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small workshop

Wooden Bandsaw Reindeer

November 23, 2017 by The Woodgineer Leave a Comment

In a festive mood and wanting to try out my new 6mm blade on my bandsaw I thought I’d have a go at a 3D reindeer that I’d seen on Matthias Wendals site.

Using a scrap piece of 2×4 I cut it down to roughly the size I wanted and printed out the template to stick onto my workpiece.  The spray adhesive I used worked well to keep the template in place but was extremely messy so I’ll be doing that again with gloves or on some newspaper!

I first cut the front profile which wasn’t much of a problem due to the smooth curves though this was extremely noisey due to the large amount of wood being cut.  This also highlight some minor alignment issues for the bed or the blade on my bandsaw as the cut did not join up perfectly at either end of the workpiece.  I must remember to correct those issues later!

The piece cut off were then taped up together so I could do another pass.  Matthias used nails to secure the pieces together and indeed when I did a second attempt at this later I screwed the pieces together and much better results.

I found despite the thinner blade some of the tight curves were a problem and I suspect this sort of design would do better smaller and on the scrollsaw.  I may consider investing in an even smaller blade later perhaps (or improve my technique)

The final cuts saw the whole piece come apart and reval the 3D reindeer in all its glory.  I gave it a light sand as best I could but didn’t bother to finish it as these were just test pieces.

A given my daughter loved it!

This took probably 30 minutes to make and even this common design could probably sell at craft fairs so I may rattle out a few next Christmas and see if I can make a few pennies for my time!

You can find the template on Mathhias Wendals site here if you want more details or a downloadable template

Filed Under: Blog, Projects Tagged With: bandsaw, bandsaw animals, diy, matthias wendal, reindeer, small workshop, wooden animals, woodgears, woodwork, Woodworking

Wood Turned Xmas Tree

November 1, 2017 by The Woodgineer Leave a Comment

November 1, 2017

Wood Turned Xmas Tree

Categories Christmas Decoration, Lathe, Project

Still with xmas on its way I wanted to make another practice object on the lathe and had an idea for an xmas tree decoration.

I had some holly from a work colleague which I had been seasoning in the shed for 6 months or so and had hoped this would turn better than the usual cheap timber.

The piece was cut down to size on my mitre saw and then mounted on a 4 screw chuck so it would be nice and secure and this was supported by a live centre on the tailstock.  The tailstock could be removed later for painting.

I roughed down the piece of holly with my new roughing gouge and this was a joy to turn leaving pleasing light wood chips and strips.

I then used a pencil to mark where I wanted the tree to start and the pot to be and used a skew chisel to rough the main shape making sure it was smooth.

I then used my parting tool to detail the trunk a bit further and create some concentric rings down the trunk to finish the tree.

I then gave it a light sand just so it wouldn’t cause splinters rather than any attempt to finish properly.

Green, brown and black kids acrylic paint was then used to give it some colour and the piece was done as a trial.

I noticed a small crack around one of the knots but didn’t think much of it however over the space of just a day where the paint dried a large crack appeared in the side and a week later this had grown.

I believe the piece was not fully seasoned so need to start reading up on wood checking and cracking and how to best season the wood or avoid cracks.  I suspect the reason it turned so well was that it was still a bit green and the way my cuts went down to the core of the wood probably weakened the piece so maybe next time I will try drying the wood first before turning.

A great piece to learn from however and even with the cracks looks good!

Filed Under: Blog, Projects Tagged With: diy, lathe, small workshop, snowman, wood turned xmas decorations, woodturning, woodwork, Woodworking, Xmas decorations, xmas tree

1st Wood Turned Snowman

October 16, 2017 by The Woodgineer Leave a Comment

 

I still hadn’t made anything on the lathe other than sawdust and round bits of wood so I needed to make my first thing.  As it was xmas, a snowman seemed ideal.

I used a piece of 2×2 construction pine and set about rounding the stock with my roughing gouge.  I had previously been using an old spindle gouge which came with the lathe and not very sharp so my new roughing gouge from axminster was  a pleasant change and cut the wood as it were butter.

I then smoothed the wood with a skew chisel and used the skew to curve two sections for the snowmans body and head.

I then used the parting tool to create a top hat (no snowman is complete without a hat) and some 180 grit sand paper to smooth things out.  If I were not just practicing I might have moved up the grits and done some proper finishing but this was satisfactory.

A coat of tung oil/methylated spirit mix was added and another light sanding before adding another coat of tung/meth mix and this was left to dry overnight.

