The thicknesses are determined by what plywood you can source and the thicknesses of the Aluminium tubes. Thickness is also determined by the type of bearing you source.  I've used inline skate bearings bought from Amazon for a very reasonable price.  They are countersunk into the plywood and accept an 8mm dia steel rod well.  To anyone hoping to build one of these, I wish you success. PT

I have completed a video tutorial on product design sketching and rendering by hand and photoshop.

If you want to watch the video, click -  here 

I've just finished and uploaded my youtube channel trailer, that shows via plasticine model (so its not conclusive) that once cut in half, product design is in me.  Funnily enough it was almost curtains for me whilst making this trailer, because the red paint I'd mixed up to replicate blood sprayed everywhere, miraculously missing the brand new carpet that had just been laid.  Had it hit the carpet, I might not be here to blog again, or would definitely have seen if my innards spelt product design.  Fortunately, no guts need to be spilled, it was a remarkable escape.

I haven't posted for a while, because I've had bad computer problems that I am pleased to say (touch wood) have now been fixed.  So I'd like to say a lot more stuff is on it's way, but as I've posted before, good things take time and even then, they may not be that good.  

I've been doing a bit more graphic design work for a friend who brews his own beer - The wonky shed is, as the name suggests, a shed at the bottom of his garden, that although a little lopsided, is a good place to brew beer.  The white band is so that he can write the type of brew and date on the label, so one label can be used for all sorts of beers.  It's still a work in progress, as is his beer, but hopefully both will come together soon.

I've been building a splitcane fishing rod or rather restoring an old rod I bought from Ebay (the handle is made from recycled cork salvaged from some rather enjoyable bottles of wine I have consumed over the last twelve months) it's been an interesting little project.  These days there is a clamour for new, lighter materials - carbon fibre IM6 etc, but there is something magical about six pieces of bamboo, flamed, split and shaped into triangular sections that are glued and bound so they are heaxagonal in section.  I find the material fantastic to use and look at.  We are constantly striving to make better materials with improved properties, which I'm in favour of, but there is something about many man made materials and I can't explain why, but they lack warmth. 

We are officially in summer and with the warm weather, the perennial problem of pond filtration has once again come to the fore.  Last year I posted a piece on my blog about a prototype I was working on to clear the pea soup pond in my garden to a gin clear beauty.  Following what I learn't last year, I have once again been working on a prototype to solve the problem, so far with limited results.   As I have said before, good things take time, but I wish everything would happen faster.  I guess the older you get the less patience you have and when it comes to having a clear pond my patience is waining but I'm not giving up yet.  More to follow.

I haven't posted for a while, but I would hate you to think that I have been idle.  I have been working on a few youtube videos with a friend whom I occasionally go fishing with and have created the logo for the opening sequence, from a sketch that I then traced in my old version of Freehand.  There's a few things that need tweaking, but the basics are there.