For the birds

On Saturday evening my son and wife and I had a fire in the fire pit and roasted marshmallows. We had some scrap fire wood leftover so on Sunday we headed outside and decided to make bird houses out of the leftover fire wood. We had a blast'. I set up a pair of saw horses and we had a small assembly line going. We decided that we would use the beer caps we've been saving and attached them to the roof of the bird houses.
My wife and son hammered the holes in ...the caps and attached them to the roof pieces and I cut out the other parts. I love how they turned out. We didn't measure anything we just used what we had at hand. We had enough material to make two houses. They're a little rough around the edges but I love the quirky look of them. What a great, inexpensive way to spend time together'
Well- maybe not so inexpensive. If you add up the beer caps the houses probably cost us $40 to make'

I wonder what kind of bird they'll attract? Maybe a BUD-GIE?
Sorry- I couldn't help myself
My Grandmother was from England and that's what's the English call a pet parakeet.
As always- Thanks for following.
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

Utility

I'm in the process of building a garden cart ( barrow ) and a compost sifter. Last week my wife asked me to make these projects and I jumped at the chance. I love building projects that serve a definite purpose and are utilitarian in function. Sure we can buy these items cheaper at a big box store but using them doesn't give you the same sense of pride and satisfaction when using them.
Today we were perusing around Bernat Antiques when I saw a beautiful homemade ca...rt and sifter. I love them. They're not glamorous but they are beautiful. They've aged with wear and have a fantastic patina on them. They weren't made to be good looking but needed to work. I can imagine the sense of pride the maker must have felt when they first used them.
I love them. I can't wait to finish my cart and sifter and use them.

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

 



Game on'

We wrapped up shooting another episode yesterday. I can't wait to see the finish product on air. This project was a lot of fun to make. When you're having fun learning you retain the information better. That was the premise behind building a foosball table as a project for the show. And- for selfish reasons, it was a blast to build. I don't want anyone to ever feel they can't learn woodworking.
The foosball table project incorporates the same simple joinery a...s cabinetmaking. Stand it upright and attach a door and you have a cabinet. Again - I owe a lot of thanks to Barry and Cameron at UCTV for their patience while I stumbled my way through another project. I don't know what's going on but my head just wasn't there.
Anyways, we got through it'
As always - thanks for following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

 

Gerrit Rietveld and Hancock Shaker

A couple of weeks ago when we were at the Hancock Shaker Village I saw some outdoor chairs in a public lounge area. The chairs were made so visitors could sit, have a refreshment or a bite to eat and enjoy the scenery. I love the chairs. They were comfortable, minimal, shaker like in their simplicity and well constructed.
The chairs are a study in furniture and art history. The chairs were made recently by the museum staff but influenced by the past.... Gerrit Rietveld was a Dutch furniture designer and architect. Born June 24 1888 he was one of the principal members of the Dutch artistic movement called De Stijl. Rietveld is famous for his Red and Blue chair, designed in 1917 as a study in 3D design. Hoping that much of his furniture would eventually be mass - produced rather than handcrafted, Rietveld aimed for simplicity in construction.

In 1918 he started his own furniture factory , and changed the chair's colors after becoming influenced by the De Stijl movement, of which he became a member in 1919. I think he would be happy to see his influence.
As always - Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

 

Nostalgia

 

If you love all things nostalgic, especially the music of the 60's and 70's then you have to check out this documentary titled The Wrecking Crew. Read the clip below and check out the trailer.
It's awesome
Enjoy...
Best
Steve

The Beach Boys, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Nate King Cole and many more. Behind their success was a group of studio musicians called The Wrecking Crew.
What the Funk Brothers did for Motown… The Wrecking Crew did, only bigger, for the West Coast Sound. Six years in a row in the 1960s and early 1970s, the Grammy for “Record of the Year” went to Wrecking Crew recordings. And now, THE WRECKING CREW tells the story in pictures and that oh, so glorious sound. THE WRECKING CREW is a documentary film produced and directed by Denny Tedesco, son of legendary late Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco. The film tells the story of the unsung musicians that provided the backbeat, the bottom and the swinging melody that drove many of the number one hits of the 1960’s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX5BCgmr7tg

As always- Thanks for following
Best
Steve


Hancock

Last Saturday my wife and son and I went to Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA. I love shaker furniture. The shakers were much more than just furniture makers. There are all kinds of books out there on the shakers, their life as a utopian sect, their simple yet very disciplined way of life, and their inventions to name just a few. If you like living history museums you must make a trip to the Hancock Shaker Village. I took a lot of pictures, mostly of the... furniture, the incredible round stone barn and the woodshop.
My son had a blast seeing the baby animals that had just been born.

This was an inspiring trip. In episode two of the show, which airs on Rhode Island PBS next Saturday, I made a rustic chair with a shaker woven seat. I stumbled and stumbled my way through weaving that seat. It finally turned out well but it was a task. I saw a device that the shakers invented to make the job of weaving a seat so much easier. I wish I had made a visit to the village earlier.
I think I'll try building a shaker style box for the show. They're so simple, minimal and absolutely beautiful'
Attached are just a few of the images from the village.
As always - Thanks for watching and following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

 

SCORE''''''

This is what happens when you turn a film crew loose around a foosball game. Yesterday 'The Garage with Steve Butler' turned into Steve's' Bar and Grill. You can't have all work and no play.
We started a new shoot yesterday and as you can see the project for the new episode is a foosball game. This is a fun and uncomplicated project to build and is guaranteed to give you and your family hours of fun. Now that the nice weather is here you can move it outside a...nd set it up on a picnic table.
We'll continue to shoot next week. I think Barry and Cameron are due for a re-match'

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

 

Remember the dodo

The other day I was roaming around Bernat Antiques when I saw a simple wooden magazine rack. We don't see magazine racks anymore. Technology has made them extinct. Most folks use the computer to read online news articles, etc. It made me think about what other types of furniture have faced or will face extinction. Pie safes were a staple of colonial homes but are only made by crafts people for replication purposes. The Icebox was replaced by the refrige...rator.

On top of the fridge sat my favorite, 'the bread box', though they are making a comeback. Every household had a stereo console which meant furniture was made to hold vinyl record albums. In the eighties most living rooms had an armoire style entertainment center to house the TV, VCR and the stereo. It's funny how these pieces of furniture that were part of our vernacular now look out of place in our surroundings. I'm not dissing technology, I think it's important. I guess everything has its day.
I like magazine racks. I like to sit and read a magazine in my comfortable chair than at a computer screen. I feel rushed at a computer. I don't own a magazine rack. I think I'll make one as a project for the show. When I'm done I'll place it by my comfortable chair.
Have a great holiday weekend'
As always- Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative'
Best
Steve

 



Game on'

Yesterday I finished the foosball table. My son and I tried it out and it works great' The paddles/players are notched into the dowels for better support. I attached a few plumbing 'O' rings beside each paddle and at the ends of the dowels to act as buffers against the sides of the game table. You can use fishing nets for the goalie nets and attach them with some upholstery tacks. the tacks give it a cleaner. finished look.
No need to spend money when you don'...t have to. The plywood used for the game table came from my offcut bin, you can buy small pieces at your building center, the paint I had from a previous project and instead of a ping pong ball I bought a package of 10 practice golf balls for $1.95. Instead of handle bar grips you can buy pipe insulators cheap at your local home center and cut them to length.

We should be shooting the next episode in a couple of weeks where I'll build another foosball table for the show. This is a great intro into woodworking and using sheet goods project, and a great project to build with your kids. in the end you'll have hours of fun and valuable time spent with them. It doesn't get any better than that
As always - Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

 

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.