 

If I were not just practicing I might have moved up the grits and done some proper finishing but this was satisfactory.

A small wooden dowel that had been tapered down to a cone was inserted and glued into a small hole in the head for a nose and this was painted orange with my daughters acrylic paint.  Unintentionally it was marred a little by the pliers I used but this actually made it look even more carrot like!

Very small holes so the wood wasn’t split were created for eyes and buttons and somenails were added which looked great.

The mouth was carved with my flexcut knife but this looked a little creepy if I’m honest.  Carving is something I need to practice and perhaps I might have done better if I drew on a template first.

The hat was painted black with my acrylic paint although much care was needed to do this without it bleeding onto the head.  If I were making lots of these I’d consider a template to go around the collar so I could paint quicker.

Once another night had passed the snowman was dry and I presented him to my daughter who fell in love!

This was a great prototype and while I didn’t have time this year, I think next year I should be making a run of these to sell.

Filed Under: Blog, Projects Tagged With: diy, lathe, small workshop, snowman, wood turned xmas decorations, woodturning, woodwork, Woodworking, Xmas decorations, xmas tree

1st Whistle

October 16, 2017 by The Woodgineer Leave a Comment

In line with the “projects my daughter will love but my wife will hate” set of projects I wanted to make a simple wooden whistle that my daughter could use during playing with her trains.

I’d never stopped to wrap my head around the theory of how a whistle works nor remember ever being taught such a thing at school but from somewhere I already knew how a whistle worked.  Making something in wood would be fairly easy I thought.

I took a short scrap piece of 2×2 piece of construction pine and drilled an 8mm hole about half way down.

I then cut down a small pine dowel with a knife to create a reed that would fit into the hole and cut a slot directly where the end of the reed would be once inserted.

I was able to test the tone with a simple push fit of the reed into the hole and was happy enough with the sound.

I then glued the reed into position but also cut down the 2×2 a bit further to make something a bit easier for a small child to hold, about 20x20mm in width.

The edges were all sanded with 100 grit sandpaper by hand to avoid any sharp corners or splinters and I added a few coats of tung oil as it was the only stuff I had to hand that I knew was food safe.

I left it to dry 30 minutes in between coats with a light sand (150 grit) each time however I did waste a bit of sandpaper doing it this way which could have been avoided by letting it dry longer between each coat.

My daughter loved it of course and despite the telling off by the wife!

Filed Under: Blog, Projects Tagged With: bandsaw, diy, small workshop, train whistle, Whistle, wooden whistle, woodturning, woodwork, Woodworking

Hanging Ikea RIBBA Frames

September 16, 2017 by The Woodgineer Leave a Comment

We wanted to put a large selection of photos on the wall in Ikea black Ribba frames but this was a plasterboard wall and we wanted them in specific locations.  Picture hanging wire and other hanging solutions have never worked for me so I needed to come up with a new solution.

Please note as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases which may include any links posted below.

I used plasterboard screws straight into the wall at specific points and marked out a grid of where the photos should go.  While not as secure as proper plasterboard fixings these would be strong enough for these lightweight frames.

Plasterboard Screws

The frames were then carefully drilled on the middle top back with my drill press to the exact size of the screw they would be mounted on.  I found however that Ikea frames are not solid wood and instead a wood/cardboard mashup so this took a few attempts to get right without destroying them.

I also found I needed to cushion beneath the frame to prevent any marking with a tea towel on my drill press.  Using a hand electric drill works just as well of course!

Drill Press Table with some cushioningI also marked the depth I needed to drill to with a bit of electrical tape on the drill bit so not to go too deep!

Never underestimate the importance of using an awl – even a cheap one like this for precision work!  It will make a massive different if you do this before letting a wandering big drill bit loose on things.

A basic woodworking Awl

The finished frames look good and are positioned exactly where I require them flush against the wall with no hanging or adjustment required.

Filed Under: Blog, Projects Tagged With: diy, hanging frames, Ikea, Ikea hacking, ikea hacks, Picture frames, Ribba, small workshop, woodturning, woodwork, Woodworking

1st Carved Spoon

May 31, 2017 by The Woodgineer Leave a Comment

I’m not planning on becoming a full time spoon whittler any time soon but I love the idea of spoon carving and am impressed by the craft.  I wanted to make a little spoon for my daughter that she could use but also keep and in years to come say “my dad made that”

I used some bass wood as this is a really nice wood for beginner carvers like myself, with relatively friendly grain pattern and not too hard.

