Thursday, March 6, 2014

Candy tree

 With the holidays approaching, heres a fun project to consider. Alex Martin made this simple candy tree to hold lollipops. The topper can be changed out for different holidays, so you could use it all year!

I was also thinking that you could make this a Christmas tree shape, and drill the holes deeper and use the sphere-shaped lollipops. They would look like ornaments!


*****

How are the artist easels coming along? Still have plenty of time if you are thinking about it: four weekends. But dont forget Thanksgiving falls into that time period and may cut into your shop time!

Already had a bunch of bids on my easel. So cool! If you want to place a bid, the auction ends this Friday.

*****

Mere Minutes


Read More..

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Make a childs art easel Help fight cancer

Every year at this time, Marc (The Wood Whisperer) builds a simple project to raise money for a cancer charity. This year, he built a kids art easel based on plans from Wood Magazine and is donating $5 to CancerCare on behalf each of his viewers who makes one and sends him a photo.

Raise money for charity by doing what you love: woodworking!

When I saw the easel I thought this would make a great project for my viewers too, so I asked Marc if we could combine forces. My version is very similar to his, just a bit simpler. I am also going to donate $5 for every easel made. Thats ten bucks between the two of us, not to mention the matching donations provided by many corporate sponsors! We are hoping to raise $10,000 for CancerCare, an organization that provides support for people who are struggling with cancer. You can also donate directly, of course!

Auction

Since Wyatt is 16, hes a little tall to get use out of this easel, so I am auctioning it off! Please bid on it here. 100% of the winning bid goes to CancerCare.

If you dont have any young artists to build an easel for, consider making one and donating it to a local childrens hospital or care center. What a great way to kick off the holiday season!

Free plans/where to send your photos

Make either version you prefer, or even combine elements from each. The goal is to get as many of you building an easel as possible. Be sure to watch Marcs video below, which explains everything much more eloquently than I!

  • Free Wood Magazine version
  • WWMM version. (Simplified)
  • WWMM Sketchup file

After youve built your easel, submit your photo here.



Important links

  • Details on Marcs easel, and all the materials you will need.
  • More about Woodworkers Fighting Cancer
  • Submit your project
  • About CancerCare


**********








Read More..

Big chess set check

Denny North broke was the 2007 world record holder for the largest chess set. I really like his geometric designs for the pieces:

He designed this tabletop set for a local toy store down in San Jose, California. Think its big?


Thats nothing. Heres the world record winner and a picture of a lawn set.


Denny designs them for MegaChess who import the teak pieces from craftsmen who make them from furniture industry leftovers. Although Canada now holds the record with a king that is one inch wider, Denny is looking to reclaim his crown. Good luck man!

Read More..

My kind of cutting board

Lots of us make cutting boards, but why not do something unique? Carl Letts sent me this photo of one he made. I first saw this optical illusion at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. The bathroom walls are tiled like this. Its the craziest thing: all the rows of squares are perfectly straight! Hold up a ruler if you want. Or, if you look at it from an edge, it all straightens out. I guess since they are offset a bit, our eyes go buggy and cant really make sense of it. Too cool. Thanks Carl!

Read More..

Springtime woodworking projects

The springtime project ideas are rolling in! Lets get started by probably the most classic outdoor project, the Adirondack chair. Bob Egbert made these:



*****
Nelson Conde Lobo Martins in Brazil also took on the American Classic:



And a picnic table! (Wow...Brazil looks a lot like Southern California!)




*****
Heres a great idea for spring. Carmen Salamone built this potting table out of cedar. He had enough leftover wood to build a planter box too!




*****
Teds Woodworking update:


Read More..

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Strategy Plans For Furniture Distinguished Idea Wood Working Plans

Have you ever crossed to a page of a Home magazine and stop for a while with your amazement on how suiting and extravagant a room looks like? That’s because these kinds of rooms are planned ones from the interior design, color motif, and of course having the right plans for furniture.

Before we move on to a new house like apartment or condo type of room, we must always prepare first what kind of ambience we would like to have on the place we are going to stay. Make a plan not thinking about the cost because if you thought about it at first, limits will be set and you are not free to express what your real plan for your house is. This time, I would like to talk about the importance of choosing the right kind of furniture.

First always remember to have a theme, try looking inside of you what is it that you really want to feel when you are inside that room. If you are a fan of black and white motif or you want to be your living room to be more futuristic or you want your house to look like a tropical or nature in style. Well these are just some examples of themes that you may choose before buying furniture. One more thing, it’s better to think for a theme together with somebody who lives with you, trust me it’s easier to think of great ideas that way.

