How To Build A Double Breadbox

 

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to show you a breadbox I built for my kitchen. I decided to make a double one because I need the extra room to stash a lot of stuff in it. Because the price of wood has gone up I wanted to just use scrap pine that I had laying around. When I build things like this I hardly ever make a pattern. I did draw something for the sides and center divider but the rest just depended on what wood I had on hand. I did vinegar grain painting on the two lids and the top. Follow along with me and you can see how I made it :-)

Supplies:

  Proxxon Table Saw

  Proxxon Mini Band Saw

  Proxxon Disc Sander

  Scrap pine boards

  Hinges (4)

  Wood Glue

  Brad Nailer and Brads

  Plaid Inspirations Chalk Paint

  Plaid Inspirations Clear Wax

  Vinegar Paint and Varnish 

     

First I determined the size I wanted the box to be and drew a pattern for the side pieces.

Transfer pattern to pine and cut using the Proxxon Mini Band Saw. 

Using the Proxxon Table Saw I cut a board for the front face after I figured how long I wanted the piece to be.

Next I glued and nailed the to sides on the front.

Now I needed to cut the center divider so I altered my side pattern cutting a notch in the front and attached it with glue and brads.

.Before I went any further I wanted to cut out my lids. I determined the size that both lids needed to be and figured out the angle each had to be and cut to fit up to the base. I set my band saw at the angle and cut the long edge of the lids.

Next I measured and cut the upper front face using the band saw. I sanded the edges using the Proxxon Disc Sander and attached it with glue and brads,

I measured and cut a top piece and two back pieces and sanded on the disc sander.  Attached with glue and brads.

I then dry fit the lids and attached the hinges.

I removed the lids and hardware and sanded lightly. Next I prepared to paint. The lids and top board I did a faux graining technique using vinegar paint. Let those dry the applied a varnish.

 

The base and the inside I painted with Plaid Inspirations Chalk Paint. Color was called Ink. After dry I brushed on Plaid Inspirations Wax in Clear.

Here it is sitting on the countertop in my kitchen. I'll have it filled up in no time. Thanks for following along.... Colleen

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 

How to make your own dominos

 Greetings, fellow Covid prisoners.  Hope you all are well and have found some entertainment in your home or something to keep you busy.  Personally I am enjoying all the extra time I can get in the workshop.  I've been redecorating.... but that's another story (long one 😆).  Today I am going to show you how to make dominos.   This is a simple game that the whole family can play.  And... it is easy to make.  

 

Let's gather our supplies

1/4  -  1/2"  thick wood of your choice.   I used 1/2" poplar plywood.

ruler and pencil

Proxxon mini table saw

Proxxon mini table saw

Proxxon micro press

Proxxon O/ZIE delta sander

Plaid paints

sealer of your choice.   I used water-based polyurethane. 

The first thing I did was to measure out my tiles.   I was using some small plaques I already had so I first had to cut the rounded corners off.  I want my pieces rectangles  1" x 2".    Then I took it over to the proxxon mini table saw, using the fence, I  cut out 1" strips..

Next I took the strips over to the Proxxon mini chop saw and cut them into 2" lengths.  I placed some masking tape to mark my length.  This made cutting super fast since I didn't have to measure each one.

Next I penciled in my dots that I was going to make on the Proxxon Mini Press.   At the mini press I used a rounded bit to press round dents into my wood pieces.where the dots belong.  

Paint the dots with Plaid black paint and let them dry well.   Don't worry if the paint gets outside the dot area.  We will take care of that in a minute.

Using the Proxxon O/ZIE delta sander sand all the tiles well.   Sanding the face of the tile will remove any stray paint.  

Looks like we got them all.   I will finish them with a polyurethane varnish.

Stacked up.... hmm they need a box or something to keep them.    

Stay tuned.  My next blog is going to be the decorative box we will keep these in.  Should be posted on Dec 4.    Hope you come back and we can finish this project.

Thanks all for visiting.

Thanks again Proxxon and Plaid.  2 excellent companies!       Carol

How to Create Halloween Decorations

Hi everyone, Steph Ackerman here today showing you how to use Proxxon Tools to create an assortment of Halloween Decorations.

I drew the designs on scraps of plywood.

Using the 2 Piece Scroll Saw I cut each piece.

Once I had all the pieces I wanted, I used the Delta Sander to sand each piece.

I used the Bench Drill Press to drill holes in each piece so I could hang them on a tree.

Next, I used Plaid Paints to add color to each piece.

I left the black cat and white ghost as is, but I decorated the Witch's shoe and the Candy Corn with assorted colors of Robin's Nest Dew Drops.

I tied twine to each piece and then hung them on a tree.  

I did use scraps to create these ornaments, but just think how fun they'd be in a variety of sizes, perhaps standing outside your door or fence.

Thanks for stopping by.

Steph