Modular build project #1: Making a coal storage box

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Hello everyone. Quick point, in regards to the Domino, of course I meant vertical and not horizontal when I referenced using it. Just checking you lot knew the difference😀😂

[@elonbriar2589]

I know im asking the wrong place but does any of you know of a way to get back into an instagram account..? I somehow lost my password. I appreciate any tricks you can offer me

[@sethandy1698]

@Elon Briar instablaster =)

[@elonbriar2589]

@Seth Andy Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site through google and im trying it out atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@elonbriar2589]

@Seth Andy it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thanks so much, you saved my account !

[@sethandy1698]

@Elon Briar you are welcome :)

[@dixy1967]

Hi mate - to nail with one hand, use a dart ( flight removed) to make a hole in the felt, push the clout nails in & get yer hammer & whack em home. Or of course a bradawl. 🍺

[@Hand-i-Craft]

I’ll try a test run of this dixy, might have to set up an exclusion zone first of 50 or so yards so I don’t potentially kill anyone😂

[@frankslittleworkshop]

Nicely done Leo and a Happy New year to you (and Pam of course 😁). I made a couple of simular boxes for wood / coal and our bin bags in our garden about six years ago. Just my thoughts would be... don't give up on the roofing felt idea.. but get the "torch on" stuff. It is a little more pricey but mine has been on for six years and is still great. Also, have an overhang on the lid... otherwise you will be changing your featherboard every 5 minutes due to saturated wood. Also, if you make the overhang out of battens you can use them to hold the edges of the felt.. and you can screw them.... no hammering 😁. I have also used a breathable membrane on one of the lids... simular to yours but less plastic looking so it looks less "shiney". Either way.. a nice black flat surface is always a great target for bird crap 🤣😂. Also I too have the same workzone planer.... it is the nuts 😁. That's enough from me. Well done Leo, good job 😁👍.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Frank a and best wishes to you for the new year😀. Pretty sure I’ll end up re-doing the lid, it does overhang a couple of inches to the front, but agree it needs to at the side as well to protect the feather boards. Came home yesterday and it’d already been christened by a pigeon😐😂

[@Martins-allotment-plot]

Great vid again leo... 1 or 2 things you could of done is a overhang around the lid so water drips off and not runs under the tarp onto the top fram... maybe do same to the lid as u did the sides with featheredge but id put a slope lid on it too

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the comment Man Shed. I’m going to look at re-doing the lid I think, I did do an overhang on the front by a couple of inches for the reasons you said, but haven’t done it for the sides. My first idea was to clad the lid with feather edge like I did for the box, but chose not to after making the front and back panels and realising how heavy they were. That’s when I went to option B with the dried out felt which was a disaster, then finally the damp proof lining which works fine but looks like it’s been clad with a bin liner😂. Much appreciate the feedback, best wishes, Leo 😀

[@SMee67]

Well just look at you go, man, you're on fire! 👍🏽 You should be pretty chuffed with yourself, that turned out exceptionally well. That water proofing paint on membrane is really really good, it's what is used to waterproof bathrooms and wet areas. Maybe you can score an open used tub from someone somewhere? Classified ads, buy swap and sell on facebook, if you have it in your area, Gumtree if you have it there? surely there's got to be at least one person selling half a tub...🤔 At an awesome price of course... 😉 Awesome build, buddy. 👌🏽

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Nice one, cheers Bill. That stuff I stapled on will do for now, but will look for a more suitable long term solution like you suggested. I’ll see how much the painted membrane stuff is as think I’ll need to do something like that for the bike shed. Thanks for the comment Bill and best wishes for the new year😀

[@JamesManCave]

Well battled through there Leo, I built something similar once as a duck house. As regards the roof, how about some of that bitumen roofing sheet. It corrugated so will also aid the water to run off?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers James, I might well do that. I’ve been thinking of redoing the lid completely as I done an overhang of a few inches on the front but not on the sides so a few folk have pointed out the feather boards getting soaked. I saw those corrugated bitumen boards in the timber yard so that could well be the solution as I could just cut it a bit longer and the water would run off away from the sides! Btw really like your new opening sequence for your videos, really professional looking. Have you started your Patreon page yet?

