Ever wonder what to do with nice logs that you come by when someone cuts down a tree or you find in the woods? How about hollowing it out and making a nice home for our feathered friends? Here’s how this project proceeded from start to finish.
The bottom was cross drilled with a 1-1/8″ Forstner bit and a perch was glued in place below it. The bottom has a small hole drilled in it to drain water. It will be fun seeing our new tenants in the early spring!
There was an article in the Dec/Jan 13 issue of Woodcraft Magazine describing how to make salt and pepper mills using mechanisms purchased at, you guessed it, Woodcraft stores. This looked like something that would make nice gifts for Marilyn’s side of the family because they were invited to our house for a Christmas party. …
I found the plans for this project on Minwax’s website. This looked like a neat little project that would beautify our yard so off to Kettle Moraine Hardwoods I went. White oak was selected for the bench parts and the entire thing was assembled with dowel joints. I really like dowel joints because, if they…
There are many ways to cut captive rings and specialty tools are sold to accomplish the task. I decided to make my own captive ring tool from an Allen wrench, the tricky part being the shape of the grind. I tried many different shapes without success before hitting one that worked. The various grinds were…
I have a very nice neighbor Tom who is stuck inside this winter because his left eye quit working. His doctor says it will return to normal but there is nothing that can be done other than let time take it’s course. I asked if he wanted to do a small project in my wood…
Now that Marilyn has retired, she wants to spend more time in the garden and she has been studying composting. The order was put in to the manufacturing department (me) for a cedar compost bin with 3 compartments that she saw in a magazine. I used SketchUp to draw the bin and made it using…
The Banksia tree grows in Australia and produces unique looking nuts. The nuts are harvested and sold as exotic blanks for wood turning. I have seen these in various woodworking stores so I thought that I would give it a try. I was surprised when I cut into the nut so I took a few…
