grim_b – Linked 2 U

Recycled Logs – How to make your own

Goals

The goals are simply that each year I have a magnitude of deliveries and uses for old delivery boxes (think large online delivery types of boxes ?) which I believe could be further used instead of left for the bin collection folks.

It’s also this time of year that it gets cold (UK December) and with present wrappings, boxes and a need for heat – the idea hit me.

What do you need to make a paper log?

Cardboard (remove all non recycle stuff)
Paper (not necessary but help rid that shredding)
Sealant gun (make it a strong metal one)
Plastic “down pipe” that will fit inside sealant gun (you might be able to use a used sealant tube?)
Saw to cut pipe to length (you’re not likely to find a pipe off the shelf)
Long stick (this needs to fit inside your pipe)
Two buckets (one to make your log material and one to work in)
A kid’s pond dipping net (not completely required but helps production)
Shredder (nice to have but not needed)
Drill, small drill bit (you’ll need to make holes in the pipe to drain water)
8mm paint mixer drill bit

Alright let’s do this.

Making the press

In order to make logs we will need to compress them down into log shaped paper “snakes”.

The process is a little lengthy so to summarise; make your pipe the right length to fit into your sealant gun. Make some holes in the pipe walls to let water out and make sure you find a way to seal the open end of the pipe (I used a bit of plastic cut in a circle).

The steps to make your press

Grab your saw, sealant gun and the pipe.
Measure the pipe and cut so that it fits inside your sealant gun. Make sure to leave some room for the pipe to easily tilt into the gun as this makes loading and emptying easier.
Drill some holes in the pipe, you need loads and remember that this is where the water will mainly escape from while being pressed, so put my holes nearer the open end.
Measure and cut a round bit of plastic from somewhere so that it fits at the end of the pipe (where the sealant would come out of normally). I used an old plastic storage pot but be careful as this end will have a huge amount of pressure against it when in use.

There you have a press ready to roll.

Material preparation

Grab your paper and cardboard and “have at it”. You’re looking to reduce it down to about 3cm squares or shedded paper works a treat too.

This mass load of bits needs to then head into your material bucket with enough water to soak the lot.

Head to the kitchen and grab a drink, meal, chill out and come back tomorrow to check on the material.

Mash it and pack it

Now you have had your materials soaking for a while, whip out that paint mixer drill bit and as Bob said “stir it up”.

You’re looking for the larger pieces of cardboard to be proper “wibbly” so that when you pick one up, it holds its shape but can be easily torn.

If you had one, grab your pond dipping net and pour some of the material content through it into the second bucket. This will leave you a huge mass of wet material in your net.

Ring out the net content so the water heads back into your material bucket and empty the working bucket into the material bucket too.

“I don’t have a net” – that’s ok, I didn’t for my first run and added it later as a way to prepare (predrip) before I needed it. You can get away with pouring water from one bucket to the other with your hand stopping some of the material. It is a slow process though as the material causes a dam and the water won’t leave. Just reset and start again.

Material ready, let’s crush it!

Working in the “working bucket” place whatever end you made into the sealant gun followed by the pipe.

With the pipe leaned out of the gun at the plunger end, begin loading the pipe with material. This is why we’re doing it in the “working bucket” as it’s messy.

With the pipe full (yes you can press more in until you can’t anymore) move the pipe over into the gun so that the plunger now fits.

Press the plunger down manually with the end of the sealant gun on the bottom of your bucket. This will give you something that won’t break to push upon and you can include some sealant gun handle pumps to help the water get out.

Remember to up end the sealant gun to allow top water to drain off too if you, like me, didn’t drill holes high enough.

Crushed it! Stick it to it!

Once you have completed the press and water has mostly stopped dripping (a few good shakes and wait for drips) you can release the plunger on the sealant gun and remove your pipe.

Using your long stick, push (may need some bangs on the ground) the log out of the open end.

Now what?

Next is the big wait. The logs will take weeks to dry. This is certainly a summer task but it’s kept me warm enough.

If you make these, let me know by leaving a comment (subscribe to the newsletter to comment) and let’s have a chat about your experiences.

Stay well all ???

New propeller!

As it turns out, the propeller on Phoenix wasn’t the one that was on her when she was taken into the boat yard to have her cabin built – some decade or so ago!

Thieving bar-stewards!

