How to Make a Modern Flip Down Hanger from Dowel Rods Using Proxxon Tools

I've always wanted a space in our garage for hanging coats, so I decided to just make a unit with my Proxxon MICROMOT tools. Actually, this turned into a joint project with hubby. So, double win—creative partner time and a new place for coat storage.

Supplies You'll Need:

• Two 1" x 48" dowel rods
• One ¾" x 1½" x 17½" length of scrap wood
• One 3/8" x 24" steel rod
• Two 3/8" rod end caps
• Five #8 1½" wood screws
• Two ring hangers
• Hack saw

Proxxon Tools I Used:

• Proxxon Table Saw FET
• Proxxon Disc Sander TSG 250/E
• Bench Drill Press TBM 115
• Machine Vice MS 4

Follow along to make your own flip down hanger:

1. Cut a length of ¾" scrap wood to 17½" x 1½" for the support piece.
   
   
   
2. From one of the dowel rods cut three 4" lengths; four 4½" lengths, and three 5" lengths. From the second dowel rod cut one 5" length; four 5½" lengths, and two 6" lengths. Arrange the dowels as pictured.
   
   
   
3. Sand the ends of the dowels.
   
   
   
4. Arrange the dowels making certain that the bottoms squared. I laid them against a length of wood that I knew had squared edges. Draw a line across all the dowels 1½" from the bottom. This gives you the drilling marks for the holes for the steel rod.
   
   
   
5. Using a center finder (You can see how I made this one here.), mark the center on the end of one of the dowel rods.
   
   
   
6.  Set up the bench drill press for drilling the dowels. First, clamp a dowel in the machine vice making sure the the marking from Step 4 is visible on the top of the dowel, and the this mark extends to the right of the vice with clearance for the drill bit. Set the vice in place on the adjustable fence and position the stop on the X axis (right to left) to allow the drill bit to lower on the right side of the dowel. Adjust the height of the drill press so the bit will drill all the way through the dowel. Lower the bit part way. Now, moving the vice and fence on the Y axis (top to bottom along the ruled gauge) align the drill bit with one of the center finder lines. When they are in alignment, tighten the thumb screw on the adjustable fence. Now you're set to drill all the dowels, knowing that you'll be drilling exactly through the center of each dowel.
   
   
    
7. Move the machine vice on the X axis to align the drill bit on the mark Step 4. Drill through the dowel rod. One down, sixteen to go. Remove the machine vice from the drill press and remove the drilled dowel. Load the next dowel into the vice, and repeat Step 7.
   
   
   
8. Attach an end cap onto one end of the steel rod. (NOTE: I used a smooth rod and end caps. You could opt to use a threaded steel rod and acorn nuts.)
   
   
   
9. Thread the dowels onto the rod. Measure the depth of the remaining end cap. Snug up the dowel rods. Mark the depth of the end cap on the excess rod. This marks where to cut away the excess rod using a hack saw. Cut excess from rod.
   
   
   
10. On the support piece measure and mark the placement of the ring hangers ½" from each end. Mark the screw holes on the hangers, and mark the top of the support piece. Also, mark one hole in the center of the support piece.
    
    
    
11. Drill the holes for the hangers and the center hole on the support.
12. Lay the support piece on top of the dowels and align the top of the support with the top of the shortest dowel. Use a square at each end of the flip down hanger to ensure the support and dowels are aligned horizontally. Using a hammer and punch or nail, tap a mark on the dowels through the holes on the support piece.
    
    
    
13. Next, drill the holes in the dowels for the screws to attach the support piece. You only want to drill about half way through the dowel, so set the stop gauge.
    
    
    
14. Drill the holes that you  marked in Step 12.
    
    
    
15. Use the 1½" wood screws to attach the ring hangers and support to each end and secure the  support in the center. Save any screws that came with the ring hangers for another use.
16. Now all that is left is mounting your flip down hanger on a wall. 
    

Carole

Let's make something using the Proxxon long neck angle grinder.

 Welcome to the New Year.  Christmas is over and we have some time on our hands.  I thought today we could try to make something using the Proxxon  long neck angle grinder.   I have used this tool in parts of many projects, but never really dedicated a project to it.   Let's see what we can do.

Equipment and supplies

6-12" piece of 2x 4 lumber cut off

Proxxon long neck angle grinder

pencil, paint, 

wood sealer

Proxxon mini bandsaw

Proxxon mini torch if ya got one.

optional backing board.

