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Utilitarian Projects

30K views 127 replies 31 participants last post by  jbertelson 
#1 ·
Chris's table. An old student's table.

I feel embarrassed to put some of my very practical projects, utilitarian things, into the projects category. Note that I have no projects, but have completed two woodworking projects for the shop and posted them…..here in a blog series. I am reserving the Projects category for my true woodworking hobby projects…............should I ever do them (-:

Here is a table I made for my son when he was 13 years old, about 28 years ago. It was used by him until he left for college. Since then it has had many functions, and a lot of heavy abuse, and withstood it all. After a remodel it got covered with…......stuff…......and is now becoming unencumbered, and will be used again. After seeing it, I realized it was somewhat unusual. So I thought the design might be of some use to someone. It has proven to be indestructible. The top is only screwed on, a 3/4" sheet of plywood, so it may be replaced. I made it from my own thoughts about engineering and design. It was meant to be abused, used, and to be tough.

Note the leg design, with a somewhat cantilevered approach.



A side view. Note the two 2×4 legs, the cross beam to the other side, and how they are fitted together.



Here is an underneath view. The table is very easy to upend, very light, in spite of considerable strength. The 2×4's are fir. The 3/4" pieces are all fir plywood. Construction is screws and glue. Note the glides nailed into the horizontal leg members.



Here is a detail of the legs, boxed in with plywood. The screws (they are easy to see) and the glue, with the boxed in construction, give this an unusual strength, considering the cantilevered design. Notice the horizontal piece. the top is screwed in with 3 screws on two of these horizontals, 6 screws in all. Easily replaceable.



Thought this might be a practical design for a study table or other. It is extremely strong, cheap to build, replaceable top, and very stable. It could be upgraded in many ways, including wood, finish, etc. The boxed double legs are the trick. They make it very tough indeed.
 
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#3 ·
Good strong construction Jim. It's always nice to make something that lasts. I made a simple sofa set out of fir for my son's room when he was 15 and he just got rid of it a couple of years ago at age 40. Those sofas were made before I began actual woodworking. They were joined with wooden dowels and they stayed solid throughout their lifetime. I'm still amazed they lasted so long. They saw plenty of use too. It just goes to show that we don't always need mortise and tenon joints to get a good result. Please don't tell FWW I said this.
 
#4 ·
oldwoodman:
If it would fit in the shop, I would use it there. I suspect it is more likely to be used by my wife. However as I think, perhaps if I put some wheels on on side so it was very moveable, it might make a good project table. Have to replace one of my fold-em-up ones, but they have only been folded up once, when we did a major remodel and moved the kitchen temporarily down here. I will have to think on it.

mike:
You are absolutely right about construction: screws, glue, plywood, dowels, and durable design go a long way. I have made innumerable butt joint objects of plywood, joined with screws and glue. Not one of them has ever failed at a joint. In fact, and this is even stranger, I have made countless small shelves, boxes, and utilitarian things out of 1/4" plywood, nails, and glue. No reinforcement. Not one of the joints has failed. I drill partial depth holes before nailing with brads. Takes careful drilling, I use a very old flexible power take-off attachment on a wall mounted ancient small drill press that I cannabalized. It has a small chuck, and I leave a very small drill bit in it. So it is always ready to go. I just built one of these shelves 3 months ago to go on the wall behind my drill press, for storage of small drill press related, and miscellaneous objects. I wouldn't put my pipe wrenches in it, but I bet it never fails.
 
#7 ·
Apology

For the first 13 viewers, the #1 entry got prematurely posted through some inadvertent keystroke shortcut…...I didn't realize there were such things. In any case, if you didn't see pictures, you didn't see the whole entry…..., so look at #1 again…......Thanks.
 
#8 ·
Dirty Dancing, and Quick as well- Garden Honey Do

Innocently Sherie asked me, while I was in a good mood, yesterday out eating lunch, and this is a for real quote…...'Could you cut up a couple of boards for me?'

I looked at her suspiciously, and I am sure she batted her eyelids as she spoke, so I started trembling with the opportunity.

Cut up a couple of boards? Can I….........the neighborhood Lumberjock….........cut up a couple of boards?!?

Now those of you that are married realize that wives are much smarter than husbands. I am sure all you lady LJ's will verify that here, right Now QUICK......(-:

Wives know how to get things done. No demands or ultimatums, just give old gullible Archie the chance to put on a show, as they wheedle and woo the unsuspecting victim into the web. Let him think he has a better idea, and what's more he can make it, from scrap, for free!

