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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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Soft-start module on DeWalt DWE7492
This is a fairly inexpensive upgrade that is quite easy to implement and, most importantly, significantly prolongs the saw’s lifespan. With this soft-start module installed, the saw starts slowly and gains speed gradually, which helps save the bearings and the motor. The whole process can be reversed to the factory setup, ensuring that the warranty isn’t voided. All the pictures shown below can be viewed in full size to make understanding each step even easier. Additionally, at the end of the post, I have included a short video to demonstrate the difference between before and after the module was installed.…
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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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3-legged coffee table
This table is a reproduction of a coffee table available at Jysk Stores, with a solid wood tabletop instead of glass. The tripod legs are typically designed to look best with a transparent top, but since I couldn’t use glass, I had to opt for wood. Although my table isn’t an exact copy of Jysk’s, it’s based on it, and all the dimensions and angles are similar. I must admit, however, that a glass tabletop would look nicer if I had the option to make one. To build these legs, I used timber that I had stored for some time,…
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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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Professional mitre gauge with a 16 mm bar
This is the 2nd attempt at improving the mitre gauge for my Bosch table saw. A much larger, heavier, more accurate and equipped with a box joint jig mitre gauge required a bar that would fit into a 16 mm slot. I tried to duplicate the one it came with, changing only the width. My table saw has non-standard 16 mm (5/8″) slots and it initially comes with a cheap mitre gauge. A few years ago I replaced the aluminium bar with a mild steel one, it’s worked absolutely fine being gentle for the slots, there are no signs of…
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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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Large round planter
They are quite expensive to buy and relatively easy to make. Since I could purchase cut-to-length timber, that fitted into my boot at a good price I took up the challenge to make a wooden planter. I got 18 pieces of timber, 529 x 97 x 40 mm cut from 2 full lengths of 4.8 m each. Those were way too long for any car, that’s why it was important to get the timber cut to more manageable sizes. I used 14 pieces for the walls and the remaining 4 were supposed to be used for the bottom. However, I…
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Refreshment glasses
The 710 ml Corona beer bottle and the oil bottle were quite easy to cut and they cracked exactly along the scored lines. After they were cut in half I could say that their walls were uniformly thick and it looked like an easy project. I set up my drill press and started the sanding process, as always using all the grits from 40 to 3000. Of course, I set the drill press at a comfortable height and locked it in that position. I was holding the workpieces in my hands, pressing them against the rotating tools and not the…
