The Whittling Workshop

In stark contrast to my usual blogs on camping and nature, I thought it might be nice to share a little insight into my new shed workshop.

Feel free to check out my short video on Youtube

My new shed is the culmination of several weekends worth of hard graft as my wife and I toiled to re-invigorate our somewhat neglected little garden. For years it has been underused and not the most practical for our needs. Neither my wife nor I are especially green-fingered. We wanted a space in which we can relax, enjoy a fire or bbq, grow some vegetables (or at least try!) and house a new shed for my crafty endeavours!

The largest section of our garden was on a slope so the first challenge was to level it off and build in a retaining wall. Living in a small terraced house meant that this was going to be exceptionally hard work. We had to dig out several tonnes of soil and carry it through to a skip on the street at the front of our house. I couldn’t manoeuvre a wheelbarrow through the house as it’s on a split level so we had to shift this soil one bucket at a time! Sometimes, there’s no easy way to get a job done so you’ve just got to be positive and get on with it.

It took a long weekend of back breaking work to level the ground. But then we were ready to start building things back up again.

The first job was to build a retaining wall. We opted to use 8x2 inch timber for this job as my wife and I both liked the look that this would offer. It has been pressure treated and lined with a waterproof membrane so I'm hopeful that it will last a good number of years.

We then re-instated the fence and prepared the flat surface for block paving by carrying in three tonnes of hardcore. Once again this was carried through one bucket at a time!

Finally I was able to order the sand and blocks for the final flourish, and, with a little help from my brothers we completed the block paving. Oh and guess what, all the sand and blocks were carried through....yep you guessed it, one bucket at a time!!

It was really hard work but well worth the effort. I dread to think how much a tradesman would charge to do the job. 

Anyway, what of the shed? This in my opinion is the crowning glory in our garden (although I wouldn't admit that to my wife!). At 6x4 feet, it is one of the smallest sheds that you can buy, but it is a sanctuary for me to escape to when I fancy a cup of tea and a bit of quiet time whittling.  I haven't got any mains electricity in the shed and it's situated right at the back of the garden so that it's beyond the range of my wifi. I rather like the fact that I can come in here and escape technology!   



I've only got a small garden and didn't want a huge shed to dominate the landscape, the humble 6x4ft shed seemed to be the best fit for me. It only has to house me, a selection of my tools and the barbeque and I have enjoyed the challenge of creating a practical workspace out of such a small area.

The first thing I did was build the workbench across the 4ft width of the shed. For this I used some off-cuts of 8x2inch timber that I'd used to build the retaining wall. The bench is also complimented by a small off-cut of railway sleeper, this makes for a good chopping block. The workbench is, in my opinion, the most important feature of the shed, it's where I'll be doing all my work and drinking all my tea!

Next up was a shelf above the bench. Once again, I recycled another off-cut of the 8x2 timber. It's a bit heavy duty for a simple shelf, but I quite like the look of it and it didn't cost me anything. I fixed the shelf in place by making some crude brackets out of other timber off-cuts. This shelf was arguably just as important as the workbench as it is storing my tea and scotch collection. I don't drink a lot of whiskey but enjoy a wee dram of single malt every now and again.

The next feature that I built into the shed is two long 8x1inch shelves which run the length of the shed. These shelves store the bulk of my tools, organisers (containing nails, screws etc) and various sundry items that needed a home in the shed. Beneath the shelves, I am storing my barbeque and fold-up work bench (this comes in handy for the jobs that can't be done in the shed). I've also got a large toolbox which I use to store a lot of my camping stoves, pots and pans.

 

So, aside from drinking tea, what do I plan on doing in my little workshop?

I'm by no means a craftsman, but I do just enjoy trying to whittle spoons and spatulas. Sometimes they come out ok, other times they become rather elaborate pieces of kindling. One thing's for sure, each time I take on a new project, I learn heaps of new things and find the whole process very relaxing.

Aside from the whittling projects, I've also got plans to create some other things like a traditional open topped toolbox to replace my flimsy plastic toolbox. In time, I'm hoping to replace many of the plastic storage components in  my shed with hand crafted items.  

So there you have it, an introduction to my little whittling workshop. I'm looking forward to spending many an hour in here! As an aside, one of the other reasons why I felt motivated to produce this blog is because, I've recently been watching the 'Shed of the Year' series on tv. It was great to watch, but I'd argue quite strongly that many of the entrants fall well outside of my lehmans judgement on what a shed is and should be. I therefore present to you my shed based offering!