Aboyne Men's Shed

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Aboyne Men's Shed Welcome to the Aboyne & District Men's Shed page.

Our active local membership "shedders" span the novice, the diy-er, the keen hobbyist and the retired professional – all abilities and skillsets are warmly welcomed.

WHAT TO DO WITH THAT 30mm THICK PLANK OF ELM ? Coffee / Low table See below 😅Dimensions : L91.5cm x W43cm x H42.5cm (36...
31/08/2026

WHAT TO DO WITH THAT 30mm THICK PLANK OF ELM ? Coffee / Low table See below 😅
Dimensions : L91.5cm x W43cm x H42.5cm (36" x 17" x 16.75")
Its up for sale now on Micks marketplace £195

SPINNING A YARN WITH THE CRAFTY GUIDWIVES .. so a few weeks ago we received a donation of a home workshop made traditio...
31/08/2026

SPINNING A YARN WITH THE CRAFTY GUIDWIVES .. so a few weeks ago we received a donation of a home workshop made traditional spinning wheel, sadly it was a little worse for wear so the shedders have tidied and cleaned it with a view to offering it to a suitable new owner..... enter "The Crafty Guidwives of Speyside", a very enthusiastic group of ladies that have a passion for spinning, weaving, and demonstrating traditional historical crafts. Here they are immaculately dressed in period costume showing off their skills at a local event.

DON'T MISS THE LAST TRAIN FROM BALLATER..... We've made some very strange things at the Shed but this one really raised ...
15/08/2026

DON'T MISS THE LAST TRAIN FROM BALLATER..... We've made some very strange things at the Shed but this one really raised a fair head of steam. With our time under pressure preparing for our stand at the Aboyne Highland Games event shedders Roger and Stuart were hard at work creating the centre piece for the Ballater Royal Horticultural Society's 2026 Garden Festival in the form of a Locomotive Frontage which will be suitably decorated by the Ballater Floral Group displays celebrating this years Theme "The Last Train from Ballater"
The event is being held at the Victoria Hall, Ballater where everyone has been invited to submit their creations based on this years theme.
There's still one more day to visit (Sunday 16th August) and you will be able to vote for the best exhibits (Voting closes at 2pm Sunday)

"YOU'RE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BLOW THE BLOODY DOORS OFF"!.... That classic line from Michael Caine as Charlie Croker in the 1...
09/08/2026

"YOU'RE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BLOW THE BLOODY DOORS OFF"!.... That classic line from Michael Caine as Charlie Croker in the 1969 British caper film, The Italian Job. He shouts it at an explosives expert who uses way too much dynamite on a test vehicle and blows the whole van to smithereens instead of just removing the doors.
Which brings me onto todays find, a vintage electric blasting machine (exploder) manufactured by Schaffler & Co. in Austria. Specifically, this is the MNGS model, a magneto-powered dynamo-electric device designed for mining, quarrying, or military operations to detonate explosive charges remotely. On testing it (not with explosives) its obviously been deactivated so its just a historical curio for your display cabinet? Its all there with its battered housing, firing handle and original leather strap. The data plate gives it a probable age of around 1971.
I've just given it a light clean and wonder which selling platform to promote it for selling?

VINTAGE MILITARY SOLID BRASS ETCHED WORLD WAR 2 ELECTRONICS CIRCUIT DIAGRAM - They certainly don't make them like this a...
05/08/2026

VINTAGE MILITARY SOLID BRASS ETCHED WORLD WAR 2 ELECTRONICS CIRCUIT DIAGRAM - They certainly don't make them like this any more! This information plate was in with an assortment of donated sheet metal offcuts. On investigation this is a very interesting find originating back to the 1939-45 era in the development of RADAR.

An etched brass diagram like this served as an incredibly durable, industrial-grade manual meant to survive harsh operating conditions without wearing away, tearing, or becoming unreadable from grease, moisture, or heat. It was probably fixed inside a terminal box lid or panel. Technical Details Extracted from the Plate outlines the complete master wiring loom for a complex tracking or rotating station used in artillery target range finding systems, most likely a GL Mk. II Radar Trailer. Notable technical features etched onto the plate include:
• Power Requirements: The system operates on both standard alternating current (230 Volts AC) and dedicated supply lines routed directly through specialized plugs.
• The Magslip Interconnects: On the right, three independent channels ("A", "B", and "E" Magslips) map out the precise circular contact points for the low-speed and high-speed synchro motors.
• Signal Translation: The lower middle section highlights "Signalling Lamps on Transmitter," "Tel. to Transmitter Cabin," and "Tel. to Command Post," confirming that this unit actively bridged communication and directional data between a remote spotting station and a main control hub.
• Inter-component Cabling: The technical specs specify exact vintage cable footprints, such as "Twin 3/.029 C.M.A. T.R.S." (Tough Rubber Sheathed cables standardized by the Cable Makers Association).
Production & Purpose
Historically, these plates were manufactured using photochemical acid etching. A chemical-resistant mask was applied to the brass to outline the blueprint lines, and the plate was submerged in an acid bath (typically ferric chloride) to eat away the exposed metal. The recessed lines were then filled with black or dark enamel paint before the surface was polished smooth.
This exact plate would have been permanently riveted onto an interior bulkhead, control console, or the main distribution box of a World War II-era radar tower, mobile command vehicle, or coastal defence installation.
Size wise its 191mm x 140mm (7.5" x 5.5") with a thickness of 1mm.
We gave it a clean and polish and its now looking for a new home (or maybe a military museum) so it will be on Micks Marketplace shortly.

