Ferm Prices and Screwfix.

[Eric Dockum]

Are Screwfix really cheap?

For info Gamma in Holland ( a big Dutch Shed) are selling a Ferm power saw on offer for the same price (35) in Euro's as Screwfix are charging in pounds. with the current rate of exchange that is +- 30% cheaper. I quite often find there is this order of difference between Dutch and English prices, I hlive with a leg in each country so to speak.

While this difference will not in itself pay for a ferry, if you are passing through on holiday it might be worth a look.

Have to change the plug of course.... if that will be allowed after 1 April '04 :-)

Perhaps there is a market for a DIY cruise rather than a Booze Cruise!!!

Eric.

[Andy Dingley]

I did a blacksmithing course at the weekend

favoured hammers for this are French pattern, between 2 and 4 pounds. Square faced, cross peen, but not at all like the Warrington pattern. Several handled setts etc. had also been re-forged from old hammers. The tutor buys them in bulk from French hypermarkets.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Noel Hegan]

Screwfix are by no means cheap. Certainly there are a few items / lines which do represent value. But I think the reason for Screwfixs' popularity is that they provide a good service, have very good back-up for returns/refunds etc, extensive range of products etc. In todays hectic lifestyle they offer convenience and ease of purchase. Basically a virtual "shed". Sounds familiar considering their parentage......

Rgds

Noel

noel dot hegan at virgin dot net

[Noel Hegan]

So Andy,

Much call for shoeing horses down your part of the world??? Seriously though, hear you got a real tablesaw, a nice cast iron Waddy? How you getting on with it??

Rgds

Noel

noel dot hegan at virgin dot net

[Andy Dingley]

That's farrier work - whole different deal from art blacksmithing. You don't get kicked, for one thing.

The course tutor was Peter Parkinson, author of the excellent "The Artist Blacksmith"

which was what inspired us to go in the first place. We we also staying with the Quinnells, who run the forge and gallery. Lovely people, and there was much talking of blacksmithing late into the night.

It's somewhat buggered, and I don't have the spare cash to re-motor it. The 3 -> single phase conversion used the motor from a hairdrier and it's got a lot less grunt than it could really do with. In the meantime I'm using a new thin kerf blade from CMT, which helps a lot. But it's not as stable as I'd like, and I can't use the hulking great rip blade I have. There's also some runout somewhere, but there's not much point in fixing that until I run a more stable blade.

But a 2'6" x 4' table that's the most solid thing in the workshop is a wondrous thing, and so's a fence with an accurate measure and a reliable lock. 8-)

-- Smert' spamionam

[Eric Dockum]

My order placed last Saturday "was deleted somehow" as I found out on Wednesday. . (I had received a stream of identical order acknowledgements, but nothing was delivered on Monday or Tuesday.) Had to reeorder from scratch on Wednesday, order finally arrived last Thursday. I have yet to check if I have had multiple bills!

Eric

[Bob Mannix]

you recommend any books or sites on sundial construction?

Ta,

[usenet]

Blacksmith Farrier

A blacksmith is some one who works with iron and steel, i.e. a general jobbing metalworker.

A farrier is someone skilled (and qualified) in shoeing horses. It's illegal to shoe horses in the UK unless you are a qualified and licensed farrier. You can't shoe your own horses even, nor can you even do much other work on their feet (legally) unless you are a farrier.

[Andy Dingley]

Sundials are surprisingly simple, if it's only presented in the right way. Two very approachable books are these:

Sundials and Timedials

A large format book of cut-out cardboard sundials to make. When you've finished, the centre pages fold together to make a little booklet on the theory. Superb for kids (and the publishers have a whole range of similar activity books), but good for any dialer.

Sundials

One of those little pamphlets from Shire. Less on the theory, more on the art aspects of dials other people have built.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Gnube]

Which side of the channel did you place the order?

I've only had one order go rather like that, and it was a royal pain to sort, so I made them sort it by insisting they did the re-ordering at their end. It seems that once I made it "their problem", "the problem" vanished. That said it's one order out of many, and doesn't really represent anything significant over our entire order history.

I've not been getting order/dispatch confirmations by e-mail for the last 2-3 web based orders though - wondering if there's a potential problem in the making there?

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[Bob Mannix]

Many thanks,

Bob