This weekend I got inspired and made myself some custom juggling bags. I also wrote up and posted an instructable about the process, in case any of you feel like following in my manly footsteps.
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
2010-01-25
Project: Juggling Bags
This weekend I got inspired and made myself some custom juggling bags. I also wrote up and posted an instructable about the process, in case any of you feel like following in my manly footsteps.
2009-12-03
Project: Bench faux toes
As promised, I was able to get some pictures of the benches. Behold, the unfinished product:
Project: Benched!
Our dining room chairs, most of which we have had since we got married, are breaking down. Whether this is due to them being reasonably low quality, or whether it is due to abuse by 1-4 excitable, bouncy toddlers, I can't really say. Probably a combination.
This fact, coupled with the fact that at most we could easily fit 6 people around our table (fine for just the family, not so much for anyone else) inspired me to build some benches to go down the 'long' sides of our dining room table.
Using Google Sketchup (if you do much carpentry design and you haven't tried it you really ought to) I came up with the following:
The lengthwise braces at the bottom of the leg are the way they are so that the bench can be turned to either allow longer-legged people to easily rest their feet on the floor, or else to let shorter-legged people put their feet on the brace. Clever, no?
I don't have pictures of the actual final product, but in a few hours on Black Friday my BIL and I were able to cut, rout and assemble two of those, one for either side of the table. I have yet to sand/finish them, but they are very sturdy and perfect for what I wanted. And only one of them is a little bit wobbly (made more noticeable by our undulating dining room floor)!
I'll try to get some pictures of the unfinished product to post. I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to do some sanding and at least get the seat varnished, so it will stop absorbing food and drink before the stains soak deep enough that they won't sand out.
Also note that this project wouldn't be nearly as practical if we hadn't recently torn the carpet out of our dining room and put in laminate flooring, so we can actually move the benches around reasonably easily. Although currently the table slides more easily than the benches, which makes for some exciting 'tug of war' when the kids are ready to get down.
This fact, coupled with the fact that at most we could easily fit 6 people around our table (fine for just the family, not so much for anyone else) inspired me to build some benches to go down the 'long' sides of our dining room table.
Using Google Sketchup (if you do much carpentry design and you haven't tried it you really ought to) I came up with the following:
The lengthwise braces at the bottom of the leg are the way they are so that the bench can be turned to either allow longer-legged people to easily rest their feet on the floor, or else to let shorter-legged people put their feet on the brace. Clever, no?
I don't have pictures of the actual final product, but in a few hours on Black Friday my BIL and I were able to cut, rout and assemble two of those, one for either side of the table. I have yet to sand/finish them, but they are very sturdy and perfect for what I wanted. And only one of them is a little bit wobbly (made more noticeable by our undulating dining room floor)!
I'll try to get some pictures of the unfinished product to post. I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to do some sanding and at least get the seat varnished, so it will stop absorbing food and drink before the stains soak deep enough that they won't sand out.
Also note that this project wouldn't be nearly as practical if we hadn't recently torn the carpet out of our dining room and put in laminate flooring, so we can actually move the benches around reasonably easily. Although currently the table slides more easily than the benches, which makes for some exciting 'tug of war' when the kids are ready to get down.
2009-11-24
The 30-List
So I turned 29 this year.
Everyone knows that once you hit 30, you stop getting smarter and start getting dumber, which means that some people I know must have been absolutely genius when they hit 30, and I'm a bit behind if I want to not be drooling in my oatmeal by 35.
[/snark]
All that said, I have created/am creating a list of things I want to learn or accomplish before I turn 30 in...about 10 months. This list includes:
I have no idea where this list will max out. If nothing else, I'll stop adding stuff to it in 10 months.
How many of these to I expect to accomplish? Good question. I think the hand walking and unicycle ones are realistic. I think the other 3 will be a stretch. I don't expect to accomplish all of these, realistically. I just don't think I have the free time. But I want to have them out there where other people can jab at me and say, "How's the game coming? Only 2 months left!" and that kind of thing.
Besides, if I don't post anything about the list, and I do manage to accomplish some/all of them, then when I post about my success people will wonder which goals I didn't tell them about that I failed at. At least, I'd wonder about that.
Everyone knows that once you hit 30, you stop getting smarter and start getting dumber, which means that some people I know must have been absolutely genius when they hit 30, and I'm a bit behind if I want to not be drooling in my oatmeal by 35.
