Hi All, For a number of years now, I have been using SketchUp as my go to tool for designing anything I want to build that is at all complicated.  SketchUp is a 3D modelling software package that is easy to use (by 3Dmodelling standards) and powerful enough to be a great help in sorting out the bugs in my initial designs.  It will also give me a lot of good info about the finished design and helps me workout if it can be made the way I want to make it. A number of people have shown an interest in getting started with SketchUp, so I have put together a quick and dirty introduction to SketchUp and how I use it.  I plan to run this over two sessions of around 2 hours each.  The first session will be run on Saturday March 25th at 2.0pm and the second on the following Saturday at the same time.  There will be a limit of 20 attendees for the sessions, so please purchase a free ticket if you are interested in attending.

All Members who intend to be part of the Woodworking Group will need to complete this Power Tools Induction Training. There is a once off Cost of $10 for this Training Course, which can be paid when you purchase a ticket. There will be a maximum of 3 persons for each Training Session.  If after booking, for some reason you cannot attend the training, please advise the Woodworking Team Lead, Michael Cahill on 0459062090 as soon as possible, so we can arrange another session for you. The successful completion of the Red Dot Training is a pre-requisiste to booking the Blue Dot Woodwork Machinery Course. Once you have completed this Training, your Membership Badge will updated to show a Red Dot and enable you to undertake any projects in the Main Workshop that utilise only Power Tools. 

Woodworking Machinery Induction (Blue Dot) – Phases 1 & 2 All Members who wish to use the woodworking machinery in the Machine Room will need to complete Phase 1 & Phase 2 of the Woodworking Machinery Induction Training. Please Note that Members must have completed the Red Dot course before enrolling in this Blue Dot course? This Course will be conducted in two Phases over two consecutive weeks (9am - 11am) so you must be able to commit to both sessions before purchasing a ticket. Each Phase will be approximately a two hour duration. There will be a maximum of 3 persons for each Session. The Cost of this course (for both Phases) is $20.  If after booking, for some reason you cannot attend the training, please advise the Woodworking Team Lead, Michael Cahill on 0459062090 as soon as possible, so we can arrange another session for you.  If you cancel or are a “no show” on the day you will lose your $20 fee so please, only book if you can commit to the two consecutive weeks. Payments can be made online by secure credit card.  Once you have completed both phases of the Woodworking Machinery Induction your Membership Badge will be updated to replace the Red Dot with a Blue Dot.  This will reflect that you have completed all the necessary Woodworking Training and are ready to undertake any Woodworking projects in the Shed. 

Want to learn how to design cnc projects and run them on the cnc router? John Hassell will be running a two part introductory course for those interested in CNC routing. This course will give you some insight into the potential of cnc routing in woodworking projects. The course will be run over two consecutive Saturday morning sessions. The first Saturday session on March 18th will be an introduction to VCarve Pro, the CAD software used to design cnc projects. The second Saturday session on March25th will be a practical session on the cnc  router. In the first session we will work through a simple name plate design in VCarve Pro step by step, and in the second session we will look at how to set up and machine your project . To participate in this course you will need:- 1. Reasonable computer literacy. 2. A Windows laptop computer and mouse. Sorry, VCarve Pro will not run on an Apple computer. 3. A functioning copy of VCarve Pro Trial Edition installed on your laptop. This can be downloaded from https://www.vectric.com/support/makerspace-sign-up Make sure you just download and install V11.0 not V11.5 4. A piece of MDF or pine roughly 350 mm x 50 mm x 15 mm The course is free, but you will need to take a ticket as we limit numbers to the first 10 persons. See you there. John Hassell CNC Router Group  

Hi Sheddies, Thank you so much for volunteering for the recent bike count. Our Shed provided 8 volunteers and as per my previous email, the Shed would like to thank you for your contribution. I would consequently like to invite you an afternoon casual get together at the Shed this Friday We will have some light drinks and food and the opportunity to socialise with your fellow Sheddies. If you can make it along, please get a ticket so I can have some idea of numbers for catering purposes. If you can’t make it along, then please know that your contribution is much appreciated and we look forward to your support next time there is a bike count. I believe the next count is in November. Best regards Peter Panek President

The next stop on our culinary trip around the World will be in Morocco. Chef Michael Henderson recently visited Marrakesh, one of the most picturesque cities in Morocco and brought back some enticing recipes that he will try to deliver to our members. Mains will comprise of a tasty Chicken Tagine with the ubiquitous Middle Eastern side of Cous-cous and a light herb salad. The sweet finish will be a sure winner: a "Basbousa" Semolina Cake with a dollop of vanilla icecream! Cost for food will be $18 with beer and wine at standard prices.  Please note that we have now sourced an Alcohol-free version of the very popular "Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen" beer which was introduced at the last sundowner. As usual, we require pre-payment with your registration.  You will be able to get a credit towards a future event if you cancel at least 1 day before the event. No-shows on the day will forfeit their ticket fee. I hope you will be able to join us, best regards, Werner.

