The Shed

The current rash of storms and mega weather events across the country has, you would think, taught us many things. One, I hope, will be an increased encouragement for the development of workshop skills in the younger generation. We must accept that the weather is in charge, not us — we are not even close — and when it is in the mood to mess with us, it can happen anywhere. Auckland, Northland, the Coromandel, Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay were the most recent victims but anywhere in the country could be next. None of us will avoid these now-annual 1 in 100-year weather events. I think it is accepted that most rural folk are ready, willing, and very able to sort a multitude of problems, think on their feet, and…

In Peter Loidl’s living room, a 1:2 scaled-down Model T Ford made from various timbers does duty as a liquor cabinet. The bonnet and trunk lift up to reveal a stash of spirit and wine bottles that have accumulated for years — they are mostly unopened, Peter tells us. He has wired up the headlights, back lights, and dashboard. He has also installed concealed colour-changing lighting where the bottles sit. There’s no drink-drive message intended; the car bar serves a functional purpose and is also an unusual decorative feature. Peter has built three of these vehicles. The second also serves as a drinks cabinet and the other, called ‘Moonshine Express’, sits in his double-garage shed. In the living area, two other cabinets display collectables and books. Peter has made them…

Peter, now 68, grew up in Austria. In his 20s he trained in hospitality, completing an apprenticeship in all aspects of the industry, with a focus on catering. After doing compulsory military service, he took off overseas, working in Germany, South Africa, Namibia, and other parts of the globe. “From there, it snowballed and I went from job to job through word of mouth,” he says. “In the hotel industry over there, you do a season and then you move on to another place, then another, so you get quite a lot of travel time and experience and you see a lot of places.” Travel broadened Peter’s horizons; he loved seeing new places and meeting people: “You learn a lot, and probably my narrow-mindedness suddenly opened up. You meet different…

Wanganui Turners and Woodcraft Group started out as a carving club in the mid ’70s, initiated by Austin Brasell from Sovereign Woodworkers. The group meets from 7.30pm until 10pm on the first, second, and last Tuesdays of the month at City College, St Hill Street, Whanganui. Skilled at all kinds of woodcraft, such as wood-turning, fretwork, intarsia, and carving, the members, who are a diverse bunch of men and a few women, welcome newcomers and will teach people from beginners onwards whatever they want to learn. The group has a stall at the Whanganui River Markets every Saturday morning. Items for sale include rolling pins; knives with wooden handles; bread, cheese, and chopping boards; spoons; goblets; ornaments; and children’s wooden toys. “The market was something we decided to do to…

Peter turns out ballpoint pens, fashioning the barrels on his lathe; bowls, such as the one pictured, made from yew and resin; and has just completed a kauri whisky bottle for a friend. He also does decorative intarsia work, using ready-made designs on contrasting timbers. Intarsia images are mosaics of wood, fitted and glued into a wooden support. He glues the design onto the wood and cuts it out with a scroll saw, using the grain of the wood to match the look of the image — for example, the eagle feathers of a design that Des gave him (see photograph). The scroll saw is made for cutting intricate designs and tight curves; a platform on which to rest the wood allows greater control while cutting. A jigsaw may also…

The National Convention of the Model Engineering Association of New Zealand (MEANZ), known this year as ‘CANMOD 2022’, was run at two Christchurch venues between 5 and 11 January 2023. Powerful vehicles towing immaculate custom trailers set out from many parts of New Zealand to deliver more than 80 model locomotives, overwhelmingly steam powered, first to the Halswell base of the Canterbury Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (CSMEE) and then, five days later, to Christchurch Live Steamers (CLS) located in the Mcleans Island Recreation Reserve. All shapes and sizes The locomotives ranged in size from small to impressively large; the largest weighed about half a ton. Even the tiniest was able to pull its driver and a couple of passengers around the track. Also present were model traction engines,…