New lathe stand One of the benefits of the new house is my little workshop. I used to carry the lathe in and out to the back patio anytime I wanted to turn a pen or a muddler. That also meant that I never used the bed extension. Today I finally built a lathe stand. It’s quite simple… Read More
Ash coffee table We’ve been in the new house since May. Slowly I am completing projects to make it more like home. I recently completed this coffee table. I wanted to build something simple with traditional joinery. I wanted something we could appreciate or ignore. I wanted something with details that I would enjoy whenever I saw it.… Read More
Roubo’s phone stand I recently got a small bandsaw. Every new tool offers new and different opportunities. The bandsaw is great for ripping boards–something that is not fun by hand. So last night I went to the shop and built a Roubo-style phone stand. This comes from the designs of Roubo, an 18th century woodworker and writer. This… Read More
Dovetail bench Since making an outdoor picnic table we have used it most clear evenings. On one side we have built-in benches that are part of the deck. On the other side we have been using camping chairs. But these are really uncomfortable–much too low. So last week I built a bench. I started off with a… Read More
45 minute kayak paddle We recently moved to within a quarter mile of a public boat launch, so I ordered an inflatable kayak. I have to tested it yet, but I know that the 3-year old will want her own paddle. I took a cedar fence picket and some round paint cans. I used the cans to mark some… Read More
Friction folder knives I recently finished the second of two friction folder knives that I’ve been working on. They started as 1095 high-carbon steel blanks that I cut out with a jigsaw. I ground them on a belt sander with ceramic belts, then heat treated them. Here’s the batch right after hardening. After hardening, I tempered them in… Read More
Battery powered speaker We’ve all seen (and heard) the battery bluetooth speakers. I wanted to make one that was still portable, but a bit more serious. Here’s my drill-battery powered speaker. It all started with the drill battery. It’s just sitting there, high-powered and easy to recharge. I found a thingiverse file that fit my ryobi battery. I… Read More
The five board bench I visited my brother over the break. He, having recently moved, had only 2 chairs. So while the girls went out on the town, we trekked to the Home Depot and bought enough white pine for some benches. This is what the big bench looks like. We started by measuring the chairs he already had.… Read More
Turned and carved cherry cup Last night I wanted to make knives, but my belt sander is too loud. Instead I made this. It is a turned and carved cup in pincherry. This is my second cup ever and I must say it turned out better than the last one. An important focus for me here was to make the… Read More
Why would you make that? We live in a world of stainless steel spoons. They are perfectly stamped, easy to clean, and easy to use. Like any good tool you forget your spoon in favor of your soup (or ice cream, if you prefer). So why am I carving spoons? Here’s the thing, most of the spoons in the world… Read More