Ramblings of a geek with a few hobbies…
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Leather Hinges
Another style of box I’ve made from the Basic Box Making book by Doug Stowe features a leather hinge. This was the second kind of box I made from the book and was the first time working with another material. They’re pretty handy, we’ve got several of them put to use in the house –…
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Pencil Boxes
Another box from the Basic Box Making book which I’ve built in the past 6 months is the pencil box. My sister is using one for crochet needles, another is just sitting on my desk, and I honestly couldn’t tell you what the others are holding. These were the first box joints I’ve done. These…
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Small Boxes
In an effort to learn some new woodworking skills, I’ve been working through a book, Basic Box Making by Doug Stowe, on small box making. I’ve made several different types now, each one better than those before it. Here’s some of the first set, made with a mix of oak, cherry, and walnut. In one…
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Chuck Box II
A couple years ago I built a chuck box for food and cooking while camping. It worked out so well I decided to make one for my dad as gift this past Christmas. He has a smaller stove and doesn’t need food or cooking space for 4 people, so I was able to make it…
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Workbench Upgrades
Looking back, it was 2007 when I built my first workbench. While it has served me well in the 13 years since, I have spent many more hours working on it than I have in the past and I’ve started to feel some of its shortcomings. Not wanting to spend a small fortune on a…
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Leveling Up – New Desks
In late July we learned the kids were going to be starting the school year from home. We made-do in the spring when everything shut down and they spent the 4th quarter of the school year from home. Claire used a folding table in our office, and David ended up doing most of his schoolwork…
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Camp Oven Follow-up
A quick follow-up about the camp oven I built. We went on our first camping trip of the year this weekend, thanks to Illinois state campgrounds and recreation areas finally being opened back up. We spent the weekend at New Salem and used the oven three times – twice for cinnamon rolls and once for…
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Table Saw Upgrade
In early March I finally felt worthy to upgrade from an inexpensive Hitachi jobsite table saw to a real one. The inability to consistently create accurate and repeatable cuts on my little Hitachi was causing so much frustration that I was finding myself avoiding projects. The fence was garbage, the entire thing wobbled, and I…
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Fabric Organizer
One of my recent projects was an organizer for Ana’s sewing room. She has been overrun by fabric and was in need of something to unstack the piles. Plans Earlier in the year I started making the transition from SketchUp to Fusion 360 for my woodworking plans. Since I’m so new to Fusion 360, it…
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Camp Oven
The last couple times we’ve gone camping, my uncle has brought along a small plywood box lined with aluminum flashing which my grandfather made years and years ago – a great little camp oven! Baking in it is as simple as putting a small tray with a few pieces of hot charcoals in the bottom…
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