Dust mask and eye protection  (NOT OPTIONAL)  This makes a lot of very fine dust,   Not good for lungs!!

I am going to tell you how I made it and give you a few hints, but you will see, the creative touch is in your hands as you fashion your new keyholder or whatever you choose to make.

1st I drew a rough sketch of what I was aiming for.  I chose to do a small owl,

I put the Proxxon smooth cutting disk with tungsten carbide burrs onto my Proxxon long neck angle grinder to do the work of grinding on this 2x 4. but first I got rid of a lot of my excess wood using the Proxxon mini bandsaw.  

Next, using the Proxxon long neck angle grinder shape this piece of wood into the owl it wants to become.   I started with the face.   The eyes are lower than the beak and nose so I ground those away leaving the nose high

I used the proxxon mini bandsaw again to cut out some wood under his chin.  and began rounding his belly  

Beware- the long neck angle grinder is a carnivore and would love to have a little meat!!   Keep your holding hand out of the direction of the wheel spin,,,just in case.  Occasionally it grabs hold of the wood and will travel in that direction!!)

Keep refining the owl shape, nice round tummy, slightly curved tail, etc.   I used the edge of the grinder to define some little wings.

Lastly, rough up his feathers.  Best done again using the edge of the grinder wheel.  A nice photo of an owl would be very helpful showing feather directions and such.

  I added some paint, then ground some more.  Until I was satisfied.

I decided to put him on a board and glue a small branch where his feet would be and add some cup hooks to hold keys.   Create it your way.   This doesn't take long and is a world of fun.  Just be careful.

                                                      Thanks visitors for spending a little time with me.   This was a quick, easy project, and trust me. you will amaze yourself as you give birth to something out of that piece of old junk cut off 2 x 4.  I found this project to be really, really, satisfying.  

Thanks Proxxon.... I will be using your wonderful tool a lot more often!

see ya'all next time.............Carol W.  

How to Make the Perfect Perpetual Calendar Using Wood Scraps

 A new year—a new calendar. But, this perpetual calendar will never be out of date. Create it using Proxxon MICROMOT tools and scraps of wood.

Supplies and Tools That You'll Need:

• Seventeen 1½ x 3½" x 1/16" blanks
• One 4" x 6¾" x ¼" blank
• One 6¾" x 3" x ¾" blank
• Four 1/8" or 3/16" x 1" dowel rod pegs
• Liquid wood glue
• Acrylic paint or finishing product of  you choice
• Proxxon Table Saw FET
• Proxxon Bandsaw MBS/E
• Proxxon Disc Sander TSG 250/E
• Bench Drill Press TBM 115

Here's how to make the perpetual calendar:

1. Cut boards to size using the table saw. Refer to Perpetual Calendar Templates for sizing.
   
   
   
2. Sand the pieces using the disc sander.
   
   
   
3. Cut the slot in the base piece using the table saw. Adjust the blade height to ~¼". Adjust the angle of the table saw blade to 15°.
   
   
    
4. Remove the blade guard. Yes, I know that is it there for protection, but you won't get a full length cut with it in place. Now is the time to be sure you have no distractions. You need to be even more careful than normal. Snug the right side of the board to the longitudinal stop, and position the stop so that the first cut is centered on the base board. Make the first cut. Using the scale for the longitudinal stop, move the stop 1/8" to the left. Make the second cut. Continue alternately moving the stop and making a cut until the slot is just a pinch wider than ¼". The "pinch" allows the upright support piece to slide easily into the base. This is a side view of the resulting slot.

   

   
   
5. Using the same adjustments on the table saw, cut the corresponding angle at the bottom of  upright support.
6. Use the bandsaw to cut the dowel rod into 1" pegs.
7. Following the placement on the Perpetual Calendar Templates, drill the holes on the upright support for the hanging pegs using the bench drill press. Set the adjustable fence to assure the holes are aligned evenly along the top of the support.

   

   
   
8. Drill the holes on the hang tags. The strip of painter's tape help to align the horizontal center, and the adjustable fence aligns the vertical point.

   

   
   
9. Glue the pegs into the upright support. Set the upright into the base to accurately align the angles to be sure the pegs extend on the front side of the upright. Optionally, glue the upright into the base slot. I chose not to glue it, so the calendar can be disassembled for storage, if desired.
10. Paint or finish the pieces. I used FolkArt Milk paints for the hanging tags, upright support, and base, and vinyl for the lettering.