Replacing a propeller

There is a huge amount of gathering sizes of propeller shaft, the pitch of the blades, the shaft keyway size etc.

In order to get all that type of information, you either need a diver mechanic or a dock / slipway to be able to dismantle the existing gear to get the information. I was able to get into a dry dock and we were able to determine that the issue Phoenix had with knocking appeared to be due to the fact the propeller wasn’t done up tight.

It appears that someone took the original fitted propeller and replaced it with one which the nut didn’t butt up to. So they put the pin in and left it as was.

Gutted by the discovery and explains some drive issues we have always had with phoenix.

https://youtu.be/bhjFYJ1_yJs

Ordering a replacement

Replacement propellers are possible but advice is normally to replace the shaft and propeller to ensure perfect fit (quite key when rotating thousands of times a minute).

There are specialist engineering workshops that make these propellers to your specifications.

The new propeller is simply (some force required and a bearing puller is helpful) to remove the old one.

Then it’s a case of simply putting the new propeller on and bolting it on with the nut.

A new split pin was inserted and bent over to ensure the nut cannot undo and it was done.

A 20 minute job and very satisfying to know you’re now get 18 inches per rotation instead of 10!

Cleaning the Propeller

Cleaning the propeller was a case of fitting a wire brush bit to an electric drill and grinding away the built up muck.

I’m not sure what sort of muck it was but it was stubborn and wasn’t coming off easily.

If I was to repeat this job in the future I would look into something to soak the propeller in first as I performed this clean up with everything completely dry (a few weeks of sun baking dry).

Job done

After a couple of hours of work, the propeller looked good and was taken for resale.

The cleaned propeller – messy job that one.

Lessons learned

Propeller cleaning is actually quite therapeutic as you can instantly see the hard work paying off.

Good PPE is required though! The dust generated by this work is “flour” like. It travels and sits on everything like household dust but you generate so much of it that you need to make sure you’re working somewhere outside or very well ventilated – do not breath the stuff!

Select a space that, if you’re cleaning up afterwards, is conducive of sweeping.

The dust goes everywhere mainly because of the drill spitting dust off the propeller or air from the drill blowing dust.

Alternatively to a drill, a wire brush can be used which will reduce dust but would increase time to complete the work.

Conclusion

Cleaning a propeller up is as easy or as hard as you make it really.

If I was doing it again, I’d look to soaking the propeller in something for sure as this must make cleaning that little bit easier and would probably reduce dust creation too.

If I was a “on a scale of 1 to 10” person, then I would say that due to the removal and therein struggles and work, this is definitely above a 5 ?

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Comments or questions welcome.

Stay safe and well all ??

Propulsion, propeller, problem

There’s a knock!

Over the past month or so, I have been out on Phoenix (The electric Narrowboat – do keep up) and on the last return voyage, I noticed the “normal” knock was getting louder.

This is a concern but probably never heard if an engine is installed on your boat but all new knocking noises are really apparent in an electric drive situation.

Mainly because there isn’t that ongoing, constant peace killing, thumping diesel or other engine involved. So the upshot is that if the tap starts dripping or, like now, a rotating knock is heard, then you can stop earlier and check things out.

It does though create a huge paranoia though as you begin to think that if *anything* is causing friction on the propeller shaft then the batteries and motor are having to work harder potentially and in doing so, reducing the distance you can travel on that charge.

Its a juggling game of movement and power

Due to the nature of the beast, Phoenix uses large amounts of battery power to move.

She currently has five 12v batteries that are linked together to create 60v for driving her. These batteries are not light as they are not your normal car batteries (Think industrial use like London Buses etc) and they are designed to take the harsh environment they find themselves in and the random but regular demands on them.

In order to move Phoenix, these batteries need to be charged up and this is something of a talking point for others and I as there are two types of electric boats. One uses a dual drive system that allows the captain to choose either a diesel engine or an electric motor to turn the propeller shaft (using complicated clutch mechanicals) or they are motor only with a diesel generator to charge batteries while not it use.

I, personally, like the second type as that is what Phoenix is. She drives on her main drive batteries and they’re charged via the generator when we are moored up (and Phoenix occupants can go for a walk).

What this means is that Phoenix will run completely silent (ok, there is water noise and the whirring of the motor and gear) until she needs to stop for charge.

