Tuesday 1 May 2012

Small DIY Project. Door support jig.

This is a small jig I built to help when working on doors or large pieces of timber and boards. I was giving a friend of mine a lift replacing 12 internal doors. This involved planing to width and fitting hinges. Without this small jig it would have been a very difficult job holding the doors while doing the work, but with it, it was an easy one man task.
The jig is made by glueing together two pieces of scrap 1" plywood and cutting out with a jigsaw. One thing to be aware of, make sure the angle on the wedge and the angle on the main body are the same, otherwise you will not get a good square grip on the door.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

How to make a Pine Country Kitchen Shelf DIY Project






This is a solid pine country kitchen shelf unit. It can be left plain with just a light oiling or waxing or it can be painted. I have made several of these and currently have two in my kitchen, you can see the colour options on the video.

Saturday 7 April 2012

Salvaged Timber Projects.

I'm always inspired when I see items of useful furniture that are constructed using reclaimed or salvaged materials. Many of the pieces are made using discarded pallets or scaffolding boards, stuff that most people would dump in the skip.
The following pieces would look great anywhere from a chic city pad to rustic country farmhouse and all of them have cost virtually nothing to make. With a little thought, a few tools and some reclaimed wood, you too could make some fantastic tables, shelves and benches for your home.


This coffee table is made from nothing more than a pallet and some supermarket trolley wheels. The maker has left in all the scratches and dents that pallet has gained through it's life. A lick of stain and this is ready for a tray of coffee any lounge. www.coolthings.com-pallet-coffee-table/

                    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

You don't need to have pallets to make furniture around your home, scaffolding planks will do very nicely aswell.
Tom Robinson custom built furniture makes and supplies a range of salvaged items including this bed. Just ask yourself, what price did you pay for your last bed £200 - £300 - more likely more than that. And was it unique? Did it have a story to tell?


I have bought old boards recently and paid £10 for 5. Granted, they need a bit of work doing on them but when they are complete they look superb. Keep looking out for my scaff board coffee table in a later post.

                    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This kitchen table and benches is also made intirely from salvaged scaff boards. These planks are usually American Redwood or European Spruce. In this example, the timber has been given a lime wash after preparation to give it a clean farmhouse look.


Available from Folksy.com a UK company, they cost around £450. Not cheap but look and feel great and again, a great talking point as well as doing your bit to renew salvaged materials.

Thursday 5 April 2012

Finally used the corks!

You may remember a few post ago I asked if you had any ideas for a bag full of corks that I had. Well the majority of the replies were in favour of a cork board. So here it is.
I've incorporated a few extra bits on there like a corkscrew and an old nutcracker.
The corks were all mounted on to a 3/4 back board of MDF and a surround of 2x1 softwood. I still have to finish the board, not sure whether to varnish the whole thing or maybe just wax the outer surround.
The board measures approx 28" x 16". Not sure if i should mount it vertically like in the picture or horizontally. I tried to make the design not only practical but pleasing to look at aswell, hence the extra pieces.
Visiting a local craft fair recently I saw the same thing but smaller for £25. The whole thing cost me about £7 (minus the wine).
This is an easy project for anyone to try and gives really nice useable results.
Give it a bash!








Tuesday 3 April 2012

Salvage Wood Design Projects.

WoodWorks-Glastonbury
This company, based in Glastonbury make a wide range of stunning wooden furniture made entirely from recycled and salvaged materials.

Their range includes mirrors, shelves, tables, boxes, music stands and ornaments. 


Belinda-Jane Miers is the creator behind these beautiful pieces. She uses locally sourced pre-used timber,driftwood and scrap metal to create them.




Check out the site and be inspired ! ......
 http://www.woodworks-glastonbury.co.uk/

Friday 30 March 2012

Jewellery Box

Hi again. Here is a short video showing a jewellery box I made a couple of years ago. The original design was by Steve Ramsey - the producer of 'Woodworking for Mere Mortals' website and YouTube channel.
I have a link to Steve's page here -------------- >
If you would like to make one of these I suggest you have a look at Steve's YouTube page where he posted a very comprehensive video of him making it.





The box is made from Ash, Walnut and I think boxwood.