She knows the hook is set as you hunch closer to her over the table, stretching a little out of your chair, down tilted head, looking out from under your bushy old sawdust covered eyebrows, your voice rumbling, the table vibrating as the words emanate from the grotto of your manhood, and you say…...

'Just what did you need those little ol' sticks for, hon?'

Now this interchange is much more than it seems. There is a lot at stake here. With her nonchalance, she hopes to minimize the importance, and maximize the output. You, on the other hand, would kill for any chance to show off the masculine power of those gleaming machines now quietly lurking in the dim man-cave….....while justifying the purchase of the next essential wood working monster megamachine.

It's a dance…....but folks, it's really hard to tell who is leading…............

'Well', says Sherie, 'I bought a couple of planters for tomatoes…..the greenhouse lady says buy black ones and put steer manure in the bottom, and the heat from the fermenting will make the tomatoes grow much better up here in Alaska, I just wanted the planters a little off the ground, you know, the thickness of a board would be just right.'

....and she held her fingers about 1 1/2 inches apart in front of her face, smiling, tongue wetting her lips, as I gazed at the space…....between her fingers.

Who's winning???

So the planters were in the back of her truck…..yes, 4 wheel drive Lexus Bubba truck, so I got them and placed them in my…......2 wheel drive, Honda Odessy van, soccer-mom car…......and off she went with her wallet in the pursuit of other indispensable purchases for the home…......

She's winning…...

So of course, I telling this in retrospect, after some analysis and embarrassing realization, unsuspecting, thought I was on the road to a new essential purchase for the shop, I was in control….......gotta have a dream…......

So I immediately head for home. Sherie had thought, wouldn't it be economical to use the boards lying there in back of the house, the boards that failed to maintain position to hold the gravel near the foundation, why…...wouldn't it be smart to use those under the planters.

But I, thinking I had one up one her, pulled out one of the big guns…......SKETCHUP….....

(later she noted, upon seeing my drawing with exact dimensions, in color, full plans….........'Oh, you even made a picture!' Believe it or not, that is a word for word quote!)

So I made the plans…....I would really wow her…..:

SKETCHUP PLAN



So I took the wood, some pressure treated fir, I suspect, good wood for the project, gathered it all up and brought it in the shop. I brushed off all the dirt with a wire brush, noted it was a warp-gods delight, but decided with small pieces I could make it go.

Let's be honest, there are no one hour projects of any complexity.

I even ripped that warped lumber to get some 2 inch pieces. I figure for two planter stands, it took me 3 1/2 hours. I spent another 1/2 hour painting them this morning with some old Olympic Oil Stain, water-proofing stuff at that. 4 hours total.

They are constructed from standard treated wood 3×1.5 inch stuff, Titebond III glue (waterproof), and BLO covered drywall screws. In our climate they will remain unchanged for 10 to 15 years at a minimum. Done this before, and that is a fact.

THE PICTURES:

The Unpainted Stand:



The Planter on the Stand:



The Two Stands Painted and Drying:

Now you should know, she said over and over again, 'Oh no, I don't need them to be painted.'

Right…......



OK, doesn't that all seem wonderful, win-win situation, right…......?

Well, let't think about it.

1. She has been trying to get me to clean up that old wood for a couple of years…...score one for Sherie, nah, that was a real sleeper, she gets 2 points for that.

2. She got me to make what she really wanted, we have been married for 26 years, and she knows exactly how I am going to rise to a challenge. Another point for Sherie.

3. I didn't even complain, because, now I get another point for the value of my shop. One point for me.

But then, and this is the gospel truth….......

The planter stands are out there drying in the sun on the stone steps leading to her planting shed. And I come out to gloat, get a little praise, and the following transpires…....

We are standing there looking….......and she gives a little kick to another metal planter sitting there, and there are a bunch more around, puts her hand on her hip, with a little hip swivel turns to me, with a little giggle and says…..

'Got any more wood?'


It's a dance, just gotta enjoy the rhythm, and the music…....................(-:

Alaska Jim
 
#9 ·
Autumn
Thanks for the view, truly was a simple straight forward project….....but there are a lot of planters out there needing stands….........(-:

......they are baking in the sunlight as we speak…....and Sherie is still out shopping….........(-:

Have a good summer….....

