How to make a kalimba with wooden springs

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Table saw

Jointer planer

Chisel set

Air compressor, nail and staple gun kit

Cabinet Scraper set

Block plane

Countersink bits

Hole saw

Random orbit sander

In this video I make a kalimba out of beech wood. I tried to make it completely out of wood. As springs I tried various wood alternatives but I decided that I liked beech springs the most!

I begun by cutting my stock to size on the table saw. 

I then created half lap joints which I then cleaned with a chisel. 

Then I glued and nailed the frame of the instrument. 

I then glued two pieces to make the bottom panel. 

The top panel was much thinner so I used a wedge system to clamp it while the glue dried.

I then used my cabinet scraper to scrape off the excess glue. 

I the glued the bottom in place. Then I used my cross cut sled on the table saw to trim the excess wood close to the sides.

I then trimmed it flush with a block plane and hid the nails with wood filler. 

On a flat board I glued the top piece using carpet tape. I did that so i could plane it really thin on my planer.

I then glued the cleats under the top. I then shaped them with a chisel and a block plane. 

I then glued the top in place and trimmed it flush. 

Using a hole saw I made the air flow hole on the top. 

I then sanded the body.I also rounded over the bottom edges with a block  plane.

To make the bridge I cut some pieces on the table saw and I shaped them with a block plane.

To glue the bridge pieces I used the springs as clamps.

I finished my kalimba with mineral oil. 

As springs I experimented with popsicle sticks and bamboo sticks. Both worked. But I preferred to use some beech springs. Beech is a pretty flexible wood but also really hard. 

My kalimba sounds really interesting. Ofcourse it is not as loud as a metal spring kalimba but it is really sweet.

Anyway, I hope you liked this one, because 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.

"Fragile freedom" wood sculpture - Woodturning and carving

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Foredom Woodcarving Kit

Small Carbide Burrs Set 

Table saw

Jointer planer

Forstner bit set

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

In this video I make a wood sculpture out of basswood and olive wood burl. I first turned the pieces on the lathe and then I used my rotary tool to power carve the rest of the forms. I really want to thank my good friend Giorgos Laskaridis for sending me this beautiful piece of olive wood. 

I begun by glueing two pieces of basswood together to make my stock. 

I then turned this into a cylinder. Using a forstner bit I established my depth and removed some material.

I then hollowed my piece with a hook tool. I used the hook because this was end grain hollowing and that’s a tool that works well on situations like that. 

I then cleaned the interior with my carbide tools and a side scrapper. I also taped a piece of sandpaper on a dowel to sand. 

I then used my divider to divide the cylinder into sections. Then I drew my design.

I did most of my carving with my rotary tool and several carving bits. 

The base was basically a small bowl. I made it using mostly a bowl gouge and a spindle gouge. 

I also divided it into sections and I used my rasp carving bit to carve the bottom.

Finally I glued everything together and finished it with mineral oil. 

I would also like to point out that after power carving, the project included hours of hand sanding. To do that I made several sanding blocks out of flat scraps, dowels and bamboo sticks. I just used double sided tape to connect the blocks with the sand paper.

But that was it. It was a really interesting project for me and I learned a ton of stuff. 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 coat rack out of solid beech wood

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Table saw

Jointer planer

Bandsaw

Forstner bit set

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Speed square

Chisel set

Drill press

Cordless drill

Dowel centering jig

Random orbit sander

6mm dowels

Dowel center pin

Mini machinist’s lathe

Belt sander

Cabinet Scraper set

Countersink bits

In this video I make a simple coat rack which is also a shelf. I made it out of solid wood and finished it with clear water based varnish.

I begun by ripping my wood on the table saw. I then cleaned the saw marks on the thickness planer. 

I then cut my wood to size on the table saw. I also created a groove by doing multiple passes on the table saw. This was to fit the shelf in place. 

I used the bandsaw to round over the sides which I then cleaned on the belt sander. 

Using a forstner bit I drilled the holes for the hangers. At  this point I also drilled the holes from which I would hang the rack on the wall. I also counter sinked them.

