What's in the scrap bin?

Here are a couple of small projects for those lockdown Microsoft Teams meetings, Zoom sessions and FaceTime catchups.

Both made from scraps of oak and jarrah, and hinges recovered during a 1960's kitchen renovation we did in 2009 (I knew they would come in handy).

The Mark 1 (left) is shorter in stature and perfect for the not-so-busy engineer to chat while he pretends to work on his PC.

The Mark 2 (right) is higher for a more flattering camera angle and can be brought up to the vertical with the aid of the stylish recycled window stay.  Perfect for those yoga sessions and live workouts.

On sale now soon one day when we all emerge from our hibernation.

Barstool Upgrade

I bought a cheap second-hand barstool on TradeMe a few years ago for my standing desk.  Lately, it has migrated to the workshop to give a bit of relief from standing in there all day.

It works ok, apart from the sound of plastic creaking and cracking every time you go to sit down or stand up - a little bit disconcerting.

Maybe I could make a wooded seat using some of the 'macrocarpa shorts'.

I made an MDF pattern from the old seat and cut enough lengths, either full 90mm width or ripped in half.

The boards were then ripped to the approximate angle to form the profile of the template.  To make the seat comfortable, I decided to make a circular depression and marked this out while the boards were temporarily clamped together.

Using a curved template with a radius of 800mm I then cut the curve in each board with the bandsaw, with the blade angled to form a series of faceted curves.

Now the boards could be glued together.  Just a few clamps should do the trick.

 Next, a custom made sanding block was made, cut with the same 800mm radius template.

Once everything was sanded, planed and rounded over, the seat got two coats of Osmo Polyx.  This is a natural hard wax flooring oil and is very durable.  Our floors inside still look great after nine years.

The oil dries to a satin finish, nice to touch, and to sit on.  Now that the upgrade is finished, the question is does the barstool stay in the workshop or go back inside?

Locked down but not out (of wood)

A while ago the macrocarpa sawmill down the road was selling pallets of 'shorts' (less than 1m long) that were no good for regular sale.

I nabbed a cubic metre and put them away for a rainy day.

Fast forward and these short lengths are perfect for another couple of Adirondack chairs.

Finished with some leftover decking oil, the macrocarpa grain really 'pops' as they say.

The perfect place to sit and contemplate the end of the world as we know it.  Now, what else can I do with those shorts...

The Workshop Has Re-Opened for Business (kind of)

Mostly recovered from hip surgery, I've been back into various projects for the last month or so.  Unfortunately, work has been getting in the way but the Covid-19 outbreak means I might have a bit more spare time if the construction industry inevitably slows down.

A few items from odd scraps of wood:

A couple of cutting/serving boards, Rimu and Jarrah (top) and White Oak (bottom) finished with the remains of some non-toxic chopping board oil.

A handheld router cut sign for the Laundry door.  In Pompei, houses had signs stating "Cave Canem" (Beware of the Dog).  We don't have dogs so Beware of the Cat it is.  Stained Macrocarpa finished with leftover Shellac.

  
A hexagonal outdoor table for the hexagonal gazebo.  Macrocarpa, finished with leftover CD50 decking oil.

We will have to see what the year brings, and how the supplies last!

So bored...

... that I've started drawing cartoons with really bad puns.

2019 Projects

I'm stuck inside, off my feet and recovering from more surgery.  Getting a bit frustrated at not being able to do anything outside or in the workshop.  Time to reflect on the year.

Well, our pine forest was logged at the end of 2018, so there was a lot of cleaning up to do.

And lots, and lots, and lots of screws to finish off the deck.

I finished the gazebo...

and repaired a couple of chairs for a friend.

I think the only thing holding them together were the borer beetles all holding hands, but hopefully they will last a few more years now.

There was the coffee unit of course, blogged about previously.

And two large bookshelves for our living room, made from roughsawn narrow oak boards joined together.

These were mounted on the living room unit / credenza that I built in 2014.  There is adjustable shelving between the main cases and glass sliding doors to four of the shelves.

And last but probably least a bird feeder.  Since our monoculture of pines have been removed we seem to have a lot more birdlife - excuse me while I chase the cat, she has just caught a phesant 😔

Stumped to find a seat

My sister found a nice seat for their entry at a local market - a simple log of wood.

The only problem was the price - $500!  Maybe I could make something similar?

Off down to the ex-forest at the back of our land.  A wattle log was located, waiting to be cut up for firewood.  It was felled last year by the forestry contractor, but it was of no value to him.  Maybe this would do?  Two very heavy lengths were cut off and rolled up into the 4WD - one for my sister and one spare.

The bulk of the bark was peeled off in the workshop using various tools at hand: crow bar, claw hammer, chisel.

Next, with the stumps on wheeled dollies a small laser was used to mark horizontal lines top and bottom, about 480mm apart.

Then the logs were cut to the lines with the chainsaw.

An MDF box was made, just bigger than the logs, allowing a router mounted on an old melamine shelf to skate over the surface of the log, machining it to a smooth flat finish (sorry, no photo of the router setup).

The two logs were then flat enough to sit on the floor without rocking, and just required final sanding and finishing.

I tried out a bowtie across a crack on one of the logs.

This worked reasonably well, but who knows whether it will be able to resist the shrinkage forces of the log as it dries out.

Three coats of Danish Oil were applied and the seats were ready to be used.  It will be interesting to see how much they crack as they age, but they will make good firewood if nothing else!  They have a certain rustic charm anyway.

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