Jim
 
#37 ·
The Planter Stands......Dancing in the Sun

Thought those of you who read the last blog item might enjoy a couple of pics from the garden….....

.........first the planter stands, with planters, one with tomatoes, the other with brussels sprouts…........



And a close up…........



........a little overview…....



......just flowers…...from the land of the igloo…......(-:



The front yard…........



The garden is Sherie's. It starts blooming before the snow is off the ground,
and blooms in waves throughout the summer…....perennials, something always in bloom.

And then it blooms some more, even after the first snows fall. Hardy plants adapted…....
to the land of the igloo…...........(-:

I will try to get more pics when the garden is in full bloom….....late June and beyond.

It's a little wimpy now…....just you wait and see…...........(-:

Alaska Jim
 
#60 ·
Multi-Function Bench.......the interminable project from hell, is finished.

MULTI-FUNCTION BENCH

This project was previewed as a Mini-Bench, but that was apparently confusing. So I gave it the more appropriate Multi-Function name.

This bench is where I sand, assemble, and glue-up projects. It holds a compressor, nail guns and the nails.

I am also filing this as a project today, but in much abbreviated form.

CONSTRUCTION:

From the front left….



From the back left…..



From the back right….



The construction is stud grade 2×4's and cheap plywood (last time I do that), and the top is 1" MDF composed of two 1/2" pieces. The end vertical piers are a lattice of 2×4's including the legs, sandwiched with sheets of 3/4" birch ply, with everything glued and nailed. the lower and upper horizontal frames are 2×4's with only one side covered with 3/4" ply.

Most of the 3/4" ply edges are trimmed out with 1/8" thick pine. Excess amounts of 2×4 are used in the piers and the two horizontal frames to increase the mass, and maximize rigidity. 3/4" plywood is used for the same reason. Actually I made it a little too heavy, but it is a rock solid bench and work surface.

PROJECT TOP:

The usual top is shown in the above pictures, but it is reversible. On the other side is the cut through top shown here. I just turned the over the top.



Detail of the cut through top….



The top is reversible, with one side having pedestals for cut through and rout through. The slots accomodate 5/16" T-bolts. Because the top fits into a basin enclosed on 5 sides, and because the top has a number of slots, it works well as a downdraft table as well. The top is held by the basin sides, two pegs, and by its considerable weight.

Here it is without the top so you can see the basin….



Here is a peg….



Both pegs….



I plan to put in a vise on the left end. I have numerous hold downs, fixtures, and surface vises for it. It works great for assembling boxes and objects with nails, screws, and glue.

STORAGE:

Compressor
Underneath is an enclosed compartment for my 6 gallon compressor.

Compressor….



There is a hole for air access underneath it, and a shielded exit for wires and hoses. This results in considerable dampening of the noise level when the compressor cycles. There are 5 air hose ports, with 4 in use for 3 nail guns, and a blower. It has a large front door complete with automatic door prop….



...and a small back access door for the tank drain….



The doors use bullet catches for a latch. The doors are opened by grasping the edges.

Shelves
The shelves, which are adjustable, are on the right holding the hoses and guns. There are 3 guns connected ready to go and a blower….

Here they are stowed away….



Here they are pulled out so you can see them….



The top shelf has a box with adjustable and removeable dividers, that holds the nails for the guns, and beside it is my goto sander, the low profile PC random orbit. The back side of the top shelf has a semi-enclosed compartment for the bulk coils of hose.

The lower shelves hold about 10 to 12 feet of hose in a loose coil for each tool, and it is easily coiled and stuffed back into the appropriate compartment.

Here is the back side of the shelf area….



ACCESSORIES:

Downdraft Capability
On the right side is a removable dust collector manifold where a 4" hose connects. It accesses the basin through a rectangular port, situated to maintain the structural integrity of the basin. It port opening has the same number of square inches as the hose.

The manifold on with hose, note the blast gate….



The manifold off, it just slides on and off the bolts….



Electrical
The back of the bench has a cord keep system. The electrical cord is 14 gauge, very heavy duty, water proof, and self supporting. It will stand the abuse of lying on the floor or being plugged in overhead, if I choose to do that.

Note the cord keep, just two elevated disks, and note one of the handles for tilting….



Each end has 4 receptacles. The left side has a switch with a pilot light that turns on the power for the compressor.

Left side receptacles and compressor power switch….



There is a worklight inside the compressor compartment.