Today at Aboyne Highland Games we welcomed hundreds of Friends, Visitors and supporters to our stand, thank you all. Thi...
01/08/2026

Today at Aboyne Highland Games we welcomed hundreds of Friends, Visitors and supporters to our stand, thank you all.
This year we were offering a bonus prize draw of a superb wooden Alexander Rose Garden Bench along with other prizes and here are the results.....
1st Prize - No96 -Garden Bench - Violet Ross
2nd Prize - No164-Bottle Tamnavulin Single Malt - Cath Findlay
3rd Prize - No82-Bottle Zealots Heart Gin - Alex Burnett
4th Prize - No32-Bottle Melodist London Dry Gin - Stan Taylor
5th Prize - No150-Sheridans Butcher's Meat Voucher - Eric Barnett
6th Prize - No44- Bottle Primitivo Red Wine - Peter Smart
Again, congratulations to the lucky winners, the items can be collected from the Aboyne Mens Shed during normal opening times or message us to make other collection arrangements.

JUST 1 WEEK TO GO.... SATURDAY AUGUST 1st 2026 we're at the ABOYNE HIGHLAND GAMES (STAND No23) Please come and see us.....
24/07/2026

JUST 1 WEEK TO GO.... SATURDAY AUGUST 1st 2026 we're at the ABOYNE HIGHLAND GAMES (STAND No23) Please come and see us..... along with our world famous bottle raffle you could also win this gorgeous ALEXANDER ROSE 4ft GARDEN SEAT which is in this years extra draw..... see you there!

GOSH! IS THAT THE TIME..... IT CERTAINLY IS!!! THE ABOYNE HIGHLAND GAMES WILL SOON BE UPON US.ABOYNE GREEN - SATURDAY 1...
02/07/2026

GOSH! IS THAT THE TIME..... IT CERTAINLY IS!!! THE ABOYNE HIGHLAND GAMES WILL SOON BE UPON US.
ABOYNE GREEN - SATURDAY 1st AUGUST 2026.
The "Boys" at the Aboyne Men's shed have a again secured a stand at the GAMES and we are now appealing for donations to top up our fundraising Lucky dip bottle stall. Although its our preferred promotion tool your donation does not need to be alcoholic, soft drinks would be more than welcome as would non perishable goods such as toiletries, scented candles etc. in short anything we can present on a lucky dip basis that is unopened/unused (and still in date). Its a good opportunity to clear out your cupboards.
If you have anything suitable we can collect it from you (drop us a PM or email to [email protected] ) or you can drop off items at the Shed during opening hours - Fly Cup Meeting Thursday 10am - 12, Tuesdays and Thursdays 1pm till 5pm or Saturdays 9am till 1pm (Cemetery Road. Aboyne AB34 5DZ)
We still need a few more volunteers to help man the stand, if there's any shedders out there that can spare an hour or 2 of help please contact us.
Most importantly please come and visit us on Games day for a chat about what we do, and maybe win bottle or 2 .
Thanking you in anticipation. See less

01/07/2026

PLANES WITHOUT WINGS, BLADES WITHOUT PROPELLERS...... There's certainly nothing plain about these planes! I cant even see the bench!
A master joiner's large working collection of over 60 single blade wooden moulding planes, each one with a different profile to form intricate flowing mouldings onto wood by the Old School method when Routers were not even heard of?
I am told that although these ones are not greatly valuable some could be well over 100 years old passing through a few generations of master craftsman..... Enjoy
And there's more intricate multibladed ones and Metal bodied ones as well.... but that's for another day.
Thanks for looking

Address

Cemetery Road
Aboyne
AB345DZ

Opening Hours

Tuesday 1pm - 5pm
Thursday 1pm - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

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