[/snark]
All that said, I have created/am creating a list of things I want to learn or accomplish before I turn 30 in...about 10 months. This list includes:
- Learn to juggle 5 balls
- Learn to walk on my hands
- Get Blasteroids to version 1.0 (only 9 .x version updates to go!)
- Be ready to test for 3rd degree black belt
- Learn to free-mount my unicycle (I'm getting closer!)
I have no idea where this list will max out. If nothing else, I'll stop adding stuff to it in 10 months.
How many of these to I expect to accomplish? Good question. I think the hand walking and unicycle ones are realistic. I think the other 3 will be a stretch. I don't expect to accomplish all of these, realistically. I just don't think I have the free time. But I want to have them out there where other people can jab at me and say, "How's the game coming? Only 2 months left!" and that kind of thing.
Besides, if I don't post anything about the list, and I do manage to accomplish some/all of them, then when I post about my success people will wonder which goals I didn't tell them about that I failed at. At least, I'd wonder about that.
2009-11-21
Game box project: material testing
My magnets arrived yesterday, and I'm on to the next step in the process: testing materials. I ended up getting a lot of 3/16" diameter by 3/16" tall NdFeB (Neodymium) magnets, which I think will work great. The next step is to find a mounting structure. I'm going to be mounting them so that there is one magnet per 1/4" square on the board, as this is pretty much exactly the right size to make an 8-square by 8-square board on the bottom of the box. This configuration works best for many many many classic board games, the most common of which are checkers and chess.
So the problem becomes: How do I mount 3/16" magnets with a 1/16" gap between them, when they really want to stick to each other? The first thought I had was to get some thin wood and drill 3/16" holes in it at 1/4" intervals in both directions, so that the magnets can just sit in the holes and the wood will keep them apart. I still really like this idea, but I think it will be hard to find wood that will be sturdy enough to do this, and it also leaves me with the task of drilling the holes.
Yesterday at work I salvaged an old brochure holder, thinking that the clear plastic would be easier to work with than wood, and maybe a little sturdier (and it's clear plastic! Geek points!). Unfortunately, I discovered two things about it: 1) if you don't drill really slowly, the drill cracks the plastic instead of boring through it; 2) regardless of what you do, the plastic ends up melting to the drill bit.
So after cleaning off my father-in-law's 1/8" drill bit (this was before I realized that I had 3/16" magnets instead of 1/8" magnets), I decided that plastic is not the way to go for this project. I'll keep my eyes open for wood that might work.
Another idea I hit upon is using something that I can build a 'grid' out of that is 1/16" thick, so the magnets can sit between the grid which can mount inside the base of the tin. I was at a loss for what to do this with, until I hit upon the idea of popsicle sticks, which are 1/16" thick, almost exactly. So I'll have to test that method too. This may be easier, as it will involve less drilling (which requires a drill press), however it will also involve more cutting, as I'll have to get the popsicle sticks to interlock. And, the popsicle sticks will be deeper than the magnets (unless I cut them lengthwise - ugh) so they'll take up more room in the tin, and that's a minus.
Anybody have any other clever suggestions for how to rig this up, other than just breaking down and buying 1/4" magnets (which are decidedly more expensive)?
To see more about this project, check out the rest of my game tin project posts.
So the problem becomes: How do I mount 3/16" magnets with a 1/16" gap between them, when they really want to stick to each other? The first thought I had was to get some thin wood and drill 3/16" holes in it at 1/4" intervals in both directions, so that the magnets can just sit in the holes and the wood will keep them apart. I still really like this idea, but I think it will be hard to find wood that will be sturdy enough to do this, and it also leaves me with the task of drilling the holes.
Yesterday at work I salvaged an old brochure holder, thinking that the clear plastic would be easier to work with than wood, and maybe a little sturdier (and it's clear plastic! Geek points!). Unfortunately, I discovered two things about it: 1) if you don't drill really slowly, the drill cracks the plastic instead of boring through it; 2) regardless of what you do, the plastic ends up melting to the drill bit.
So after cleaning off my father-in-law's 1/8" drill bit (this was before I realized that I had 3/16" magnets instead of 1/8" magnets), I decided that plastic is not the way to go for this project. I'll keep my eyes open for wood that might work.
