Separating Wood Shop from Other Tools

 I decided to separate my tools, and dedicate my detached building to wood related tools and projects, and move my other stuff to my attached garage. Maybe not such a big deal, but I think this is going to work out better for me.

Doing this has allowed me to be much more organized, and it also gets my other tools, such as auto related tools, out of the way. It's frustrating to have to move things around every time I want to use my table saw, for example. 

Another benefit, is not having these tools coated in saw dust.

I've experimented with several different ways of laying everything out, and still keeping plenty of room to park my automobiles inside the garage.

One of the most important priorities in the garage, is to keep related items together. Auto wash/detail tools all together, wrenches, sockets, etc. together. You get the idea.

I also took the time to hang some of the many signs I've collected over the years. Two purposes were served in doing so... they're no longer stacked on a shelf, taking up space .....and now I can see and enjoy them.

This is very much a work in progress, but that's fine. Just as my wood shop is always a work in progress. Everything seems to evolve. My interests evolve, my tools evolve, and what I place my attention on evolves.

3D Letter Sign | Scroll Saw Project

I had a tough time this year buying Christmas gifts. Who am I kidding, I always have had a hard time with this. I'm a man. 

I really like to try and pick up clues throughout the year what a person would like. The problem is, most adults these days have anything and everything they want. If they want something, they go out and buy it. 

As economically blessed as we are in the United States, I have trouble buying for someone based on something I think they "need" too. 

For my parents this year, I decided to make them something. I finally settled on this sign. 

Scrap Wood and Craft Paint Projects

The Christmas season is in full swing. Rather than digging out our old Christmas decorations, my little boy and I are making some for inside the house. Here's a sample:

It's nice to have something to do with some of these wood scraps that pile up. He and I both like to get out the craft paint, so this works out good for us. #MerryChristmas

Tool Brand Signs | Scroll Saw Project

Just a few days ago, Steve Carmichael released a video in which he made several scroll saw road signs. I was absolutely inspired by this. His signs look really great, and I think they will make some great decor. I want to make some of those in the future. However, I chose to practice by making some tool brand logos with my scroll saw.

Western Boots Refurb | Clean & Polish

Last year, my father-n-law was cleaning and clearing out things he no longer used or wanted. In his purge were these Dan Post western boots. During conversation, we discovered that we wear the same size shoe. As a result, he thought of me when he came across these boots, and gave them to me. 

Here, I'll describe my process of cleaning and polishing this once nice pair of western boots. Or, as I always called them growing up.... cowboy boots.

As you can see in the above photo, these boots have been neglected for many years. Approximately 25 according to him. Thankfully, the sole was still in good shape. They were very dirty, and had what looked like mold on part of the shaft. Absolutely neglected. I don't say that as a dig to him at all, it happens.

Wooden Mallet | Woodworking Essential Tool

I've seen many videos that suggest a wooden mallet is essential to a woodshop. While that may be the case, I've made it so far without one. On this day, I decided to make one.

Ryobi 10 Inch Compound Miter Saw - Is It Any Good?

Like many woodworkers, I got interested a few years ago in actually putting a shop space together. This led me to adding stationary power tools as I was able. I always wanted a miter saw, but I put it off for a long time for some reason. When I purchased The Weekend Woodworker course a couple years ago, Steve put out a list of tools that were his recommendations to get started inexpensively. I already had most of the tools needed in the course, and decided to get this inexpensive Ryobi Miter Saw.

My initial concerns were, that a cheap saw from an entry-level brand name, wouldn't be worth the money. I knew I would have loved to get the Bosch 12 inch sliding compound miter saw, but at the time, it retailed for about $649. It was the kind of Miter saw you get, and never have to upgrade. Well, I was too much of a novice to make that kind of investment in it. So, I bought this Ryobi for around $130 at Home Depot.

Rustic Decorative Box Built Fast and Cheap

If you're known by others to make things with wood, chances are you'll have opportunities to make custom pieces for others with the holidays fast approaching. Having said that, it's not always about showing off skills, implementing new methods, or even conquering a challenge for that matter. Sometimes, it's just about doing something for someone else. The way I figure it, I can build this, or they can go pay who-knows-what for something similar at Hobby Lobby. This is a super simple box I put together for a family member to decorate the center of her dining table. It would also work great as a planter. No lap joints, no dove tails, no rabbits, just wood cut to size, and tapped together with finishing nails. As simple as that is, not everyone has the know-how or the needed tools. That's a fact that I sometimes forget.

I used fence boards for this, because she wanted the box to have a 'rustic' look. Because of this, I didn't even worry about small gaps or joints that were slightly uneven. These boards are only a couple of bucks for a 6 footer, so it was also extremely inexpensive. The boards are about 6" wide, which is exactly the dimensions she asked for. So all I had to do was cut them to length.

No sanding whatsoever, and the only power tool I used was the miter saw. I did apply glue before nailing it together. One coat of spray lacquer brought out the color of the wood and finished it up. Aside from going and buying the boards, this literally took.. maybe 10 minutes. But, here's the key: she's happy which makes me happy.

*Update 12/2/2020 - Here's what she did with it.

Set Up Shop - WWMM Courses Testimonial

I've mentioned a number of times on this website how much I enjoy all the video content from WWMM(Woodworking for Mere Mortals) and Steve Ramsey. I received an email some time ago asking me to fill out a survey and share my thoughts on the Weekend Workshop course. I'm sure everyone who purchased the course received the same email. I generally tend to ignore these types of emails, but because I'm such a "fanboy", I decided to take the survey and share some thoughts. I noticed today that an excerpt from my review is posted on the homepage of WWMM.

