go about an AGM which will satisfy the Charity commissioners and ourselves and I’ll keep you all informed on that. Also some of us are (willingly) out of pocket at present until we approach Lyall for reimbursement for various materials, internet set up etc. and I will work out with him how we do that in a simple way. I’m conscious that some, like myself, are trying to use up stuff which is ‘lying about’ but where we make purchases we need to record this and while the rest is classed as donations we probably need to put a nominal value on it or offset it against donations of cash for work done. Likewise with tools donated to the shed. Lyall will have a plan to show our books to best advantage I’m sure. Also think about how we should ask for monies for things we make given that much material is donated, some by the people requesting the finished products. A suggestion by myself open for comment and refinement would be simply to ask for a donation which reflected materials we had to specifically buy for that item or items and if they wished to donate more then that would be most acceptable to us. What do others think?
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Hopefully I’ll get a chance to catch up with some of you tomorrow so I’ll close for now.
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All the best, stay safe and well.
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