I used a pencil to trace the outline of the little spoon I wanted to make then started whittling away around the edges.

I used my flex cut carving jacks gouges to cut out the hollow and one of the knives to do the actual whitling.  I can see how this would be a nice tool out in the field but suspect a dedicated knife/gouge is the way to go when in the workshop.

So to really personalise it I then burned my daughters initials on the handle using a soldering iron.

I then soaked the entire spoon in tung oil/white spirit to bring out the grain and once dry gave it a light sand.

I then added two light coats of shellac to seal it over the following night.

Carving took about an hour and a half in total done over three nights and a further 3 nights for drying.  I don’t think it would easy to do this for a living even if you’re really good!

In hindsight a small spoon was probably more difficult to do than a big spoon would have been due to trying to hold the thing comfortably.

Most importantly – the client was happy! 🙂

…

Read More

Filed Under: Blog, Projects Tagged With: Baby spoon, diy, Pyrography, small workshop, spoon carving, whittling, wooden spoon, woodturning, woodwork, Woodworking

Pallet Wood Planter

April 17, 2017 by The Woodgineer Leave a Comment

It’s been two months since we moved so I really felt I needed to just make something rather than spend the time doing what we’d been doing for weeks, unpacking and tidying.  Plans for the garden dictated some planters so it seemed a good placeto start.

With my limited funds, I love the idea of pallet wood projects especially when they are available from where I work for free!  That said I did need to buy some 38×38 square CLS to make the legs.  If I had a bandsaw or table saw for ripping I’d have made them myself from pallet wood so buying them feels a bit like cheating but hey-ho!

I started out by using my mitre saw to cut down the pallet wood to a manageable size and also cutting the legs to a sensible size.

The pallet wood would form side slats and so I made sure they stacked up to 4 equal heights when stacked next to each other.

These were then sanded with the orbital sander.

I then routed two 12mm slots in each leg on adjacent sides.  I used a piece of wood clamped down to my makeshift mitre saw table to get a straight cut all the way down the leg and this was a bit tricky so not all cuts were as nice as I’d have liked.

In hindsight I would have done this before cutting the legs to length as I needed to set up the router each time which took time.

In the future I would hopefully just be able to use a router table once my workshop was set up.

The slats were glued with Titebond III so to make sure it was strong and waterproof and clamped overnight.  I really missed having a workbench available though and with a limited amount of clamps this was really problematic.  The saying “you can never have enough clamps” is very true!

I sealed the whole planet when done with cheap deck sealer and then added two coats of creosote to the outside as this was all I had available.  I like the dark colour but the wife would have preferred the raw wood look.

Finally once dry, I planted the prettiest flower I have…

*Update!*

3 years later and the planters still look good in a different garden! 🙂

Filed Under: Blog, Projects Tagged With: diy, garden projects, pallet projects, Pallet wood projects, planter, small workshop, wooden planter, woodturning, woodwork, Woodworking

40th Wedding Anniversary Wooden Word Art

December 27, 2014 by The Woodgineer Leave a Comment

How to make painted MDF wooden letters.

John and June are my wifes grandparents and somewhat of an inspiration as they have been happily married for fourty years.  I was asked to see if I could make them a simply piece of word art that could be signed by everybody in the family but had limited time to do so.

I’d seen bits in shops like this but who wants to buy something like this when they can make their own!

Example in shops

We had plenty of spare 18mm MDF left over from a recent project but I wanted something a bit more solid.  The answer of course two pieces of MDF glued together to a make a nice solid 36mm sheet.

The template was stuck on with spray adhesive and left for a few hours to dry.

Scrollsawing the MDF to the template was simple enough and some light sanding on the bench sander smoothed the edges nicely.  Care was of course taken during the cutting and sanding process as MDF contains some pretty nasty chemicals that don’t want to be breathed in.  In hindsight while the scrollsaw worked, it might have been better done on the bandsaw.

Although the scrollsaw was fantastic for the the smaller more intricate inner cuts

Innner cuts on the scrollsaw

Before painting the item I primed it with a water/PVA mix as MDF soaks up paint and would leave a rough surface.  This worked well as it only took a single coat of white furniture paint to obtain an acceptable finish however I’d had felt better if I had time to do another.

The first coat drying

I used some of the offcuts from the scrollsaw to make some test pieces to see how it would like once painted and drawn on.

Test Bits

The finished item was signed by all the family and presented to John and June on their 40th anniversary with much delight!

