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Over-engineered metal-free box
This box is made out of 100% upcycled materials, the walls and the bottom of this box are veneered chipboard sheets, reclaimed material that came from an unwanted piece of furniture. Solid timber corners were made in the past, using a router and 2 common bits, I made a few of them and they were put aside and waited for the right project. They were originally a single board used on a construction site. The bottom rails were off-cuts from another project – basically just scraps. Everything is glued together – which makes the box 100% metal-free. Even during the…
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Bookcase
This is a simple but quite sturdy construction, it has a modern, industrial look, and it can be disassembled and moved by one person. The plywood shelves are perfect for supporting heavy items, like books, that’s why this bookcase uses them instead of solid wood boards, which had to be thicker to support the same weight. The frame is designed to be rigid and not to take up much space. All the metal braces and screw heads are either painted white or covered with white caps. This bookcase was relatively easy to make – the hardest part was the cutting…
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Improved circular saw jig
It’s based on the previous version, but the capacity and functionality are improved. The front and the back pairs of blocks are replaced by longer risers. This is specifically important for the front, where there is no big gap now, and I can cut shorter pieces. Both ends of the workpiece are always supported with the left and right side of the jig and that increases accuracy too. The capacity is also bigger, and it’s been increased from about 34 to 50 mm (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches). This is the maximum blade position at the same time if…
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Half-lap picture frames
There are a few advantages of using half-lap joints instead of mitre joints in picture frames. They’re easy to make, they’re strong and don’t require any reinforcements, their appearance is attractive, there are no inconsistent and widening gaps in joints over time and they’re easy to clamp during the glue-up process. The timber used in the project was reclaimed, I cut it to size and planed it myself. Here’s how I made these 2 frames: The preparation of the timber was as usual: rip-cutting, planing and cutting to a rough length. I had to adjust the size of the smaller…
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Snipe reducing and reversible thickness planer jig
This jig helps to reduce the planer snipe significantly. Not completely – the real numbers are about 90% less snipe and I’m happy with that. Sniping occurs less frequently and if it does it’s very small. It’s not as deep as it used to be. To complete the test, I run 3 boards through the planer, one by one, planing both sides and not using any tricks. I’m very impressed with the results – if I used some tricks and did some sanding, the test pieces would look close to perfect. The melamine chipboard I used for the jig was…
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On-ground decking
I am not sure if I can call it decking, it’s just a platform lying directly on the ground. All the boards are connected with a steel banding, so I guess I can call it a platform. Of course, decking can be laid on the ground, but usually not as directly as mine. In most cases, there is weed control fabric below a layer of gravel – decking sits on top of these two. I made it cheap, using scraps of pressure-treated wood. No fabric, no gravel. I don’t like using fabric, it allows drainage but sooner or later weeds…
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Long blade storage tote
It’s made from an old PVC gutter and a scrap piece of timber. It can be put on the table upright or flat, but to make it more portable and versatile, I drilled a hole at the top for a carabiner hook. I use this tote for long jigsaw and reciprocating saw blades, they’re 250 – 300 mm long (10 – 12 inches), but it can be used for everything else. What I like the most about this project is the idea of upcycling scraps into something useful. There’s no need to throw away all the off-cuts from the shop…
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Sycamore obelisk
This piece of wood has gone a long way from a tree, through a log and finished as timber. I still remember that sycamore tree growing in my backyard. It was cut down and I saved a couple of logs for future projects – the rest ended as firewood. Before I put those logs away, whilst they were still wet, I chopped them in half with an axe to speed up the drying process. A few years passed and they were ready. One of those logs, I clamped in my SuperJaws and with my jack plane, I gave it one…
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New Year tools, edition 2022
Christmas presents bought last year have been tested and they can now be reviewed. They are both about drilling – the first one is used on concrete walls, the second one used only for metal, plastic and wood. Semi-professional tools, but they do the job, are easy to use and easy to store. A few years ago I would be happy with just a cordless drill and a dustpan with a brush. But with better tools, I can achieve better results. Specialised tools are better than universal tools. I like doing things in a professional manner, at least I try.…
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Vertical-to-horizontal drill press jig
This jig comes in handy when I have to process cut bottles. I stick sanding discs to the velcro pad and polish the glass. For any other tasks i.e. wood and metal, I use my disc/belt sander, but for glass, I like to sand through the grits, from coarse to very fine. That wouldn’t be easy with a bench sander as it uses self-adhesive discs and offers no control over the sanding speed. Glass is different and it likes to be sanded slowly – excessive heat can crack the glass and melt the velcro backing pad. That’s why I built…
