You are currently browsing the archive for the Woodworking category.
Here’s a great, free, and easy to use online cutting list optimizer and generator for panels or boards. Input cut setting like kerf and trim sizes, the sizes of the stock panels, and the parts you need, and it’ll generate an exportable cut list that uses the stock as efficiently as possible. Props to the find folks at Optimalon Software for making this available to use online.
Linky: http://www.optimalon.com/online_cut_optimizer.htm
At our last 3D Printer Club meeting, the kids on the team started cutting threaded rods. We were clamping the rods to a table with a standard bar clamp to keep them in place. The problem was that they were slipping a lot. One of the adults had to sit on the end of the rod to keep it still. That didn’t seem very safe to me, and so I figured there must a better and safer way to hold them still while they’re being cut. The classroom doesn’t have an appropriate vise to use, so this seemed like a great project for a custom 3d printed object!
I used OpenSCAD, which is a free and open source CAD software tool, to design a simple attachment. The attachment has a v-groove on the bottom to hold a rod in place. (The v-groove is useful because it allows us to use it for different diameters of rods.) It also has a lip around the top to hold it in place on the clamp jaw.
This clamping attachment is going to need to take a lot of pressure, so I printed it with ABS plastic, three perimeters, three top and bottom layers, and 25% honeycomb infill. You can find it on thingiverse here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:44588
It’s not easy to find metric drill bits in the United States. For a lot of applications, letter, fractional, or wire gauge drill bits are accurate enough, are more commonly available, and are much more reasonably priced. This tables shows the closest larger drill bit size for metric sizes from 1 to 10mm. You can also view the spreadsheet directly.
I love getting photos of chess and checker boards that people have built using my tutorial (How To Build a Chess Board or Checkerboard (Part 1 of 3)), or after being inspired by it, and so I’ve decided to start asking permission to post those photos and the stories behind them here. I hope that these photos will provide even more inspiration as well as ideas for customization.
So far over the years I’ve seen some exquisite work, and I’m delighted to be able to share some of them with you. If you’d like your board to be included, let me know by commenting below.
Like most photos on this site, click the thumbnail images for larger, more detailed photos.
In July of 2011, Dennis Bouscal writes:
“In 2 weeks I will be having all 5 of my sons (aged 21 to 45) here for what I hope will be a yearly reunion. They are scattered between L.A. and Calgary, so this is quite an event for me. They each play chess to some extent, so I thought it would be cool to make them a distinctive set of chess boards.
“I began by getting in some practice by making one for myself using 1-1/2″ squares. I chose Rock Maple for the boarders, Black Walnut and Birds Eye Maple for the squares, and Jatoba (left overs from our floor) for the inlay and feather-board, and as I am currently recovering my pool table I had lots of felt for the bottoms. At first I was going to cover the entire bottom with felt however the Maple was so beautiful I couldn’t cover it, so I routed a slot for the feather-board, glued the felt down then put in the Jatoba.
“After finishing mine I decided to go with 1-3/4″ squares for theirs, which gives a nice 18″ board. I had no experience with Tung Oil and I am now an advocate, so much more than Varathane. I am very pleased with the outcome, all the time spent with each boy’s board provided much thought, memory and soul searching as a dad, a real bonus in making these. Like the boys there is a crack here, a flaw there, contained in an overall beauty.
I’m still not fully convinced of the wisdom of a wooden soldering station clamp/vise, but it’s been serving me well nonetheless. It’s my DIY PanaVise! Why buy something if you can make it yourself, right? 
The frame is made from some scrap 3/4 maple, with a steel rod from an old printer’s carriage mechanism and a $3 threaded rod from Home Depot. The legs come off for storage, and they’re scraps from a Dell server shipping pallet. The jaws were originally maple wainscot from a nearby remodeled clubhouse.
DIY Wooden PCB Clamp
I didn’t have the right size metric drill bit for the steel rod, so the clamp isn’t perfect — it’s a little loose and as a result grabs better at the back. I’ll remake those at some point (when I get the right drill bit), and probably make them a bit wider as well. Also it’s just clamped with a little hex nut right now, which is a bit annoying, but I got used to it pretty quickly.
