I keep losing router bits and have been putting off making an organizer for DECADES. I got mad at myself after buying two of the same really expensive 1/4” round-over bit and decided to fix my lack of organization. In the process of that project, I was bit by the OCD bug and ended up cutting organizers for all my router bits, X-Carve bits, router and X-Carve tools, and material clamps and hold downs.

I used the free web version of Easel to do almost all of the designs – except the tool organizer, which I used AutoCAD for initially. You could probably do it with Fusion360 or the pay version of Easel as well, but I have been an AutoCAD used since I was 14 and 32 years of using the tool makes it my go-to for 2D drafting. Jeez, I am old…

My wife and I have a little problem – Starbucks mugs…. We have 119 and counting of the “You Are Here,” “Been There,” and “City Mugs.” We have run out of room and need some storage/display shelves. I am at a stopping point with our pantry cabinet build, because of the mandatory Covid-19 closures – I need granite, paint, and a mirror to finish the job, so I took this time to address the mug situation AND add to the scope of the pantry cabinet project by installing a 43”X60” 10-shelf unit on the opposite wall of the small room. We live in a 1928 Craftsman bungalow and have attempted to replicate what would have been in the house originally when we have remodeled or updated and I wanted this piece to be a part of that, so I decided to build it in the same style as the rest of the house and design it for uses other than Starbucks mugs, like maybe it would have held grandma’s fine china cups and saucers back in the day. In 20 years, I want a prospective buyer to marvel at all the “original” built-ins that have “lovingly survived.” As far as our use – it will hold 122 extra large Starbucks mugs, a couple of platters, and a smattering of espresso cups. Coupled with some storage in the pantry cabinet, that should satisfy our need for coffee mug room for a few years. I built the unit out of 3/4” #2 poplar and 1/4” plywood that I had on hand from other projects and used the dregs of three cans of my favorite Benjamin Moore trim and cabinet paint. All told, I have about 8 hours into this build and will spend another 45 minutes sanding, caulking, and painting the final coat of paint when the pantry cabinet is completes as well. I didn’t make a drawing of it, but I can if someone wants to build one as well, let me know. Starbucks Mug P0rn: https://starbucks-mugs.com

I picked up a blacksmith striker sledge for almost nothing from a cast off tool bin at a local architectural salvage place in Seattle. I saw treasure through the rust, slapped the cash down on the counter, and ran out of that place like Sméagol with the One Ring…. It sat with my other pretty and precious things in the shop for a couple of months – waiting.

Before long, I was in the planning stages of cleaning the rust off a number of old tools as I remembered the sledge head, it moved immediately to the top of the project list. I used Evapo-Rust to clean it off, thinking that I would give it a try before putting it in an electrolysis bath – my usual MO. No bath necessary – 24 hours later and all the rust was gone!

I used an angle grinder/wire brush to do the final clean and then touched up the face and peen with a flap disc. Worked like a charm. I can say that you will need to oil, wax, or paint anything that up pull from a tank immediately as it will start rusting again right away! I coated the head in wax from a new tin of Axe Wax that I just purchased after giving the remnants of my last can to a well-deserving home.

For the sledge handle, I up-cycled a never-used maul handle: cut it down, sanded off the poly coating, and shaved it down to fit the head. A scrap piece of walnut provided the wedge material. I use a dab of glue on my wedges before sinking them home, but to each his own.

For paddles, hammer handles, and exposed boat trim, I will use Corey’s Amazing Tung Oil, but for mauls, hatchets, axe handles, and the like, I am sold on Axe Wax. I swear I get less blisters and it lasts a whole season before reapplication is needed.

The sledge turned out to be a 14-pound Atha Tool Co. model that was last produced in 1913. It makes my heart happy to be returning a quality 107+ year old tool to work.

I started a small fire in the shop. I wasn’t bad, I found and put it out right away, but it brought up a lot of fear and trepidation for me as a shop fire is one of my worst nightmares! I thought this was a good time to show you what I did wrong, talk through what I should have done differently, and have a frank, general discussion about fire safety in your shop or garage.