If, we travel for 5 or 6 hours (depending on lock numbers etc) then she will need charging for about 8 hours with the current charging systems in place.

6 hours moving, 8 hours stopped?

It isn’t an exact science. The factors are huge. For arguments sake, you have a non-flowing (i.e canal not river) and you want to travel, then you can do that for 6 – 9 hours but, should there be a flow against you or if there are times when your propeller drives “through something” then your 9 hours drops as the motor and batteries work harder. It kind of adds to the excitement of narrowboating as I don’t always know or can guarantee that Phoenix will make it to a point on the map regardless of how many daylight hours are left. Which is a change from the normal engine boats.

So, the solution is to move as far as you want and leave some charge in the batteries. No one said that canal journeys need to be from one village to the next or the one after. Its about travelling along and enjoying the scenery and the environment itself.

Once, I decide where and when Phoenix and I will stop, I power Phoenix drive down and isolate all the batteries (they have handy twist knobs on the batteries to do this) and I hook up the chargers to the generator and start it up.

This is the only time that Phoenix is making any engine noise. Once the generator is on, it is possible to watch TV or listen to music on the front without having to listen to the generator. There is also the opportunity to go for a walk or just only charge for a an hour or so. Then chill out enjoying where you are in silence again.

Your Boat stinks, it is noisy and pollutes our planet!

This whole debate on if its better to travel silent and then make noise at the mooring is ongoing but as far as I can see it, a “normal” diesel powered craft is mostly in idle the entire time it is on. This is hugely inefficient as diesels burn much larger amounts of diesel in idle (4-9Mpg, yes 4 miles per gallon!) and yet they will do this for decades with maintenance.

The electric drive solution on Phoenix means that I can travel and listen to the birds, the crew can hear me and I can hear them. Coffee orders are never missed 🙂

Most importantly though, Phoenix uses a diesel generator that because of its job runs at a much much higher rev range than the average diesel powered narrowboat and as such it actually more fuel efficient.

To the Future and Beyond!

The future for Phoenix is new batteries and much more wiring works to get her to a fully turnkey solution.

The generator currently lives on deck but that will change soon and I’m excited for that to happen now.

Hopefully the knocking on the propeller is an easy and quick fix but I’ll document as much as I can.

What do you think the knock is in the video?

Do you own a narrowboat or have experience in this field?

A trip on an electric Narrowboat ?

Recently there was a 92nd Birthday in the family. (Happy Birthday Nan!)

Previously on my maiden single handed trip to Hungerford, I had set up a camera on the front of the boat and had intended on just seeing what sort of things it would see (as I’d be at the back driving and doing the locks etc).

Then it turned out that my wife’s Nan would probably enjoy seeing the footage as part of her 92nd Birthday party coming up.

That’s far too long babe!

So my wife exclaimed when I said I had a couple of hours footage across two days and a few locks.

So the editor came out and I set about the trimming session.

You can only use what you have

More importantly, you can only use that which you pay for and in my world, I’m bottom of the spend list so I run Linux on an old notebook type of laptop.

My android phone comes into it’s own with video editing too as I can add text and other cool modifications to the videos too.

The finished video

The editing process isn’t very complicated but a 6 minute video takes upwards of 3 hours to cut down from 2 hours.

The camera I used was recording and saving every 5 mins of video, so there were lots of separate videos.

The software used on Linux was OpenShot and this lets you import your videos and place them on the timeline with effects and other tweaks.

Much of the travelling shots are sped up by 4 times and this removes the sound. However there are plans to make more videos but that’ll be later this year probably.

Once the video is cut down and I’m happy with the length and content. I can move it onto the phone. This is a laborious task as the notebook needs to convert / export it’s finished video and that takes around 3 hours to complete.

Once the OpenShot video is on the phone (USB transfer is still slow but works), I can then open into a video making software and add text to the video and any other details I need.

Stick it online

Once I am as happy as I’ll be or have just lost the will to continue, I upload the video to YouTube.

Once in YouTube, the video is scanned for copyright infringement and is available to view.

I scroll through the video and pick a presentable cover / title screen as this is what viewers will see as the “thumbnail” for the video and start telling people it’s online via Facebook and other social media.

Its online!

Once I have done all the above, I go about writing a short blog entry about the subject too (just like this one).

