Making, Crafting, Creating... aka Whatcha workin' on?

here’s mine in progress.


materials: mdf for face and box, roof is two layers of 1/16 ply

10 Likes

Done! Not bad for an amateur job. This dresser was previously painted white

19 Likes

I recently got my hands on an Ortur 10-watt diode laser cutter/engraver. Just messing around with it so far, but seems like it has lots of possibilities.

18 Likes

very nice! a lot of fun, aren’t they?
tip: you will want a vent hood if you ever wamt to engrave or cut plastics (acrylics, vinyls, polycarbonate, etc). the fumes are toxic and corrosive! you probably know that alrrady, just a reminder. it also helps clear the smoke when burning wood.

9 Likes

No heat, just cold hammering? Hmmm, something I may have to experiment with!

3 Likes

Brass is really forgiving (unlike, say, marine bronze :frowning: ) so it’s great for cold working. It’s also really quick to anneal, since the process is the opposite of annealing steel - get the brass hot (but not so hot that the zinc boils out) and quench it. If your brass gets work hardened to the point that you can’t move the metal without cracking it, you don’t have to cool it super slow like you do ferrous metals, you can be right back to hammering fairly quickly.

7 Likes

Has anyone retrofitted an induction hob into a vintage stove? I bought a cheap one online and I’m trying to see if I can shoehorn it into a Jenn-Air cartridge that was originally radiant heat. The problem so far is figuring out how to cool the electronics without visibly modifying the stove itself.

4 Likes

My wife keeps telling me if I want to retire early I’m gonna need to bring in some extra cash so we’re making a list of low cost high profit stuff I can make without losing a finger.

This week it was try some trees. I bought a pin nailer to minimize the filling and sanding of brad nail holes. I really like it.

I think I’m going to make a set of three that nest for easy storage. They little red one is less than 3 bucks in material.

The paint is really cool, it’s Behr spray paint with a chalk finish.

14 Likes

I like the nesting idea. Storing decorations can take up so much space

7 Likes

Agree with @NukeML, nesting them for storage is great. They also look quite nice!

5 Likes

Neat!
I can also see getting one or three, quite possibly in varying sizes, in the uncut (ha!) configuration as shelves to display little christmassy knick-knacks.
Or to use as an advent calendar where the gifts all are in little boxes and packages.

5 Likes

The first two were test subjects because originally I was going to make a nice shelf unit for my wife’s overflow Christmas nick knacks that she keeps collecting.

I’m still going to make that but hers might end up being some quality hardwood I can stain.

When I started thinking about it I looked for plans which took me down a crafting worm hole. Quite a few variations. I have more fun figuring it out, then I get bored.

Apparently these things are a popular craft show item. My mom lives in a really nice assisted living place, I’m going to recruit her as the first Christmas tree franchise. I’m thinking multi level marketing.

It would also be easier if I wasn’t high and drunk during geometry class. I can figure out angles but scaling up or down is where I run into problems. I can work it out but I waste a lot of wood that ends up in the firepit.

I also wish I’d think of these things when it’s warmer out, my garage ain’t that big and I heat it with a kerosene heater.

10 Likes

Sounds like you need to review your theorems! /s

(Seriously, geometry is the only class I could actually have an interest in.)

2 Likes

Pantograph_animation

You can make your own from scrap.

(Or a CAD programme. LibreCAD should do nicely.)

9 Likes

I really dig your improvised painting station setup. :sunglasses:

4 Likes

love the paint tent

3 Likes

@politeruin @noahdjango

I have a table top version of that tent on the way.

I really need a bigger garage.

There is a large floor fan that does a good job getting the fumes out.

9 Likes


mine all done and installed. my friends were thrilled and even 10mo baby L was super excited by it! (the names: her name, middle name in kanji, her nickname, phonetic nickname in Japanese)

17 Likes

Nice work!

7 Likes

Credit where credit is due: I did all the CNC work and assembly, my wonderful wife did all the painting (after my first pass of just a white primer coat she took one look at it and said “no god-daughter of mine is getting that crap of a paint job. Leave this to someone who doesn’t paint like a spastic weasel”)

6 Likes