How to make a simple spice rack

 Hi folks.  My friend has asked me to make a spice rack for her kitchen.  Says she is tired of all the spices falling out everytime she needs one.  And if hers is like mine, I can never find the one Im looking for until I drag them all out.  So, today let's make her a spice rack.

The first thing I did was sort through my wood on hand.   I found a piece of 1/8" oak plywood and a couple pieces of some pine I felt would work.  

1st step was to cut my piece to length.  I left the plywood piece as is thinking that it was as good a size as anything else.  so I will cut my wood for the outside "box", and shelves to fit it.

The plywood (back), measures 23 1/2 x 15" x 3 1/4 "  Sides will be 24 x 3 1/4  Top and bottom 15 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 3/8    There will be 3 shelves which measure 14 7/8 x 2 5/8" x 1/8"

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I used the Proxxon mini table saw to cut my wood.   And Ill be using this saw in the next steps also.

I need a way to put these thin boards together.  I know I cannot use nails or screws so I am going to make some grooves where the pieces will fit together.  

I set up the Proxxon table saw to make some cuts partway through my wood.  I move the saw blade so that it is about 1/8" high.   then I move the fence to 1/4" away from the sawblad and run one long side of each of my sides, top, and bottom pices..  The groove is not quite wide enough to secure the plywood back piece in so I moved the fence out just a little and ran them all through again being careful not to make my groove too wide.  I want my pieces to fit snugly.

Looks like it fits but before we glue it we need to make the slots for the shelves.

Do this in the same manner.  I took 2 passes to make it the right width.  

Make sure both sides are exactly the same.  

 

Now glue the sides, top and bottom together and let the glue dry well.  Then slide the shelf pieces in.

I painted it with white primer.  My friend will paint it whatever color she wants.   Look how it looks when I put some spices in it.

I added 2 sawtooth hangers on the back.

Thats all folks....Thanks for visiting.  Come back soon and see what we're making next

Thanks Proxxon, awesome tools.   Carol

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How to Make the Perfect Mother's Day Plaque

 Honor mom with her own special plaque made using Proxxon MICROMOT tools.

Supplies and Equipment for making the MOM plaque:

• 8" x 4" wood or MDF blank with a thickness of  ¼" to 1"
• MOM Plaque Template
• Acrylic paint, stain, Home Decor wax, etc. for finishing
• Proxxon Bandsaw MBS/E
• Proxxon Scroll Saw DS 460
• Proxxon Cordless Belt Sander BS/A

Instructions:

1. Print the plaque template.
2. Mount the template on your wood blank. Cover one side of the blank with painter's tape. Mist the back side of the pattern with spray adhesive, and mount on the taped blank. The painter's tape makes removal of the pattern easy without leaving any sticky residue.
   
   
   
3. Cut out the template using the bandsaw and scroll saw.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Use the belt sander to sand the edges of the plaque.
   
   
   
5. Finish as desired. I used FolkArt Home Decor Antique Wax.
   
   
   
6. Present to mom to let her know how special she is.
   

Carole

Creating Tiny Porch Posts Using Proxxon Tools

 

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to show you how I turned tiny porch posts on the Micro Woodturning Lathe. I'm still building one of my tiny houses and I thought this would be a nice addition instead of just a plain wooden dowel. Let me show you how I made them.

Supplies:

   Proxxon Micro Woodturning Lathe DB 250

   Proxxon Scroll Saw

   Proxxon Five Piece HSS Chisel Set

   Wooden Dowel

   Sand Paper

First, I determined the length of the posts and cut two pieces using the Proxxon scroll saw.  I added on an extra inch because I can't tell exactly how long they need to be until I put the base on the house. That won't be till I'm further along.  

The next thing was I needed to determine the center of each end of the dowels and mark them. My lathe came with a small tool you use to mark the centers.

Once I had the centers marked, I attached the dowl to the lathe and tightened it on. With a pencil I marked 2 lines where I wanted the turning or carving away the wood to be.

Using the chisel set, I chose the parting tool.  This chisel is flat but cut at an angle. Resting on the tool rest, I started to carve in the details.

I also used a piece of sandpaper against the wood to taper the dowel.  Then finishing up again with my parting tool.

I took the dowel off the lathe and attached the second dowel. I marked it again with a pencil so I could try and copy the first dowel.  I repeated the whole process.

 

Now I've got two porch posts that are finished and ready to be attached. I still have some work on the porch before I attach the base, so the posts will go on after that. Once I can tell exactly how long each post needs to be, I may turn a small detail at the bottom also.