[@JamesManCave]

@@Hand-i-Craft yes that would work really well with the over hang. I was looking at a sheet of it for a project for a friend, it's about £17 a sheet in Wickes. On the duck house I built i also added a hinged stay on the side to stop the roof falling back down when I opened it up. Thanks, it didn't cost a lot to buy that intro video, but spent hours looking at hundreds of different ones. Yea the patreon is all set up now, not gonna push it to much yet though 👍

[@1959ticktock]

You're an inspiration Leo. You've come so far since I started watching your videos. Your practical skills, with one hand, are looking much more polished (let alone the writing)

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers ticktock, feeling more confident with my left hand now. Still got a long way to go in terms of actual quality of work, but it is getting better😀. Thank you for the kind feedback once again, best wishes, Leo

[@steveobrien2227]

Nicely done; I’m looking to build something similar myself Had a suggestion that might help you out of you don’t already do it; if you can get foam board insulation in 4’x8’ by 1.5” thick panels you can put full sheets of plywood/OSB on them for cutting on sawhorses; so you don’t end up with tear out and splits at the end of the cut when it falls off- and you can work at standing height which is always a plus- just make sure you only cut a little thicker than your material so your foam board lasts longer. It’s a few dollars but working like a gentlemen is priceless.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Brilliant, thanks for the tip pal, much appreciated 😀😀👍👍

[@OfficialExcelDesignsED]

Good build, I plan on doing something similar soon.. Can I ask what happened to your hand? I understand if you'd rather not talk about it.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Excel for the comment, and no worries for asking, no problem at all. In short I was in a horrific car accident two years ago and I damaged my brachial plexus nerve in my neck / shoulder resulting in the loss of feeling / movement in my right arm from the armpit downwards. I’ve started to regain some feeling in my arm which is a great plus, and recently started to regain the slightest movements in my fingers which is even better! Was planning on an update in annual review which will contain some more info. Best wishes, Leo 😀

[@OfficialExcelDesignsED]

@@Hand-i-Craft Ah I'm sorry to hear that, but happy to hear you're feeling some improvement! Did you start woodworking before or after the accident?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Excel Designs Turned to woodworking and making stuff post accident Excel as my head was in a pretty bad place. Was suggested to me by the counsellor I was seeing to try taking up a new skill, and I came up with woodworking 🤷‍♂️. Made a huge positive difference to my life and the KZbin channel is a positive offset to that😀

[@OfficialExcelDesignsED]

@@Hand-i-Craft Amazing story!

[@OldManTony]

Great job Leo. I’ve done roofing felt with staples on smaller stuff like chicken huts. Your roofing felt would have probably been OK in summer when it was warmer. I did a similar job with a small shed I built to give me more room in my garage. So far it only has three sides and a roof. I’ll finish it when it gets warmer, but it’s already filled with a couple of bikes, some logs I’m drying out from a tree I took down and a load of plant pots.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the comment Tony. The modular build thing kind of stems from what you say, wanting to create more space in the garage. By building a bike shed, hopefully it’ll be big enough to fit Pam’s bike, the lawnmower etc in so I don’t have to take them out of the garage before I get anywhere near my workbenches. I think I’ll make a three sided frame like you say, then add doors at a later date. The garden room is more of an ambition and will largely be dictated by finances, time and my physical ability to do it. It’s something I’d love to do though

[@chicosbee]

You are an inspiration!! Thank you for this video ❤

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thank you😀😀👍👍

[@dixy1967]

Hi Leo - great vid mate. Can’t believe you northern lads are still using coal 😁. Keep em coming mate - your a true inspiration to all woodworkers 🍺

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers dixy, one day up here we might get this invention I’ve heard of called gas. In the meantime will have to manage on coal and wood😀. Hope you’re keeping well and best wishes for the new year😀😀

[@alastairwallis9499]

Hi Leo. Another good video. Nice to see someone leave their mistakes in. As we all can lean from them. i have build a small tool shed in section and it works for me. I think if you build your garden room in section that you can handle, you may use a bit more wood. But you will be able to do it on your own. Putting the cladding on the frame once it is up. Is a good idea. Planing it out and make a job list worked for me. Cheers mate

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Alastair, to be honest I think the mistakes in the video are just as important as the successes. If you’re like me I watch loads of makers on KZbin to be both entertained and to learn things. Difficult to learn how not to do something if you don’t see someone making those errors first 😀

[@designer-garb572]

Excellent job as usual, couple of thoughts, never lay timber directly onto the ground as the water will rise up and just rot the wood, even an old pallet would help, i would use a mineral felt for the top, also using large washers with your screws will stop your roof material from tearing, and one last thing when screwing it may help if you drill your first hole then put your screw in before you drill the rest of your holes as its easier to line up and keep things straight. and yes your modular idea for your garden room would work as this is pretty much how I built my workshop last year, though its no easy feat on your own let alone one handed, but im sure you will find a way, look forward to your next video and good luck.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Designer, is the mineral felt stuff pretty straight forward to fit? Is it flexible to bend around timber, unlike the rubbish dried up stuff I found! Just thinking for the roofing for when I start the bike shed, the damp proof stuff I put on the coal store will do for now, but aesthetically it looks terrible like I’ve covered the top in a bin bag😂

[@designer-garb572]

@@Hand-i-Craft Whilst the heavy-duty mineral felt is quite thick it will bend around the wood, easier in the summer obviously but you could use a hot air gun to make it easier, it is what is generally used for shed roofs, its reasonably priced and lasts for years and cuts with a Stanly knife and normally fixed with short clout nails as you press them in and they hold in place so should not pose a problem for you. but a screw and a washer would also work.

