The Shed magazine October/November 2026 issue 129 on sale now
Accomplished sheddie Chris Gordon’s extensive shed work continues, but this latest project comes with a Ducatisti advisory warning: This article contains graphic images and descriptions of procedures that some Ducati fans may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
Chris wondered: with my previous projects completed, what to do next? Another motorcycle project would be good. I’d never done a café racer. The Gulf Racing livery was nice. What if I combine all of these? I say yes.
Consideration was then given to what base vehicle to use. By chance, a work colleague’s beloved 2001 Ducati ST4 Sports Tourer had recently suffered engine failure, leaving him stranded somewhere in the bowels of South Canterbury. Although the bike had been taken to a safe location, he couldn’t see a viable way forward for getting it back on the road.
It’s where?
Discussions throughout the week resulted in a deal being done, and then I was the proud owner. Slight wrinkle: it was in Woodbury, a small town just out from Geraldine, South Canterbury. A van trip south, and the bike was in my possession. During the loading of the bike in Woodbury, it became very apparent that this was a hefty beast. As I work alone, special considerations and handling techniques would be required to prevent further damage to the bike… or indeed, me.
Create a classy TV stand
This television stand has been designed for a flat-screen 32-inch television and has also been designed to be made with minimal tools, enabling the weekend warrior/hobbyist to make it in not much more than a day. You certainly do not need advanced skills to make it. To complete it in a day, the glueing up of the timber will need to be done the day before, and obviously the stain and varnish will need to be done over several days.
While I have the equipment in my home workshop to machine the timber, I want to stress that this television stand could be made in the home workshop or garage with little in the way of tools. For example, you could ask the timber yard to dress the timber for you (you might even find the sizes you require already dressed at the big shed DIY stores), and all the cutting could be done with a handsaw.
Preserving the tools of yesteryear
Collecting and preserving tools and machinery used by generations gone by is a passion and obsession for many sheddies. There’s nothing like using the shed for a restoration project on something that was made to last. Getting up close to the work of craftsmen and tools made with pride.
Our mainly rural pioneering past has meant bygone equipment is often left lying about and rusting in old farm sheds or thrown out at the tip but sometimes reverently collected and restored by people who care.
One of these is farrier Kevin Schimanski of Wanganui. A lifetime of shoeing and riding horses has kept Kevin pretty fit. Aged 78, he still shoes horses and enjoys getting into the saddle to play polo.
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