Fine Use for Pendy Scraps

September 5, 2012
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I like perfect, but I’m a bigger fan of perfectly imperfect. The blanket-stitch is one of those imperfect things I’m ok with. It’s like the whittling of hand sewing. No fancy tools, no expensive machines. I liken it to my grandma’s embroidered tea towels combined with my Cub Scout sewing skills.

Over at Design*Sponge, I just wrote a plan and instructions  for your phone case, but you can easily adapt it to make a case for nearly any device, beer can, pet, cassette tape or whatever. Measure up anything that needs a sweater and get sewing!

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Land Cruiser Oven Roof

August 16, 2012
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The Land Cruiser has a huge glass moonroof that is great in the cloudy Portland winter. Well, besides leaking like a son-uva-bitch. Anyway, in the summer, that thing bakes. There’s no cover and since my farmer’s tan is bad enough, it was time to fix this problem.

I didn’t even see if Toyota ever made one because I figured it’d be more fun and cheaper to make something. Bought some 2mm plastic sheeting at Tap Plastics in the lightest opaque color possible. Tried using some windshield foil sun deflector material first, but it was just too flimsy to stay up there. Cut to size, and notched it for a little grab point. Using my beastly sewing machine, I make a channel in the middle with a slightly bent piece of the plastic. I thought that would be enough strength, but with the heat, it still sagged a bit. I had a piece of threaded rod in the shop that I wasn’t using, and just fed it into the channel and it worked great for support.

Next steps, I bought some Pendleton fabric at the Woolen Mills outlet. It took about $30 worth to cover the panel. It would’ve been nice to bind the edge, but since it was going to be tucked into the roof channel, no one would see it. I just taped it over in place and sewed through. Finally, I sewed a couple long stitches to keep the material from sagging as I didn’t want to use any glue or adhesive since it was going to back in the sun.

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Brighter Dining Wall

August 12, 2012
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I’ve had the idea to change up my dining wall for a while now, but after seeing the work my friend Robert did on the Beam&Anchor storage closet, I knew how I was going to tackle it. I used 14ft. 1x10s and then a couple coats of opaque white OSMO finish.

It’s a pretty straight-forward build. I painted the wall to get rid of the black, especially had to since it came up the ceiling a bit. I still need to topcoat in white, as with lots of areas in the house that have been patched… Pretty much the whole dining and living room again, but that’ll wait.

Next step is to attach your verticals that you’ll nail all the boards onto. Make sure your wall is straight, I definitely had to shim some and take out some others due to my wavy wall. After your back verticals are secure, you’ll have plenty of area to nail into. These boards were the same thickness as my baseboard and door trim, as I wanted to completely cover the trim and just have the hallway “cut out” of the wall.

Start by nailing your horizontals, and make sure they’re level. It helps to have a friend, and thankfully Greg stopped by to give a hand that day. Make sure you press all the boards flush with each other. I have some minor gaps, but not too bad. Some of the boards really needed to be shoved into place before nailing. After nailing, countersink all your nails and add some putty to the holes. Make sure your putty will take stain or whatever you use as a finish.

I sanded the wall, mainly to smooth the putty, but also to give the boards a little more smoothness. They weren’t bad to start, but they’ll take a little less finish when sanded too. I applied OSMO in opaque white to everything with a small brush. I was really cussing here since the finish is quite drippy when applying vertically. Make sure your drop cloth is in place, areas taped off, and no young ears in the vicinity when you start dropping f-bombs.

Let the first OSMO coat dry for 24hours, then you can apply a second. It make it just a little whiter, as the first coat was already amazingly white. Let dry completely and move the furniture back!

 

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Make dumb stuff. But only if you need it.

July 28, 2012
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This is a dumb little project. Not that I don’t like it, but it’s a trivial little thing that’s not really worthy of a DIY, but there’s a lesson here still – MAKE DUMB STUFF. It’s perfect  practice to grow and make better, less dumb stuff. I’ve made so many prototypes of things that have turned HORRIBLY wrong, but I’ve learned plenty with each one. This project was done in seven minutes and made purely so I don’t have to dig into the bottom of my tall center console in the Land Cruiser. After finishing it, I thought of several ways to make it better, and even how to use those better ideas on other projects. The dumb little thing really got me thinking.

