Everyone Loves My Proxxon Tools

One of my sons is a chef, and he created this wooden piece for food presentation using my Delta Sander.

Cambozola with grilled endive and stout cherry jam

Here's how is all came about. Not long ago I was in my studio working on a project using my Proxxon Delta Sander, when my son Seth wandered in. "Oh my gosh!" he said, "Can I use that sander?"

"Sure," I replied. He left the studio, and soon returned with a box full of cross sections from a tree trunk. Recently, landscapers had thinned out trees in our neighborhood, and a large section had fallen off their waste wagon. Seth had retrieved it and found a woodworker who sliced the trunk into cross section slabs, each a little over 2" thick and 15" in diameter.

Now, Seth's task was to remove the bark and sand the sides of the slabs. Here used a chisel to remove the layer of bark from one of the slabs.

Then, he moved on to sanding the edges using the Delta Sander. It was perfect for the task—lightweight to hold, easy to maneuver, powerful enough to efficiently sand the wood.

It was fun to watch Seth enjoy using the sander to create such a beautiful and unique food presentation piece.

Carole

Mid Century Modern Bird House (Part 2 - Roof, Assembly, Finishing)

I love Mid century modern architecture. Flat roofs are one my favorite design elements. The mix of experimental materials like steel and plywood also produces fantastic results.

In my last post, Mid Century Modern Bird House (Part 1 - The Floor/Walls), we used Proxxon Micro Tools to build the walls and floor of the birdhouse. In this post, we'll finish up the roof, assemble it and finish it with paint and linseed oil.

Proxxon tools make it easy to work on a small project like this. The scale of the tools is perfect for a project this size.

What You'll Need

• The base and walls assembled.
• The 8-1/2" square Luan plywood piece for the roof
• 1/4" hardwood dowel (oak or maple is preferable to poplar)
• Scrap piece of SmoothFoam (about 2" x 4" x 8")
• Compass
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Marker
• Glue dots
• Wood glue
• Linseed Oil
• Rustoleum Hammered Steel
• Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115
• Proxxon Original German Chuck for the TBM115
• 1/4" Drill Bit
• Proxxon Disc Sander TG 125/E
• Proxxon Chop and Miter Saw KGS 80
• Hotwire Cutter THERMOCUT 115/E
• Proxxon Rotary Tool with a small drill bit and cutting wheel for wood (like Complete Model Building and Engraving Set)

Steps To Follow 

1. The first step is to drill holes through the roof and in to the house for the supporting dowels. The challenge is that the roof is raised up off the birdhouse and sits at an angle. I knew I wanted it to be about 1" off the front of the house and about 1/2" off the back of the house, but didn't want to think about the math to calculate the angle. Then it hit me - just make a "tool" out of SmoothFoam to hold the roof in place while the holes are drilled! Rest a piece of SmoothFoam on the top of the house. Mark the front and the back edges. Then measure up 1" from the front and 1" from the back. Draw a line connecting those dots. Now you have the exact angle you need, without doing any trigonometry! By the way, it turns out to be about 5 degrees.
2. Cut the SmoothFoam using the Hotwire Cutter.
3. Use glue dots to temporarily attach the SmoothFoam to the base of the house and the roof to the SmoothFoam.
4. Use a pencil and mark where the holes for the 4 support dowels need to be drilled. Use the rotary tool and a small bit to drill through the marks, past the SmoothFoam and in to the base of the house.
5. Now you can remove the roof and SmoothFoam from the base of the house. Be careful to only remove those two pieces as a unit. Keep them together. Now use the Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115 with the chuck and 1/4" bit to drill the holes in the base. You only need to go in to the base about 1/4-1/2". Drill the holes in to the roof as well. Keep the roof sitting on the SmoothFoam so you're sure you're drilling at the correct angle.
6. Put the SmoothFoam and Roof back on to the house.
7. Cut 4 lengths of 1/4" dowel using the Proxxon Chop and Miter Saw KGS 80. I used (2) pieces that were about 2" long and (2) pieces that were about 3" long.
8. Put some wood glue in to the holes in the roof and insert the 4 dowels all the way in to the base. We want to glue the dowels to the roof (but NOT to the base). Put a weight on top to hold the roof down while the glue sets. The dowels will be sticking up above the roof. Let the glue set completely.
9. Use a rotary tool with a cutting wheel to trim the dowels as close to the roof as possible.
10. Take the roof off of the house and remove the SmoothFoam jig. Save it so you can make more houses in the future! Sand the dowels smooth against the roof using the Proxxon Disc Sander TG 125/E.
11. Spray paint the roof with . Be sure to do this in a well ventilated area. If you're inside, it helps to spray this piece inside a cardboard box to catch any over-spray. Now you see why we didn't glue the roof to the house! Let dry completely.
12. Seal and protect the outside of the house with linseed oil. Rub it in using a cotton cloth (rag). Don't apply it to the inside of the house. Let dry completely.
13. Put some wood glue inside the 4 holes in the house and then put the roof in place. Weight the top to hold it down until the glue sets. Remember, you access the house through the flip-up side for cleaning, so this roof can be put permanently in place.

