Almost there

Yesterday I did a little work on the foosball table. I'm having a blast building this project. I can't wait to do the next shoot so I can build another'
All that is left to do is paint and install the players/paddles. I bought some vintage style handle bar grips online and attached them to the control end of the dowels. There are rubber bumper pads on the bottom of the table to act as traction so the table doesn't slide all over when used. I gave the dowel ...rods a coat of wax and waxed inside the dowel holes in the sides so they move better. Red is my son's favorite color so the players/will be painted red and the other team green.

As always - Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative'
Best
Steve

That's a wrap

That's a wrap'

Thank goodness.
We finished shooting the latest episode today. Have you ever had one of those days? Well I had one of those weeks. I'm so glad this shoot is over and I still have all of my fingers. I was all thumbs building this project. Oh well- we worked through it and another episode is done and the tool box looks great.. Thanks again to Barry and Cameron at UCTV.
They do their best to make me look good. A large task'...
Thanks guys'

As always- Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

 



 



St. Paddy's Day

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day so I've been working on my jigs.

Not that kind- woodworking jigs'
We are shooting a new episode tomorrow so I've been busy in the shop getting ready. I'm building a toolbox that is joined together with Box/finger joints. You can buy an elaborate jig to do the job or you can make your own.
I built two types of jigs to use with our project. One jig is made using a scrap piece of plywood out of the cut off bin and the other is a little more complicated. They both work well. The more complicated jig can be adjusted and rides independently in the miter gauge slots of the table saw. I took this one from the pages of my friend Ken Burton's book 'Table saw tips and tricks', How to get the most out of your saw published by popular woodworking books. The simple bare bones jig attaches to the table saws miter gauge.
Box/finger joints are easy to make if you take your time setting up the jigs. Both work equally well.

As always - Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

SCORE '''''''

This weekend I started working on the foosball project for the show. The base is made of 3/4" plywood. The ends fit into a rabbet cut into the sides and are joined together with glue and staples. The table will be painted green and white and each player will have nine men.

I'm having a BALL building this project' Get it.? BALL
I crack myself up'
As always- thanks for putting up with me'
Work safe and be creative'
Best
Steve

Hired Help

Sometimes it can be hard to find good help but I found great help right under my nose. My son helped me clean up the shop today.

He does great and works cheap'
It won't be long before the novelty of helping Dad clean wares off.

As always - Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative'
Best
Steve

Cubbies

My friend Glenn sent me this picture.  He saw this storage locker in a shoe store in Providence.

It's beautiful.  Can you imagine having this in your shop?

Fantastic'

Work bench

I finished the work bench yesterday. I added a drawer with a tool tray. I really like how this bench turned out' It's sturdy and economical to make. If you wanted to you can paint it, use some different materials, put it behind a sofa or use it in the kitchen.

When I was roaming around Bernat Antiques a few days ago I saw a great old tool box. When I was constructing the drawer for the bench I remembered the tool box with it's tray and thought it would fit well in the bench drawer. The polished drawer handles look great against the clean plywood drawer face.

This is a great bench for a small workspace. I hope you'll keep watching the show and build one for yourself.

As always - Thanks for following.
Be safe and be creative'
Best
Steve

Bench Work

I've been building a small work bench as a project for the show.

The bench is perfect for a small workspace and is made out of 2x4's making it very economical. I laminated two sheets of plywood together to create the top. One is narrower than the other. I then screwed a piece of tempered hardboard/masonite to the plywood top. You simply unscrew the hardboard and replace it when necessary.

Theres a fixed shelf and a drawer ( I haven't completed it yet )
I used a some pieces of 1/4" oak as pads for the feet. I used two pieces of cove molding to create a simple tool tray.
The bench is very well balanced and sturdy for a small bench. I attached a very large old vise I had and it works well.

I had off cuts of plywood and hardboard so the only thing I had to purchase was three 2x4's and two 2x3's. The bench cost me $18 to make. If you had to purchase all of the materials it would probably cost $40 ( vise not included ). The bench uses standard sized materials, readily available at any home center. The top of the bench is 48" long and the base is 35". If you're savvy you can probably get the materials for free off of craigslist, freecycle, etc.

All I have left to do is complete the drawer. I'll post an image of the finished bench. This is a fun project to build and a great project to teach basic woodworking joinery.

As always - Thanks for following.
Best
Steve

Totem

On Friday I was driving down Rte 122 through Millville, MA and saw this great woodcarving in the front yard of a house.  What a beautiful site in the middle of winter.  I apologize for the poor picture quality.  I couldn't get any closer.  When the snow isn't piled so high I think I'll drive down and take a closer look and maybe visit the workshop of this talented man.