More than pondering, it is doing it!
The decision was made last month to go ahead with the new Tech Shed on a Thursday morning, led by Aiden Richards. It is stillcovept dr part of Whitby Town Shed with the Wednesday Wood Shed and has the same purpose. And the purpose is to bring people together to work Shoulder to Shoulder in order to benefit from the company of others – friends. It is that which lifts people’s spirits and which they most appreciate and value. It what changes their feekings.
The digital world is just a different distraction to woodworking using different tools. The Whitby Town Shed did not want to sub-divide and put off a decision for quite a long time but they had to accept that it was not possible for them to be together in one space because of noise and dust! Primarily in fact the noise because the woodworking side has really taken off to make some very attractive garden pieces and it is difficult to maintain conversation.,
To create a better environment for the Tech Shed and the equipment, it is proposed to create an enclosure with a new stud wall alongside the wood store, stretching forward, to create a 3m x 3m working space. Not to ceiling height but to a normal room height (2.4m). There will be “kitchen unit” storage with worktops, plus table and chairs.
Take a look below.
You will note mention of cameras, the 3D printer is shown and there is a monitor. The cameras are a part of creating infrastructure to support hybrid meetings to allow housebound people to join in some of the doing that those present engage in.
Whitby Town Shed, helped by Norton Men’s Shed which is working along similar lines with digital doing, is preparing a funding bid to North Yorkshire Council for a project to move forward awareness and use of digital services, processes and tools. Not only amongst ourselves but taking it to the general community too. It will use digital tools and services but the focus of the project (working title Being As One) will not be on technology, but on the obstacles that technology may overcome in different situations. Solving problems.
One of the problems Shedders commonly have is loneliness and isolation. Acute cases are people with severe mobility problems and/or acute illness and/or maybe with no relatives/friends in regular contact. Filling time with some purpose. Housebound becomes tedium.
That’s the human problem Sheds work to help resolve in ways tailored to individual needs. We leave it there but will return to the topic in a later post.
Norton is into candalabra for a charities Summer Ball (for supporters and funders)
20 are needed to set off artisticly half of the 40 tables of 8. 3D printing half metre tall, 4 armed candalabra.
It’s a long job and Aidan has stepped up to print nuts with washers as decorative features on the bases. 80 nuts with washers. In Norton 4 other 3D printers are busy at it. To give an idea, to print one base takes 4.5 hours. In total to make one complete candalabra will take nearly 12 hours!!
Here are some of the nuts bein printed by Aidan. The design was sent on the internet from Norton.
Staithes Shed’s news about The Iron Shed
Another NE Shed is launched at Skinningrove with the help of Staithes Men’s Shed members. There is an excellent account in the June edition of “Talk of the Town” the free magazine distributed in Loftus and East Cleveland.
Whitby District Sheds in Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby Town, and Norton-on-Tees Shed, send their congratulations to Land of Iron and to Staithes Shed.
It is nearly 10 years since the dream of Sheds in North Yorkshire became a reality as Sleights Area Men’s Shed (SAMS) established in Littlebeck (opened in March 2016). In family terms SAMS was the parent, Whitby, Staithes and Robin Hood Bay were children and Norton Shed and The Iron Shed are now the grandchildren!
Sadly, SAMS closed during the Covid lockdown period so we have had a death as well as births.
There’s something to celebrate for everybody in the opening of The Iron Shed!