Feet and Wheels
The feet are adjustable carriage bolts. There are wheels at the front and one side positioned so that tilting the bench engages them. There are handles on the opposite side and back to assist with the tilting. The handles can be seen on the cord keep picture and the left sided power switch picture.



The bench is now so heavy (the MDF top, compressor, tools, nails) that it is hard to tilt. I will make a wheeled dolly to help. I am not sure what it weighs, but over 300 pounds and maybe close to 400 pounds.

USE:

The top has been in use on a flimsy old project table. Once the multi-function bench was far enough along to use, I moved the top to it, and I have been using it to make its shelves and other pieces.

CONCLUSION

Okay…this is way too serious a presentation for me, this was the dark side. So I will try to make a more humorous blog as well…the light side…given some time.

Whew!
 
#61 ·
Hi Jim!

Looks real good!

I understand how your top works now… as a sanding table as well as using hold-down clamps, etc.

You've got it packed with goodies…

Thank you…
 
#80 ·
Scrap Projects - Tall-Thin-Mobile Storage...and Ten Minute Projects

These are a few shop projects from scrap.

First a Tall-Thin Storage gizmo that is mobile.

For my dowel collection, aluminum extrusions, continuous hinge, etc…

Had a problem with these things falling all over the place, and had to get that space clear for more stuff.

Here is the gizmo sitting in its assigned space:



Took four swiveling ball casters, scavenged from throw aways….....two of one type, two of another, but they were exactly the same height. Bet they were gathering dust for 20 years. A few pieces, cut offs, of 3/4 inch ply…got a lot of that stuff left over from other projects…birch veneer…Chinese…poor quality. And some pine cut offs. And for weight, I took the old mailbox cover made of heavy iron…..really…..the outside cover for the mailbox that is actually in the garage, and attached it to the bottom diagonally, to make it stable.

OK…......the screws and the screw guards were new. I confess.

But then….....the ultimate scavenge….

cardboard tubes from a Rockler shipment of T-track

...to protect some plastic tubes…that actually have the T-track in them. I have used the plastic tubes before…and later you will see it in use again. But this is the outer cardboard tube. Yup, cut up those suckers and enclosed them in a plywood frame, screwed to the base, not glued, so I could change things in the future.

So you see it, pulled out, so I can swivel it around and find what I need…...



....and a little detail…..Slim wanted some close up coverage…....



Now ain't that sweet. Except for the screws and the finish…WATCO of course…all scrap…

But there's more…..

Ten minute projects…really!

I don't know about you, but…

.... the top of my glue bottle, that I refill from a jug, gets stuck no matter how well I clean it.

I kept a needle nose pliers in my glueup tray, because it worked well to lever the top up. But that was silly. Displaced a multipurpose tool into a specialized setup for an oddball use. So, I built this gizmo from a scrap of 3/16 inch ply…......

...next to the glue bottle that causes the problem…



....and in its place on the glueup tray…



Cut that out with my toy bandsaw in a flash….......

And then the next one in a row, a storage for my frequently used props for finishing things. You know those plastic yellow pyramids to support projects you are finishing with whatever…with the pointy tops. Yup, got a bunch of those. But this is about storing some things I made myself.

Most of the time I revert to this collection of…

... really strange objects I built a couple of years ago. They are quicker, things balance better, and they are perfect for WATCO, which I use a lot in the shop.

They are strips of MDF, with a shallow groove cut in the top with the radial arm saw. And in those grooves are some nails, with the heads and points cut off, glued into the grooves with CA glue. So the object you are finishing rides on the nails, which are lying flat. Not as good as a point, but for oil finish more than adequate and markedly more stable and quick.

Here they are in a piece of one of the plastic tubes that Rockler ships its T-track in…



Cut it to size with the bandsaw. For the bottom, a disc of 3/4 inch ply, and two screw to hold it in place. The disc finished with….what else…WATCO. This was quick…bandsaw work, a little sanding on my disc sander, finished quickly, and then a couple of screws.

...and a detail of the gizmos…heavily used, nearly every week for a couple of years…



Well, I got a few more items in the wings, probably will blog them next weekend…......

Thanks for viewing…..
 
#101 ·
My cutoffs breed and multiply at night..........what's an LJ to do?

My cutoffs breed and multiply at night……..do yours?