[@Figure11_Home_and_Garden]

Nice build. Maybe use the domino's in the top as well as the bottom to help with alignment, might be easier than the ratchet strap? Have you thought about Fiberglas for the top instead of felt?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Russel, I’ll definitely be doing the Domino technique you suggested for the bike shed, as you say will help a load with alignment. In regards to the top, James’ Mancave suggested the corrugated bitumen stuff that I’ve seen in the timber merchants which is reasonably priced. I was going to replace the lid as I didn’t account for an overhang on the side (did on the front) to protect the feather boards from getting soaked. I could cut a larger piece of the corrugated stuff and angle it slightly on one side so the rain water will drain off, plus I won’t have to redo the lid. I think that is the best method I’ll use at the mo, but thanks for the feedback 😀

[@Figure11_Home_and_Garden]

@@Hand-i-Craft have used that stuff on my dog run. It's good easy to cut, also has colour matched screws. However doesn't like stuff being dropped in it.

[@alasdairmackenzie515]

Welcome back, Leo! Another great example of your approach to 'making it happen' and 'getting it done'. The felt just looked very old and brittle. I don't have too much experience of it but I know it does dry out and can become impossible to use. Fresh felt would be just the ticket for this usage though. I think there's now self-adhesive stuff available - might be a lot easier for this size of roof. Looking forward to your bike shed! All the best for 2020!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Alasdair and best wishes to you for the new year. The felt stuff I tried to use was just a joke and, with the benefit of hindsight, I should have just binned it when I was cutting a piece but stupidly decided to persevere. Think when I decide for the bike shed roof, I’ll get enough to cover the coal store as well. In the meantime it looks like it’s been clad with a bin bag😂

[@alasdairmackenzie515]

Aye, well, the heavy-duty membrane will last quite a while as is.

[@negotiableaffections]

Very well done, Leo [& HappyNY btw]. Modular building? All our projects are to some extent modular, its the nature of the beast, but in your case you have [how can i put this] an 'incentive' to work methodically and considered. Wish I had the patience, I tend to rush in and have to backtrack. I'm sure that after a long build, when it gets tricky or heavy that awful little voice whispers "if only I could just...." I understand that mental hurdle, but you're a champ, m8 for kicking it in the teeth. Do you sell plans for your projects? You could have a niche with 'streamlined ' plans. BTW the more I drool over Screwfix website etc, the more I imagine all the wonderful projects I could....blablablah until I look at the prices. There are many 'roofing' options for your box, but these can be expensive, as you've discovered. If you want to look into using smaller nails or tacks, there is an upholstery hammer with a magnetic head that hold the tack while you get it started. Ok i'm waffling....all the best.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the message Keith and best wishes for the new year😀. I have got a few lid options, was thinking of redoing it as I’ve an overhang on the front but not the sides so the side feather boards are at risk of getting saturated. However James from Mancave just suggested that corrugated bitumen stuff and I know my local timber yard sells it and is quite cheap. Could attach that and cut it longer than the lid to give it the overhang on the sides. Yeah the demons still there on the shoulder sometimes, more so now on strenuous physical stuff than smaller intricate things as my left hand and arm are much better at those kind of things. Important thing for me and everyone is not to allow them to take control. Easier said than done at times, but getting there slowly 😀

[@nicholasmcvey5871]

Have you thought of using wood glue (PVA) water down to water-proof. I have done this in the past and it dries clear.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Nicholas McVey Cheers pal. What I think I’ll do is what you said to give the osb board a coating of watered down PVA then someone else suggested a sheet of that corrugated bitumen stuff that you can pick up pretty cheap from the timber yard. I could fix it on, but slightly raised at one side so the water will run off.

[@hythewoodworkdesigns]

Well done Leo, that was a very exhausting build I bet. A tip for you, if I may. If you do decide to use felt in future, round over the edges of the timber, it relieves the stress on the felt & will stop it from tearing. Other than that, it was a cracking job, well done.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Nice one, thanks Gary. I’ll need to be using some kind of roof protection in the future as I’m going to make the bike shed, and the coal box looks like it’s clad with a bin bag at the moment! 😀

[@carterscustomrods]

Thank you for putting it out there as to how tough it is psychologically to take on a "1-day project" and have it take far, far longer to do when limited physically by the loss of use of 1 arm (1 arm and leg in my case). The physical aspects are tough, sure, but the mental aspects... ooof they can destroy you, and any project you might have taken on.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Exactly mate. I think folk may empathise will the physical restrictions as they can actually see them, but don’t consider the mental health side of things. Particularly if the person was once ‘able bodied’ so things they do now which could take hours could preciously have been done in minutes. That can take its toll, and it is important to learn how to manage those mental limitations as it is the physical ones.

