The Planter

Hi, it's me again.
Well, amongst my big loooong list of DIY projects I've given myself to do, my lovely wife has added a couple. One of these included a planter so she could grow some nice fresh vegies. We have a small rear garden which isn't ideal for growing vegies in because it's surrounded by tall trees and we have a chicken who, well, rules the roost. Chooks are renowned for tearing up vegie patches. So on that basis, I decided to build a raised planter to keep it away from Penny the chicken and get a bit more height to maximise the sun. Additionally, the raised planter makes it easier on the back.

The Planter

Fortunately, I got some free treated timber palings and railings left over from a fencing project I helped with so it meant I pretty much built the whole thing for next to nothing. IMHO, anything built completely from rough sawn fencing grade timber can look a bit unsavoury, so I put a bit of effort into doing some decorative carving. The size is based around the standard size of fence palings and the spot on the deck that would fit it (1.8m x 0.9m).

Front Carving 

This planter was fairly easy to build and the total materials (if I'd bought them all) would have cost around $90 (NZ), including the polythene sheet liner and netting and all the screws i used to put it together. I added 3 light frames that allow the netting to drape over to keep 'you know who' from trashing our nice vegie patch (see the pic below). The structure is fairly simple to build and I used a particular method that I'm happy to expand on if anyone is interested. Construction time around 3 hours, extra for the carving.

Happy Sun Face

The polythene liner was bought from the local hardware store off a roll - simply cut to size. I've used the liner to help retain the water as being such a shallow bed, the soil will dry out quickly. It also prevents the toxins from the treated timber leaching into the soil and the vegies. The liner has holes in the bottom to let the excess water out.

The Finished Product

A note about the carving. This was a spur of the moment thing and I didn't really put a lot of thought into the design. I sketched a rough idea directly on to the timber and then did all the carving with an angle grinder. I've got a sanding disc attached and it simply cuts through the timber like butter.

Well, there it is. Fun to make and another thing to tick off the project. list.

Happy New year! :-)

Amos
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The Magic Mirror

I first started carving this May/June 2010 when I found I needed some respite from an unsavoury cocktail of a frustrating work life and challenging business issues. It was a project that I chipped away at, not really knowing when I’d finish it, and hoping that I actually would. Anyway, here it is, done and dusted and ready for a lovely Chrissy present for my wife. Of course it’s no surprise as I’ve had the thing in parts lying all over the floor for the last 6 months. On Tuesday this week, I finally ordered and collected and installed the glass. Phew! There were honestly times when I thought it might end up as one of those DIY projects that start with a whiz and a bang of enthusiasm and eventually get quietly put aside once the thrill has worn off. So I can be honest and say I’m feeling fairly proud of myself for seeing it through and learning a new thing; this being the first carving project I’ve ever done.

The Magic Mirror

The inspiration for the design clearly has a flower theme and I settled on this because I was itching so badly to get into the carving that I simply chose a topic I knew Nikki would like and that hopefully wouldn’t be too challenging. We have a very nice yellow Hibiscus tree outside our bedroom window and this forms the centrepiece at the top of the mirror frame. I was also interested in mixing different types of stains (3 are used here) to achieve a style of dark mahogany colour, and utilising the style of antiquing to give a soft and subtle shading with the stains.

Structurally, it’s all solid which is mainly due to a timber bracket I fixed at the rear base. The pivoting mechanism is a series of washers and a 6mm diameter bolt with a wing nut. So, here it is.

Pivotting Wing Nut Assembly

I’ve got a couple of other projects I’ll post about real soon. One is this character I call Mr Fish which I started carving one weekend at the bach a couple of months back. The second item is a garden planter.   We don’t have room for a veggie plot in our garden, and we've also got a chicken who will, in her good-natured way, obliterate any vegetable patch. so I’ve built this freestanding planter. 

Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas good people.

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I've Finished the Koru Quaver

Well, I finally did it. Actually, it wasn't a big ask really. I get most of my carving done by 'chipping away' at it. Or rather, if I have a spare hour I do a bit of work on it. Anyway, I'm happy with it. There are a few little things I'd improve for next time, like getting the Koru curves smoother. It's now on the wall just before you enter my project recording studio and well, I guess it looks pretty good. Here are some pics from different angles.

