Peter Brown's ShopTime

In this episode of the ShopTime YouTube channel, Peter sets out to create a Star Wars clock using a laser cutter and electroforming .  However, he faces a series of unexpected challenges along the way. His decision to have struggles along the way in this project mirror the very struggles of the Rebellion to break free of the evil clutches of the Empire.  Peter is always striving to connect to his projects on a number of levels and this one proved no different!  The video begins with Peter attempting to cut a quarter-inch piece of maple plywood using a X-Tool laser cutter. He has a simple design in mind, which includes the Rebel Alliance logo, a small hole and a large circle as a backing. However, he accidentally cuts the wrong design due to a software error. After fixing the issue, he discovers that the piece of wood is too large to fit in the laser cutter’s frame. There is no need to Force it Peter! Peter then successfully cuts the wood down to size and applies conducti...

Micarta is a composite material made from paper or cloth and resin. It is exceptionally hard and durable, and is commonly used for knife scales and other items that need to stand up to rough handling and heavy use. Peter decided to make micarta from card stock. This is Shop Time’s third foray into making micarta (previous micarta projects include the blue jean bracelet and book tablet holder), and you’d expect that previous experiences would make this project go more smoothly. And that’s where you’d be wrong. The actual process of spreading the resin went well. Peter used a shop-made HDPE roller to spread the resin and a piece of laminate to prevent the project from sticking to the bench. He remembered to mix enough resin (because paper and cloth both drink the stuff like they’re dying in the desert). And then things started falling apart. First, the paper started slipping around when Peter tried to put pressure on it. Then the duct tape wouldn’t stick to the parchment paper. THEN Pete...

Welcome back to Couch Time, the monthly column where we show you unique and interesting projects from other makers on YouTube. Last month  we covered videos from David Gagné, Laura Kampf, Matt Cremona, Jimmy DiResta, and KRTWood. La Fabrique DIY – Making a Very French Birdhouse A birdhouse is possibly the archetypal woodworking project. Bill Lutes on the Reclaimed Audio Podcast even turned it into a joke — his first guess about every project is “a birdhouse.” In this video, La Fabrique DIY (an artist group that runs a French-language Instructables-type website of the same name) creates a birdhouse in the Basque style. It isn’t complicated, doesn’t require any special tools, and looks adorable. Stay until the end for some footage of the birds enjoying the house. Frank Howarth – Maple Clouds Frank Howarth has always been an exceptionally creative woodworker, but he took his work to an entirely new level after building his giant CNC router. This turned segmented bowl would be i...

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 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?!"

I first saw this toy demonstrated over on the Grand Illusions YouTube channel, and I knew I had to try my hand at it! Walnut Dropping Top with wipe on ploy finish

I recently melted down some milk jugs and bottle tops to make a colorful block of material. I began pondering what I could do with it! This was the first I idea that grabbed me. A HDPE wall clock!

After spending 2 hours cutting up a single milk bottle with kitchen shears, I knew I couldn't do it again.  I felt like a late night infomercial and may have actually uttered the phrase, "There has to be a better way!"

Just don't let the MCP know what you're up to, or might just find yourself fighting for your life on the game grid....

The Bell Systems three position stool was a mainstay of the central telecom office. It was typically constructed from red oak and 2 inch screws. It was a was a real workhorse, just what I need...

What's absorbent, blue and covered in epoxy? Yep! A Shop Towel Bottle Stopper. I think I might have a problem...

When I first approached with this idea it seemed like it would be a simple project. That should have been a warning sign right there, but my brain just thought, "Make a functional pint glass from discarded beer coasters? I wonder why no one has ever done anything like that before." I now know the answer to that rather naive question.    33 coasters and 5 pieces of scrap cherry

 These wires are from a 25 pair telephone cable that was discarded at the office. It just didn't seem right to toss them!

    Making a Super Mario Bros Mushroom Birdhouse turned from a log. This build was a lot of fun and I think it will make a geeky addition to my garden! Getting the last coat of lacquer This was turned from a pear tree that came down in a storm a couple winters back. It is easy wood to work with and turned easy. The trick was hollowing out the base.

I made a run of these two ring puzzles about three years ago, and they were quite popular as gifts. The joy is, once you know the secret, you want to watch others labor over it. Turns out we're all sickos....