2007 was a great year - here's to 2008 being even better! Happy New Year to all...
Monday, December 31, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Assembling my Band Saw
Assembling my new band saw - what a great Christmas present! - keywords: bandsaw, band saw, grizzly, g0555 woodworking, affyx, saw, tool, assemble, assembly, instructions, directions, blade, table, base, fence, Christmas
My wife, parents & mother in law got together to get me this great Christmas present!affyx.com Band Saw Education: Assembling a Grizzly G0555 Bandsaw
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Bathroom Cabinet... Finished!
It's been done for a couple weeks - sat in the garage forever while I tried to find the perfect hinges and knob. But I had to get it out of the shop and into the house so I settled on both the door and the hardware.
The door is a quasi raised panel but the panel isn't mortisied, it's floating and held together with pocket screws. The hardware is from Lowes and is fine for now, but my intention is to replace both the door and the hardware in the spring. I want a whte oak door to match the top.
The top I am especially happy with - I fumed the White oak which was the way Gustav Stickley used to darken his. I stuck the machined and sanded top in a big box with a bowl of household ammonia (the pros use much stronger stuff, which makes it darker, faster), but I like the color I got from leaving it in there for 3 days. I then finished it with Minwax hand rubbed poly.
The important thing is it's done and LOML likes it!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Bathroom Cabinet - time to make the door
Getting ready to make my first door - raised panel no less!
Top is cut to size, needs a decorative edge.
Carcass is ready to be sanded and painted.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Future project - storage between the dormers
Popular Mechanics has a great storage solution for a knee wall...
Monday, October 15, 2007
New Project - small cabinet for bathroom
The powder room has a pedestal sink and therefor no room to store such essentials as toilet paper and air freshener!
Probably about 9" by 21" by 36" tall...
Body will be painted clear pine. Top some quarter-sawn white oak I've been hanging on to for years.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
BT3Central Forums
My table saw is a Ryobi BT3000 - about the only decent product Ryobi has ever made. It features a sliding table and integrated router table. It has dual belts and halfway decent dust collection.
There's a great forum on the BT3K at bt3central.com.
Here's my thread on the shoe project.
My son shot some video of a couple small stud walls I built in the basement. Stupid me, I wasn't wearing shoes or eye protection, so I need to see if I can edit that out lest I archive my dumb, unsafe practices for posterity! Video coming soon...
Monday, September 24, 2007
Lowe's & Home Depot disappoint
Lowe's is now asking for my phone number when I pay with cash! I understand the value of data mining, but this is as big a turn-off as when Radio Shack wants your personal info with every purchase.
Home Depot has been about 10% higher on most things I have compared between the two stores lately - especially plywood and trim molding. Both Lowe's & HD seem to be getting extremely proud of their lumber products.
Anyone else noticing these phenomena?
The Shoe Problem - part 5... complete
Done!
For me this is huge - the number of started woodworking projects I have is FAR greater than the number of completed projects!
This was a great project for me to learn how to use the Kreg pocket hole system...
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I love Google Docs!
I can share spreadsheets with colleagues, word-like docs with my kids and wife, and now they have a Powerpoint knockoff... here's my first attempt: The Shoe Project
The Shoe Problem - part 3... the technology
(Alright, I just typed about 5 paragraphs into blogger then POOF they were gone! Reminder to self: save more often.)
The shelves are my first project with pocket holes / pocket screws. I bought a Kreg Jig which makes the whole process very easy. In fact I cannot believe how much fun woodworking is for me now! I'm no purist, if technology makes things easier, and I don't have to cut mortises ans tenons, then I AM ALL FOR IT!!!
It's easy - set the jig for the thickness of your wood (3/4" for both my plywood and my poplar, so that was easy). Clamp the wood into the jig. Use the included drill bit to drill using whichever guide holes you want. Then use the included drive bit and included screws to connect the two boards. Easy!
I used a LOT of screws and had to buy more mid-project. Since I didn't use glue, I probably went overboard with the number of screws.
The shelves are my first project with pocket holes / pocket screws. I bought a Kreg Jig which makes the whole process very easy. In fact I cannot believe how much fun woodworking is for me now! I'm no purist, if technology makes things easier, and I don't have to cut mortises ans tenons, then I AM ALL FOR IT!!!
It's easy - set the jig for the thickness of your wood (3/4" for both my plywood and my poplar, so that was easy). Clamp the wood into the jig. Use the included drill bit to drill using whichever guide holes you want. Then use the included drive bit and included screws to connect the two boards. Easy!
I used a LOT of screws and had to buy more mid-project. Since I didn't use glue, I probably went overboard with the number of screws.
The Shoe Problem - part 2... the design
... so I downloaded and used Google Sketchup to design the shelves. My first design was a group of shelves with a big seat/bin on the bottom.
I decided that was a bit much for my first project, so I ended up just going with a simple bookcase looking shelving unit. It's open in back and will attach to the wall studs with long screws.
The Shoe Problem!
Here's the problem: too many shoes cluttering the garage... (you know a lot of them are Crocs - those people are making GOOD money!!!). The solution will be to create a shelving unit to go into an otherwise useless little corner near the door from the garage into the house.
The method for creating these shelves is to use pocket screws. (This is what AFFYX is all about, finding the best way to connect, join, attach, etc.) The shelves and carcass are 3/4" birch plywood connected solely by pocket screws, and I'm creating a face frame from poplar.
I should mention that this project is nearly complete. In the future it is my intention to use this site to show the process step by step, but in my typical cart-before-horse style, I decided to create this blog after I started on the shelves - so ther you have it. The pictures here show it in primer, my lovely wife is in the garage right now putting the top coat on.
I am now convinced that pocket screws are one of the BEST ways to quickly create shelves, bookcases, dressers, beds, etc. (my next project will be to make a queen sized bed). I can't believe I haven't used these before! The multitude of saws and drills and etc. that have been gathering dust in my garage suddenly have purpose again - I am brushing off my woodworking to-do list ... a list mind you that has grown over the years, yet only a bout two or three things have ever been completed. WOW I AM EXCITED!
(I am going to break this into a few posts - next post will describe what I'm making...)
First Post
Welcome to AFFYX. I am all about connecting and joining and fastening. I like to build projects and spend a lot of time nailing, screwing, bolting, glueing, clamping and taping. As a result I have learned a lot and seek to learn even more about the best methods for creatively connecting items together. I am also building a website at affyx.com and will be trying out new joining methods and sharing my experiences.
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