Fun Projects
Occasionally a project will come along that is just plain fun. That might be due to solving a problem in a creative way or because the final piece itself is fun or unique. Projects like that offer us the chance to really have some fun in the woodshop.
Take a look at a few of the projects we’ve had that really put a smile on our face.
Picnic/Gaming Table
This was a fun project we worked on for the Frontier Girls group. They are an organization that spends a lot of their time helping out others through community projects.
This project’s requirements:
1. A standard sized picnic table in pressure-treated lumber.
2. Benches attached to the picnic table since this would be going in a public park
3. An appropriately sized chess/checkerboard integrated into the surface.
We had a blast designing this for outdoor use. There is a lot to think about when it comes to long term exposure to the elements. All in all it came out well. You will likely see more similar to this in the future.
Serving Tray – Picnic Edition
One pet peeve I have is when you are sitting at a picnic table with an umbrella and you have to have all of your condiments off to one side instead of in the center. This tray solves that problem!
The cutout in the center is created using our steam box. The steam box heats the wood to 212°F with excessive moisture which allows us to safely bend wood. As the wood dries it will maintain that shape forever. Now you can slide this tray right around the umbrella in your picnic table and keep everything within easy reach of all!
These are made to order and only with plenty (Think more than a month) of lead time.
Round Mirror Frame
A customer asked us to replace a frame they had on an old mirror that held significant sentimental value.
This project’s requirements:
1. Had to be round with a decorative bevel on the outside
2. The mirror needed to be set down inside the frame. It would be secured with decorative screws through the front of the mirror itself.
3. It needed to be made from clear walnut with a matte finish.
To build a perfectly round frame that is strong enough to hold the heavy glass mirror we needed to first build an extremely strong octagon and start milling from there. So. Much. Fun!
Butterfly Keys
Butterfly keys are an aspect of woodworking that is gaining popularity recently.
What is a butterfly key for? Notice the crack in this live edge cherry. Without some form of stabilization that crack would continue to grow for years. With the addition of the key the crack can neither expand nor contract. It is effectively frozen in place.
Aside from its mechanical purpose it also ads a fun aesthetic. The key pictured here is the first one I had ever attempted. The key was cut on a bandsaw. The cherry was then carved out by hand using chisels to ensure a perfect fit.
Pepper Grinder Restoration
A favorite restaurant of ours came to us with a problem. They had a 36″ long pepper grinder that had served them well for many years. However, time had taken its toll and it no longer functioned properly. Parts of the body had broken off, the grinding mechanics weren’t meshing and the finish had deteriorated.
The project’s requirements:
1. Restore the exterior of the grinder to showroom condition.
2. Repair/replace any missing pieces
3. Fix the grinding mechanism so it can be used again.
As you can see in this image the final product came out looking excellent. This was such an unusual project but was thoroughly enjoyable. The unique size of this grinder made the restoration more challenging but the end result was worth the effort.
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