Hot air balloon gourd birdhouse and feeder

Welcome spring!   my favorite time of the year  👩

I am all excited and starting to get that spring fever I get every year.  Time to be outside again.   I want to show you a cute little project today.  We are going to make a birdhouse and feeder that resembles a hot air balloon, and we are going to make it out of a gourd.  We will be using Proxxon tools and Plaid paints.  

Supplies and equipment:

1 or 2 gourds   (one to look like a balloon and one to cut for a basket)   

Proxxon mini jig saw

Proxxon OZI/E delta sander

Proxxon rotary tool with drill bits

string

pony beads or buttons

epoxy sculpt (optional)

small dowel (optional)

sealer of your choice

Plaid paints of your choosing

small eye hook for hanging

wood glue.

Let's get started.   See below.  I picked out 2 dirty gourds.  One is an old birdhouse that has seen better days, but the top will work for our basket.   First step is to get these cleaned up.  A little water, elbow grease, and  a scouring pad does the work.

Mark on the gourds where you intend to cut.  On the large gourd you want to mark a circle about 1 1/2" in diameter. (the entrance hole to the birdhouse.  ** remember you will be turning the gourd pointy side down to hang**)  On the small gourd we will use the top as a "basket" for our hot air balloon.

Then cut along your marks using the Proxxon mini jig saw

Using the Proxxon OZI/E delta sander, sand the edges of the hole and the top of the basket.

Cut gourds have very sharp edges.

Next, mark 6 evenly spaced holes on the "balloon" and on the "basket" where we will attach the strings suspending the basket.  Then drill the small holes using the Proxxon professional rotary tool.  I also drilled 3 holes in the bottom of the balloon for drainage.  

Optional step-   I was worried about the thinness of my basket piece and how it would hold up to the elements outside so I used epoxy sculpt to make a band around the outside of the basket.  When it dries it is hard as cement and should keep the strings from tearing out of the basket.

Next step is to paint like crazy.  Better yet, let the kids do it.! 👦👧

I always use Plaid paints for the huge selection of vibrant colors.

Be sure to seal your project since it is going outside.  I used Krylon triple thick gloss, (2 coats)

I used 6  -  16" pieces of string to attach the balloon to the basket at the holes we previously made.  First tie one end to a pony bead.  Next from the inside thread the string through the hole in the basket. (the length of string should come out of the outside of the basket with the pony bead inside.

  Next, thread the string through the small holes in the balloon part, pull it out the big hole, tie a bead on it,  Try to keep the strings even.   I used chalk to mark a line where I will attach to my balloon.   You will eventually need to cut part of the string off,  It is too long to start, but that was to give you room to work with it.  

I had to do some adjusting at the end to get it to hang right.  This is easily done at the basket attachment.   I also added some small dowels as perches for the little birds.

An eye hook in the top and it is done.  Don't forget to fill it with bird seed.   Check it out hanging in our Plum tree.  

Thank you Proxxon, and Plaid.  2 awesome companies check out their websites!!

And thank you for visiting.    Till next time ...Carol 

Hi everyone!  Today I'm working on a wooden keychain using some of my scrap wood . Follow along with me and I'll show you how simple it was to make using my Proxxon tools.

Supplies:

  Proxxon 2-speed Scroll Saw

  Proxxon Bench Drill Press

  Proxxon Longneck Angle Grinder

  Scrap 1/2" wood

  Wood Stain

  Spring Ring

                                              First I drew out a pattern on my scrap wood.

Next using the Proxxon Scroll Saw I cut out may pattern.

This is my cut out pattern.

Next using the Bench Drill Press I drilled a 1/4" hole at the top of the key for a spring ring.

Next using the Longneck Angle Grinder I sanded the entire piece and tapered the sides.

Lastly I stained the piece, let dry and inserted the spring ring.

Heres my finished key ring. I attached my car keys to this one but I'm going to be making more for other keys.

Thanks for following along with me..... Colleen :-) 

 

How to Make a Mini Hand-held Loom

 Weaving is a wonderful craft, and an excellent one for kids to try. This hand-held loom is great for a beginner. It's small enough to be easily portable and the warping pegs are designed to ensure that the work stays on the loom.