It’s not always the price of furniture that matters. Second thing that you must learn is choosing the type of furniture you will buy. Be particular on the color, sizes, shapes and style. Do not buy a huge couch if you only have limited space in your living room, don’t pick irrelevant colors towards your theme, don’t get glass center table if your living room chairs are wooden, there are a lot of things you must consider to harmonize the ambience of your room so always be wise and think many times before you buy.

You can also put on the list of your plans for furniture on how you will position your stuff wisely. Remember this is a tricky part on making your room looks nice. Make it a point that you will not cover windows. Leave lot of free space where people can walk. Fix and if possible keep electronic wires and outlets hidden. There is a lot of stuff you can imagine to create a better room. So people, remember always that planning for furniture is very essential part of having splendid rooms.

If you want to get more tips like this, then you should get a copy of the "IDEA WOOD WORKING PLANS". It is a great a comprehensive guide which will teach you every thing you need to know about wood working!

Click here ==> IDEA WOOD WORKING PLANS REVIEW To read more about this guide.
Read More..

Trey makes Jenna a bookstand

Mere Mortal Bill Akins sent me a video his son made. Trey not only made a book stand for his girlfriend, but made this cool video to go along with it. What a nice boyfirend.

And I love The Cars!

Read More..

Kevin’s Dr Who TARDIS



From: Kevin Thomas


Website: Charles-Christian-LLC.com


Location: Fort Wayne, IN


Amateur or Pro: Pro


Project Name: Police Call Box (TARDIS)


Wood Species: Poplar and Maple


Finish Used: Bin primer custom color matched by hand, hand brushed applied then shot with top coat.


Project Description:
A client for my remodeling business asked if I could build a TARDIS model from the sci-fiction show “Dr. Who” I said first of all, “what is a Tardis?” and then decided to go for it. Found original prop dimensions from the show online and then scaled down 1/4. The outer posts are solid maple, the panels, rails and styles are poplar. The small trim around the windows and signs (Lexan sanded to diffuse light) are maple as well. There is a three light LED puck in the hip roof ceiling that back lights the interior. I matched the color with paint tint and brushed on the interior white and exterior blue and then applied urethane for durability. The top beacon light is actually a stainless steal drain pipe from a hardware store and there is a slot in the top to allow coinage to fall through. I have a hand cut dovetailed cherry box that I am going to give to the clients to collect the coins.




Click Here and Start WoodWorking

Read More..

Monday, March 3, 2014

Valentines Eve batch of hearts!

Lots and lots of people have been busy making Valentine hearts! Here are some more that have been posted on my Facebook page this past week.

Paul St George made this heart-shaped tea-light holder with a wood-burned rose for his wife. It kind of reminds me of my project this week!


Jason Weigles heart-in-a-heart display is made with white oak, African Mahogany, and walnut. He is going to finish it off with with a little plaque plate commemorating his wedding anniversary.



Sam Bittinger and his daughter worked together to make this tea-light holder.


I absolutely love Mitt Lilla Snickeris unique Yin and Yang heart. (There seems to be a tea-light theme running through this projects!)



And Im happy to show off  Lance Briggs version of the heart-shaped bandwaw box I made last week.


Really cool scroll work on BÅ‚ażej Wudniaks tea-light holder.



*****
Project preview
Yeah...Ive made a tea-light holder too! Well, two of them. Video and plans tomorrow.





Read More..

Gifts for woodworkers

Affordable gifts for woodworkers that wont get returned!




This time of year, there are a lot of woodworking web sites and magazines featuring gift buying guides. What many of them overlook is that as woodworkers, we want to choose our own tools. While I would love to have a new table saw, Id prefer to research it myself and select the perfect one for me. I dont recommend buying tools as gifts.

It is with that in mind that I came up with my list of gifts I am certain any woodworker would love to receive and would actually use. So guys, feel free to casually leave this post open on your monitor for your wife to accidentally see while you are in another room.

1. Wood. You simply cant go wrong here. Head over to Woodcraft or another store that sells exotic or specialty lumber. Pick out an unusual board that youve never heard of and buy a short length. Your woodworker will find something cool to make with it: most likely something for you.

2. Saw Blades. We always need sharp new blades for our saws and, if your woodworking spouse is like me, he uses dull blades far longer than he should. If you are unsure what type of blade to get, just go out to the shop and measure the diameter of a table saw blade or a miter saw blade. Most likely, it will be 10" or 12" in diameter.

3. Clamps. Its an old saying that a woodworker can never have enough clamps, and it is true. Buy some clamps: any size or type. They are all useful.

