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Catchall tray
The tray is made from off-cuts and scrap wood, sized for storing keys, a wallet and other items that I keep in my pockets throughout the day. The way it’s all cut and glued up together will allow the tray fibres to move freely with moisture changes, there are no self-destructive, tearing-apart forces predicted to appear in this construction. 5 pieces of timber are held together with glue and butt joints only, making an illusion that the tray is carved from a single piece of wood. The bigger off-cut was cupped and prior to thickness planing, I had to remove…
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Skull candle
It used to be a Halloween skull-shaped candle, filled with scented wax and designed to burn for a certain period of time. I knew from day 1, that this candle would be given a second life, if not as a flower pot then something else. The choice was eventually made and from a candle, it became … another candle or a candle holder to be more specific. Not a big difference but it required some work and time. What has surely changed was its ability to be used again and again. First, I had to empty out what was left…
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Mace
This mace isn’t just a decoration – it can become a weapon if necessary. It is a useful piece of art, dual-purpose. Heaven forbid that it should ever be used as a weapon, in a fight or self-defence, but having an option is always appreciated. Just in case – as they say. I converted my old Spire by adding spikes on one end and a knob on the other. The handle was wrapped with a cord to improve grip and with these simple upgrades, I added some functionality to the existing project. It’s slightly taller now but balanced better thanks…
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Storage case, from a tree to a box
There is a long story behind this box, the timber it’s made from, to be precise. But like any long story, this one too can be told relatively short. I cut down a tree and milled up my own timber using basic tools. That would be it. The box itself looks just like any other box, but along with the story, creates a story project. I like the fact that the box is made from a tree that gave me some shade during summertime and not everything turned into firewood when that sycamore was cut down. Probably it would be…
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Firewood Mountains, a wooden decoration
These miniature mountain peaks are made of 3 pieces of sycamore, planed and glued together. Originally, the wedges formed a quarter of a dry firewood log, but it developed some cracks and was split with an axe along these lines. I only flattened each piece as much as it was necessary to glue them up together. Their bottom ends were cut off because they got contaminated with the dirt during splitting and anything embedded in the wood could easily damage my blades. I used my trusty No. 5 plane to smooth out all the walls, including the bark, and to…
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Medieval shield
This is a decorative shield, convex and relatively light – just like a real one except it can’t be used in a battle because it’s not equipped with straps for holding it. It’s made from a single 1″ x 7″ x 16′ softwood board (19 x 170 mm x 4.8 m), stained, its edges are painted and faded out with black spray paint and it has 2 decorative white and red stripes going diagonally. Because of the combination of all these factors, the shield brings some warmth to the wall and an illusion of safety to the house. White and…
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Autumnal equinox tools, edition 2022
I’m a big fan of tools, I sell the tools that I don’t use anymore and buy new ones. Sometimes they stay in my collection for longer, even their lifetime, sometimes I sell them sooner. I don’t have too much storage space and I can’t keep them all, but maybe that’s OK, otherwise, I might have gone crazy. This time I’m going to review a couple of work lights, a cordless screwdriver and 2 sanders – tools for a workshop or to be used around the house. It is a good moment to share my experience with these tools and…
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Frenchy corbel
It’s got its name because of the 2 accents traced with the use of a French curve and burnt on its sides. Also, its base and the top have some curves in their edges to complete the overall look. It’s made of 3 bigger pieces of softwood and a few plywood spacers. No fancy joinery, just glue and screws. A project designed on the go and made with what I had on hand. I started by drawing and cutting out a simple template that was traced in the next step. I cut out 2 pieces, fixed them together with double-sided…
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Alternative way to install a twin slot shelving board
This method of making shelves comes in handy when your shelves are thin and there is no way to drive a screw from below. If you’re using thick boards you can secure them to the brackets with screws, 2 different lengths, using pre-drilled mounting points. But what if your shelves are thin? Like mine – plywood-faced chipboards, stiff, sturdy and perfect for garage shelving – but too thin to take a screw? There are many advantages of using this method and I’ll mention them later on, but first I’ll show how I built my shelf. First I cut the chipboard…
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Chopping board-like coaster
This is possibly the easiest coaster to make, but still, it does what a proper coaster should do. It’s thick and protects the table from heat and cold. It also has a juice groove to hold water that comes from condensation when a cold drink is served on a hot day. Everything you would expect from a coaster is here but it looks like a miniature chopping board. In fact, this block of wood was cut off from an old chopping board that cracked and was removed from the kitchen. I started by cutting a disc out, using my jig…
