Mid Term Pic

Project Creation Process:

I normally get my project ideas either from a need for something I don’t have like a book shelf an end table or something like that. Or I personally like to go to trade shows and farmers markets and see what other people are doing. If I see something l like I will make mental notes or even better if the owner will let me, I take a picture that way when I go home I have some kind of reference. As a rule I rarely build things exactly as other have because one I want to add my own personal touch and two I just would not feel right creating an exact copy of something someone else has already created.

After I have chosen a project I need to choose a size for some projects I have some wiggle room, for instance how big around do you want your fire pit to be? Where some projects are limited to a certain set of detentions for example an end table for a couch, I would not want it too low or too high and it needs to fit between two pieces of furniture.

Next I will choose a theme; when choosing a theme consider:

· What else is going to be around the finished project?

· What material am I going to use wood steel etc…?

· Am I going to leave the material bare or am I going to paint or stain?

· Am I going to add designs? If so what type

o Nature

§ Flowers

§ Animal silhouettes

§ Trees, leaves

o Shapes?

§ Stars

§ Diamonds

§ Circles

o Embelishments

§ Loops

§ Swirls

§ Horse shoes

§ Etc.

Creating a plan, after getting an idea of what I am going to build and how it’s going to look I will make a rough sketch. Sometimes a rough sketch is all that is needed to go to the fabrication portion of my project other times I will us a program like Google SketchUp to create a 3D model of what I am making (click on the link to see my Blog on Google SketchUp).

Finally after my size, theme, and plans are all created I will get my materials and start the fabrication process. When I start fabricating I like to think about efficiency some projects are not very complex and the order I do things may not make much of a difference. However other more complex projects may have parts that rely on one and other, so it is helpful to create some kind of order in which things are done. So while one thing is drying or cooling or whatever the case may be I have something else I can work on so I am rarely just sitting around waiting on one crucial piece to be done.

I hope you will find this method useful next time you start a project. If you think I have left something out or would like me to elaborate let me know and I will do my best to fix it, thank you for reading.

Create your own end table

End table ideas, in this blog I will discuss some basic ideas for creating your own end table. First you need to decide on its location and its dimensions. Remember you don’t want it to be too tall nor too short. The one I created is about six inches shorter than the edge of the couch. The next thing to consider is materials I chose steel for mine so that’s primarily what I am going to discuss in the article. After choosing the material you need to decide your theme. In your theme you should include colors and also consider what you are going to make your table to out of.

Let’s talk a little about the table top. It is important that your table top be relatively smooth so that when people put things like drinks on to they do not tip over. If you want to do something with some more depth like a tile with a very un even surface you should consider using a piece of glass or thick acrylic to cover it.

In the table I created I decided to use tile as my table top and I uses plenty of grout to create a more level table top. Something you should also consider if you choose to use tile the size of the tile pieces themselves. I planned mine out so that I would not have to cut the tile at all and it would fit in the area I recessed for the table top. However if you don’t mind doing a little tile cutting this is not such a big deal rather just something to keep in mind.

After you have decided how and what you are going to make your table top out of its time to make the frame. In the one I created I used one inch square tubing and created a small shelf underneath to keep things like pillows and blankets. I used plywood to create the backing for the table top and then tiled and grouted over the top of it.

After creating the frame I pained it using a textured spray paint. If I had it to do over again I would have done this step after finishing the tile and grout. I found that the grout sealer I used also acts like paint stripper so the little over spray that I go on the paint had to be cleaned off and repainted; something to keep in mind if you want to seal your tile table top like I did.

As a side note if you are just getting started using Google SketchUp a 3D modeling program that I discuss in an earlier blog. This would be a good starting project to use as practice; even though a simple sketch would probably do just as well. If you have any questions please email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for reading.

Knot tying for decorations

Tying knots for fun. Here I will be talking about tying a Turk's Head Knot. The water bottle on the left is covered by a Turk's Head Knot it is made up of 10 bights and 27 leads. The number of bights along with the type cord you use will determine the diameter of the knot the number of leads will determine the height of the knot it self. In order to keep your knot looking proportional it important to use the right number of bights and leads. There are several things to consider when deciding how may bights and leads you will need. Firs you will need to choose what you will be putting your knot around, second you will need to consider the diameter of the cord you will be using, and third you will need to find out if the number of bites to leads is a possible combination. Not all combination's of bites and leads can be combined for example you cold not have a Turk's Head Knot that was 3 bits by 3 leads however you could make it 3 bites by 4 leads. To find out if the knot you want to create is possible I have linked a table which shows possible combination's of bites to leads. You can also use this link to see in more detail how to create your Turks Head Knot. After you have Chosen the number of bights and leads you will use you will need to create a pattern. For small knots it is possible to learn how to make them with out the use of a pattern but by using a pattern you will be less prone to errors. The above link also shows how to make your pattern you can print out their example and rap it around something round or you can Create Your Own Graph Paper
and then start making your knot. The pictures to the right and below show my pattern layout. I used a small poster/picture tube and used thumb tacks as anchors so that I can move them based on the size knot I choose.
After you have created your knot your can remove the knot from the pattern and place it around your object say a water bottle you have to remove the excess cord. this is done by simply pulling the cord tight following the direction you created your knot. I also find it helpful to have something like a small nail or something that you can work under the cord to work it loose once it starts getting tight. Below I have included several links to other pages that give ideas for more knots and how they can be used.

