Invent Design Make

“Take a piece of wood – plane, sand, and oil it, and you will find it a beautiful thing. The more you do to it from then on, the more chance that you will make it worse.” Tage Frid 1979 So I came across this quote from the late woodworking monster Tage Frid while we were [...]

We are well please with the stand, so here we go with the drum itself… To begin with I spent a good long time umming and arring about the dimensions I wanted, and researching how the different proportions would likely affect the sound. I ended up designing it to be

I have been meaning to post a few photos of this little capoeira drum (or atabaque) project for a while now. This is the first part, about the drum’s stand. The stand is a good place to start, as many of the same techniques are used in making the actual drum, but it is smaller [...]

Here is a little ‘handmade Christmas present idea’ for people that are keen on cooking, but get nervous when the recipe book is out of sight (or just want to avoid getting raw egg or flour all over the pages!). The ‘recipe book sanctuary’, tirelessly holds the book open in the right place, can be [...]

What makes me want to make and create things, more than anything else, is that enchanting feeling when we turn some unvalued, ordinary and mundane into something special. Why exactly it feels good, I don’t know, but I guess it is somewhat universal for people to want to change and arrange things to their taste, [...]

It has been some time since I mentioned the external french oak doors project, so I just thought I would post a little update and a few photos for you while some wood glue dries… Well the frame is pretty much completed now, and I am on the doors themselves.  At this stage I am [...]

Chalk temperature of my wood glue = Approx. 47°F or 8°C The chalk temperature of wood glue, apparently refers to the temperature at which the surrounding air and materials can be at during application, to achieve a good bond.  The dilemma, refers to the tricky situation in which to build a door, to fill a [...]

After more than a year since originally having the idea to build a double French door in oak for our workshop, we have the wood! I went to the the sawmill to help prep some pieces and explore the exciting woodworking machinery. Using this bandsaw, or resaw, we rip the wood (cut it down its [...]

Some of the door hardware arrived yesterday, which was exciting, particularly as we spent a long time researching and deliberating the selection.  Went for a five point locking system (FPL) in the end.  Not that security is a big issue, but the ‘five pointers’ spread the load better, maintain a better weather seal and help [...]