Category: Small Projects

  • Play Kitchen Repair

    Michael and Olivia wanted to give their Uptown Expresso Play Kitchen to Elliott, but a few minor repairs were called for before the hand-off happened. The refrigerator door was missing, and the oven door had a big crack in it! Fortunately and surprisingly, the manufacturer, KidKraft, had some repair parts available … but not quite…

  • Box Joint Jig

    After I enjoyed making the Box Joint Box for Jeff, I decided to make a more permanent box joint jig for the workshop. I wanted a jig that didn’t depend on clamping it to a miter gage on the tablesaw, that would accommodate different thicknesses of wood and that would be easy to make very…

  • Mary’s Mesquite Log

    Mary was saddened when a sudden Arizona storm blew down a mesquite tree in her yard. Not long ago, Mary’s husband Boyd had passed away, and that particular mesquite had always been his favorite tree. As Mary’s friend, Deb asked me if they sent me a log from Mary’s fallen tree, would I be able…

  • Katie’s Little Stools

    Katie asked me if I could make two little stools, based on the one she already had. She also pointed me to a plan for them online. As always, well almost always, I created a 3D model of the stool from the plan, along with a few corrections and “improvements.” From the SketchUp model, I…

  • Smartphone Amplifiers

    Inspired by the walnut inlaid amplifier that Kyle made for Beth for last year’s Christmas name exchange, I decided to make a simplified design, taking advantage of the lessons learned from Kyle’s build. I also took advantage of a piece of 2″ thick white ash left over from Kyle’s Platform Bed build. One of the…

  • Box Joint Box for Jeff

    Two things: I love wood with a story, and if you give me wood, you can almost always expect to get some of it back in a different form. One of Jeff’s customers requested Vertical Grain Douglas Fir (VGDF) for window parts, a species he hadn’t processed in the past. He gave me a few…

  • Lathe Cabinet Drawers

    I use a Craftsman roll around tool chest base for my NOVA Comet II midi lathe. The two drawers in the cabinet conveniently hold many of the accessories and supplies I use while turning pens, bowls, etc., on the lathe. The lower part of the cabinet is a big, empty space that was inefficient for…

  • Jan’s Mahan Clan Cutting Board

    I’m a first cousin once removed of Dr. Harry James (Jim) Mahan. Jim was the family historian for many years, and he compiled a wealth of information about the Mahan, Campbell, Harvey, Miller and other related families. With permission from Jim’s wife, Jan, I have assumed the honors of preserving Jim’s work, making it more…

  • Linda’s Knitting Needles

    Through many beautiful knitting projects, Linda’s set of rosewood knitting needles developed a couple of orphans, right in the heart of her most used needle sizes. I thought, “Gee, I have a lathe. If I can find some rosewood, how hard could it be to turn her a couple of replacements?” Well, as it turns…

  • Christmas Projects 2021

    Some of the ideas for this year’s small Christmas projects were inspired by special pieces of wood already in the shop. Other ideas came from woodworking magazines, offhand comments by others, and even a meme from the world of cryptocurrency. Rustic Bud Vases These pieces were made from a dried butternut bowl blank from a…