Your Mid Century Modern Bird House (improved design) is now ready for renters! You can attach it to a post or a wall using pipe fittings you would find at a hardware store, like this flange.

Enjoy your birdhouse!

Look for more projects on my website at www.createNcraft.com

Happy crafting!

Joe Rotella

A Valentine Gourd with an Awesome Proxxon Tool!

This particular project was a lot of fun to do as it was in my favorite medium to work with which is gourds. I really enjoy using the Proxxon (link) Jig Saw STS 12/E . I use it with the foot pedal and it is a great little saw.

For this project you will need:


1 medium/large gourd
1 bottle of adirondack ink/color: Poppyfield
1 bottle of metallic gold acrylic paint
1 bottle of black acrylic paint
Sandpaper
Xacto knife
Proxxon Jig Saw STS 12/E  (Go to link)
Proxxon Delta Sander OZI/E  (Go to link)

To begin with I chose what I believed to be a good gourd to work with. After you've worked with gourds for awhile you can feel the differences in them and hopefully choose one that will be good to work with. (Not always though) I then measured and drew a line around the gourd where I wanted to cut the top out. I use an xacto knife and make a slit in the gourd where I want to insert my saw blade to start my cut. I then cut the top off the gourd and cleaned the insides out until it was smooth and free from any gourd pulp.

Once cleaned and sanded smooth on the inside, I painted the inside of the gourd black and the rim of the gourd black and let it dry. As soon as it was dry enough to handle without getting black paint on me while holding it, I traced some hearts onto the gourd in four lines that I had measured to get the lines of hearts even across the gourd. I then proceeded to use the xacto to make slits in each heart so that I could insert the saw and cut them out.

After accomplishing that, I then wood burned celtic hearts in between each line of hearts.

Next up was coloring the gourd with Poppyfield, Adirondack Ink but leaving the celtic heart lines undone. I then used the Metallic gold paint to paint the lines of the celtic hearts and also to paint the insides of the lines of hearts. The whole gourd turned out wonderfully and I put a couple of tea lights inside just to see how it would look.

Now this is a Valentine Gourd! I love my(Go to link)  Proxxon Jig Saw
If you think that you might be interested in one of the Tiny Tools that you see here just go to www.proxxon.com and check them out.


Barbara 

How to create a Valentine's Day Embellished Smoothfoam Heart with The Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter

Happy New Year everyone! Tammy here today, showing you how to create a Valentine's Day Smoothfoam embellished heart for your favorite Valentine, using the Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter and Proxxon Delta Sander.

Supplies I used:

Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter

Proxxon Delta Sander

Smoothfoam heart

Plastic embellishments

Adhesive

Pink acrylic paint

Rose glitter paint

Candy apple stick

How I made the Valentine's Day embellished Smoothfoam heart:

1. I cut a Smoothfoam heart in half using my Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter as shown  in this short video below:

2. I sanded each half as shown in this short video:

3. I painted each half pink

4. I added Rose glitter paint and glued on some plastic embellishments

5. I added a gold candy apple stick and attached the embellished heart half to the painted heart half with a little adhesive.