Mine begged for a new home, so I started this cart about 8 months ago, then had about 6 months out of the shop due to some work related computer projects, and then today, I finished it. This is the detailed blog, later I'll post a brief report as a project.



My cutoffs are now finally content……perhaps reborn, set for inclusion into new and exciting projects. Exciting is still an IN word, isn't it? Feeling old and marginalized……..

Each shop has a unique assortment of cutoffs. They differ by size, type of product, and a personal view as to what should be tossed, and what should be retained. And I am sure, we all have used cardboard boxes either in the past or currently for their storage.

Having used cardboard box cutoff storage for awhile…….hmmmmmm…..like about 43 years, I have a real world understanding of the cost, utility, and frustrations of the boxes.

I know, you can see it coming, it is the Alaska Jim of old…..out comes the hidden engineer, and a warped sense of humor…….we are off and running………..(-:

OK, that is the last smiley, my LJ missives are always about smiles……..

So, you must sit back now, and reflect upon what really happens in the shop.

Cut a board, precise and smooth, hold it up to the light, no warp, no splintering…..Yes, just right.

Next board.

Damn, cutoff in the way!

Glance to the left, glance to the right, down at the feet……..wang!.... there goes the cutoff in its fateful last journey…..destined for the garbage, for the fire……..poor cutoff……..or got lucky and into the cutoff bin.

The cutoff bin has got to be purgatory for cutoffs. Would you like to be a cutoff?

Will I be a part of a wonderful new project? Will I work my way to the bottom, kind of quiet, dusty, but still in contention? Will I be culled, off to land fill, or the crematorium……..?

OK, OK, OK….

To the practical side of things.

One, gotta save some to the cutoffs box. We all reach for cutoffs in nearly every project. If nothing else for a glue block, temporary jig, story stick, hidden structural member, etc.

But they take up space, and you can't use, and don't know what is at the bottom of, the box. Most of those bottom dwellers should be culled and discarded, but they are covered up by more recent stuff.

And then when you get old and lazy, you can't bend down long enough to sort through the stuff in any case. So the bin gets progressively bigger, and at least percentage wise, progressively less useful.

So, not having unlimited space, I got serious about this cutoff stuff a while back, and analyzed the situation.

That's me, pretending to be logical, and I is gonna ENGINEER a great new solution. I know, the ENGINEER moniker is over utilized, but it still makes me puff up a bit, and try to do my best.

Here are the issues:

Boxes of cutoffs are not easily searchable or moveable.

Boxes of cutoffs are on the floor, not good for old backs and feeble vision.

Boxes of cutoffs are not easily culled.


So……..now to solutions:

Moveable means wheels.

Searchable means organization and that means categorization, and in real terms that means compartments.….and with old backs, compartments means moveable sections.

MODULES. The SOLUTION.

A cutoff cart with modules to organize and transport the cutoffs to the worksite for adding new cutoffs, selection, and culling.

Now, this is just a cutoff cart, not some fine piece of furniture, so we used salvaged and second rate lumber.



This cart could have quite a load, so it needs to be strong…….torsion box base.


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Make a center section for taller items, and attach it to the box. Here we are upside down, drying from a Watco finish.
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And with the wheels and rubberbabybuggybumpers attached………
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Modules, size them to the projects I make, kinda small…. and make the modules moveable, with a handle that tilts them as you pick them up so the cutoffs don't fall out……..
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.

All the shelves, removable except for the bottom one (a structural member) canted to 10 degrees to keep the cutoffs in the module.
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That's pretty much the whole story. You can see how easy it is to move a module to the workbench or any convenient spot to accept new cutoffs, allow you to search for the right one, or to cull them out to make room for new ones.

My cart has a home underneath the extension for the table saw. Out of the way, but handy to the table saw and the radial arm saw.
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I am going to set up a camera to record what happens at night in the shop. See if they really do breed and multiply……..I will report the results…….but we LJ's already know…….

Fertile little suckers, aren't they…………….

Alaska Jim
 
#102 ·
now Jim , i will have to say that is one hell of a good cut off box, and you have it filled with some mighty fine cut offs, butt, let me say here just in case, now if those wooden bars on the top are removable, then i might say this wonderful box you have made could be converted into the fastest toilet paper rig ever rigged…three rolls on each side, while one is in use, the other three remain, and when the first three go, we can have some fully trained lumber jocks doing the quickest reload you have ever seen…....butt, until that day comes, may it quietly serve as the best cut off box ever. amen…....
 
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