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Set of trivet trays
A segmented, end-grain bamboo chopping board, that cracked along a few lines, couldn’t be used in the kitchen anymore, but it could be cut into smaller pieces and reused. This set of 2 trays is the last part of a bigger project, there were 3 other attempts, successful ones, at upcycling this chopping board. I’ve already made 2 coasters and a soap tray. These trivets are made for use with glass jar candles, they are supposed to block the heat and protect the surface underneath. They will become particularly useful when candles are getting burned out and the flame is…
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Utility stool
I built this stool especially for storing my linisher and a few buckets of paint underneath. Getting the most from the storage space I had was my goal as I was running out of ideas on where to keep all the paint. These buckets are usually the same height and all I needed was a clearance of 20 cm (~8 inches) from the floor to the stretcher. The stool had to be strong enough to handle the weight of a heavy tool and with these 2 requirements in my head, I started the build. I had everything I needed –…
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Swing arm wall lamp
This lamp is custom-sized and both wooden parts have specific lengths. The base is long enough to bypass the steel bar embedded in the lintel that sits below. The other part – the arm – moves the light source away from the mounting point and provides enough support for a lampshade. The light is placed above the kitchen sink and food prep area at eye level so it’s not blinding. Kitchens in older Irish houses usually have just one pendant light hanging from the centre of the ceiling. This is ridiculous and doesn’t work for a person who wants to…
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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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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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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…