6. I added some ribbon for extra decoration

I really like how this project turned out! I love to see your projects, tag me on Instagram @TammySmithSantana

xoxo Tammy

~Family Treasures~ Proxxon DT Project by WildHeart Art

~Family Treasures~

I am always looking for unique ways to do "the ordinary" so when I came across this wonderful family photo I wanted to find a fun  and unique way to display it. This is actually a picture of my Grandpa and Grandma with their children, my aunt and mom are on the end. I love the way I was able to capture the vintage feel of this project.

~Supplies~

Proxxon Delta Sander OZI/E

2 x4( piece of wood - 5 x 4 rectangle)

White acrylic paint

Sepia ink pad

Antique glass door knob ( of similar)

Wooden rectangle with  the word "Family" 

2 metal corner pieces

4 metal feet ( I used Tim Holtz metal feet)

Metal frame- 2x3

Family Photo ( I made a copy on the printer)

metal key hole

metal key

metal "phrase" (for the back)

butterfly collage paper

metal butterfly ( for front)

Assorted metal items,beaded chain,lace,thin ribbons,epoxy charm

Weldbond glue

1) Begin by taking your wooden block and sanding  with the Delta Sander to give a "worn look"

2) Paint the block white

3)"Distress" block with Sepia  ink pad on edges and gently on the front and back of block

4) Turn over and glue collage papers to the back that you have edged in the sepia ink.

 5) Add both the key hole and the metal phrase tag with the Weldbond glue

6) Distress the metal butterfly and the wooden piece "family"

7) Apply the picture and the frame to go over the picture  gluing everything down

8)Apply the feet by using the Weldbond glue

9)  Gather your metal charms and tags and attach ribbon and bead chain to them

 10) Add some lace ribbon to the top around the knob

11) Now add the ribbons,tags,charms and bead chain and hand then from the knob on top.

I hope you enjoy finding New ways to Do the Ordinary and create some wonderful memories and Family Treasures!

~In love and light~

Sherri

Book Initials

I've seen these initials at craft shows, and always thought they were great. Now that I have a Proxxon Scroll Saw I can make my own. I decided to do one for each of my grand-daughters.

I used Make-the-Cut software to design, scale, and print my selected letters. I used painter's tape to hold the printed pattern in place on the book.

Following the pattern I cut the initials with the Proxxon Scroll Saw DS 115/E.

Even though she can't read, Anya knows that this letter A is hers—and it's her favorite color.

So, as the girls were admiring their initial books, Chloe asked, "Why don't you spell out the whole name?" Well, why not, indeed. I decided to make wall hangings using children's books for each letter of their name. After cutting the letters with the scroll saw, I drilled holes for ribbon ties to connect one book to the next. Here's Anya's wall hanging.

My key learning as I was making these book initials was to select a font that maintains as much of the integrity of the book's spine as possible. 

Carole

I Heart You Canvas

Hi everyone Steph Ackerman here today  as a member of the Proxxon Tiny Tool Design Team. 

Now that the holidays have passed, it's time to start thinking of Valentine's Day. 

Supplies:

Proxxon Tools:  Hotwire Cutter
Smoothfoam

Art Anthology Paints

Clearsnap Art Screens
Clearsnap Ink
Indigoblu Stamps

I first drew an assortment of hearts on a panel of Smoothfoam.

 

Next, I easily cut the hearts apart with the Hotwire Cutter.

 

Since I had a small piece of Smoothfoam left, I also cut 1/2 a heart.



 

Using an 8" x 10" canvas, I created a background using assorted stencils, paints, inks and stamps. 

 

 

I used molding paste on one Smoothfoam heart with a heart art screen.   I put the other hearts aside for another project or two.  Once the molding paste dried,  I added more color to the heart. 

 

 

I inked chipboard letters then added them to the canvas. Stamps were randomly added about the canvas.

 

I added a butterfly to the heart "just because".

 

Thanks for stopping by today.