I was waiting for this simple christmas present for my Mother to make it to its destination before adding it to my projects. It’s a simple, and my second band saw box. After the even simpler one not posted, I thought of making one for my Mother somewhat personalized. Her name is María Inés, and family and friends call her Marina or Marinés with the last one not to be confused with the US military group.

As is the case with my wood work (and to show my naivete and amateurishness I admit it), there are many flaws in this small project. The most glaring one, not that you can’t see it, is how I came in to the drawer. If you haven’t found out I’ll tell you, crazy glue don’t do endgrain.

The finish is a cocktail of BLO, thinner and glossy poly. It looks a lot better than my usual work but that’s because my wife who is much better than me at applying poly, would not let me let it out until I cleaned it some as my initial applications did need help.

I had picked up a board of ambrosia maple for the project after thinking of the concept. You can see the rest. As flawed as it is, it still is one of a kind, and She loved it!

Amongst my gifts is the ability to make things harder than they need to be.

A three legged stool is not big deal right?, Not so fast.

This project allowed me to use tools, try skills, and it was fun to make. My drill press is small, and setting an angle of ten degrees to yield a hole where I wanted it took some impovising. Trying to square a round tenon at an angle, I found challenging. Hindsight being better than 20/20, and watching a Wood Whisperer video, would have had me cutting angled tenons on the legs and the mortises would have been squared from perpendicular holes…....but what’s the challenge in that.

Getting the cross members to line square to the legs was also a lot of fun. However, after having more fun that I could handle, I opted for dowels to tie the mortises cut at legs and crossmembers intersections. Much easier.

The stool came from a 2X8 douglas fir. Table saw, jig saw, sanders, planes and chisels, not to mention measuring and marking tools, all came out to play.

It was fun and I got to try to sharpen techniques. It is practical and it has been tested to 200 + lbs.

Thanks for looking.

Buyo Masilla

It takes me a long time to get anything done. This was not different. I am pleased with the result, and that is different. Don’t get me wrong, it’s far from perfect, but you probably know every defect on something you make. Part of the delay on this project was a bit of paralisys brought about by the concern about the doors’ fit. Although simple math was all that was required, trying to dial in the exact width with the unyielding hinges was tricky. At the end two pairs had one door planed, a pair came out just right and one had a nasty gap I had to fix.

Quite a few fellow LJs pitched in ideas and recommendations. The cabinets came from here (http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Home-Organization/Garage-Storage/installing-large-garage-cabinets/Step-By-Step), except that the boss did not want the sliding doors of the original plan. That was fine, it gave me an opportunity to build the stile and rail panel doors, something that given my limited building experience, I had not done before. I was fairly frugal, not to say downright cheap on the materials. The frame work was made of ripped 2×4, the doors’ rails and stiles, as well as the face frame were built from primed south american pine finger joined 1×3. The panels are from a sheet of hardboard that had a very smooth white face on one side and a dark brown on the other, and for which there is a better name than hardboard but it escapes me now. The hinges are from a store that sells overstock things and the door pulls were less than a dollar a pair out of Lowes. The two do seem to match. The 3/4 plywood is chinese birch, second cousin twice removed from its baltic relative. Some left over paint and voila!

I’ve done much worse than this which is why I’m OK with them. Thanks to those who helped me with their suggestions earlier, and to you for looking.

Nothing happens fast in my shop…....meaning, it takes me forever to do anything. One would think that the time spent would mean that quality and accurate projects were coming out. -fraid that’s not the case.

Recently I picked up a four pack of marples chisels for what I thought was a decent prize at HD. Since then I’ve read a few reviews here at LJ, and know they are not the best chisels. Nonetheless they are a significant upgrade from the even cheaper HF set I still have.

Given the new chisels, and the recently inherited small three wheel band saw, I had the perfect opportunity to make this laminated wood hammer/mallet. I know it’s no beauty, but I’ve built uglier. I found the project on a DVD of old “Fine Woodworking” magazines. Having some spare hickory I used some of it. This project looked really easy on paper but I managed to make it complicated. Hence the numerous flaws.

I applied some aging cherry stain that’s been in the garage for a long time and then sprayed four coats of lacker fininsh. This was followed by an application of wood wax.

Thanks for looking,
Mario

Allow me to make a short story long.

I notice a bit of recurring themes on my projects. They are not up to par with most of the art works found here. They speak of my frugality (poorly disguised euphemism, or rather read I’m cheap) and show lack of patience and skills.

Given those, this may be my poster child project. Now I don’t know how much a proper marking knife costs, and I don’t think I’ll be finding out soon. When I stepped into the garage earlier I had thoughts of reproducing the one featured in Woodsmith shop projects. That called for burned furrules and a lot more work. After shaping a piece of sawsall blade with the dremel and grinder, and not having a lathe, I ended up with yet another little project out of a 5/16X2×4 piece of something (maybe cherry) that came from a 1X2X30 original piece I dumpster dove for outside a cabinet shop.

My camera does no justice to the figuring on that little piece of wood. I used the drill press for sanding it to shape, and a couple coats of cherry stain topped with some wax, both by minwax. I might have been more patient and thorough but the mid 30s in the garage saved me from trying too hard and varathaning the piece.

As usual, this project was aided by other members of this group which provided ideas and inspiration, thanks all.

Thanks for visiting.

I have collected a few relatively large screws I intended to make a shop made wood vise with. I saw one here a while back, but recently fellow lumberjock slickSqueegie showcased one which I thought was brilliant. Mind you I’m too cheap to buy a proper one, not even a cheap proper one. And this, well, it’s definitely no Veritas. But then, it’s the process, the practicing and the developing and honing of new skills that’s important.

I made one not quite as nice as slickSqueegie’s. The nut is sandwiched between the two sheets of ply. The clamping/moving business end of the vise is free floating. I could not figure a way to attach it to the turning, cinching thingamayiger. I also cut some oak dowel pieces to use as benchdogs. To slice the dowel into benchdogs I used the hole drilled in the 2×2. There’s a couple holes on the cinching/moving end for them and some will reside on the table top in time. This vise will eventually (few months to years, give or take a decade) be attached as pictured to the solid core piece of door one of my maintenance budies at the real job office building hooked me up with. I’m thinking an off feed/workbench/tool storage contraption on wheels for the piece of door and vise.

In closing I’d like to say that it’s not easy, maybe a bit intimidating posting here. Most of the projects are unbelieavably Great. It’s just the supportive and encouraging quality of the community that makes me feel it’s OK to post my less than average quality work.

Thanks for looking, Mario, or Buyo Masilla

When my stepdaughter and her family returned from Alaska, we were going to borrow the grandkids for a couple of days. Grandma was concerned about the firewood pile falling on and maiming, or worse!, one of the little treasures.

With some glue, screws, nails, paint, two byes and three quarter ply, this contraption was put together. I saw a picture of one like it somewhere.

So far, all the grandkids are OK. If you think the firewood is a mess now, you should have seen it before the bin.

I build this small humidor for a friend. I’ve seen some of the projects posted by members of this community, and although this definitely falls well below observed quality, I suppose it does show my amateur/beginner skills.

The outside is hard maple (I believe) with a light stain and polyurethane finish. The lining is Spanish Cedar which came from a piece roughly shaped like a two by which I rudimentarily sliced. Whole thing pretty rudimentary, just not on purpose.