ShopTime: 2015

Black Light Bangle From Black Locust!

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.

Amazing Wood Bending Technique!

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.

Making The Drunken Cutting Board!

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.

Tissue Paper Night Light!

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 The Cardboard Bottle Stopper

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!

Making A Salt Plate Into A Bracelet

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!

Modern Picture Frame Desk Lamp

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

Recycle Old PVC Into Flat Sheets

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?

Candy Sprinkle Cake Stand

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?!"