Having videos online is a mixed bag of “how many people have seen it today?” and “maybe it could do with music”, through to “They said they watched it and liked it!” Type of wonderment but overall, it’s nice seeing that little “viewed” figure climb over time and knowing someone else may have enjoyed it too.

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Fitted, tested – Victron solar solution (DIY)

Reminder of the 4 panels (already installed)

It all came together

The regular readers here will already know that I (we, that’s my dad in the photo) have been installing a solar solution to recharge and maintain my planned huge 12v battery.

There was a plan and then another plan, then finally it was a case of “push came to shove” as the need to generate some power while out on the cut and not rely solely on the generator became a necessity.

Today the plan was to connect up the solar panels to each other (in parallel), install the cut off switch, the charge controller, connect the 4 12v batteries together in parallel and some minor electrical cable routing with switch installation. Phew. Might be asking a bit here…

Can it be that simple?

I have had about a week to work on the theory side of this project. I spent some time emailing the great contact I was lucky enough to be put in touch with via a family marine mechanical engineer (check out D H Crouch on YouTube).

With the contact’s patience and understanding, I felt ready to install this new equipment.

You’ll recall that I generally know about woodworking and other IT based tech but the whole concept of batteries and environmental generated electricity is so far out of my comfort zone that I sometimes wonder what’s wrong with me.

Ahead – nonetheless

I started off the day with a “simple” goal. I needed to extend and hide the cable that powers Phoenix security camera and install a manual switch to power it off when I was there. I got bored of the boat emailing me pictures of myself so this became a priority as it draws its power from the “house battery” and is wired in with the stereo feed. So an isolating switch was called for.

What I thought was going to be a simple case of making a small hole in the face panel and dropping a cable down to where I wanted the switch to be, well, it became a 2 hour argument with friction and some tiny amount of drilling and soldering.

The end result was met and I celebrated with a well earned coffee.

He comes to the rescue and brings the bits too

Once my dad arrived with the interconnect cables he had made up for the solar panels and the battery interlinks, we set about getting on with it.

Well, Dad did, I had to attend a work meeting but it was ok as he took some time to work out the “plan of action”.

Once I was available, we hooked up the solar to the new cables and linked the batteries as planned.

The final tests

Once the “battery” was linked and solar linked, we set about test connections to see what the system would do when hooked it all together.

The battery was hooked up first (as per the manual) to the trip switch (reusable fuse?)

Looks like a red spider and black spider had a fight?

Ok, so the wiring does leave a lot to be desired but equally, the area isn’t seen but needs cable length as the cupboard its behind moves out to allow for access under the front well.

some of the wires will be tied up and out of the way and others used for other equipment but generally it is getting there.

an example of the Victron controller Bluetooth data

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Solar installed, yet to be connected up.

Phoenix now has 4 shiny new solar panels upon her roof.

just one of the new solar panels. This one is having its bracket fitted.

The plan continues

The day started slow but once the nicely fashioned aluminium brackets had been attached to each panel, I started the layout of them.

Initially I had planned to put three panels across the roof and the forth along the roof.

All panels needed to go towards the front (bow) end as I use the centre rope lots when travelling alone. Jumping on and off with just a back (stern) rope is a pain as you’ve only got the one end at hand. Once the back is in, the front wants to go out. The middle rope is ideal as it just pulls it all over at once.

The single centre rope is a boon when working the locks alone too as I can walk the open gate whilst slowing the boat and by the time I’ve entered the lock, I’m ready to push the gate shut (dual gated locks).

Anyways, so the new panels needed the brackets installed on the panel and then holes marked with them for the roof to be drilled and tapped to take some bolts.

The bolts are actually hex head m5 bolts and they have been glued in with some waterproof gorilla glue (it expands and should be fine).

The panels are yet to be wired into the boat electric system but progress has been made nonetheless.

The installed panels

As you can see from the last photo, there was going to be enough room to have all 4 panels side by side.

They needed to go on the one side as I wanted to be able to get from back to front of needed and visa versa.

I have spent some time now working locks alone and this decision was made with first hand experience.

The work being done, so far, has meant that over the next few days, Phoenix should be generating her own power from the environment. How green are we actually going with this boat? ?

panels installed! You can see a ‘Y’ connector on the roof (used for linking 2 cables to 1).