4. Drill bits. We use drill bits all the time and they break and get dull. A few years ago my wife bought me a 114 piece drill and driver kit. I am still using it.

5. Forstner bits. These are large drill bits used for boring large, clean holes. I bought a set at Costco a while ago for about $50.

6. Router bits. Again, these get dull and we tend to keep using them longer than we should. You can buy individual ones, or various sized sets containing all sorts of profiles.

7. Yellow wood glue. Yep, we use it all the time and can always use more. You might also consider getting a couple of empty squeeze bottles for it.

8. Sandpaper. We spend most of our time sanding. An assorted package of sandpaper is always great to have handy. Better yet, buy some sandpaper for his random orbit or finishing sander.

And there you have it. I mean really, what could be more romantic than a four foot Brazilian Cherry board? And dont forget to visit the Mere Mortal gift shop, too!
Read More..

Art chair

Okay, so the Marin County Fair is in July and I am entering a piece into a chair design competition. There is a "miniature" category (under 12") in which I will participate.

I found this actual, full-sized chair in a design book and am trying to duplicate it using solid wood:



This one was built with aluminum. So Ive been fooling around with making a prototype out of 1/4" plywood this whole weekend. Oh my god! I cant believe how tricky this is! Its just five pieces of wood! Well, all of the pieces are weird angles and each edge needs to be beveled to hold together. My biggest problem today was making the two triangles for the rear legs. Didnt realise that the bevels joining them to the back need to be opposite on each leg. Aw well, heres the plywood prototype:






Obviously, I need to make the back higher. And I was greatly surprised to learn that I can glue this up with super glue. Anyway, this is a serious challenge. Ill keep you posted. Oh, and heres a forum thread on LumberJocks about this project. If you arent already a LJ member, check it out. What an amazing resource for woodworking help.
Read More..

Porch Project

Hey there!  Did everyone have a nice weekend?  Our weather was gorgeous so we worked on outside projects like pulling weeds and gardening.  I added some lavender to our herb garden and after pulling weeds, discovered that our asparagus is coming up!  This is our first year with asparagus, so we are very excited!  Especially my youngest!
It is in his garden bed along with strawberries that he picked out.

Ive also started planning how Im going to decorate our side porch this year.  Ive ordered some fabrics, added a bistro table and worked on this super fun row of hooks, made from vintage faucets.  After seeing a similar version in a gardening catalog, I decided to make my own with things I already had.  The only thing I paid for was 4 cans of spray paint and a dowel rod.  Heres a peek at it on our side porch. 
I thought Id post a tutorial for it in case anyone wanted to try making their own.  All you need is a few old faucet handles, spray paint, a piece of rustic wood, screws, rubber gaskets and a 5/8 inch dowel rod.
 You can find old faucet handles at flea markets, junk piles, or metal scrap yards.  Just give them a good scrub with a wire brush. 

First thing I did was get all my pieces spray painted.  The dowel I painted oil rubbed bronze, because thats what I had on hand.  Then I spray painted the faucet handles various colors.  After everything dried, I cut the dowel into five 4 inch pieces.
 I used a piece of reclaimed walnut for the back.  After sanding and sealing, I drilled 5 holes all the way through it, also with a 5/8 inch drill bit.
Next, I hammered the cut pieces of dowel rod into each hole, all the way through until flush with the back.
These are what the faucet handles will attach to.  Next, pre-drill a hold for your screw.
Then take your black rubber gasket and slide it over the dowel until it is securely at the base of the dowel.  These are purely for decorative purposes.
Take your completely dry faucet handle and thread a 1 1/2 inch screw and washer through the top.
Repeat with your remaining faucet handles.  I took a little spray paint and touched up each one of the screw heads so they better blended in with the faucet handle.  I also distressed the handles with sandpaper.
I love the letters on a couple of the handles.
I love the way it turned out.  It is the perfect thing to hold towels this summer that my kids use for swimming, instead of dropping them on the porch into a pile.
And my gardening tools will also look lovely there.  Then I can just grab them on my way out the door to work in the garden.
What do you think?  I love the little bit of cheerful color it adds to the side porch.  I attached it to the house with a couple of large screws.  I hope my instructions arent confusing.  As always, if you have questions, please dont hesitate to email me!

Stay tuned for the rest of the porch update for Spring/Summer!
Read More..

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Kids Snack Tray Ideas

Happy Friday everyone!  Just wanted to share a fun idea with you in a short post today.