The bit held on with a C-clamp allows me to flip the work up and hold it here if necessary. It’s pretty easy to work with.
Wooden PCB Clamp, Lifted
We ran across a picture of a little pig online and my little girl fell in love with it, so we grabbed a sheet of paper and tried to make it. Here’s how it turned out.
Below the photo is the template we drew up to cut out the pieces; it should be pretty obvious what to cut and how many. Enjoy!
Wooden Pig Craft
Wooden Pig Template
If the hot shoe (flash mounting point) on your Canon Digital Rebel camera is loose, then your flash might not be stable on the camera or operate properly. It may not be immediately obvious how to fix it. This video shows you how to do it with a couple of flat screwdriver tips and a tiny PH000 Phillips head screwdriver. (They often sell these in sets of five or seven.) The trick is to lift up on the clip so that the front lip clears its catch and it can slide back. You may need to lift it over the screws as well if they’re really lose.
(Yes, that’s a Spider Man bandage. I have an excuse; I’m a daddy.)
Here’s a hot wire foam cutter that I made from scraps, following a general design I saw in Make magazine a couple years ago. I picked up 20 feet of 30-gauge nichrome (nickel chromium) wire on ebay for $2.09, shipping included, and the rest of the stuff I happened to have on hand. Aside from the wire, I used a 12V power supply [see power details below] that I got from Radio Shack decades ago, a bit of peg board, some scraps of pine, a few nails, a foot or so of standard household electrical wire, and a steel rod.
Hot Wire Cutter
I used the ground wire to fasten the cable tightly against the rail.
Hot Wire Cutter, Side View
From the bottom, you can see how the ground wire loops around, and how the nichrome wire is attached.
Hot Wire Cutter, Bottom View
Here’s a name that I carved out of foam. I tried using carbon paper to transfer a printout to the styrofoam, but that wasn’t very effective. Instead I mostly followed the little dent made by the pencil as I tried to trace.
A Name Cut out of Styrofoam
I originally used a 12V power supply because that’s what I had on hand, and it didn’t look like it would pull enough current to melt the wire. At about 2 amps, though, it made the wire glow, and I knew that was more than enough heat for the styrofoam. So I decided to reuse an old camcorder power supply that was rated at 7.5V/1.6A. With this power supply, the contraption ended up drawing 1.1A and the wire was at a more “Goldilocks” temperature — not to hot and not too cold. It slows down the cutting a bit, but I think it also makes it more controllable.
Here are some great resources I found. I wish I’d found these before I started!
Here’s a 20-minute video of the entire pen-making process — everything from selecting the wood to preparing the blanks, through to turning the pen on the lathe, finishing it to a shine, and assembling it. Virtually none of the process has been left out of this video, so it should give you a good idea of what’s involved in the process.
There’s a scene index after the video on this page.
Handmade pen featured in video
In the video I’m working on three different pens, but I’ve edited out the work I did on the other two pens. Here’s a picture of the pen featured in the video. I traded with a friend for some custom artwork.
Okay, let’s get some parenting concerns out of the way first: I believe that a rubber band gun is probably one of the safest ways to teach a kid a bit about gun safety, partly because it actually shoots something that can sting. It’s a good excuse to explain that bringing a weapon (even a toy one) to school will likely get him kicked out, and it’s also a good way to learn how to be conscious of where it’s pointing — loaded or not. Plus it’s fun for target practice.
That said, here’s a single-shooter rubber band gun that we threw together today using scrap wood. The rubber band is loaded from the front onto the top of the trigger lever, which is also the rear sight. It’s alarmingly accurate; I can hit a quarter-sized bull’s eye from across the room.
(Click on the pictures to view larger versions.)
Rubber Band Gun
It started off as a bamboo flooring plank cut-off, but it wasn’t very accurate or attractive. It was also very difficult to hold and aim.
Rubber Band Gun Loaded
The blue rubber band provides enough tension to hold the trigger in place when loaded. The trigger lever pivots on a brad nail inside of the groove. It took some chisel work to get the slot just right.
Rubber Band Gun Trigger Mechanism