In the image above, you can see my dad and he is looking at the entry point for the solar cabling into the front of the boat.

What’s next?

Next is connecting up the 4 12v batteries into 1 big 12v battery.

Then it’s the hookup work. That will involve connecting the large battery first to the charge controller (via a fuse) and then the solar into the controller too.

Then finally, I will be able to see what all the fuss is about solar (in the UK no less).

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From shore to land, back again and repeat.

The solar arrived for Phoenix (4 115w victron panels and various “make it work” stuff).

up front (where tyre and plank are) will be solar location.

The Plan!

The plan is simple. After some long discussions with various people, it seems that the super solar will most likely be used to charge the huge 12v service battery (4 x 12v 92ah) and will hopefully mean that there won’t be such a concern for charging those then.

With a massive 328Ah to hand, I will be able to recharge my laptop and other bits and pieces via an inverter or direct 12v.

I’m yet to work out the maths but I think the amount of amp hours will be plenty to watch TV for hours or check the internet for weather and local information etc.

the 4 12v batteries that will be linked.

To recap

There will be 4 X solar panels connected in parallel (pos to pos, neg to neg) and connected to a charge controller.

This controller is first connected to the large 12v battery via an inline breaker fuse.

Phoenix will enjoy free entertainment (stereo, tv), an internet connection with raspberry pi security camera.

Future plans

The future is looking lithium battery for the drive. This will be installed in unison with the existing batteries for drive.

This will allow much further range but also hopefully a way to recharge quicker.

There is a plan bubbling away to have the raspberry pi to monitor and turn on a light (low power led) as nights draw in.

This will give Phoenix the appearance that someone is home and recharge during the daylight hours.

It may even be an Arduino setup yet but more thought is required on that yet ?

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A change is afoot

So, as you know by now, this website was created to link people together and provide helpful little interesting information etc.

I wanted it to provide a place to go and have a short read on things that might be of interest or could prove useful for you the reader 🙂

I started strongly and posted a few blog entries but things in life took a turn and I now find myself afloat on the Kennet and Avon river / canal system.

While that particular story is long, complicated and full of injustices, I won’t detail it but sufficed to say – I am now a “water gypsy” aboard our family boat “Phoenix”.

What’s Phoenix?

Phoenix is a 37 foot narrowboat that we have owned for a decade or two now.

The original boat was called “Jade” and started life in 1972 as a hire craft. Yes, that meant that she spent most of her time either moored up doing nothing or was being bashed from pillar to post by some under experienced holiday boaters.

After her career as a holiday boat, she was sold on and eventually became someone’s home for a spell.

Sadly, as the story goes, the owner pulled up to a pub and went inside for his daily “rest”.

Little did he know that just before he arrived and moored up, the boat in the mooring spot before him captain had already been in the pub and started an argument. The argument ended and the boat left.

“Jade” was wrongly identified as the boat the argumentative captain was on and someone smashed her window and threw in a lit petrol can.

At the time, “Jade”, her owner and his dog were living aboard but only the dog was aboard during the fire. Happily, the dog jumped out the broken window to safety but “Jade” didn’t fair as well.

Due to the costs involved in making a narrowboat, “Jade” was fiberglass from the gunwales up (The bit folks walk on) and sadly after multiple gas can explosions on the boat, she was completed topless and full of burnt history when my Father purchased her.

Over the years we have seen her given a new roof and she was renamed to “phoenix” as it was the most fitting name for a boat reborn from flames.

Another important decision made was to make Phoenix an electric drive vehicle and we have spent much time and effort (mostly my Father as he is an amazing mechanical engineer) and she now travels mostly silently until she needs to regenerate electricity.

The generation process currently is a huge diesel generator that has to be run to put charge back in the drive batteries but it is without a doubt the most enjoyable way to travel on water.

What’s the plan?

The plan is simple. In order to reduce the amount of time to regen the electrics, solar has been ordered and should be being fitted over the next couple of weeks.

This solar power will trickle in and put charge back into the batteries while in daylight so this will help during the summer months.

So far, Phoenix and I have been from Newbury to Hungerford and I am hoping that this will extend as more power can be generated.

Down sides

The biggest downside to an electric boat is range. As with all electric vehicles, the recharge process is the bit that takes the longest time but as technology improves it is getting better.