I've been working on a few other projects lately. Once again, I usually find a spare hour here and there and dive down into 'the cave' (the garage) and work on stuff. It's a great distraction. I listen to cheesey music and drink cups of tea and simply immerse myself in it all. Other things I've been working on are a 'stage' for the recording studio and a design for a guitar amp enclosure. Here's a bit of background:

The Stage
My studio recording area is carpeted and carpet deadens the sound of recorded instruments in the high frequency region. Constructing a stage creates a hard surface on the floor that reflects the high frequencies and give what's called a 'live' sound character. Is it worth the hassle? Well, hell yes! Recently I recorded drums for a single I'm working on and I slotted sheets of particle board under the drummer's snare and tom and it was by far the best drum recording I've ever done. It created a nice solid, crisp snap to the snare and tom and brightened the cymbals. So, the stage is simply a hard surface that a recording artist plays their instrument on. I've made my stage using 18mm thick particle board. I've used 3 sheets that make up an overall finished size of 1.8m x 1.2m. It also massively improves the tone of acoustic guitars, bongos etc. I went the extra mile and routered the edges of the sheets and stained them into a checker-board pattern. There was a particular process I used to get the best results but I won't bore anyone with this unless they want to know the detail. Here is a pic of these during construction. There are 3 of these each measuring 1200mm x 600mm. I'll be adding a lighter shade stain to the 'light' squares, then a couple more coats of semi-gloss polyurethane and then they'll live on the floor in the studio. The holes are to stop them sliding on the carpet and to make them easier to pick up and move around.

Oh well, that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by. And as usual, I'm happy for any requests for more info on how I do things.

Cheerio
Amos

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I'm Busy, Honest!

Hi again
Well, things have been quiet on the blog front. It'd be a reasonable assumption that I've been doing pretty much ZERO since my last blog, but not so! I've finished the Koru Quaver and that's looking rather salubrious. But lately, my time's been eaten up by the hungry animal that happens to be my recording studio. I've been panelling the walls and making acoustic panels to improve the acoustics. I spent the weekend on this wee project and am 90% done. So next post will have pics of the studio and the KQ.

That's about it for now. I've got another really exciting project coming up when I've finished these.

Adios and take care.

Amos

Gandalf's Dog Beater

Well good people, it’s almost finished. It’s one of those projects that I’ve just been chipping away at – excuse the pun. I’ve never made anything like this before and it’s been a purely spontaneous exercise. If you read my previous post, you’ll know that I’m still looking for a chunky crystal to fix into the top of the handle, to give it that extra bit of ‘zap’ when beating off the stray neighbourhood dogs. Shall I talk a bit about how I made it? OK. Story goes like this:

I’m pruning some Pittosporum trees a few months back and decide that it would be a shame to dump them. No, I’m not a hoarder! I just somehow felt that perhaps in some meagre way I could acknowledge the work that nature had put in. I had about a half dozen branches about 1.5m long and an inch diameter. I made a wigwam garden feature with some of them. They look kinda nice. Anywaaaay...the staff. I had an idea in my head about how a staff might look and after several weeks of drying out the stick, I massaged it with my angle grinder. Most of the basic shape was created with an angle grinder, using a special sanding disc. These discs are awesome as they cut through timber like a knife through butter. I’ve also got this Dremel power tool. It’s a bit like what the dentist uses in as far as you can hold it in one hand and it’s got all these different bits, drills, cutting wheels that you can attach. So I use this thing to cut the detail. Then I sanded it back by hand. It’s got a couple of different colours of stain and a few coats of polyurethane. Here are the pics:

KEY IMAGE

If I made another of these, I’d do it differently: I’d sketch out the detail and plan the design rather than the impulsive approach I took. But hey, after a particularly challenging [shite] day at ‘that happy place’ [my job] it’s a great way to unwind. Yep, who would have known the relaxing power of an power tools.

Well, thanks for stopping buy. My next post will be about progress with the ‘Koru Quaver’, which, if you read my previous post, you’d know it’s actually a semi-quaver. 

The Koru Quaver

I like to think of myself as one of those guys that can see a project through till the end. Some of them take a while and occasionally I’ll have to abandon something due to bad timing, bad weather or simply because it was a rather un-choice idea from the start. One way to get a little success in ‘seeing projects through’ is not to start a new project because I happen to be getting bored with the current one. In saying that, sometimes I feel inspired to just do something new because it’s an idea that’s been kicking around the back allies of my brain and I’ll go a little crazy if I don’t get it out. This is how the ‘Koru Quaver’ happened. Technically, the design is a ‘semi-quaver’ but that didn’t sound as good. Ok, stop the bus. I know what you’re thinking. “Why do all his designs have curly bits”? I’m not feeling particularly Tangata Whenua or anything like that. It’s just that every time I do a sketch the curly ‘Koru’s’ end up in the mix. Huh? Koru? Tangata Whenua?

Tangata Whenua = People of the land or Maori (New Zealand)

Koru = Spiral shape based on the uncurling of a fern frond. Among other things, it symbolises growth, peace and new life.

So yesterday it was a rainy Saturday and there’s only so many things one can do on a rainy Saturday. And since I had an unused piece of mdf and a few power tools nearby, I thought I’d have a crack at an idea I’d been thinking about for a while.

