DIY led lighted sign for the home cinema

I decided to make this sign out of plywood, MDF and led strip.

First of all I used my circular saw to cut the pieces for my frame out of MDF.

Then I used a hand saw and my miter box to make the cross cuts.

I glued the frame and clamped it with my farm clamp.

For more strength I also screwed the frame.

I also glued four blocks of wood to add more strength and have a place for the back to sit on.

I designed the layout of my sign and printed it out as a template. I joined the pieces of the template and glued them on a piece of plywood with spray glue.

I drilled the starting holes on my drill press and cut out the areas I didn’t want on my scroll saw.

I used rust oil remover to remove the template.

I filed and sanded the top.

I glued the top on the base.

I flushed trimmed the top using my router and a flush trim bit.

I used a rounded rasp to make a place for the wire.

I added the led strip. I secured it by adding hot glue with my hot glue gun.

I painted the piece with two coats of red latex color and then added a couple of coats of clear satin water based varnish.

I connected all the wires with the power source and then solder it with the led strip.

I secured all the wires and the power supply in place with hot glue.

My sign is ready, all I need is pop corn and a good movie to watch!

I decided to call my home cinema “Cine Romanzo”!

How to plant vegetables in a sack planter on the terrace (time lapse)

I have not much space available in my house, so I decided to plant my vegetables on the terrace.

I first added pallets on which the sack planter will sit on. Under the palettes I added plastic plates to collect the water and not harm the cement floor.

Then I unfolded the planter and added a layer of pumice at the bottom for better drainage.

Then I added the soil. The soil is 50% fertile earth and 50% compost.

Every now and then I added magnesium and calcium fertilizer.

Then I layed out the plants before planting them and after that I planted them.

I cut bamboo sticks to support the tomatoes. I cut thin strips of cloth to secure the plants gently on the sticks!

I planted tomatoes, basil, celery, dill and zucchinis.

I them I gave the plants a good watering in order for the soil to sit and to unite better with the roots of the plants.

Because the planter is on the terrace and there is too much sun, I added a green net on top of it to keep my plants a little bit cooler!

I hope you find this article and video useful!

How to make the pencil spinning top on the homemade drill lathe

I had a piece of olive tree laying around and I decided to make a toy. So I made my pencil top which is a pencil and a top at the same time.

First of all I mounted the piece on my home made drill powered lathe. Then I used ordinary chisels to create the spinning top.

I sanded the piece on the lathe and finished it with super glue.

I drilled a hole with my rotary tool for the graphite rod to sit in. I glued in the graphite with wood glue.

I sharpened the pencil with an utility knife.

My pencil top is ready. 

I love the grain pattern of the olive tree, it gave a nice touch to the piece!

Three different kind of glues drying in front of my lens with time lapse

Another time lapse photography experiment with my go pro. This time I tested wood glue, hot glue and super glue while they dry out.

Hiking time-lapse in a trail on Parnitha mountain!

How I made a creative led strip wall lamp out of plywood

I came across this idea on pinterest and I decided to make my own version of it.

You can find out more about the original design here.
Of Course Giles Godwin Brown's original design is far more sophisticated compared to my versio.

First of all I designed the lamp in illustrator  in full size. Then I printed out the design in several A4 sheets of paper. I glued the template on a piece of 15mm plywood.

Then I drilled holes for the blade of my jigsaw. I cut out the hole template with my jigsaw.

Then I sprayed the pieces with anti rust oil to remove the template easily.

I sanded the pieces with 120 grit sandpaper using several items as sanding blocks to match all the different shapes of the piece.

I rounded over the edges using a roundover bit on my router. I mounted the router upside down on my vise.

I made a groove for the led strip to sit on. I first cut some lines with my saw and then used a chisel to remove the rest of the material.

I used a v carving chisel to cut out a thin groove for the wire of the led strip.

I glued the led strip and then added a small bended nail to act as a wire holder.

I applied a coat of teak oil to the piece.

I installed the hardware.

To mount the piece on the wall I used plastic straddling dowels. I also set my drill to the hammer position. 

I drilled the holes on the wall, added the dowels and screwed the base of the lamp in.

My lamp is ready and looks pretty cool!