There is no fridge really. That causes the odd visitor a bit of an issue if they like milk in their coffee or tea as I don’t currently have a reliable way to run the fridge yet. As my Father says “A fridge on battery is just a short circuited battery and that wont last long” He is right and even with a more efficient fridge, the power still needs to come from somewhere.

Post Conclusion

The idea of living aboard a narrowboat and changing your view whenever you like is a powerful draw but the practicality of emptying porta-loos, finding a water supply and the work required to get to these things (not to mention shops etc) isn’t as simple as it would be by road etc.

I AM SUPREMELY LUCKY! to have a wonderful family to support me and not a day goes by without them being heard in my heart and thoughts.

5 Tips for working from home

Not really working here but working on this blog page

Hi everyone!

So you’re all trapped in your houses and trying to present a professional and “normal” service?

This method of working had only crossed your mind in your wildest dreams or nightmares right?

Well I’ve been doing this for years with the work I perform (remote webex configurations or newly install appliance products, normally in remote customer datacentres).

However while my role allows for a scheduled nature and means sitting for hours in front of a laptop, my role isn’t made any different by being at home, a boat, back garden shed or in the office because I’ve adopted certain methods of working.

I wanted to share some to help anyone else and I’m sure many others can share theirs too.

Tip 1: You’re the company.

Not the office, not the fancy clothes, not the new haircut – your skills.

You’re where you are today because you do a great job, you’re motivated and you’re really appreciated.

Yes, if you’re in a video conference – be clothed 🙂

However, generally I try to make sure that I’m not sat next to the doorbell and other loud noises as this, while acceptable mostly, isn’t great if you actually need to hear others.

Tip 2: You have a laptop right?

However health and safety says you shouldn’t sit in front of a laptop for too long as it can cause many nasty things (headaches, back ache, neck ache – the list is horrid) and this forms much of your workstation safety training but they didn’t expect you to only be able to work on the laptop right?

So while the company offers you a screen and other docking station items, your aim shouldn’t be to recreate a place to sit and stare at your screen(s).

I do a generally solitary role (as do my colleagues) but I also need to be seated for up to 5 hours while in a webex with customers.

To this end, if I’m not actively engaged in using the laptop, I’m away from my “desk”.

This means that I can go do other things while monitoring for emails and other items like Instant Messages etc.

Tip 3: Tech is your friend.

However it is only a bunch of tools. Just like any other job (plumber, electrician etc) so you need to think like that about them.

Many company documents are public and online, so use your own favourite tech to check websites and get away from that laptop ?‍?

Here’s a list of tools and how they can be used:

Laptop – webex, business system access (VPN, VOIP etc). If you don’t have a company mobile, substitute laptop for mobile from here on in and remember – your laptop has a battery, is just a bigger phone and moves too.

Mobile phone (if you have a company one) – email, instant messaging, calls, texts, photo sharing (basically everything a laptop does except VPN / Business system).

Wifi: during this time, your home wifi will be contended by every home schooled game console owning child in your region AND everyone’s business traffic.This is seen throughout the world but mainly seems to be functioning.

I strongly recommend getting a MyFi device (a wifi providing mobile internet (3/4/5G) device) as this will allow you to “drop off” the home network and potentially get around contention issues. You’ll appreciate it much more when lockdown ends and you can sail off using it and still be “working from home”.

If you have a good enough personal mobile phone and package, you can generally get by with 30GB a month data sharing on your phone.

Basically, enable your phone’s hotspot and connect your laptop (make sure to be mindful of your data use and most mobile providers have an app to monitor that).

Headset – probably one of the most used items in your work from home arsenal and you can utilise it in ways you probably haven’t thought of.

As an example. Some headsets now come with the ability to connect to two Bluetooth sources at the same time.

This is great news for the home working masses.

If you’re using your laptop then the headset appears like a normal tool for calls etc. However, also connect it to a music source or tv and watch / listen to music.

When the laptop gets an email, it’ll break the audio and tell you.

Tip 4: Plan to take breaks.

In the office you may have written an email, sent it and got up to get a coffee. Stopping in on your helpful coworker for a quick “hey! You ok?” Type of conversation.

Well you don’t have the coworker now to stop by but you can get up, get coffee, take a quick look at what’s for the next meal, make a list of groceries and then get back to your work.

