Woodworking Weekend

Note from the ShopKeeper:  I’ve been on hiatus for a while, but I’m back and better than ever now that I’m currently un-employed.  As luck would have it, I’ve learned to manage to get by and now have a bit more time to spend in the shop and behind the computer!    I’ve built quite an assortment of items since my last post, and opened a small e-shop on Etsy.

Here is a gallery of some of my latest projects.

Here is a hidden compartment box I made by accident.  I built a drawer for a friend who had an antique sewing machine that was missing one of it’s drawers.  With the left over matierial I had on hand for that I put this little box together.

This is the first time I’ve used UHMW plastic for building anything, but I really like it.  The hardest part is finishing it.   It sands down smooth really easy but getting it to take a stain or sealer was tricky.  I tried two or three different things, stain, poly, spar urethane, none of which worked.  It seemed as if the plastic was just sucking them up after a while, so I just sanded them off and tried again.  Finally, I tried boiled linseed oil and it gave me the rich black color I was looking for without any fading.  If it does, just add some more.

Here are two examples of sturdy table or cabinet style stands.   I say cabinet style because it’s very easy to enclose these stands and either install drawers, doors, or both.

These are the first two jigs I built.  I built them both with free plans readily available online.  I would build one of them again, and may rebuild it just to make a better one.  You can either browse the images below or go to the flash gallery here.

I built both jigs, one after the other and tried to build both as sqare as possible.  The Tenon Jig, which I favor of the two, had less than perfectly straight red oak runners.  They both seemed to have a bow in them so I positioned them so tha tthe bow would be in the same direction at least and ensure that I have no play when I cinch them down.  I actually played around with putting knobs on the adjusters but the wingnuts work better and they are cheaper so I wouldn’t bother with knobs and you can build this for under $5.00 the main cost item being the four 2 1/2″ x 1/4″ #20 threaded screws.

Non-Flash Gallery if the one above doesn’t work.

This is a gallery of images showing where the material for the coffin came from.  A stack of rotten pallets.  The truth is they are not as rotten as they look.  Once you get past the surface decay you’ve actually got plenty of sturdy whitewood.   I’ve been using ebony stain to cover the gleaming freshwood if I have to make a cut to keep it all looking old.  The photos at the end of the gallery show the coffin as it’s nearing completion.  Sides are complete but the lid is in the works.

I’ve been building a coffin for one of my friends.  He’s shooting a ZOMBIE horror film and needs a coffin that looks old and creepy since it’s set back in the 1800’s.   I scavenged four pallets of various size and few long boards from our construction yard and picked up a sheet of exterior 3/4″ plywood for under $20

I’ll post more when I get further along, but you can get the idea from the images in the gallery.  If the above link doesn’t work for you try this one!