Another idea I hit upon is using something that I can build a 'grid' out of that is 1/16" thick, so the magnets can sit between the grid which can mount inside the base of the tin. I was at a loss for what to do this with, until I hit upon the idea of popsicle sticks, which are 1/16" thick, almost exactly. So I'll have to test that method too. This may be easier, as it will involve less drilling (which requires a drill press), however it will also involve more cutting, as I'll have to get the popsicle sticks to interlock. And, the popsicle sticks will be deeper than the magnets (unless I cut them lengthwise - ugh) so they'll take up more room in the tin, and that's a minus.
Anybody have any other clever suggestions for how to rig this up, other than just breaking down and buying 1/4" magnets (which are decidedly more expensive)?
To see more about this project, check out the rest of my game tin project posts.
2009-11-13
Game box project: Material List
I am starting a new project to make a travel game board out of an Altoids tin. The first step - which is as far as I've gotten - is to start assembling materials. Here is what I have deduced so far:
BTW, does anyone know if Altoids sells tins anymore that aren't embossed? If not I'll have to try taking a hammer to one and see if I can pound the embossing out without screwing up the shape.
To see more about this project, check out the rest of my game tin project posts.
- An Altoids tin - This will form the case to hold all the bits and pieces, as well as being the sturdy surface on which the game will be played.
- Magnets - The magnets will be mounted inside the tin, as a means of keeping the pieces in place on the board. I ordered a bunch of NdFeB ("rare earth") magnets from eBay, where I was able to find the size/shape I wanted, for a good price, with free shipping.
- Pieces - This is the current puzzle. I figure something like screws will work best, as they'll be about the right size (small enough to fit, large enough to grab) and ferro-magnetic (i.e. stick to magnets), but I haven't had a chance to pour through the aisles of hardware/craft stores to see what's available.
- Extra metal - I'm toying with ideas for making the box even more multi-function, but have to play with a few Altoid tins and lids to see what will work best. If nothing else, I'll want a metal plate covering the magnets in the bottom of the tin to keep everything else separate.
- Paint - cool as it may or may not be, I don't plan to leave the original Altoids paint job on the tin. I'm going to scrub it and repaint it, then probably lacquer it for a sturdyish finish.
- Alternate boards - at this point I don't know whether the alternate boards will be printed on card stock and then laminated, or whether I'll cut multiple metal pieces and paint the boards on them. But I'll either need card stock (got it) or metal (maybe got it). The metal will hold up longer. The card stock will be easier to produce.
BTW, does anyone know if Altoids sells tins anymore that aren't embossed? If not I'll have to try taking a hammer to one and see if I can pound the embossing out without screwing up the shape.
To see more about this project, check out the rest of my game tin project posts.
2009-08-13
2008-04-09
It's done!
About a year and a half ago, I embarked on a project, a journey, if you will, into...somethinghood. Namely, I began building a bunkbed for the two oldest kids, with the assumption that some day we would have more kids and want a place to put them.
This last weekend - much past due and somewhat over budget - I completed the last (for now) step on said bunkbeds and installed them in the kids' room:
When I say 'done' and 'complete', I use the term sort of as George Lucas uses it: I reserve the right to change things later, and there is probably stuff that will need to be added/changed later. But for now, we have bunkbeds, and b. is very excited. s. would be sleeping on the bottom bunk, except that he is too young to be relied apon to stay put without walls to keep him in. Maybe when he's 3?
I'm also proud to point out that they don't wobble, although whether this is due to my excellent craftmanship, or due to the fact that the floor undulates at a similar frequency to the legs is untested at this point, and will remain so for the sake of my ego.
This last weekend - much past due and somewhat over budget - I completed the last (for now) step on said bunkbeds and installed them in the kids' room:
When I say 'done' and 'complete', I use the term sort of as George Lucas uses it: I reserve the right to change things later, and there is probably stuff that will need to be added/changed later. But for now, we have bunkbeds, and b. is very excited. s. would be sleeping on the bottom bunk, except that he is too young to be relied apon to stay put without walls to keep him in. Maybe when he's 3?
I'm also proud to point out that they don't wobble, although whether this is due to my excellent craftmanship, or due to the fact that the floor undulates at a similar frequency to the legs is untested at this point, and will remain so for the sake of my ego.
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