If I had more time I would have liked to have taken the item away to have it spray varnish to protect the work but now it sits happily on their mantle.

How to make painted MDF wooden letters.

*Update*

John and June sadly passed away since this post was made but this scrollsaw piece was burried with them. I feel privileged to have known them, be part of their family and to have had the chance to make something so personal for them.

Filed Under: Blog, Projects Tagged With: 40, Anniversary gifts, diy, letters, MDF, scrollsaw, small workshop, wooden letters, woodturning, woodwork, Woodworking

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New tools from those lovely people at @worxuk just New tools from those lovely people at @worxuk just in time for a bank holiday weekend and a long list of DIY stuff.
Obviously I’ll be using these in my videos too and there are some fun ones coming soon™️
Thanks Worx! 🥰
#worxtools #newtools #tools #diy
Buying a house? Completed it mate! Few months ag Buying a house?  Completed it mate!
Few months ago we thought we’d had the rug pulled out from under us as our landlord wanted to sell.  The home we’d made (not to mention my workshop) that we eventually wanted to buy was in a perfect location and somewhere we could happily spend the rest of our lives.
Thanks to some hard work by my lovely wife and help from family we’ve managed to convince the bank we’re responsible people (I know right? 😂) and get a mortgage.
Today it’s all ours along with the security that comes with not renting and we’re already pondering all the things we can do to it.
(And yes, workshop expansion is on the list there somewhere)
#generationrent #home #homeownership
Amazing time checking out the bunker at both @make Amazing time checking out the bunker at both @makerscentral and then for reals!
#tunnel #bunker #colinfurze #makercommunity #makerscentral
After an amazing weekend at @makerscentral I spent After an amazing weekend at @makerscentral I spent a crazy fun day with this bunch feeling totally out of place and the odd one out with my little YT channel.
Then after getting to know them all, perhaps bonding over near death experiences at @realcolinfurze workshop I realised we are all the odd ones and they are just simply amazingly nice people 🥰
Thanks again to Colin and your misses for hosting, the workshop and tunnel tour as well as playing with the cool toys and thanks to everyone for making feel like part of the fam especially @xrobotsuk for bringing me 😎
#tunnel #colinfurze #makercommunity #maker
Has been an absolute pleasure to see lots of frien Has been an absolute pleasure to see lots of friends old and new at @makerscentral this weekend! 🥰 apologies if I didn’t get a chance to see anybody!
Also massive thanks to the @vectricltd team for having me on their stand and all the love they give out to the maker community.  It’s been fun chatting to people there all weekend about CNCs and playing with the @onefinitycnc machine. (Though it did feel like cheating on my lovely @ooznest workbee but you know, different postcode….)
#cnc #makerscentral #mc23 #ooznest #vectric #onefinitycnc #makercommunity
On the @vectricltd stand today at @makerscentral r On the @vectricltd stand today at @makerscentral ready to meet anybody who wants to talk about their amazing software or about how a CNC machine just fits into my workshop and making.
#vectric #cnc #mc23 #makerscentral
On way to @makerscentral hooooo! #makerscentral On way to @makerscentral hooooo! 
#makerscentral
Day 12 of May for Makers “Favourite Part” He Day 12 of May for Makers “Favourite Part” 
Hehe.  I'll behave 😉
My favourite projects are ones that combine woodworking with electronics and the "brains" of most of them is an arduino specifically an ESP8266.  These tiny modules are cheap (as little as £2), have enough pins for most things you want to connect and even have onboard wifi!
Coding on them is just like any normal Arduino and 32kb of memory is more than enough for simple projects so whatever you can think of, you can connect to wifi.  Pot plants, cat flaps, toasters, pillows you name it….
ESP8266 ALL THE THINGS!
#mayformakers #mayformakers2023 #makersmovement #mfm23 #arduino #esp8266
Day 11 of May for Makers “Happy Accident” I m Day 11 of May for Makers “Happy Accident”
I made about 12 hexagon shaped bug hotels from recycled materials (mostly from my daughters old bed and pallet wood) but when you add up the time it takes to make them, you are looking at a price of £30 each if you want to make any kind of money so unsurprisingly these have never sold well at craft fairs.
But…wait… whats this?  They are just about the right size for an automata I'm currently working on and potentially could be used for others! 
Nice shape, recycled materials and a big open part so you can see the mechanism.
Score!
#mayformakers #mayformakers2023 #makersmovement #mfm23 #automata
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