My lovely partner got me a custom branding iron for Father’s Day. I’m still working on my technique, but it might just be one of the coolest presents I’ve ever received.
Photos
Gluing up the top for a small, shaker-style table. So many clamps (and prayers to the gods of woodworking.)
Another box! Built and glued-up as one piece and cut the lid on the bandsaw. I’ll probably build a donkey-ear shooting board to clean up my box mitres, in the future. There’s some very nice jewellery box hardware waiting to be used for this one. Might even flock the inside.
Millie being a very good shop dog.
Getting some box practice in with this gorgeous Black Limba. I’ll probably do another version with full grain matching on the outside, but it felt better to just dive back in. Will be adding a lid with a contrasting dark wood handle.
Been building a mobile stand for my new toy — a 10” bench top bandsaw from Rikon. I researched options for a long time and this feels like a good fit. Solid construction, cast iron table, a good fence, and 5” of resaw capacity. Excited to start adding it to my workflow.
Took some time to paint and mount the plant shelves, over the weekend. I countersunk some screws in the vertical supports and filled the holes with some plugs I cut from scrap pieces. Both feel like they’ll hold up relatively well.
Future shop dog in training.
I spotted this Black Limba at KJP Hardwoods and couldn’t resist picking some up. Love the grain on these boards and I can’t wait to dig in to some projects.
Building a frame for this beautiful print from the man himself. Picked up the Veritas shooting board & plane and my 45° mitres have never looked better.
Been playing around with a small hobby CNC machine. Made some quick upgrades — including the spindle & mount, end stops, and the emergency stop button. I’ve been doing some test cuts, but I’m excited to continue learning and creating with it.
The second iteration of my crosscut sled, which has thoroughly replaced my mitre saw for most tasks. Just over 20 1/2" deep and constructed from 3/4" plywood it — combined with the extra infeed support on my table saw cart — allows me to crosscut some pretty wide stock. The end stop was carried over from my previous sled, but the hold-down clamps are new and already proving useful.
The third iteration of my table saw cart. I don’t have the space for a proper table saw, but I’ve had great luck with this DeWalt DWE7485 job site saw. I added outfeed support with mitre slot extensions, side wings, and infeed support. All of which fold down for storage. Combined with the Bow Xtender fence, I’ve been able to cut some sizeable stock on this setup.
Continuing my obsession with chunky items, I built a picture frame for my partner’s fabulous artwork. I used some nice maple, cut a bevel on the inside, and cut down some acrylic for the “glass.” First time trying out the point driver, which worked out quite well.
The boy likes to skate. We made a rink out of 1/4" plywood, some homemade stakes, a tarp, and a bit of luck.
Quick shot of my previous dust collection setup. The good ol' “shop-vac and cyclone on a bucket” setup served me well for a very long time. I added a twist by 3D-printing a wye and some blast gates, which let me swap between a long hose for the big tools (table saw, router table, etc) and handheld tools at the bench. I’ve since added a dedicated dust collector for the big stuff.
My son was loving bean-bag toss games, so I decided to surprise him with this. Constructed almost entirely out of plywood scraps I had lying around. The numbers are 3D-printed. It was a big hit.
Another chunky box. I finished it with spray-on poly, buffing with Kraft paper in-between coats. I managed to refine my half-laps and added the angled handle to the lid.
Thursday, September 28, 2023 →
Sometimes you just want a box that’s small and chunky. This was my first time practicing half-lap joints on the table saw. The box lives on in my son’s room, containing various knick-knacks.
Farmhouse-style bench for the back patio, built from Home Depot 2x4 material. My finishing/staining technique has improved considerably since completing this project, but it has held up well for more than two years.