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Classic crate, a practice piece
Building a lightweight but strong enough crate to store canned food, was the plan when I started making this one. Most importantly, I wanted to test out my new nail gun and explore new joinery techniques, specifically using brad nails and glue. This explains the title of this post – “a practice piece”. I needed a crate for storing kitchen items, as the one I had seemed to be too bulky and had an excess of fasteners. This new crate was the opposite of the old one, providing a much-needed upgrade. I purchased two lengths of 9 mm thick mouldings…
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Revived wood planter
Created from reclaimed wood that was brought back to life after being discarded and left in the bushes for about 18 months. Not everything could be reused, but I managed to save a few boards that were tucked deeper in the pile and had less damage from the weather and nature. They still needed cleaning and drying, but after the prep work was done, they were fine for small outdoor projects. I checked them for staples, nails, and embedded stones, and once I was satisfied, I gave them a second chance. Most of them were decking boards and 2x4s –…
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Coffee filter holder
A simple and quick project, put together using scrap materials and finished with leftover paint. Thanks to the good weather, both the glue and paint dried quickly, speeding up the project’s completion. This fast turnaround offered a nice change from my usual more complex tasks. I was lucky to find a plywood sheet on the offcut shelf that was a perfect fit for the box, which meant less waste and less work. All the pieces were glued together with the better side facing inward, and the outside was given a bit of wood filler before being painted. I used the…
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Plywood box with moulding-covered edges
The body of the box was crafted from five plywood panels, simply butt-joined and secured with glue and nails. This approach proved to be both quick and effective, providing ample strength for its intended purpose. To enhance the aesthetic appeal and user-friendliness of the box, I covered the sharp corners and exposed plywood edges with tasteful mouldings. The time I saved by simplifying the plywood body construction was redirected towards experimenting with novel techniques for addressing a common issue with cheap plywood – its often imperfect and void-ridden edges. While numerous methods remained unexplored for future projects, I opted for…
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Lean-to roof
Probably the biggest project I’ve ever undertaken, both in terms of dimensions and cost. I had to acquire new skills and familiarise myself with new terminology, but fortunately, I already had most of the necessary tools in my workshop. I was aware that constructing a sturdy frame could pose a challenge, but it had to be done correctly. It needed to strike a balance between solidity and visual lightness, complementing the shed it was going to be attached to. Maintaining visual consistency between the existing structure and the new addition was one of the key objectives. Additionally, the lean-to had…
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Mini shipping crate
It’s built very similar to a full-size shipping crate but due to the size of the parts, it’s glued together and not nailed. Most importantly, each side is made of plywood and is reinforced with timber braces but also, the original idea of built-in forklift slots somehow remains. I made many of these full-size shipping crates in my day job and was always impressed with the simplicity of their construction and the way they were put together. Just nails, screws and exposed plywood edges – I wanted to recreate a box like this, just scaled down but using a similar…
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Fruit fence
This simple fence was built to prop up laden blackcurrant branches and to keep them off the ground. The bush was growing in every direction, towards the greenhouse, through the property fence and it was taking up an unnecessary amount of space. The fence I built solved all these problems and brought a breath of fresh air into that corner of the garden. It looks rustic yet professional and the bush seems to be under control and well looked after. The job was straightforward and fun, I generally love making garden projects because of all the benefits of sunshine and…
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Mitred plywood box with a sliding lid
This box features a bottom panel that sits in a groove, as well as a sliding lid. The corners are mitred and the entire assembly is held together with glue alone, with no metal fasteners. The glue-up process was quick and easy, requiring only blue painter’s tape and light-duty spring clamps. The only challenge was cutting all the pieces to the correct length, width and angle which meant precision. Fortunately, all the cuts were tear-out-free even without taping over the cut lines. I’m not sure if I achieved these professional results due to a good blade or just plain luck.…
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All DIY-ed floating shelf with a bracket
This shelf is entirely made from scratch, both the wooden board, as well as the metal bracket, are shop-made. They’re built using basic and widely available materials with no welding involved. The shelf bracket is held in place with 2 and not 4 screws, making drilling in concrete a little easier, faster and generating less noise. Unlike the other shelf I made in the past, this one uses a single and not double bracket rail, which seems to be less overkilling and more suitable for a light shelf like this. I am not a big fan of drilling in concrete…
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Mitre saw storage rails
Due to my limited storage space, these two saws – table and new mitre saw – must be stacked when stored. That way I can squeeze out the most space possible and thanks to the rails, both saws stay securely in place, one on top of the other, even if knocked accidentally, they won’t fall. To make the rails, I reused a couple of old pallet boards from a disassembled towel rack (that explains the notches cut in them), additionally, I used a couple of bolts, wing nuts and advertisement wall fixings. The leftovers of yellow paint I used were…