All Members who intend to be part of the Woodworking Group will need to complete this Power Tools Induction Training. There is a once off Cost of $10 for this Training Course, which can be paid when you purchase a ticket. There will be a maximum of 3 persons for each Training Session.  If after booking, for some reason you cannot attend the training, please advise the Woodworking Team Lead, Michael Cahill on 0459062090 as soon as possible, so we can arrange another session for you. The successful completion of the Red Dot Training is a pre-requisiste to booking the Blue Dot Woodwork Machinery Course. Once you have completed this Training, your Membership Badge will updated to show a Red Dot and enable you to undertake any projects in the Main Workshop that utilise only Power Tools. 

Hi-Fi and Music Appreciation Group Hey music lovers, listen up! Are you a fan of kicking back and enjoying some sweet tunes on some high-quality equipment? Well, do we have the group for you! The Hi-Fi and Music Appreciation Group is where it's at, baby! Come join us for some awesome fellowship and groovy tunes. We welcome anyone who loves music, from curious cats to die-hard fanatics. We'll be getting together regularly to listen to different types of music and use all sorts of fancy and not-so-fancy equipment that members bring along for the night. And if you're feeling handy, you can even use our facilities to build, restore or repair your own speakers or electronics. It's all about having a blast and enjoying the many different types of satisfaction that come from this wicked hobby. We're open to everyone, including all current members of the shed and non-members. You can come to check us out as a non-member for up to three meetings, but after that, we'll expect you to join the group if you want to keep on rocking with us. And guess what? We're even providing snacks! All you need to do is grab a ticket for $20 each to secure your spot. But hold on to your hats, folks, because this meeting is going to be extra special. We've got a set of seriously high-end gear for you to try out, including some fancy-pants ATC SCM100ASLT LE Anniversary Speakers with P6 Amp Packs, a McIntosh CD Transport with a Separate Matching DAC, a Bryston Pre Amp, a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge Streamer, and a REGA P9 Turntable with an Ortofon 3000 MC Cartridge. All of this amazing equipment adds up to a whopping $78K rrp! We've got two exciting plans for the evening. First, bring along your favourite CD or LP, and we'll play it on this setup. And if you're feeling adventurous, make a request via the streamer. Secondly, we'll put the same song on the streamer, LP, and CD and switch between them to see if you can tell the difference and what you prefer. We might even take a vote! If you want to know more, get in touch with Jason van Straalen at 0479088848. But don't wait too long to grab your ticket, because we're going to have a blast!

This month we are going to be treated to the much heralded eventing with Leigh Gerreyn who will be taking us on a journey around Piedmont, Italy.  As mentioned last meeting, the evening fee will be $25/head and the group maximum set to 20 people.  We look forward to your company (a knowledge of Italian not required but a good sense of humour is). Stephen  

Woodworking Machinery Induction (Blue Dot) – Phases 1 & 2 All Members who wish to use the woodworking machinery in the Machine Room will need to complete Phase 1 & Phase 2 of the Woodworking Machinery Induction Training. Please Note that Members must have completed the Red Dot course before enrolling in this Blue Dot course? This Course will be conducted in two Phases over two consecutive weeks (9am - 11am) so you must be able to commit to both sessions before purchasing a ticket. Each Phase will be approximately a two hour duration. There will be a maximum of 3 persons for each Session. The Cost of this course (for both Phases) is $20.  If after booking, for some reason you cannot attend the training, please advise the Woodworking Team Lead, Michael Cahill on 0459062090 as soon as possible, so we can arrange another session for you.  If you cancel or are a “no show” on the day you will lose your $20 fee so please, only book if you can commit to the two consecutive weeks. Payments can be made online by secure credit card.  Once you have completed both phases of the Woodworking Machinery Induction your Membership Badge will be updated to replace the Red Dot with a Blue Dot.  This will reflect that you have completed all the necessary Woodworking Training and are ready to undertake any Woodworking projects in the Shed. 

All Members who intend to be part of the Woodworking Group will need to complete this Power Tools Induction Training. There is a once off Cost of $10 for this Training Course, which can be paid when you purchase a ticket. There will be a maximum of 3 persons for each Training Session.  If after booking, for some reason you cannot attend the training, please advise the Woodworking Team Lead, Michael Cahill on 0459062090 as soon as possible, so we can arrange another session for you. The successful completion of the Red Dot Training is a pre-requisiste to booking the Blue Dot Woodwork Machinery Course. Once you have completed this Training, your Membership Badge will updated to show a Red Dot and enable you to undertake any projects in the Main Workshop that utilise only Power Tools. 

All Members who intend to be part of the Woodworking Group will need to complete this Power Tools Induction Training. There is a once off Cost of $10 for this Training Course, which can be paid when you purchase a ticket. There will be a maximum of 3 persons for each Training Session.  If after booking, for some reason you cannot attend the training, please advise the Woodworking Team Lead, Michael Cahill on 0459062090 as soon as possible, so we can arrange another session for you. The successful completion of the Red Dot Training is a pre-requisiste to booking the Blue Dot Woodwork Machinery Course. Once you have completed this Training, your Membership Badge will updated to show a Red Dot and enable you to undertake any projects in the Main Workshop that utilise only Power Tools.