Peter Brown's ShopTime

I think you've all come to expect something a bit odd from me. This is project will be no exception. Black locust naturally fluoresces under a black light! There are no camera tricks used, or any special treatment done to the wood itself. It's just the property of this wood.

Would you like to see how easy it is to bend wood like a slinky? The trick to this technique is all about the setup, and once you've got that down the possibilities are near endless! I saw a band saw cut vase on a woodworking forum that I frequent, that lead me back to the work of Seth Rolland . I was amazed that I'd never seen any of his work until now.

This is my first cutting board. An interesting pattern emerges from the flowing "S" shape and works really well with the high contrast of maple and walnut. 

The process for making this is part craft project and part woodworking. To start, we'll channel your inner preschooler and break out the food coloring!

Turning cardboard on the lathe. I needed a quick project after a failed larger project. This started out as an experiment, but I have to say I really like the look of it! I not sure if another cardboard project is in my future but for now, I'm just happy to follow up a failure with a success!

A Himalayan salt block, turned into a unique bracelet! The process was a pretty nerve racking but I think the end result was well worth the effort!

 If you can make a picture frame, you can make this! Mitered maple frame accented with walnut keys and LED strip lighting with remote control. Sure it's a little modern, but you can change it easily to suit your needs.

A Thunder Tube, or Thunder Drum is a really fun noise instrument. I've seen many versions of this but they all used a traditional drum head, which can be expensive. I made this for $7

When you think about PVC, you're probably like me, and consider it as a tube. Well, it's pretty easy to get it into flat material for the shop. I flattened a 4" piece of schedule 40 PVC in about 20 minutes. You just need a heat gun and a flat surface.  Odds are, you've got loads of the stuff sitting around the house. Why not recycle it into something useful?

Prepare yourself for a sugar rush. I'm going to mix glue, cake sprinkles and cherry wood into a bonkers looking cake stand. I don't think I was quite prepared for how colorful this project would end up or how much of a mess it would leave in the shop! Still, I'm quite pleased with it. My daughter was the only one who protested... "Dad, you used ALL the sprinkles?!"

The kitchen spatula you need for your late night pre-crime fighting sandwich making. Made from a $1 spatula with a custom cut claro walnut handle and finished with boiled linseed oil. This is truly the utensil fit for a superhero...

HDPE is the plastic used in many household containers including gallon sized milk jugs. It's a dense and highly versitle material that can be easy processed and shaped without much trouble. Which makes it perfect for the hobbyist!

I can't stand it, I'm going up to Carl Jacobson's shop to get some automotive paint shavings, AKA Fordite or Detroit agate!

After 10 hours, countless washers and a broken 5mm tap, I will never complain about assembling put-together-furniture again!  I am the owner of a functional desktop CNC machine. Even if the person who assembled it was a bit sub par...

A Zoetrope is an animation toy that literally translates to "life turning." While I had many challenges on this build, I have to say is it easily one of my favorite creations. I have a particular fondness for toys....

I build a coin flipper catapult, so my daughter wouldn't keep destroying our game boards. She's not great at flipping the coin, so I thought I'd make her something to help out!  As of this point, I think I like flipping coins more than her! 

This couldn't be simpler! I bought a bunch of 7/16" ball bearings at the hardware store. They were less than 50¢ each. I took some super glue and glued them together, and that is it.