If you want some insight into how I create things, it’s usually best surmised by this Plato quote – “Necessity, who is the mother of invention.”

Sure, I think of new things plenty, but more often the real motivator for making something is to fill a need or solve a problem. It’s sometimes stifling, especially when I’m trying to pull ideas together for a Design*Sponge post or something, because my immediate tendency is to only make things I need. The good part though – Is as I’m working on things, my mind fills with other ideas that branch off of the task at hand. Try it. Look around you, and find something that needs fixed. Tackle that problem and in doing so, see what else opens up.

 

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Project Woodnfaulkmobile

June 9, 2012
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Well, it’s been a while since I had planned on introducing this little toy I’ve bought. I was about to go out and work on it, and realized I really should write something first. Some of you have seen the instagram pics already, but I figured it would be fun to document some of the tinkering on here too.

So, here we go… I’ve bought a FJ62 Landcruiser! It’s been a great one for hauling boards, leather, shipping boxes, furniture and more. I really needed more room than my little grocery getter and always have loved these vehicles. It’s been fun to hear from so many other owners too. That kind of camaraderie is something I’ve missed since when I used to build Jeeps back in Kansas.

I had planned on just tinkering with it and doing little stuff, but not long after buying it, someone ran a stop sign and hurt the front end a bit. So, that just means another project – of changing out the four rectangular headlight design to the older round headlights! That’s the kind of stuff Land Cruiser nerds obsess about, so hopefully I don’t lose too many readers. Other things that will be tackled is some interior work since the upholstery and carpet are kind of a mess. Even talked to my friend Leland at Revive about reupholstering in some brown plaid someday.

Today’s project is taking out the severely wonky console and replacing it with a locking console, which doesn’t sound too amazing except there will probably be some necessary retrofitting since there’s a rear heater underneath. I’ll shoot some pics and probably do some compilation posts in the future rather than step by step boringness. That being said, I’m sure there’s some FJ62 folks that might’ve done this project? Feel free to chime in!

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Leather Watchstrap

March 21, 2012
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I read an article recently about the demise of watches. Seems most folks these days don’t wear them, in favor of constantly pulling their phone out of their pockets. Sure, it’s one less accessory to deal with, but I can’t imagine going a day without a watch on my wrist.

So, as a great excuse to buy a new watch, I figured I should do a little DIY to make your own leather strap. Timex has released the Weekender model and it’s a simple, classic, timeless look with easily changed pass-through straps. They are really inexpensive and accessible too, but if you’re not wanting to look like everyone else, why not personalize it?

I’ve written up some details for the project, and you can check out the full instructions at Design*Sponge.

This little project is really easy. You’ll use the strap that comes with the watch as a guide, so you can fully cut and punch all the holes in your new strap to match by looking at the original.

This one is keeping the same pass-through look, but also check back for Watchstrap #2 – I’m going to make a traditional two-piece strap for my girlfriend’s watch (yes, we’re gonna be semi-matchy) and I’ll post instructions and a cutting template for you.

 

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Leather Lunch Tote

February 22, 2012
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I don’t bring my lunch to work as often as I should. And by that, I mean never. What if I had a cool lunch tote? It might not help… but at the very least, it’s a fun project to practice some hand-sewing and to make something interesting.

Lately I’ve been inspired by a number of Japanese leather craft books… such meticulous stitching and thoughtful design. After seeing an interesting small tote in one, I knew I had to try my hand at my own design. I wanted to make it out of one piece of leather, and you can make this that way, but a large cross isn’t an efficient way to chop up your hide – hence me cutting the flaps separate. I had a really amazing hide to work with and just couldn’t waste any.

Whether you need a lunch tote or not, here’s a project that you can modify to make something neat for your own totable needs. The full tutorial is at Design*Sponge here. Check it out, download this pattern, and get to making something.

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Brothers and Knives

February 15, 2012
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I don’t usually go sentimental or philosophical on here, but this post will surely graze those grounds. It’s like a review, but with a somewhat softer center.