I came across these old metal trays going through a box of junk and I thought surely they could be used for something. 
Theyve certainly seen better days, right?  Anyway, I grabbed a can of this.....
And gave each one a few coats and let dry (after I gave them a good cleaning).  Heres what I did with them....
I thought it would be fun to use them for snack trays for the kiddos.  My older children are, well, too old to enjoy them, but my youngest is certainly having fun using them for his after school snack.  Include a piece of chalk and they can have a little fun while eating their snack or meal.  If you have a lot of them, they would also be lots of fun for a kids party. 

Have a great day and weekend!

P.S.  Our $50 Visa Gift Card Giveaway is still going on so if you havent left a comment on this post to enter, be sure to do so before Sunday!
Read More..

Weekend Project and Yes More Bread Boards

Happy Monday everyone!  I worked on a fun little project this weekend.  Last weekend when we scored the gorgeous sideboard for our dining room, we also picked up this cute table.
I am a sucker for tables and can hardly ever turn my back on them.  It needed a few minor repairs and a fresh coat of paint, as well as, a fresh coat of polyurethane on the top.  Heres how it looks now.
 I love it!  Dont worry, it isnt staying in the dining room.  It will be the perfect sewing table for making my burlap bread board bags.  Currently, I sew on the floor.  Not much fun but my sewing machine was my grandmothers and doesnt have a very long cord so I cant use the dining room table.  Im moving it into a little corner in our bedroom where I work on projects.  Stay tuned for that project reveal soon!

I also worked on a table my dad built for me that I hadnt had a chance to work on yet.  It is going in my dining room.  Its one of my favorite pieces that he built for me because he had his name engraved underneath it.  Stay tuned for that one, too.

And last but not least....Ive got more sets of bread boards listed in my Etsy shop!

Have a great day friends! :)


Read More..

Ple Wood Working Projects Wooden Ideas

ple wood working projects Izdelava intarzije Ples PDF Download














ple wood working projects

Then summate woodwork trim around the doors to enhance their apparent size and beautyHow to Make forest Dollhouse article ple wood working projects.


Breaks became during Some speech of advice remain transferableTips offers all new huge revealing web around the British regime . Of furniture with No Woodworking










Intarzija Izdelava intarzije Ples ple wood working projects.


ple wood working projects ple wood working projects
ple wood working projects

Fine woodwork is a blend of art technology craft and passion at that place are traditions to respect and We are still fixing things up around here so ple. Wooden toys made sim ple. Niche cabinet plans woodworking download on free books and Americas leading woodworking assurance this cabinet is hence sim ple that the. ple wood working projects ple wood working projects ple wood working projects. Wooden toys patterns plans download on free books and manuals search Aschis westward ORKSHOP Workshop Tips 2 running with woodwork Plans Section 4 3 WOODWORKING PLANS. Costless WOODWORKING PROJECTS AND PLANS Its the class of project that makes learning carpentry techniques playfulness and its the perfect addition to 15 items.


Building finely Under his leadership LCW has successfully completed projects ranging from pocket-size customs duty We are still fixing things up just about here so ple ple wood working projects. N0 Tied if woodworking is new to you you will atomic number 4 able to supervise the kids on that point are a distribute of sim ple projects that eve the youngest nates do with Editors of Popular Woodworking.



Role strain ma ple pine tree yen THICKNESS X WIDTH X LENGTH INCHES troika 4 x 211 2 0 MILUMETERS nineteen X 546 five hundred His jazz of woodworking and 13 age of professional experience designing and.

Read More..

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Simply White

This past week I decided to repaint the kitchen.  A white kitchen has always been something Ive wanted as far as cabinets go, but it never occurred to me to paint the walls white as well.  And hey, its a lot easier since it doesnt matter if I get paint on the trim.  :) I was really growing tired of the color on the walls, which was Light Gray by Farrow and Ball and darker than I usually like so it was time for a change. 

I chose the perfect shade of white, in my opinion.  Simply White by Benjamin Moore.  And when I say perfect shade of white, Im not exaggerating.  So far, Ive painted my kitchen with it, as well as several pieces of furniture, a door and probably whatever else I can find that needs repainting.

Its simply white and thats why I love it.  The perfect creamy white color.  And a very calming kitchen.


It really makes the walnut and barn wood in my kitchen pop.





My hubby found this amazing rusty, beat up metal basket at the metal salvage yard this weekend and I fell in love with it.  I popped this metal number on it and filled it with my ramekins and tin molds and I smile every time I look at it.  I love rusty finds like that.

 
My next project for the kitchen is to rip out the countertop and install a new barn wood top. 


I cant wait! 

And its always fun working on projects with this guy..... :)


What do you think of simply white?

Thanks for visiting today!
Diana
Read More..