How to make wooden training knives

Tools and materials:

Skil electric planer

Block plane

Forstner bit set

PFEIL Carving Set

Cabinet scrapers set

Cutting mat (board)

Chisel set

Table saw

Bandsaw

Cordless drill

Rotary tool

Flat file

Round file

Spoke shave

A friend of mine who practices Philippines martial arts asked me to make him two training knives. I made him a karambit and a curved knife out of beech wood.

First of all I used my electric planer to plane my wood flat. I then glued the knife templates I designed on my wood, using spray adhesive ant tape. 

Then I used the bandsaw to cut my basic shapes. To cut the other sides I glued the pieces back together with my hot glue gun and I made the cuts. 

I used a forstner bit to drill the hole on the karambit’s handle.

I removed some more material on the bandsaw. Then I carved the handle ends.I first used the the V chisel to create a relief cut. Then I used gouges to remove the rest of the material needed. 

At this point I cleaned the saw marks and flattened the basic surfaces of my knives. I then used flat and round files to create the roundovers on all edges. When I could I used the spokeshave as well. In a few tight spots I used the carving gouges to remove the material I wanted. 

To create the bevels on the blades, I used files and gouges in the beginning. But then I decided that cabinet scrapers worked much better. I used a flat one and a goose neck. 

I sanded my knives with 100, 200 and 320grit sandpaper. 

I finished the pieces with 4 coats of clear water based satin varnish. I sanded between coats with 400 grit.

My knives came out nice. It was a really interesting project because it involved many different techniques. Especially the karambit was quite challenging. But, that was it, see you soon with a new project video!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Making an outdoor coffee table out of pallet wood and an old planter base

Tools and materials I propose:

Table saw

Angle grinder

Metal cutting discs

Random orbit sander

Stick welder

Cordless drill

Cordless Impact Driver

Bandsaw

Jigsaw

Router

Router bits

Air compressor, nail and staple gun kit

Block plane

I made this coffee table out of an old metal planter base, some pallet wood and a piece of 9mm plywood. It's kind of semi rustic and I think it is ideal for having it outdoors on your garden or balcony.

I begun by cutting some excess metal from the planter base using the angle grinder. I then cut four square pieces of steel. These would help me screw the table top on to the base. 

I started removing the paint with a sanding disc. But then I decided to use paint remover. I applied the remover and let it sit for a while. Then I scrapped the paint off with wire brushes. 

At this point I stick welded the four square pieces on the base. I welded two points at first and then I finished the seam. I welded the pieces from both bottom and top sides. 

I cleaned the welds with a sanding disc and then I drilled the holes for the screws. 

Finally I painted the piece black with two coats of oil paint. 

Now for the woodworking part. First I drew a circle on a piece of plywood. I drilled the centre and then drew another circle on it’s back. 

I used the router with a straight bit and circle cutting jig. I cut the plywood circle. 

Then I used the table saw to cut my pallet wood to size. I then glued and nailed the wood on to the plywood. I used the bandsaw and a jigsaw to cut the excess pallet wood off. 

I used the circle cutting jig again to to remove some more pallet wood. Then I trimmed everything flush with a flush trim bit. I did that because my bits were sorter than needed to do the job at once. 

I cut some thin pieces of spruce on the table saw to cover the end grain. Then using glue and flat headed nails I bended the pieces to place.  To avoid splitting the wood, try not to add the nails in a straight line. To the points were two pieces connected I tried to place the nail in the middle. This way the nail’s head forced the wood in place. Just to be sure I clamped the piece with a band clamp and let it sit over night. 

I then used a block plane to plane the edge band flush.

I then sanded the piece. I tried to leave as much pallet look as possible. This wasn’t supposed to be super clean.

Finally I applied four coats of clear water based varnish and then screwed the top on the base. 

I am really happy with the way it came out. I think we are gonna enjoy this table on summer. But that was it. See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

How to make removable magnetic vise jaws for woodworking

Tools and materials I propose:

Pearl  animal gide glue

Caliper Micrometer

Combination Square

Table saw

Chisel set

Forstner bit set

Drill press

5 minute epoxy

Magnets

My Greek friends can find my metal vise here.

A metal vise has by default metal jaws which leave tool marks on wood.

In order to work with wood you can make special purpose jaws for this job. I made mine out of beech wood, leather and magnets. I wanted the jaws to be easily removed. So magnets proved a pretty good idea.

Beech is a pretty hard wood. So I think it’s perfect for this job.

I took a few measurements from my vise and then I cut my stock to size on the table saw.

I created a groove on the back of the jaws. I did that with several passes on the table saw. I wanted it to fit easily. I then cleaned the saw marks with a sharp chisel. 

I then used a forstner bit on my drill press to drill the holes for the magnets. Then I used 5 minute epoxy to glue the rare earth magnets in place. 

Leather has a really nice grip on wood and it’s really gentle with it as well. To glue leather on wood you can use contact adhesive. But I decided to use pearl glue. You can also use hide glue. Pearl glue is also organic and can be reversed ( unglued ) with heat. So it is ideal for repair jobs. Pearl glue comes in pearls. You soak the pearls in water and they become jelly. Then you heat the glue in bain marie to melt it. If your solution is too thin you can add more pearls. If it is too thick you can add water. Then I added the glue on both surfaces, clamped them and let the pieces dry over night. 

