This Week in the Shop: Tool Rack

This Week in the Shop we build tool holders for my recently installed tool wall. An organized workspace is a functional workspace, especially in community shops. When everything has its place, every part of the shop seems to work quicker. So this week, I put together a few tool holders to put up some screwdrivers, chisels, pliers and nail sets.

Tool Racks

There are tons of storage solutions out there. I prefer tool walls, both in my personal shop and at community shops. The plywood provides a solid anchoring surface and custom tool holders can be rearranged as needed. Tool holders can be customized for each tool and can be made from small scraps for next to nothing. Lastly, they can be painted, stained, chalkboarded and more. A tool wall fits any work are, whether craft, machine, woodworking, leather or whatever else.

I have used pegboard, hanging tool-o-dexes, tool chests and more to help organize my workspace. Pegs fall out, hanging tool-o-dexes cost too much for their value, and tool chests attract clutter. Commercial systems never seem to be worth the bang for the buck (nor are they as much fun to install as designing your own tool holder).

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Home #Makerspace: DIY Drain Pipe Regatta (or Rain Gutter Regatta)

On a hot summer day, nothing beats a cool, breezy scientific adventure.  The Drain Pipe Regatta is a great investment for a classroom or backyard exploring space, as it helps teach the basics of fluid dynamics, buoyancy, motion and transfer of power.  Connections to the great sailing ages in history, from the Polynesians exploring the Pacific, to Columbus’s crossing of the Atlantic, to the great whalers and galleons of Napoleonic Europe abound.  This project is the base for a great mix of artistic creativity and scientific inquiry.Drain Pipe Regatta

Boats can be made with nearly any craft material.  I have made origami boat challenges, foam board & skewer boats and water bottle boats.  Tweaks can be made with each regatta to reflect learning goals, materials or kids interests.  The Cub Scouts of America hold a raingutter regatta every year.  Scouts design small sail boats and race them down a 10 foot section of rain gutter.

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Pirate-themed get-togethers optional.

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This Week in the Shop: DIY Height Gauge

A quick jig can make the difference in a woodshop.  This height gauge helps measure and set cutting tool heights and thicknesses for rabbets, dadoes, chamfers, etc.  Since it incorporates a digital caliper, the dial is easy to read, precise and accurate.

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This tool came in handy building the light box project – I hit the rabbet depth and thickness dead-on each time.

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In the next few weeks, I will be developing new projects for NoVA Labs and this blog which utilize more intermediate woodworking skills.  Build this jig now and it will be used over and over again.

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Home #Makerspace: DIY Street Hockey Sticks

It’s winter here in Northern Virginia and my sons discovered a strange and wondrous sport of the North:

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Hockey!

To help them become familiar with the game, we’ve watched a few movies, plan on attending a game or two and we built a pair of matching shafts to fit a pair of hockey blades.

This is a quick technique to build a shaft with minimal tools.  Shafts built with this technique can be used in tool handles, lacrosse sticks, shovels, poles, furniture, etc.

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The Home #Makerspace: How To Build Your Own Pinball Machine (with Working Launcher & Flipper)

dsc_2716-collageSometimes, a teacher needs to court a little controversy.  This week, Things 1 & 2 & I build a device which was banned in New York City from the 1940s until 1976, and can be found in high quality dens of iniquity and vice, such as bowling alleys and boardwalk amusements.

Pinball.  I’m talking about pinball.  Cue the Who!

This project is most appropriate for older makers in 5th grade and up depending on their skill and available supervision with box cutters.  Makers in grades 3/4 would benefit greatly from guided adult supervision.  I estimate 10 work-hours for young makers to build this machine.  Simplifying or eliminating the mechanics will greatly reduce the time necessary.

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While not difficult in terms of physical execution, this project involves a lot of cutting and gluing.  The mechanical complexity can be daunting for younger makers.  My 5-year old lost interest building the mechanical parts, but thoroughly enjoyed assembling and decorating the game.  I have included plans in SVG & DXF to help you build your own baseball pinball game.  Just print out full-size or copy the dimensions!

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Tool Primer: How To Finish Your Woodworking Project: Sanding

In the next two Tool Primer articles, I will discuss my process for finishing a woodworking project.   The finishing process is the difference between a good woodworking project and a heirloom piece of furniture.  When I want to really knock a project out of the park, I focus much of my energy on choosing and creating a proper finish.

Boiled Linseed Oil, Shellac, Paste Wax
Boiled Linseed Oil, Shellac, Paste Wax

So here’s my advice: sand it well and thin it as well.
In this article, I’ll  focus on sanding.  More after the jump!
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This Week In the Shop: In-Progress Bed Design and Build

You may have noticed a distinct drop off in the frequency of posts here on WoodshopCowboy since the beginning of the year.  In that great crucible of life, demands of life has reduced my shop time. Mostly, though, a majority of woodworking time has been caught up in a commission from my wife: a bed. I’m chasing the look of Crate and Barrel’s Atwood platform bed in a queen size.  It looks something like this: And here’s what I have so far – racked in clamps.  I’ve dovetailed the corners of the case.  The back panels and frames float in … Continue reading This Week In the Shop: In-Progress Bed Design and Build

This Week in the Classroom: Gottshall Block Project

I’ve heard before from others in the “making” or woodworking communities I’m a little behind the times.  I make cigar box guitars when they were totally two years ago.  Or I teach developmental woodworking in manner more suited to a different century.  So of course, I discover a sweet little hand tool project about a year too late.  Good thing great projects don’t age. The Gottshall Block is a small project – just a few cuts and nicks with a chisel.  It takes about three to five forty-five minute sessions to complete for a student at about the third grade … Continue reading This Week in the Classroom: Gottshall Block Project

Student-Built Seesaw (He see-d, he saw-ed, he fell down)

Yesterday, we completed a physics demonstration: The adjustable see-saw.  This seesaw has holes drilled into the balancing beam, allowing students/users to experiment with the capabilities of numerous levers.  You just shift its position along the beam and viola!  Instantly, a foolish grin hits your face as you try to balance anew.

More pictures after the jump…

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