[@carterscustomrods]

@@Hand-i-Craft yeah, I dont blame people for not understanding things like that. It's one of those aspects that empathy cannot provide (then again, empathy is non-existent on this side of the pond lol). It's like severe physical pain... If a person has never experienced it, the cannot fathom it. Especially in current times where the "opioid crisis" has created a sense if hysteria that is reminiscent of the early 80s AIDS crisis. My mother has terminal breast cancer (traveled to lungs, liver.) and they told her to take tylenol... it's ridiculous. So to expect people to fathom what it is like to suffer, or be disabled is something they just dont get to understand... and I'm glad they do not. For they're fortunate and I wish for no one to ever understand it because they would have to experience it. Sadly, our universe is indifferent to such things, and people will always be in our situation. So I can only hope that one day they can understand without having to suffer. That's why I enjoyed your one-handed challenge. It created a path to understanding. All in all I try to remember 2 things... 1- It could *ALWAYS* be worse. And... 2- Galaxy Song by Monty Python from "The Meaning of Life" lol.

[@andrewkerr435]

like your self doin things single handidly, that sounds better in my head than what it looks in words, anyway have you come across www.clearanceshed.co.uk/smart-tool-automatic-battery-powered-auto-electric-measuring-tape-7-5m-x-25mm. There really good but not very well made, theres a flaw in the power switch. I have had a few now, my last one will stay with me longer because im using a metre rule the ones that fold for smaller measures.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Andrew. Will definitely invest in one of those at that price! As you will well know, it’s the little things like measuring / marking that are the most frustrating so anything that shortens that time will be of great help👍😀

[@rasmo243]

Well done Leo as someone else said i would have put a slight slope on the lid with a small over hang have you seen the hammers that holds a nail so you can start it without holding the nail don't think they would work with clout nails but when using roofing felt you can push them in the felt with your thumb then drive them home with a hammer great video keep them coming 😊

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Rasmo. Yeah lessons learnt on this one. All part of a bigger plan using the same design principles to build a workshop in the garden. Definitely learnt a lot in the project that will be of great help for the future

[@MikeTheMaker1]

The siding ties it together nicely.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Mike, thanks for the comment, much appreciated 😀😀

[@107248]

Leo what as the name of the big shed on a hill that are teachers taught us at school, O!!! thats it a Motte -and-Bailey Castle. I think you maybe building one of those soon . Leo you are a bloody inspiration!!! ....All the very best mate

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Charles, maybe one day my better half will come home and say ‘what’s that large mound type foundation thing popping up in the back garden’😂. Thanks for the kind comment, much appreciated 😀😀

[@driftslipandslide]

G'day mate, I subscribed to you because I bought an evolution table saw and after buying it i watched some videos on it and that's how i found your channel. Since joining your channel i thoroughly enjoy watching your work. Keep doing what youre doing, you are not only a great wood worker you're an inspiration to those that havnt got d a way to overcome their inconvenience that life has dealt them. Thank you

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Hello there Chilli Man, many thanks for your very kind words😀. I think quite a few folk ended up finding the channel through the Evolution video I did and then gone on to have a butchers at my other stuff. Since the channel started I’ve had some incredible stories from folk who’ve had a major change in their life and how, like me really, needed to find something new to stop their mind taking over with negativity. Woodworking and making things was that ‘something’ for me. If I hadn’t have found learning these new skills I dread to think where my mind would have taken me. I was in a pretty bad way both mentally and physically for a good while before I started to learn how to make a tea light holder😀. The channel was just an offshoot of that really. It was never something I intended to do from the outset, but so glad I did as it’s really help to rebuild what was a shattered self confidence. Take care Chilli Man, Leo 😀

[@craighazen3521]

In the USA we have a product called ice shield that goes under your roofing felt in the valleys. It is very flexible and has adhesive on the back.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Craig for the feedback, much appreciated 😀. I think the plan is I’m going to be building a workshop in the spring / summer time and have been researching a rubber based membrane type thing that you glue on to the roof. Hopefully I’ll have a large enough offcut to cover the coal storage bin once finished😀. In the meantime the damp course stuff is doing the job, it just looks very ugly at the moment!

[@garvielloken3929]

Ah man ! i love these vids! I'm binge watching them all

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Garviel, I’ve woken up to a quite a few more messages than I’d normally get😀😀. Cheers, Leo