Next day I trimmed the excess leather and my jaws were ready. They seem to hold really well and the fact that they are removable is amazing.

But that was it. See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

How to make a resin and wood blank using the vacuum chamber

I made the blank of the video for my friend and woodturner Kostas Annikas Deftereos. You can see Kostas's work here:

https://www.annikas.gr/

Kostas on YouTube

Tools and materials I propose:

Vacuum chamber kit

Hot glue gun

Resin

Resin colors

Bandsaw

In this video I show you how to make your own resin and wood blanks using a vacuum pump to remove the bubbles. It also helps the resin to penetrate into difficult areas of the wood. In order for this to work, you need a resin that has at least 30 minutes of working time before it starts to set. 

I begun with a piece of olive wood Kostas sent to me. 

I made the main cylinder of my μold using clear PVC sheet and tape.  I cut the base of my mold on the bandsaw out of plexiglass. In both plexiglass and  PVC resin doesn’t stick. So I should be able to release the blank from the mold easily. 

I clued the PVC on the plexiglass with hot glue. You can add a drop of silicone if you want to make sure no leaks will happen. Then I poured a small amount of resin in the bottom of the mold to make sure I had no leaks. 

I then prepared the resin for my first pour. You can’t just fill the mold with all the resin you want. It will overheat while setting and it will crack. 

I poured the resin into the mold and then I de-gassed it in the vacuum chamber. I let the pump suck the air for about ten minutes and then I slowly let the air back into the chamber. 

Next day I added another pour and repeated the process. I did three pours in total. After a few days I removed the blank from the mold. The whole process took me about a week.

Now I will send the blank to my friend Kostas at Kefalonia so he can turn it on the lathe.

But that was it, see you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Making a mini doll bed out of spruce

Tools and materials I propose:

Table saw

Jointer planer

Bandsaw

Spoke shave

Wood Carving Detail Knife

Forstner bit set

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Air compressor, nail and staple gun kit

Cordless drill

Speed square

Chisel set

Picture frame clamp

Flush trim saw

6mm dowels

Dowel center pin

In this video I demonstrate how I made a doll bed. I mainly used traditional woodworking techniques and I painted it with latex paint and clear water based varnish.

First of all I created vector templates of my bed. 

I then cut my pieces to size on the table saw. My stock was 15mm thick. But for some pieces I had to reduce it to 10mm. I did that with my jointer planer. 

I cut the front and the back piece on the bandsaw. I used the spokeshave to clean up the bandsaw marks.

The columns of the back and front panels are attached with mortise and tenon joinery. 

To make the tenons, I first used a detail carving knife to cut around the mortise. This would help me to avoid tear out later on the process. I then did some cross grain stop cuts with a chisel and then removed the top layer with the chisel again. I removed most of the material on the drill press using a 10mm forstner bit. Then I did some cleaning up with chisels.

To make the tenon, I made a stop cut with the carving knife and then used a chisel for the rest. I also sanded the edges of the tenons to create a chamfer. This should help the tenon fit in place a bit easier. 

I used my templates to make my marks on the column. I then mounted the columns between centres on the lathe to make the ball head ends. I used the skew chisel and the spindle gouge for this job.

I then glued the front and back panels. 

To make the sides of the bed, I glued and nailed two pieces together. 

I then used dowels to connect the sides with the panels. I first marked my positions and drilled the holes on the sides. Then I used my dowel centre pins to mark the positions of the matching holes. I used a few sheets of paper as spacers to lift the sides a little bit. I then drilled the holes on the drill press. Finally I glued everything together using a picture frame clamp. 

I glued and nailed the boards of the bed in place. I used a thinner piece as a spacer. 

Then I sanded the piece and applied two coats of white latex paint. I lightly sanded between coats. To speed up the drying process I used the heat gun. Finally I applied two coats of clear water based satin varnish. 

And that was it. My little doll bed was ready. I am really happy with the way it came out! But that was it, see you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Making a wooden clothes hanger for cyclists

On this project I used Inventables X-carve CNC machine:

Easel

X-Carve

CNC project files

Tools and materials I propose:

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Chuck kit

Router

Router bits

Table saw

Bandsaw

Cordless drill

Heat gun

I made this clothes hanger out of 15mm plywood. The pins are made out of beech wood on the lathe.

I begun by creating my vector design. I then imported it into Easel, the online software my CNC uses. 

I screwed a 15mm plywood piece on my CNC’s base and let the machine do the rest. 

I used the bandsaw to release the piece from the tabs that holded to the stock. 

Then I sanded the piece.

I used a roundover bit on my router to smooth the edges of my hanger.

I then cut a piece of beech wood on the table saw. I turned the pins on the lathe. This was classic spindle work. I mostly used the spindle gouge and parting tools. It helps to have a template which you can take your measurements from time to time. This make the process of copying parts on the wood lathe a bit more efficient. 

I then drilled and counter sinked two holes. Through these you can hang the piece on the wall.

I made a mini jam chuck on the lathe, so I can paint the pins. I used latex paint and a small piece of sponge for that job. I used the heat gun to dry the paint fast. I then sanded a little bit and then I added another coat. 

I glued the pins in place.

I finished the piece with three coats of clear, water based varnish. I sanded between coats with 400grit.

And my project was ready. I am really happy with the way it came out. I really want to thank Inventables for sponsoring this project.  But that was it, see you soon with a new project video.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.