Taking regular breaks will help you stay mentally healthy. Moving will pump blood, your eyes will need to refocus on different distances and you have got a “home task” started or done.

Tip 5: Loneliness

You’re not really alone. Everyone is pretty much in the same state at the moment – globally.

So accept that things will potentially drop through the cracks, the boss won’t say hello for days, the coworkers that make coffees and teas together with aren’t about.

This is sad if you’re missing these things. However there are things you can do to reduce this.

Make use of, create or just make a pack with your coworkers that you’ll all check in daily (maybe even more than once a day) and stick to it.

Routine is the key here. We all need to be available at the times we normally keep but we can and should make time to have those little chats to coworkers too.

They only need to be the sort of things like “what are you doing?” and the answer doesn’t always need to be work related – it wouldn’t in the office? “I’ve been watching boxsets, working out and making my next shopping list” should be perfectly acceptable too right?

Conclusion

The whole world is with you.

You’re not alone.

You have the tools to be magnificent in times of upheaval but the company NEEDS you to be healthy, happy and customers feel the same.

Yes there are pressures to solve this, research that, tests to run, diagnoses and resolutions to be had.

None of them matter if YOU aren’t ok.

To end, I just want to share my work methods with you via an example day in my role:

I work, as I said, in configuration, installation and some hardware upgrades on a scheduled basis.I’m in a proactive role, not a reactive one so some things will seem odd to the reactive crowd.

I generally work 7.5 hours a day.

I “start” at 7am most days (I’m actually blessed by knowing what the next days schedule is before I sign off each day) and so I’m up and dressed with a coffee in hand by then.

The first tool I pick up is my company mobile (which has been charging all night) and sit at the breakfast table while check my email and calendar for the days events.

I boot my laptop, sign in and open the applications I need for the day (normally a pdf or two, business system and email). I may not need them just yet but they’re then plugged in and left (locked) until I need the laptop.

Once breakfast is done (general conversations with other lockdownees), I respond to any emails I need via my phone and connect my headset to my company mobile and my personal mobile.

I will then go about my day to day routine, work, housework, work, respond to IM etc while listening to either music, learning a skill online or something else on my personal phone.

As I explained before, I am still fully available at all times and because the notifications come from my work phone to the headset, I have no troubles.

With regards to my wife who also works at home now, my step son playing d&d, when not working or college work and my step daughter shouting at the latest YouTube craze – I find a place to work and have done now for circa 10 years (both current role and previous).

Remember; boring people get bored.

Outside of this, I found that if I find a hobby, I’d be happier. In this lockdown world, I found that making a website and YouTube videos gives me entertainment of an evening and I welcome you to join in www.linked2u.co.uk where I’ve been making and filming / blogging various hobbies I’ve tried out.

Stay safe and well all!

Blue Tit Nest Box Offcuts Project

The Blue Tit Nest Box

“I need a new box for my Tits to go in”
she said. She meant the blue tits that live in her current nest box.

“Ok”. “I need projects for my blog and YouTube channel”.
I said.

So here we are. Needing to make a nest box and not knowing what’s best for the type of birds were looking to house.

If you’re in a rush, skip to the end to see the “Make your own” section.

The homework

First stop was www.bto.org as they were providing a worksheet on the Blue Tit and making a nest box. Perfect as while I could draw a nest box, work out dimensions best for the target bird etc but seeing as it’s all done, I’ll credit bto.org and use theirs ?

Lessons learned from first YouTube video

I’m my first video, I had recorded 2.5 hours of build time which I had to shoehorn into 10 minutes. This wasn’t easy as I had lots on footage that really needed more time to show the viewer what was actually being done.

Much of the edit process requires speed changing of each video to make sure that the segment doesn’t draw out and get boring.
A cool thing I found is that with an Apple iPad or iPhone, you can use Bluetooth headphones to start and stop the recording. This is brilliant for doing something or staging and then hitting record and stop.

I found it equally time-consuming if you record multiple videos (Bluetooth start and stop to reduce editing) or longer videos that you then need to trim down, sometimes even cut out the bit when you ran away to find a clamp for a second or two. All that procrastination cost you in the edit room.

Filming Tips

Another good tip is make sure power is available to keep the recording running and much more importantly, check your data storage.