Supplies and Equipment

• Two 6" x ¾" x ¼" lengths of hardwood
• 5½" x 1½" x ¾: length of hardwood
• Proxxon MICRO Mill MF 70
• Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E
• Proxxon Disc Sander TG 125/E
• Wood glue
• Wood oil

Instructions

1. Cut the wood to length using the bandsaw.
2. Clamp one of the 6" pieces of wood on the mill table with a thin piece of waste wood under it. The waste wood allows you to mill the entire depth of the pegs without contact with the mill table.
   
   
   
3. Using the 3mm milling cutter, set the height of the blade to determine the depth of the channel, and cut 5mm deep channels.
4. Set the X and Y axis hand wheel dials to 0. The Y axis controls the table movement right and left. The X axis controls the table movement front to back.
   
   
   
5. Repeat with the second 6" length.
6. The 6" length allows waste for clamping the piece to the mill table, and the pieces must now be cut down to size. Use the bandsaw to cut the excess so the pieces measure 4¼". To ensure that the pegs are aligned, lay the pieces on top of one another, and hold in place with painter's tape, then cut the excess away.
7. Use the disc sander to sand the surfaces of all pieces.
   
   
   
8. A folded piece of sandpaper can be used to sand between the pegs.
   
   
   
9. Measure and mark the centers on all three pieces.
   
   
   
10. Align the centers and glue the pieces together with wood glue. Clamp the pieces together.
    
    
    
11. When the glue is dry, treat the hand-held loom with wood oil.
    
    
    
12. Enjoy!!

    

    
    

Carole

St Patrick's day shelf sitter

 March...Time for St Patrick's day.   I love that nearly all months the have something to celebrate.  Today let's make a cute little shelf sitter to welcome in the festive time of leprechauns, shamrocks, rainbows, green beer, and friends.   This  blog is going to feature the Proxxon long neck angle grinder.  That is a powerhouse tool to be sure, and I had a good time working with it.   I think it is going to be a go-to tool in my workshop from now on.  Mine in the corded version but I hear they make a cordless rechargeable one now.  Wish list?      Christmas is coming ya know.     

 

I used a piece of 3/4" pine board for the majority of this project.

Tools and Supplies

3/4" pine board at least 4" wide

thin piece of wood for sign

Proxxon mini bandsaw or Proxxon mini scroll saw

Proxxon long neck angle grinder

Proxxon OZI/E delta sander

wood glue

Plaid paints of your choosing

glitter spray or sealer 

small screws  (optional)  for reinforcing glued joints.

Let's start with a plan:

this is a full size plan if printed onto regular paper

I copied the plan onto my wood and cut it out all the pieces except the hands  using the Proxxon mini band saw.

Using the long neck angle grinder I made some texture in my little man.  This will stand out when we paint it.  

I left the hands on the longer piece of wood when I used the grinder on them.  the grinder is powerful and I didn't want it that close to my hands.  Where the fingers are I used to grinder to form a groove so that it will sit on his little sign and look like he is holding it.  After I was done with the groove I cut them out on the proxxon mini scroll saw.

I tapered his shoes with the long neck angle grinder so they looked pointy.    I shaped his pipe using the Proxxon OZI/E delta sander.   And I surfaced his little plaque with the angle grinder as well.

Time to put it all together

The body sits on top of the bottom  and is secured with glue and 2 screws.  The legs are attached to the front of his bottom piece and the shoes  are attached to the bottom of his legs.  The hands are glued to the top of the plaque, made to look like he is holding it up.   I drilled a small hole in the corner of his mouth and glued the pipe in.   

Now paint!   Plaid makes beautiful colors, and so many to choose from.   I suggest you paint before you place the plaque, just to make it easier.   Finish it off with some spray sealer or glitter, or..... whatever you like.     On your plaque write your favorite Irish saying.   I love this one.  

May the roof above you never fall in
and may your friends below it, never fall out. 

I'm going to set him above my front door.   

Thanks for visiting!!!   

Thanks Proxxon and Plaid!!    

Catch ya next time   Carol