Pentagonal Chopsticks

From left to right, I start with the .30" square blanks. I cut two adjacent faces of the pentagon in the first two slots. I then cut a third face, touching the first two. In the last slot, I cut the fourth side opposite the previously cut one. The fifth face remains from one of the faces on the blank, but I plane it too for surface finish. I also taper the chopsticks in the rightmost slot.

The cross pieces which prevent the sticks from slipping are on both ends, as I have to plane in either direction according to the grain of the wood. It's a bit touchy sometimes; a very manual process.

The last step is to chamfer the ends and oil them.

Wooden Computer Case

The button on the front is the power button. The computer is an Odroid XU4. The monitor is a 7" touchscreen. The whole computer portion was <$200, and it's plenty fast for watching videos and ordering screws. It uses android for the OS.

Above shows the monitor holding slot without the monitor in it. Both the computer and the slot are held to the shelf post with wooden wedges.

The bugs haven't all been worked out.

Brass washers, stainless hardware. Cherry panels.

Flimsy Work Boots

I made myself some boots. I wear them while working in the shop and playing in the dirt.

Their biggest weakness is the sole. I like shoes without support, but the soling material I could find was so thin that a well placed piece of gravel would pierce it. It was also surprisingly expensive, but I couldn't find anything better.

Chopsticks

Done on commission. Made of maple, finished with oil. Made to buyer's dimensions: 10.25" long by .3" tail minor diameter. For this design, they are $10 per pair of maple or cherry, made to your dimensions. Can also do pentagonal or hexagonal profile.

Fir Escutcheon Plates, Shelf

A bit more complicated to make than they look! The OD was turned concentrically with the ID on the lathe. They are made this way to fit over existing pipes coming out of the wall.

Got lucky on the above two; the grain lines up through the seam.

Below is a shelf I made which attaches to the side of a bed, to avoid putting screws in the walls.

 

There's a rabbet (if you will) on the post to keep the shear force off the screws, though it really shouldn't matter. The bedframe is the weakest link. Below is the bottom clamp.

HDPE Recyling, Shear Sheath

HDPE plastic, commonly used for containers, is not too hard to recycle at home. There are many instructions on the internet about how to do it. The results are usually pretty mediocre though, as HDPE in its melted state is a thick rubbery mass with bubbles inside (the same could be said about the contents of my head?). It's a nice plastic though; it's food safe and machines without fumes unlike POM or acrylic.

The best method I've found yet does not eliminate bubbles, but it produces a very usable and uniform cylinder of plastic:

-Cut top off of aluminum can
-Cut apart containers and clean well with soap
-Cut plastic containers into pieces which can fit into the can
-Put can(s) into toaster oven at 350 deg. F/175 deg. C
-Add plastic flakes to can
-Continue to add flakes and tamp goo until can is full
-Remove can from oven and quickly compress with fitted piston and clamp:

-Leave compressed till cool

This is the piston and can support, which I turned on the lathe. The piston is just about air-tight with the cans, though it probably doesn't need to be.

The HDPE doesn't stick to the can or the wood once it cools. The cylinder I made has been turned back to shavings in lathe experiments, but I will post a photo when I make another.

I also made a leather sheath:

Simple sheath for simple shears. Made of leather: skived, saddle stitched, burnished, and oiled.

Trailer Repair, Knife Repair

The poorly attached back door fell off this trailer, so I built it a new one.

You will notice a 'weight relief' hole in the above two photos. This was found to be the most aerodynamically stable of all options, and was carefully planned and implemented. ;)

The rubber grip on my craft knife was getting tired, so I tied a new one of waxed linen. I don't know how long it will last, but it looks neat for now. It's a nine-strand turk's head.