I was happily recording this video, pressing my Bluetooth button and filming the next part. However, I couldn’t see the screen of the iPad and it had run out of storage! AHH! Make sure you monitor this.

The iPad is years old and has photos and videos on it from a 13 year old girl that likes to re-enact the randomness she sees on YouTube. I’d like to see the parody of my videos ?

From then on, I’d record some and then upload it via USB to my laptop. This seemed to be ok as I just did this when having a break.

Making the box itself

I tried to show in the video that I had a worksheet from bto.org and some 12mm offcuts of hardwood ply.

Typically (according to instructions) the box should be made with 15mm as a minimum but this is an offcuts project. To hand will do.

Common sense suggests that ply won’t last long in our UK climate but I don’t mind if the birds don’t for a year.

Besides some good quality outdoor varnish should protect it from the worst of UK weather.

Marking out

The first actual making step is to mark out the dimensions of each piece on the wood. So looking at the diagram and cutting list, I could see it was all 150mm, so I set about marking the two offcuts I had to 150mm.

These were then cut on the table saw and left me 6 X 150mm wide boards. Each of these boards had a job and currently they were all 300mm long.

I marked out the roof, bottom, top, back and the sides. The sides are angles so I’d need to use a mitre to cut them on my table saw.

I like to draw all my marking lines through. By this I mean join them from one mark to the other and create a visual line. This isn’t needed on a table saw but I use it an additional safety feature as if the line is t passing through the blade correctly, I can see at that line. This provides the option of glancing from fence to cut line and means mistakes can be avoided.

Once all the parts were marked, I set to cutting them. Each one needed the fence moving between each cut but the marks I made on each meant that lining up the line with the blade while butted up to the fence was easy and quick.

Once all were cut, I did a dry run assembly. There aren’t any tricky joinery or fixings on this project but it does call for a “notch” to be made in the back part.

The notch is to receive the edge of the roof when closed. This means that any water will run down the roof and off instead of pooling and rotting the wood / making nest wet.

Making the notch

While I had the box assembly together, I marked were the roof would sit. Then using those marks, I set my table saw depth .5mm high and ran the back over the saw a few times to the 12mm roof thickness.

After checking the assembly again, I set about pre-drilling some holes for the screws in the front, sides, back and bottom. The bottom needs some drainage holes, so I drilled these too. The roof isn’t attached at this point.

I also made a 25mm hole close to the top of the front and at least 120mm from the box bottom. This will help mum and dad keep the kids in.

The hole size is to keep larger Tits and other birds out. A larger hole can be used but less likely to be used by blue tits as they get evicted.

It’s nearly done

Once I had attached all the parts, I then needed to work out how to attach the roof.

The instructions say using rubber is a good idea and I agree but I don’t stock much rubber ?

We do have some old leather that was a sofa covering. I stripped the leather off before I disposed of the sofa some time ago. I only needed a few strips.

On with the hinges!

I cut a piece of leather which was long enough to have 15mm on the back and 25mm on the roof, creating a hinge. The hinge is fixed with expanding glue and also screwed down with short screws. I had to pre-drill holes in the leather as the screws made the leather twist in ugly ways. Left to dry, it seems to work fine.

The finish

To finish this project off, I wanted to give the wood some varnish. It’s important only cover the outside of the box as the inside needs to remain natural as possible. We don’t paint our cots (cribs) in lead paint, so we don’t put chemicals near baby birds ? simple.

Ok, so now it’s done. It’ll be off to its new home sometime soon but maybe next year, it’ll see a young family.

Make your own

To make this project you will need the following:

Some wood of 15mm(or more) X 150mm X 1170mm.
The “Blue Tit Nest Box” from www.bto.org
Something to cut boards (tablesaw, chopsaw, handsaw, router, jigsaw, hand saw)
Something to cut notch for roof (tablesaw, chopsaw, chisel, router, a sharp knife? Etc)
Glue
Screws (lengths varied on my project but looking to not go through walls of wood).
Leather (of small hinges or rubber).
Some protective paint or stain for exterior.
Approximately 1.5 hours not including glue and varnish dry time.

Please let me know if you build this, if you have any suggestions on the blog here or the video.

What would you like to see made with offcuts?

Do you think the birds will like this new home?

Comments welcome here, on YouTube and on the Facebook page, so don’t be shy.

Stay safe all! ???