I guess they really do read these responses, huh?

So I will say it here, not that Steve needs any help from me. Whether you're experienced  in woodworking or not, log in to Youtube and search for Steve Ramsey - Woodworking for Mere Mortals. You'll learn a lot by spending some time scrolling through the many videos there, AND you will find yourself smiling and snickering at many of the entertaining things he does. Even if you're a seasoned woodworker, I can assure you that you'll enjoy it. If you want a much faster approach to setting up a shop and getting started building, his courses - such as The Weekend Workshop are a great place to start (imho).

I'm not including links, but it's all easy to find..

Learning to Paint with the Graco Magnum X7 Airless Sprayer

I'm in the middle of doing a renovation on a house to sell. The house needs paint in just about every room, and I originally thought I would just hire someone to do it. As I thought more about it, I got the bright idea that I would buy a paint sprayer, do the job myself and $ave Money. 

My biggest lesson in this scenario, is that painting with a sprayer is the easy part. The hardest part is placing tape, plastic, and drop cloths everywhere you don't want the paint to go. Did I say everywhere? I mean EVERYWHERE.

Kobalt Air Hose Reel Malfunction

I bought this air hose reel sometime during this past summer, brought it home and installed it. I used it a number of times to air up a trailer tire that has a slow leak, as well as with my brad nailer, etc. I pulled the hose out a couple weeks ago, and holy cow there was this big bubble in the hose. I wasn't sure how dangerous this is, but I wasn't gonna take any chances of having something blow up in my face.

Kitchen Drawer Divider

My utensil drawer was a very sad case. And making photos and a blog post were the last thing on my mind at the time. So.... I failed to get a before picture. But, I had one of those store-bought trays in there, and it did keep my forks and spoons together, but it wasn't a flush fit. So other things also had a tendency to gather in the drawer. Before long, it was an unorganized mess. I already had one junk drawer. So this planned-out, custom fitted divider tray was the solution.

My 20-Minute Clamp Rack

After moving to where we now live, I had my clamps laying in the floor for months. After moving them around a few times to get them out of the way, I FINALLY decided to put them on the wall. Why I waited so long, I don't know....just pure procrastination.

It's definitely nothing fancy. But it works perfectly, and proves a point in my mind. I can step over something that's always in the way, or I can spend less than an hour with leftover pieces of wood to solve the problem. I've learned the hard way, that taking the time to organize tools, and put some thought in how my shop is laid out is a worthwhile endeavor. It's not as much about what looks nice and orderly, but it's about being in order to save time, effort, and frustration.

Make Moving Tools Easy with Mobile Tool Stands

So, I bought Steve Ramsey's course, the Weekend Workshop. I love his videos, and have watched most of them multiple times. I used his plans to make the miter saw cart, and I experimented with different approaches on the other two. I made all three of these the same week. 

Pa's Shop Sign - Scroll Saw Project

One of my neighbors saw one of these hanging in my shop that says 'Dad's Shop', which I got the pattern for off of Steve Good's Scroll Saw Workshop website. She asked me to make her one that says Pa's Shop to give to her Dad for Father's Day. I cut this out of a 1x8 pine board that I had.

I painted it up, and had a hard time getting the red paint to turn out smooth, so I had to redo it after this photo was taken. I don't know why I didn't get a new photo.

Small Drill Press Table For Accurate Drilling

I have a mall Craftsman bench-top drill press. I watched Steve Ramsey's video on how to build a table for it, and thought that looked like a project I could finish in one afternoon. I already had the wood needed, but I did have to make a store run for the hardware.

The only thing I would do different, is make the table surface a little wider. Otherwise, I'm happy with it and it works excellent. So far, every time I've used it, I've put a board down between the table and my workpiece to deep from damaging the surface.

Small Multi-Purpose Table for Home or Office

This build was commissioned by a friend from church, Karen. She sent the measurements, such as the height she wanted it, and the length and width of the top. The only other specifications was, it needed to look nice, and be inexpensive. Alrighty then!

So, that word inexpensive led me to building grade materials....pine boards. That was fine by me, because that's mostly what I use anyway. Pine is inexpensive, readily available, and can be made to look really nice. Especially for indoor projects.

Piano Wall Art from Free Pallet Wood

I'll admit it, I had a pallet boards left over after the 'Sun' project, and decided to make this piano art to hang over my piano.

For this project, I joined the boards after squaring the edges up, by gluing them. I did it this way because I wanted it to hang as flat against the wall as possible. I attached the black keys with brad nails.

I think it turned out pretty good for something that didn't take much time at all. By the way, I used the board with the knot hole on purpose. At the time, I thought it added character. ha!

Turn Free Pallet Wood Into Rising Sun Wall Art

This is a project for a friend. She asked me to make her a sun with pallet wood, providing me with an example she got from Pinterest. She already had a few pallets at her house, and I went by and got them.

First, I cut the boards in these 'pie piece' shapes, and fit them together. For the circle part, I used some scrap plywood I had laying around.

DeWalt 788 Scrollsaw - Best Upgrades

I upgraded my scrollsaw from the Wen 3921 to the Dewalt 788. First of all, no comparison. The improvements between the two saws is less about how well they cut, and more about everything else.