Http://www.folsoms.net/knots/tejay/index.htm

http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/knotlink.htm#knottying

http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/axonometric/

http://mrknotical.blogspot.com/

http://khww.net/news.php

Using Google SketchUp

Google SketchUp’s is a 3D modeling program that can be used to create something from a simple table to complex cities building by building. Google SketchUp’s basic program can be downloaded from http://sketchup.googl.com/ for free. SketchUp can be a valuable tool especially if you are trying to make something with complex angles or you are not sure if parts are going to fit together. There are other more powerful programs out there that do a better job than Sketch up like AutoDesk’s Inventor program but these programs can cost thousands of dollars and require a lot of practice to become proficient. However Sketchup will do most anything the average do it yourselfer will want to do in a 3D environment. Google also offers a very good set of free tutorial videos. Within a few hours of downloading and watching some tutorials I believe you will find it easy to use as well as very helpful in creating your project before you build it. As you will see below I have included pictures of a 3D nautical star that I crated using Google SketchUp. I have also included a simple plan that my brother created to raise his dorm room bed off the ground to give himself room for a couch underneath . By using SketchUp I was able to simply measure the angles at various points on the star rather than trying to figure them out on paper and doing a lot of math. SketchUp allowed me to create the shape with basic measurements then pull my dimensions from my sketch.

Creating your own fire pit

Creating your own custom fire pit. There are many commercially available fire pits on the market today but if you’re like me why would you buy something that you could do yourself. Not to mention many of the fire pits that are commercially available are of low quality and overpriced. For this project you will need a welder, an oxy-acetylene torch, and some kind of steel saw.

For the main part of your fire pit you will need something to burn your wood in. Something easy and relatively easy to find are fifty five gallon drums, and when you cut them in half you can make a second one later for a friend. As a side note you need to consider what was once held in that drum because there will always be some kind of residue which could be harmful to your health especially once you start cutting and welding and the residue gets vaporized. A safer alternative if you live near a cattle ranch is go and ask them if they have any empty Crystalyx® barrels. These are used to hold different kinds of minerals and are the size of a half of a fifty five gallon drum with a nice rolled lip. Other things that can be used are old propane tanks however I must remind you it is important that you make sure the take is fully empty before you start any kind of work so that you do not create some kind of explosion. The best way to do this is to open the valve to ensure that it is empty and the remove the valve completely so that there is no pressure in the tank.

After you have the main part of your pit you need to decide how you are going to keep it off the ground this will help vent heat and bring it up to a usable level. There are many ways of doing this you can even suspend it with a tripod.

The next step is to create cutouts around the side of your fire pit to allow your fire to be seen and to allow it to get oxygen. You can use any kind of cut out you want just make sure it is large enough to let air to pass through it. I have used star, steer head, elk head, and dear head cutouts on some of mine and they work quite well. All you have to do is choose a theme. After you choose your theme I recommend getting on Google and doing an image search for silhouettes for whatever you are looking for. After you find the image print it out to the size you want and make a template. I like to make mine out of cardboard or some kind of thick paper like from a manila folder.

Once your template(s) are created you need to space them evenly around your fire pit. You can either eyeball this part or I prefer to measure and place them at even increments. Use your template to draw out the outline and then using your torch cut them out. While you have got your torch hand you should also cut a drain hole in the bottom to allow water to drain I recommend a hole about an inch in diameter.

Now your almost finished you have your stand and cutouts although this next part is not required I highly recommend it. You need to get some expanded metal screening to place on the inside of your fire pit to keep large sparks and coals from falling out the cutouts. To do this measure the diameter of your fire pit and then measure about an inch above the top of your tallest cut out. Then bend your screen into a circle and place it into your fire pit and tack weld it in several places so it does not come out.

The last step is totally optional. You can choose to paint the outside of your fire pit with a heat resistant paint. There are several heat resistant spray paints on the market but your color choices are limited. I personally like the rusted aged look and do not put any kind of finish on mine.

Now your finished find a safe place to put your fire pit and enjoy your time sitting around the fire with family and friend! Don’t forget to keep a fire extinguisher and a shovel handy to put any sparks out before the turn into a fire. As always if you have any questions feel free to email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Happy trails, and thank you for reading