December 2009

24th: So what is Chrsitmas in South Africa like. Well if you are thinking of going down to the bookies to put a fiver on a white one forget it. You have got more chance of getting Yuri Geller to admit that he is fraud than seeing a single flake falling around these parts. If you like the feeling of stiffling heat that leaves you feeling like a sweaty old zombie, well this is the place to be.

Well here is our tree. It stand about 1.2m and is made from recycled cardboard tubes. The decorations are old magazines and the wrapping paper is old newspapers. I assure you that this is not a classical South African Tree. That would be the well known and trusted conical fir tree that is so common to these parts (plastic or real take your pick). Ornamentations also follow the trusted four cornerstones of christmass decorations; sparkly, dangly, flashing and glitzy.

15th: It would be much appreciated if you could just avert your eyes from the gorgeous bench grinder for a moment and focus your attention on the lovely pair of hexagons. As you can see they carry themselves quite well. Standing tall and uprite, the cut and snug fit of the pipes ensures that no extra support is required to maintain their perfect shape.

Progress is slow but then everything is a learning process at the moment. The jig keeps going through revisions and still I am finding that I am unhappy with it. The same with the pipe arrangements. I have been through countless ideas trying to find a system that works while minamising the number of 60 degree cuts that I have to make. The problem being that to cut this angle through a cylinder is not exactly easy.

11th: What is it? A jig I built to cut 60 and 90 degree angles in 155mm diametre cardboard pipes. Yes I was thinking of saying regaling you with some lame witisms that related to rediculus modern architectural proposals. But the facts is that it is a jig built to cut 60 and 90 degree angles in 155mm diametre cardboard pipes. And well thats about that.