    

Carole

How to make a continuous calander

Merry Christmas to all of you.   Hope your all warm safe and with family and friends.

 The days have flown by, and it is soon to be another new year.  What do we need to do?   Oh yeah, we do need a new Calander, don't we?   Every year.   I have a solution, we can make a Calander to last forever and it's easy, and kind of cute.   Best of all, everyone has little piece of wood to make it with.  

Not sure if you can see the tiny little Calander in front of the books there, I should have made it bigger.  But it is a little whale.  I made it for a kid's room.   The concept of blocks for days and months can be used to make it into almost anything or any size.  Maybe even an adult something.  

Let's see how easy this is.    I used the following:   A piece of 1" thick cedar that was cut off of a fence rail in the making.  It is about 7" long and maybe 2 1/2"wide.  If your wood is a different thickness you need to multiply your measurements by that number.  (for instance, If your wood is 2" thick make the whale twice as big and the blocks cut out will be 2 x 2 instead of 1x1   The  cut out of his back would be 2 2/3 x 4. etc)  I used 1" wood because 1st of all it was there, secondly it makes the calculations easy.   Here is the pattern below that works for 1" wood.     

The whale is cut out as a whole from the 1" cedar.  I used the Proxxon mini bandsaw to do this. And to cut the 2 vertical parallel cuts (Those should be 1 1/3" deep)

Then I switched to the Proxxon mini scroll saw to make the corners on the squares as it was a little too tight for the bandsaw.   

 The top 1/3" is cut from this piece we just cut out.  This will be the pieces used for the months.   Now after you get that piece it needs to be cut into thirds so there are 3 pieces which are 1/3"  x 1/3" and 2" long. 

 I used the Proxxon mini bandsw,  BUT, that is a little close for the fingers.  I recommend using the Proxxon mini scroll saw.    Now cut the remaining rectangle in half.  This gives you (2)  1" x 1" pieces.  These will be the days.

Now it is time to sand this pretty cedar wood.  

I used the Proxxon OZI/E delta sander for most of it.  

  

I also used the Proxxon cordless belt sander.

 

And the Proxxon cordless rotary tool to drill some eyes

I sanded the parts really well and then I wrote the numbers on them.    You need to know which numbers to put on the cubes.   On the first cube put the numbers 0-5.  On the second cube put the numbers 0,1,2,6,7,8,9.  Now you can make any number from 01-31

On the long skinny pieces write you months.

If I did it again, I would glue (2) 1" thick whales together and make it twice as big.  Also make sure you get a pen that won't run when you apply finish.  Or better yet wood burn those numbers and months in.  Then stain it or paint it.  

This thing is All done.   

I picked a warm day on purpose! 

It's been fun, sure glad you visited, and give this one a try.  It's a super easy one and let the kids help with the math. 

 

Take care everyone and have an awesome New Year!

See ya all next year...........Carol

How to Make a Christmas Tree Using Four Geometric Shapes of Scrap Wood

 There are two ways to make this darling lighted Christmas tree out of scrap wood. The first way is to use one scrap wood blank the size you want the tree to be. The second way is to use four different scrap wood blanks, each cut to a different geometric shape. The size of the tree can be easily adjusted by proportionally increasing or reducing the size of the template shapes.

Supplies and Equipment:

• Scrap wood or MDF
• String of battery operated lights
• Scrap Wood Tree Templates
• Proxxon Bandsaw MBS/E
• Proxxon Disc Sander TSG 250/E
• Bench Drill Press TBM 115

Instructions for Making the Scrap Wood Christmas Tree:

1. Print your pattern from the Scrap Wood Tree Templates. I used the single tree from one blank of scrap ½" Baltic birch plywood. 
   
   
   
2. 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 shape using the bandsaw. Alternatively, you could use the Proxxon Scroll Saw DS 460.
   
   
   
4. Drill holes for the mini lights using the bench drill press. The size of the drill bit you select will be determined by the size of the mini lights.
   
   
   
5. Sand edges and surfaces as necessary using the Delta sander with progressively finer grits of sandpaper. I have my sander mounted in the Precision Vice FMZ, so that both hands are free.
   
6. Paint or finish as desired. I used FolkArt Home Décor Wax.
   
   
   
7. Insert the lights from the back side of the tree.
   

Carole