 I mentioned in my profile that I have a recording project studio. I have a steady stream of work involving things such as writing quirky tunes for European fashion companies, through to recording school bands, pop/rock bands and solo artists, and more. My studio is called sHOWpONY and it’s a generously sized, acoustically treated space above our garage. I wanted to make a sign or a symbol for the entry into the studio. So on a rainy Saturday in early spring (umm...yesterday) I did this:

1.     Sketched an idea onto a sheet of 12mm mdf

2.     Cut it out with a powered jig saw

3.     Ground it into shape with an angle grinder

4.     Sanded it down

5.     Finished it with a mix of polyurethane and stain

I suppose I could note that what you see here didn't take all that long to produce. Let's say it was 5 minutes to sketch the design directly on to the board, 15 min's to cut it out, 1 hour with the angle grinder and 'dremel' tool thing to work up the detail, and 1 hour sanding. Add 10 minutes to slap on a clear finish. 2.5 hours all up. Errr, so why am I telling you this? Because these things don't have to take forever to make. I'll probably spend another hour, tops, with the successive stains and clear finishes. Thing is, I'd had this idea in my head for a while and I'd already been thinking about the design and how I'd make it. I do this a lot. It's like I've already made it in my head, and sussed out the steps, so the next thing is to get into action and make it.

Heres’s the Koru Quaver at step 4.

The Koru Quaver

I’m going to finish this so it looks like a piece of carved timber. Right now it’s hanging in the garage, drying out from step 5.

Here’s a detail close-up:

Close Up 1

Close Up 2

            Anywaaaay....my actual current project is Gandalf's cousin's staff (see my earlier post). It’s almost done and I’ll post some pic’s real soon. I had a dream about it the other night. Gandalf’s cousin appeared and told me a wizard’s staff is not a wizard’s staff without a crystal or a gem in it. So I’m looking online for an amethyst or similar to put on the top. I’m thinking of insetting some rubies or other cut gems as I have to ensure I have maximum power when fighting dragons, orcs and other creatures from the underworld :-/

Amethyst

Citrine

Here’s a 19 carat cut amethyst (left) and a 35 carat cut citrine (right).  I’m thinking that an uncut stone might be better – something jaggedy – to suit the organic earthiness of the staff. Anyway, I should stop confusing you because these gems have nothing whatsoever to do with the Koru Quaver. I’ll post again soon with some pics of the completed Koru Quaver and an update on the staff.

Thanks for stopping by.

Amos

The Dream

Hi, well, I’m making progress! Work is still crazy but I’ve reached the point where I’ve almost finished THE MIRROR for her loveliness, The Queen. I have to admit that I got a wee tinsy bit lazy and when it came to doing the cross-bar: I used the flowery ornate one instead of coming up with a more appropriate design. But the very nice thing, Ladies and Gentleman, is that I’m almost at the point of assembly! I know, please, stop the applause. Here is the almost completed mirror ready for assembly:

Almost Ready for Assembly

You know, I forgot to show you guys the vertical leg. After much consternation and navel gazing, I decided to use a banister and carve the top. Since I’ve absolutely committed to the flower design concept for Her Highness, it was an easy decision to come up with the grand idea to carve a, ummm...flower on the top. The banisters are made from pine and being a soft wood, was a little more difficult to carve but here it is:

Flower Leg

As of this very moment, the cross-bar has had several coats of stain and has been ‘antiqued’. Once that’s dry, it’ll get a couple of coats of clear polyurethane and then it’s time for assembly and getting measured for a mirror.

But, here’s my next project: Gandalf’s staff! Or at least, Gandalf’s distant cousin’s staff who perhaps has little or no magical wizardry powers whatsoever.

The Staff

Sorry this pic is not that clear. So here’s the scoop. I was trimming some Pittosporum trees on my property a while back and ended up with a number of branches that I couldn’t throw away. I figured they’d be useful for something...like a wigwam or for beating off stray dogs in the neighbourhood. Anywaaay, I started carving one. Once again, I used ye ol’ angle grinder with a sanding wheel and cut out the rough design you see right here. I spent more time carving the handle and other bits. As of right now, it’s sitting in my garage collecting stray spells and drying from the coat of stain I put on it yesterday. I know you’re all angsting to see the details, as am I. So, in a couple of days, I’ll post some more detailed images of the carving work and I’ll explain what I did and how I did it. As it happens, a mischiefous elf appeared in a dream last night and strongly urged me to pull a sicky at work and finish the staff so that its full power could be released. But since there are no kingdoms to banish anyone to, I figured I’d just savour the experience of slowly and patiently finishing this thing of power.

I think my coffee is too strong. I’ll see you in a couple of days with an update.

Thanks for stopping by.

Amos