Thanks for following along.  Till next time...

Colleen  :-)

How To Cut Window Openings Using The Proxxon Scroll Saw

 

Hi Everyone!  As you may have already figured out from a few of my past pots, I have been building and selling tiny houses.  If I didn't have my Proxxon Tools, I don't think I'd be able to accomplish the things I'm now building.  I design all my own patterns. I thought maybe some people would be interested in seeing how i cut the window openings using the scroll saw.  Follow along with me and ill show you how I do it   :-)

Supplies:

   

   Proxxon 2 Speed Scroll Saw DS 460

   Proxxon Cordless Belt Sander

   1/2" wood  ( any thickness will work depending on your particular project)

   Drill and 1/4" drill bit

Using my own pattern, I draw the design on whatever thickness wood I'm using.  For this house I happened to be using 1/2" MDF.

Now that i have my pattern drawn, I cut it out using the Proxxon scroll saw.

Next, I determine where i want my windows placed.  I draw the shape of the windows on the wood.  In order to cut out the windows, you must drill a hole in the center of the window shape.  I always use a 1/4" drill bit in my drill.  Now I move the piece to the scroll saw and remove the blade. Drop the blade down through the hole and reattach the blade to the saw.

Now your blade is connected and ready to cut.

I've kind of got a system of how i cut to get perfect corners.  Get the blade over to one of the edges and saw to the corner.  then back up a tiny bit aur curve the blade to the next corner. Once you get all the way around the center blank mill be able to pop out. I just lift the piece up and it falls out.  Next, I turn the piece the opposite way and cut down to the other corner.  This does take quite a while to cut each window, but it works well.

Occasionally I may have to sand on the inside edge if there's any roughness, but my Proxxon Cordless Belt Sander cleans that right up.

This method will work when cutting out any shape in the middle of a piece of wood.  Thanks for following along with my little lesson.  Till next time...

                                                                      

                                                            Colleen  :-)

    

Easy to make bookends

 Hi everyone.  Hope this finds everyone well, and anxious and motivated for a new project. 

I just want to tell you that since it warmed up a little, I have been enjoying my workshop.  But, I didn't know what to make, I had dug out an old board that I knew would work for whatever project I decided on.  Flipping through an artists' journal gave me an idea, so now I will get busy and show you what I made so you can go out and make yourself 1 or 2. This would be great in a toddler's room to hold his colorful books.

I used just one board.  1 x 7 x 48  

First, I transferred my pattern onto my board Then, using my Proxxon mini bandsaw I cut  out all the pieces.  Note if you use the extra narrow band saw blade you can cut out these pieces very easily as it will take tight curves with ease.

After sanding real well, I used some carpenter's glue to glue the basic braces together.  Note:  The longer one is glued to the shorter one so that the sides and the base are of equal length.   When the glue dries I add some nails for added support.  I used the Proxxon cordless rotary tool to pre-drill my holes to avoid cracking the wood.  

Then I sand all the pieces well and proceed to painting. 

cordless mini belt sander

OZI/E delta sander

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Let that get good and dry then glue it up like a rainbow to the base and side pieces.  Drill and add the nails or screws for added support and you're done.  The bookends are heavy enough, so they don't slide.  

It was easy, wasn't it.  Put it anywhere you need a splash of color or to hold those oversized books neatly.

Thanks for visiting!  Check out Proxxon tools next time you get a chance.  Small precision tools are so easy to use.

Building Patriotic Buntings For Tiny Houses

 

Today I will show you how I built tiny patriotic buntings for one of my tiny houses. This simple project adds so much character to my fence. Follow along with me and I'll show you how I made them.

Supplies:

     1/16" Balsa Plywood

     Proxxon 2 Speed Scroll Saw DS460

     Plaid Paint

First, I determined the size I needed the buntings to be and drew a pattern.

I then drew the pattern on my balsa wood. Using my Proxxon Scroll Saw I began to cut them out. For the fence I needed 6.

The Proxxon Scroll Saw does such an amazing job that I didn't even need to sand the edges. If this were a thicker piece of wood, I'd imagine that to be necessary. As you can see in this picture, I even stacked 2 pieces together and cut.

Now all 6 pieces are cut out and ready to paint with my Plaid paint.

Using various shades of red, white and blue, the buntings are painted. I used a tiny awl to poke a hole in each end and attached them to the fence with sewing thread.

  

Here is my completed project.  Just wanted to add that every element of this tiny house was created using Proxxon tools.  Hope you enjoyed following along with me.

Colleen :-)