I used 6mm dowels to connect all the pieces. To do that I used my dowel centre pins and a centering jig. 

I then sanded everything and glued all the parts together. 

It was then time to turn the hangers on the lathe. 

I first created the tenons. I made a hole on a scrap piece. I then burned the tenon with friction so I would know how much material I should remove. 

I turned the pins roughly to size and then I used my machinist’s lathe to make sure the maximum diameter was the same on everything. 

I then trimmed them to size on the table saw and I moved back on the lathe to finish turning. 

I glued the pins in place and then trimmed them flush.

I finished the piece with three coats of clear water based varnish while I lightly sanded between coats. 

And my little rack  was ready. I hope you’ve enjoyed this project, because 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.

Simple DIY sphere making tool for the wood lathe - metalworking

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Stick welder

Drill press

Cobalt Drill Bit Set 

Tap and die set

Bench Grinder

Angle grinder

Metal cutting discs

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Foredom Woodcarving Kit

Carbide Burr Set

In this project I used various scrap metal parts I had in the shop to make a simple jig for making spheres on the lathe. I have made a similar jig out of wood in the past. But by using metal I was able to make the tool more simple, more efficient and less bulky.

I begun by making the base. I cut the pieces with the angle grinder and welded them in place. I then drilled the hole on my drill press and cut some threads to keep the piece in place. But I made a mistake here and I had to cut the piece in half. 

For the arm I used a couple of corner pieces as support. I also welded nuts in place so I could use their threads. 

To make the cutting edge, I used the steel from a cheap old turning tool. I grinded the bevels on the grinder. My grinder is really fast so I dipped the tool in water pretty often to cool it down. 

I then grinded a pocket and welded the cutter in place. 

After doing some tests, I decided to weld the nut from the pivot point. And I also added a large nail under the cutting edge as support. I wanted this to be removable so I could sharpen the tip easier on the grinder. 

I then used my carbide burrs on the rotary tool to clean my welds a little bit. A wire brush bit is also useful to clean up before painting.

I then added a coat of primer and then spray painted orange.

Before you use the tool you have to set it up a little bit. The cutter should be at the same height of the centre of the lathe. And the pivot point should be under the centre of your sphere. 

And my sphere making jig was ready to go. 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 twisted pencil holder - woodturning and woodcarving

 

Tools and materials I propose:

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Chuck kit

Flat jaws for bowl bottoms

Electric planer

Flexcut starter carving set

Cabinet Scraper set

Foredom Woodcarving Kit

Buffing kit

Bowl Sander

In this video I make a pencil holder out of apricot wood. I first turned it on the lathe. Then I used my divider to help me draw the spirals which I then hand carved with my gouges.

I first used my electric planer, to plane my wood as round as possible.

I then mounted it on the lathe and turned it true. I also made a tenon to fit my chuck. 

Apricot is really beautiful wood. It is also a pleasure to sand it, turn it and carve it. It even smells really nicely. But it can crack really easily. In this piece I had a lot of cracks and I should dip it in epoxy. But it was an experimental piece, so I decided to use super glue and wood chips to fill my cracks. 

I started hollowing with drill bits and then I used a forstner bit.

Then I used my hook tool to finish the rest of the hollowing process. The hook tool works great on end grain. It’s kind of tricky to sharpen it. I use my rotary tools with a conical grinding stone bit. 

I sanded the piece. I also like to hand sand with the grain to remove the vertical scratches. 

My chuck has a built in divider, so I used it to design the spiral design.

I then started hand carving with my gouges. I did not use a V chisel. I just used round gouges to gradually carve my shape. 

I then used a flat scraper to even up my surfaces.

I sanded to 300 grit. 

I then parted the piece off the lathe. I reversed chucked it to clean the bottom with a bowl gouge. I finished the bottom with my bowl sander chucked on the lathe’s spindle.

Finally I finished the piece with mineral oil and  polished it with a buffing wheel.

I am really happy with the way my pencil holder 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.