Tag Archives: diy

Micarta Love Letters with Thrift Store Fabric (Layered Cloth and Wood)

Lauren wanted to make wooden letters that spelled “love” for the living room. I thought it would be a good chance to try a micarta style layering of fabric and wood.

All was going well until the epoxy set up too fast half-way through. We changed gears and didn’t use the maple veneer I made, but ended up with a unique decoration and a memorable time together in the shop.

DIY Lithium Ion E-Bike Battery Pack from 18650 Laptop Batteries

How to build a lithium ion electric bike battery pack from recovered used laptop batteries. Save hundreds of dollars by salvaging 18650 li-ion cells from used or even dead laptop batteries bought off eBay.

My pack is 24 volt 20AH which should hopefully provide a 30-45 mile range per charge on my ebike (and cost less than $150 dollars). In the video I show you how to calculate the capacity, then wire and test the completed battery.

Don’t Throw That Microwave Away!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W2jiB8islo

Rinoa Super-Genius:
https://goo.gl/ByyxlN

Mike Makes a Folding Extension Cord Organizer

I built shelves to organize my power tools last week, but I needed a way to organize my extension cords. I was inspired by a Pinterest pin and the 5 in 1 coat hangers that you’ve “seen on TV.”

In this video I design my own space saving extension cord organizer that folds down flat against the wall when not in use. Overall I was very happy with the design and it’s working great!

I don’t have plans for this build, but if there’s enough interest I might put together a sketch or two.

Mike Makes Power Tool Storage w/ Cord Organization

This week I build power tool organization above my new tool board that we made last week. Each shelf was custom built to hold each power tool with a shelf below that organizes all of the cables.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results. It’s nice to finally have a place to store everything!

Mike Makes a 3D Wood Photo

We have strange shelves in the walls of our living room that end up collecting junk. We wanted to experiment making a 3D wood photo cutout using Steve Ramsey’s inkjet photo transfer method.

The project turned out great! How we divided the photo into layers worked out perfect, and the scroll saw made quick work of the cuts.

When we do it again, we’ll make sure to have plenty of ink the printer, do a lot more sanding, and use an image with more contrast.

The search for a scroll saw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAWpSGg2UFc

Steve Ramsey Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNEctCPmPbk

Our amazing photographer friend:
https://naomichokr.com/

Woodworking with Mere Minutes to Spare!

We were inspired by Steve Ramsey’s greeting card project and decided we wanted to make a 3D photograph made of wood.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time today. So here’s a quick teaser of what’s to come later this week.

Steve Ramsey Greeting Card:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNEctCPmPbk

Our amazing photographer friend:
https://naomichokr.com/

Mike Makes Sawhorses | DIRESTA vs. Matthias Wandel Design!

I needed a few sawhorses for the shop. Instead of buying some, I made them with scrap wood. I couldn’t choose between Jimmy Diresta’s and Matthias Wandel’s design so I made both!

Which one did I decide to make a set of for the shop? Watch the video to find out! I was lucky enough to use a chop saw, table saw, radial arm saw, and nail gun. But it can be done with just a circular saw.