Thursday, May 24, 2018

How to make a skater character with the 3D pen













I made this character using ABS filament in my 3D pen. This is not one of my woodworking videos but I thought it was interesting to share.

First of all I designed all the vector templates in Adobe illustrator.

I then placed the plastic grid of my pen over the template and begun doodling. This grid helps the doodle to be glued lightly on the surface so you can draw more easily. 

I first created the outlines and then filled the inner structure. When all the forms of a shape were completed I welded all the parts together with the 3D pen. 

I can also fill small gaps in the air, drawing with the pen.

After all the different filament parts are ready, I weld them in place. 

When I have a curved part, I spot weld in a few key places and then I fill the whole edge. This happened with the legs of my skater.

After all the parts were ready, I welded everything together and my character was ready!

I think he came out pretty cool! I really Enjoyed using my 3D pen.

Friday, May 18, 2018

How to make a DIY toy storage box with casters













I made this rolling cart out of 18 and 9mm birch plywood. It has four casters and a removable carved letter made with the CNC machine. 

I didn’t have any 18mm plywood in the shop. So I got it precut from a shop.

I glued and nailed the sides of my box, using my air powered nail gun.

For the bottom I used 9mm plywood. I used my circular saw and a guide rail to cut the bottom slightly larger than needed.

I then glued and nailed the bottom in place. I used a flush trim bit on my router and flush trimmed the bottom of my storage box. 

I used some wood filler to cover up any imperfections on the piece. 

I then used my random orbit sander to sand the box. I begun with 80grit sandpaper and finished at 180.

To prevent the wood from splitting I clamped a plywood scrap piece on the back of the hole I was going to make. I drilled the hole using a forstner bit.

I then started the paint job. This whole thing was a matter of good masking. I had to make a synthesis of triangles from different colors. I prepared each color and then used masking tape to make the masks. In order to have a really sharp edge here, it is best to bush from the tape to the inside of the form. If you brush against the tape, there is good chance you’ll mesh the sharpness of your painted form. I applied two coats of each color and used my heat gun to speed up the drying process. I used latex paint.

I then used a scrap piece of wood as a spacer to mark the positions of the casters. I screwed the casters in place. Two of the casters have stoppers.

To customize the box for your kids, you can can carve the initial letter of your kid on a piece of plywood. I used my CNC to do that. I then painted the inner carved forms. After the paint was dry, I sanded it and it was ready.

I wanted the letter to be removable,  so I came up with a simple mechanism that uses a rubber band and a dowel. 

At this point my little box was ready, I hope you like it!

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

How to make a wooden slingshot on the lathe















I made two wooden slingshots on the lathe. I made the first out of oleander wood and the other out of olive wood. I used leather for the pouch and rubber from a catheter I found in the pharmacy.

First of all I mounted the wood on the lathe between centers. I used my roughing gouge to turn the stock true. I then used my skew chisel and a parting tool to create the tenon for my chuck.

I mounted the piece on the chuck and also used my steady rest to keep things in place while hollowing the end grain. I used the bowl gouge to do the hollowing. The whole process here basically resembles to the goblet making procedure.

After hollowing, I sanded and used super glue to fill some cracks on the wood. I then used the roughing gouge and the spindle gouge to finish the shape of my slingshot. I used my finger as a thickness caliper. 

To provide more support, I added an adapter on the tailstock to hold the stock in place. I used my skew to create better grip on the slingshot’s handle. I sanded the piece. I also used the wood shavings to sand the surfaces even smoother.

I moved on the bandsaw and cut out two side pieces. I finished shaping my slingshot on the belt sander.

I finished the piece with a coat of mineral oil. 

I bought a rubber catheter from the pharmacy and used it as my slingshot’s rubber. I added a leather pouch and mounted the rubber on my slingshot using iron wire with a pair of pliers.

My slingshot was now ready. To keep it a toy I used rubber washers as ammo.

I hope you enjoyed this build!

Friday, May 4, 2018

Making a Talandon or Simantron ( percussion instrument )
















Talandon or Simantron is a percussion musical instrument used in Greek Orthodox monasteries. A monk uses the instrument to call the rest of the brotherhood for prayer in the church or other monastic activities. I made it out of maple.

First of all I used my circular saw to cut my stock to size. To joint one edge I used my guide rail. With one side jointed I ripped cut the other side on the table saw.

I the used my jointer to flatten one side of the board and then finished planing on the thickness planer mode.

Using straight edges and a compass I designed the shape of the simantron. I then used my jigsaw to make all the cuts needed.

I then used my files to clean up the saw marks. First I use a rasp to remove much material fast. Then I use my files to clean up the rasp’s marks and finally I sand to clean up the file marks. In some tight corners I used a chisel. 

I wanted the whole piece to have rounded over edges. I marked the bevels with a pencil and my finger as a guide. I then used my spokeshave to create all the round overs. When using the spokeshave, it is important to pay attention to the direction of the grain to avoid splitting of the wood. 

In some cases talandon has three holes in the shape of the cross on it’s edges. I used my drill with a forstner bit to create those. 

I then sanded the piece with shading blocks.

The talandon also has a wooden mallet. To make the mallet I glued three pieces for the mallet’s head and two for it’s handle.

I cleaned up the edges on my table saw with a cross cut sled.

I marked the centers and mounted the stock on the lathe between centers. I used my roughing gouge to true up my pieces. 

For the mallet’s head I used the spindle gouge to round over the edges. I also used the parting tool to establish the size. I cut the excess wood on the bandsaw and cleaned the saw marks on the belt sander. I used a forstner bit to open up the whole for the handle. I secured it with clamps and a 90 degree angle piece.

I then made the handle on the lathe and glued it on the head.

I sprayed all the pieces with water to raise the grain of the wood. After the water dried I sanded everything with 220 grit sandpaper. I finished everything with mineral oil.

My simantron was now ready. Although it is used mostly in Christian monastic life activities I thing it is a really interesting instrument and I really enjoyed the build!

I hope you did too!