Sus scrofa

This is my second hollow wooden surf board, but my first completely from scratch, think of doing a board only blog so not going to write anything else. Except peace and rucking

Build a little bird house in your soul

I built this bird house so long ago I am struggling to remember it. I have been meaning to post since completion a few years ago now but blame the move away from my pc to a newer device causing issues. So the old bird house was leaning over a bit and looking a bit worse for wear and I was asked to replace it. My grandad Jack made the old one and it's stood the test of time so Copied the design as best I could. The main reason for replacing it was its lean which turned out to be the way it was secured and the new post is a rotten bit of wood from a old cupboard so it's less sturdy than before. Because of this i just moved grandads around the front of the house and it's still standing, the main difference is the roof which I used an old chicken hutch roof instead of the flat roof of the old one. So far mines still standing but it did need a couple of extra screws early on as it fell down. 

Big frame

This is also current and unfinished. It's the largest frame I've attempted so far and I'm using the same techniques and material as the last one. This time I have used the table saw to cut the 45 degree angles at the corners which was successful and they are pretty snug, just needing a bit of sanding. It's for BEAR a piece of art I invested in and the frame needs to do it justice but have a plain look about it. Usually I go for the rustic look so a bit of care needed to get the right affect.

It's a carry easel

Sneaky peak at the new project. I don't want to say too much about it yet as its a mystery. Will reveal all later this week hopefully. Deadline set.

Had to order some catches and hinges but was quite difficult to find and when they turn up I had to modify the holes and use larger screws. But after I sorted them out I was amazed at the finnished nature of the..... Still not divulging the detail as its a present. The colour is a first and used this as a test for another surfboard which I'm planning, also gave it a coat of varnish so hopefully the draw wount stick. I need to buy a a3 pad which will hopefully fit in the draw and then deliver to recipient.

Spurdog

I have been working on this for the past few months but I am not exactly sure how long but I have been fitting it inbetween work and stag do's. I really wanted a new board and as I have been worming I looked into how to build one on the net. There are came across Grain hollow wooden surfboards, which looked fantastic and cheap the only problem was they were based in Amercia and after shipping the cost increased and just seemed to complicated. However reading my subscription of Surfing life, introduced to me by Surfers against sewage the was a advert for grain build you own surfboards brought to you by, (and this is the last plug) Fyne boat kits. So I ordered away and the kit came in the post with a book of instructions that at first seriously dented my confidence due to it large and precise nature. Building stands and tables out of scrap was right up my street and I enjoyed following the steps much more than anticipated. So things were taking shape and due to glue times and prep work I realised that making the most of my available time was key, and not to work after a couple of beers as damage was easily done. I took a few pics along the way but wish I had taken more looking back, many people said it was not going to be sea worthy but it's had a full weeks surfing and gave as good as it got. The last varnish stage though had to be rushed but it needs a regular top up coat so it should be fine, it's 6'4" sherry fish named after a spiny dog fish a type of shark. I enjoyed the build so much I am planing board number two using self bought materials, but I have a different project line up which should take up less garage space.

Wine Rack Extension_2

I came up with a new design which meant using the back and front as the front and drilling holes in a piece of hardboard for the back. I made it thinner as the bottles hold in place better. At the moment I don't have any wine in it but will soon sort that out but I like the design and look. I could use wood instead of the hard board and joints instead of screws to improve. I think I'm going to paint this so was not too bothered about the finish, and unfortunately I have seen an extra large bottle that this new rack couldn't, accommodate but luckily they could sit on top of the old rack. So for the next edition I think it will have to be all wood, with joints, and the top open so any odd shaped bottles can be stored.

Fixed Drying Table

Unfortunately another project which needed repairs, this time it was the gale force winds which put pay to the sturdiness. I increased strength by increasing the size of the mortise joints by an inch on each. I broke one of grand ads chisels in the processes snapping the metal after getting it stuck too deep, and got a cut for my troubles which is standard, the joints aren't exactly flush but there holding so far. Since its creation there was always a surface area limitation which I wanted to address so the collapse of the original was a opportunity for innovation not to be missed. The fold out extension has clips to hold the struts out of the way from the old boiler in my room which is being redecorated. Big jobs in the pipeline, mainly surfboard, bench and wine rack.

planter

The base of this planter is embarrassingly an old one that did not survive. Granted the weight of soil will push the sides out however I'm pretty sure it was broken through moving it roughly, but I will give refunds! On the bright side I've increased the durability of the design so hopefully it will last a decade at least.

Pine draw

After putting this project off for a long time a weeks holiday from work to get other things sorted meant i could eventually get round to starting it, and was pleased to finish it before the week was out. This is my first attempt at dovetail joints so i didn't know how long it would take. To be honest I'm not very happy with the joints as they are messy and poor fitting, but they hold firm with glue and the hardboard base keeps everything sturdy. The draw is for an existing table with no draw and i had to take some screws out of the hole where the draw goes as they were sticking out so i hope the table doesn't fall down. To get the draw to fit i had to do a bit of sanding which made the dovetails look a lot better, i used some skate wax to help it slide as was suggested, but your supposed to use beeswax. Some yacht lack er finished it off. Have been forgetting to put completed jobs on woodwormer and need a new project as the chicken house will have to wait till after winter.

Wine rack extension.

After ordering a wine box from a promotion I had too much wine for the old rack, so I set to work on the extension. I didn't get off to a good start as I couldn't find a piece I didn't use on the first one and as I wanted to use the same wood i ended up using different wood. The whole design is different and it doesn't fit the other one so I shall need to build another section that fits them both together and as I found the left over piece when nearing completion I can use that.

Notice board

When using the ceder to make plant boxes I'm often left with nice thin off cuts which can be useful to make frames. I was lazy with this one and have not made a frame but just used glue and plane pins the attach the wood to the hard board. The hard board is a bit difficult to put pins into and i think it would be easier if it was the other way round, they go in with a bit of extra force.

Drying Table

Now that the onions are coming out of the ground if they are dried before strung up they will keep for longer. A place to dry them out of reach of the chickens was needed and therefore a table with chicken wire as the top was ordered. I used the same method of mortise joints for the frame, when building the big oak table but didn't feel the need for a middle support, as i don't think there will be a vast amount of weight on it. Its difficult to see anything getting dry at the moment which is also a good excuse for not getting on with other jobs such as another shelf, chicken house restore and a draw for pine table. The drying table isn't totally fixed but I'm hoping it will stiffen up with time out in the elements. The chicken wire helps hold the shape being fixed with a staple gun which i hope holds as I have had staples fall out after time with previous projects

Drying Table