A couple conversations with friends had me thinking lately. The first was a post my friend Ben wrote about pocket knives. After chatting with Ben, I was on the lookout for a nice knife – since the last meaningful knife I’d carried was a tiny Swiss Army that my brother and I got as matching Christmas gifts as kids. The second conversation was with Robert about traditions among fathers and sons, and it steered me to think about the traditions of my youth, and those matching knives my brother and I once had.

I’d previously picked up a Case Copperlock and really loved it. Top quality, beautiful finish, and really slim. One blade makes it amazingly simple, and just what I was looking for. Once I looked around more at other Case knives, I found a small series that commemorated the Case Brothers who started that little knife company back in 1900. This was the perfect excuse to pick up one for my brother and me to carry as matching knife buddies again.

After finally tracking down a couple and receiving them (they were a limited series from 2010), I now have one in my pocket, and the other is currently en route to my brother.

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Surplus Style Record Crates

January 18, 2012
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You’ll need some tools: You’ll need a few materials:
  • 2'x4' of 7/16" plywood
  • crate hardware: corners and a pull

I’ve been needing some more room for my growing record collection and all the while have been looking for the right sized vintage box. I was hoping for something somewhat military surplus, but never found the right size or condition. If I found something, it was always a one-off and typically poor shape. Here’s the plan to make some for yourself, and they’re easily replicable when your collection floweth-over.

One crate can be made from a 2′x4′ piece of plywood, typically called a project board. If you have the room and the need, you could get 4 crates from a 4′x8′, but boards that big don’t typically fit in hatchbacks. I used 7/16” plywood, some small trim screws, wood glue, crate hardware and paint for this project.

Because thin plywood isn’t good for making sturdy boxes unless you have fancy joints, we’re going to have to use a table saw to cut some channels with a dado. If you don’t have a dado blade, or just lost your dado throat plate in a recent move, you can cut these with a single blade and just move your fence to cover the channel with a few passes. Because I am using 7/16” ply, you’ll need to make your dados 7/16” in from the end and of course 7/16” wide. Dados are indicated on the cut sheet diagram. Information on cutting a dado is here.

1. Cut all pieces according to the cut list with the table saw. You’ll need one with at least a 15inch fence. After pieces are cut, you’ll need to cut dados as specified. They’re all the same, so save time by cutting in an assembly-line fashion.

2. Next, you’ll need to cut clearance out of the front panel to install the hardware pull. Depending on the type you use, you’ll need a different cut, so I won’t detail it here. You could put handles on the sides, create a lid, make them taller and stacking… any option you might want for your particular use.

3. When all pieces are ready, you can start the glue-up. Clamps are necessary to get a solid joint, and I’ve added some small screws for added heft. Use wood glue spread with your finger on both boards to properly assemble and use a damp cloth to clean up any glue that’s squeezed out during the clamping. Let sit for the recommended amount of dry time. Once the main panels are assembled, you can add the side rails, and the triangle pieces to the underside. Triangle pieces ensure that you get a solid structure and a good area to mount the corner hardware pieces.

4. Final step is to sand to your preference and paint. Since I was going for a rough surplus look, I sanded all sharp edges soft and left some mars and chips in the wood. You can make it soft and smooth as you want, but for my purposes, I spend almost no time sanding. Some flat latex paint brushed on, and I’m done.

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Red Wing Passport Covers

December 25, 2011
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It’s crazy for me to think how things have changed around here in just a year. I missed mentioning the first W&F anniversary sometime in early November, partly because I was busy with fun projects like this one. I’m forever grateful to have met cool folks during the course of this year that are curious about what I’m doing and have wanted me to make things for them.

One of the most gracious endeavors was also one of the more stressful… Making some passport covers for Red Wing Amsterdam to be given to their agents for a Christmas gift.

It was a tight deadline and I was working with their own leather from SB Foot Tannery, which I’d never played with before. The first run had to be simple in construction to get them done in time, and yet I’m making them for someone who’s been making leather boots for over a century. No pressure, right? The self-heaped on stress was quite high. Though throughout the project, I learned a lot and got very familiar with their own leathers and have great plans to make a more intricate version in the future. I guess sometimes the stress in the journey is the reward too.

photos taken by Lisa Warninger 

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