Woodworking

One-day build – Cargo bed for my e-bike made from scrap wood

I bought a cargo e-bike this weekend and am elated about it. It’s so much fun to ride and it’s so easy to move such a big bike. Everything about it makes me think of it as a station wagon.

Comparison of a product photo of a Yuba FastRack Compact Cargo eBike to a station wagon with wooden panels and a load of suitcases strapped to the roof

Photo of a sheet of plywood clamped to the bed of the bike

Photos showing the use of a speed square to transfer the positions of mounting bolts to a scrap piece of plywood

Photos showing the assembly of blocks of wood into U-shaped pieces to sit at the front and back of the bed; the blocks are clamped into place and drilled; there is a view of the U-shaped piece being test fit on the bike

Art display board 🗒️

Big build day!

I have basically been thinking about building the display board all week, but haven’t had a chance to until today because of both work and weather. I’ve found this thinking time useful for planning the cuts and assembly procedure. I read up on some woodworking “best practices” that suggested a…

Technical drawing titled "Layout (Woodworking)" showing a diagram of the front and left sides with many specific dimensions called out

Two photos: 1) heavy-duty shelving unit parts assembled in a square with a protruding beam holding a mounting bracket for my phone and 2) me using the circular saw on a workbench located just outside my garage

Photo of me looking at two rails laid out on the board with the spacing tools

Me cutting French cleats with the circular saw

Art display board 🗒️

New project – Display board for art postcard collection

I’m starting a new woodworking–plus–3D printing project add some more art to my home office: a display board for my art postcard collection! For this project, I’m trying out a new way of writing about my progress through the project. I’ll write smaller updates as I iterate on the designs…

Sample of art postcard collection; several colorful postcards are fanned out nondescriptly; some postcards appear to be hand-sized versions of US National Parks posters

3D rendering of a 400mm x 400mm French cleat system with 8 rails from which to hang postcards and other small accessories. There is a single plywood panel with each rail running horizontally across the face.

Closeup of completed print of rails still affixed to the build plate

Closeup 3D rendering of the same board from earlier, but with two spacing jigs on the left and right showing how the jigs will be used to position the rails consistently

Indoor plant stand – design and build

A couple of friends gifted a Monstera plant to Bonnie and me. We’re trying to get the hang of caring for plants, so we decided to give it a name and make it a nice stand to perch upon.

Triptych of a 3D visualization of the fourth version of the stand, an augmented reality (AR) view of the design rendered in my living room, and a photo of the stand with the plant pot in place

Visualization of first version of stand: a tripod with thin legs and two levels of chunky triangular braces

Visualization of second version of stand: a tripod with thin legs with fewer angles and the same two levels of chunky triangular braces

Visualization of third version of stand: a tripod with thin legs that attach diagonally across two levels of chunky triangular braces and extend outward from each point of the triangle

Cardboard stock sorting shelf – design and build

I was in the mood to build something with my hands, and I have been working on getting my garage organized into a functional space to do all sorts of maker-y things. I have a strong tendency to “collect” various materials that I think will be useful eventually. In order…

Photo of garage with horizontal cardboard pile on top of shelving unit

Schematics of the slats, sides, and bottom shelf