Home-Eng on Craig Andera

Band Saw Box

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

As part of our ongoing "Home Eng" series of projects, my younger daughter made this band saw box out of walnut and cherry. She even turned the brass knobs on the metal lathe. It was also our first experience flocking a drawer — it was super easy, and I love the way it came out. I'll definitely be using that technique again.

We tried flocking on a test piece first, on January 2, 2022. It worked so well that I'm never using felt again. The flocking process itself is pretty simply: you spread on some glue, then use a simple sprayer to blast the glue with some fuzz. Here's the test piece we made.

Another view of the finished piece from the other side.

With a pair of earrings in the drawer.

Home-fired Candle Bowl

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The fourth project in a series my thirteen-year-old and I are doing that we call "Home Eng." This one was pretty straightforward: we got some clay, she shaped it, we dried it, we fired it in my little home furnace/kiln, she glazed it using tape to mask off the pattern, and we fired it again. We don't have a pottery wheel, hence the organic shape. She plans to fill it with wax and turn it into a candle.

Pewter Pineapple

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The third project in a series my thirteen-year-old and I are doing that we call "Home Eng." We found a 3D model online, 3D printed it, used the print to produce a silicone mold, and then used the mold to cast the final pewter object. Pewter melts at a fairly low temperature, making it somewhat easier to work with than metals with a higher melting point. The puddle at the bottom is just overfill from the pouring process; we trimmed it off after this picture was taken. Why a pineapple? I have no idea — you'd have to ask her.

(A note on the name: this is actually cast from bismuth, not pewter. I was using "pewter" casually.)

Some pictures from making it. Here's the pour. The metal is bismuth, which melts at quite a low temperature and only needs the equivalent of a hot plate to melt. It was a really good first casting material, especially since the temperature is low enough that we could use a silicone mold, and not have to deal with things like sand casting or investment casting, which are a bit more involved.

Extracting the cast.

And one fresh out of the mold, with the flash still on.

Completed project, happy maker.

Mechanical Pencil

Sat, 01 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The second project in a series my thirteen-year-old and I are doing that we call "Home Eng." This was her first lathe project, and we both had fun. It was especially gratifying for her, I think, since we went from picking a piece of mahogany out to having a finished piece in about an hour and a half.

Tea Tray

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

My younger daughter and I decided to take on a series of projects in the shop. This is our first: a tea tray made from cherry using simple joinery. She did most of the sawing, and I helped out a bit with planing and chisel work. She did the handle wrapping entirely by herself, and did a much better job of it than I would have.