Woodworking - Random Stuff

Introduction

At the moment, this is just somewhere I post random pictures of things I make.

Tools

My hand plane, after completion. The iron is a cheap replacement from Home Depot, and the pin is brass.
Some of my favorite things to build are tools. There's nothing quite like using a tool that you built yourself.

I finally got around to finishing my hand plane. I carefully marked and then iteratively drilled the holes for the pin, cut the pin with a handheld bandsaw and then sanded it shiny. It was a simple matter to hammer it into the body, where it fit perfectly. I cut the wedge from the offcuts of the body section.

Recently, I needed a wooden mallet for chisel work, so I built one. The hardest part was definitely the handle. I cut the rough shape on a bandsaw, and then refined it down over a couple hours using sanding machines. The grip is very comfortable.

Another project of mine was a marking gauge. Marking gauges are used to scribe lines in wood, acting to both make layout marks and to cut the wood fibers of the top surface. They are commonly used for making joinery. It's a well used shop fixture.

A traditional wooden mallet. The head is purpleheart, and the handle is ash. The handle mortise is reinforced by a couple brass pins.
My hand plane, before adding the wedge pin. The body is made of purpleheart. The sides and sole are made of hard maple.
My marking gauge. The body is purpleheart, and the slide is maple. A plug made of good quality pine is used internally to protect the slide from the thumb screw.

Electric Piano

An early prototype of some piano keys, done in rock maple, purpleheart and lauan.

I am in the process of building a musical instrument similar to an electric piano. At the moment, I am focusing on the mechanical portions.

Motor Mount

A friend of mine needed a motor mount for a costume he was making, so I made one out of some hard maple I had around. I made the little flywheel out of some UHMWPE plastic.

A motor mount and flywheel I made for a friend.
Another view.