Stay safe.

Matt

Somebunny had two new hammers waiting on him when he got home from vacation. It was a few days before I was well enough (food poisoning) to swing them, but I was giddy with anticipation from the minute that I opened the boxes and after an initial trial both are EXACTLY what I wanted.

One is a 3# ¼ or diagonal peen forging hammer was custom made for me by the amazing and local black smith, Jakob Faram (@faramforge). The fit and finish are fantastic. No mill scale and the faces are both deferentially hardened and beautifully polished. The handle – fit and finish – is perfect. The head and handle closely resemble the Hofi-style forging hammer.  If a tool can be beautiful, this is the embodiment of that. This hammer will be ½ of my primary hammer usage in the forge and my cross peen will be used less, but still in rotation. I am really proud to have this tool and thankful to Jake for making it for me.

The rounding hammer is a Big Blu (@bigbluhammer) 3.5 lb. and is replacing a 1500g Swedish style hammer that I had used to move a lot of metal on initial heats.  This is an upgrade for my forge as I perfer the rounding hammer to drawing out and spreading material in a fast/controlled manner.  It is my second Blu and also has a Hofi-style handle.  I will keep buying hammers from them as they provide fantastic a cost/quality value. The finish is not as nice as the Faram hammer, but it is listed at retail for ½ the cost…  I am going to put a torch to the Blu handle to black it like the rest of may forging hammers and then apply two coats of Corey’s Amazing Tung Oil to finish it off properly.

We live in a 1928 Craftsman bungalow and have attempted to replicate what would have been in the house originally when we have remodeled or updated. No crap-tastic MDF faux-Victorian crown molding, no modern melamine, no exotic wood finishes on the kitchen cabinets (ours are painted white), and no light fixtures that would be at home on the set of Lost in Space. If we would have wanted a mid-century, something out of the 1980’s, or a “modern” house, that is what we would have bought.

Our last major undertaking with projects at home was the building of the butler’s pantry off of our dining room. I have matched the original cabinets and hardware on all my projects so far and wanted this to be the star example of that attention to detail. My sincere hope is that when someone looks at all the cabinets in our home they say to the effect of, “Your original built-ins have held up really well! How did you very find a place this intact?”

I am building the pantry the old-school way (ignore the occasional use of pocket screws): solid wood face frames and quality plywood carcasses, under cabinet storage, a granite top, matching the arches in the kitchen, and matched door styles with the rest of our home. In this video, I will take you through breaking down the material, the cabinet carcass build, hanging the upper cabinets, a little drywall work, how I make adjustable shelves, and how I build door frames.

It has been 4 years since the Jeep wore its soft top. After struggling with it for 3 yours last night, getting out the heat gun, contorting my body into funny shapes in the back seat, and saying a battle-ship worth of cuss words – the deed is done. It is a bright and sunny Seattle late winter day and I drove her to work in all her Old Girl Glory!

I recently hit 1000 subscribers on YouTube!!  I am both elated and incredibly grateful!  I have been on YouTube for over 4 years and a couple of years ago after a rule change for content providers, I set my sights on getting to the 1K mark.  I hit that goal EXACTLY two years to the day (February 8^th) that I posted the video committing to that intent. 

It has been hard fought and I have learned so much along the way.  There were days and weeks where I either didn’t have anything to say or just couldn’t make myself edit video clips.   Before this pursuit, I had no idea about proper lighting, good audio, staging, backgrounds, the “perfect thumbnail,” or what it took to make a video that anyone would want to sit through.  I still have a ton to learn, but I am getting there.  I am going to keep slogging away and making videos of content that I would like to see, highlight new stuff & tools, build cool things, and try not to say the F-word and “Uhhh” as much.

Again, I have so much gratitude for those folks that subscribed, kept watching, and commented when I did things right.  Thank you!

In Part 1 of this video 2-fer, I talked about how I had been dreaming about a “real” CNC for the shop for years and recently say a post on the Inventables Forum on the parts to buy to convert the 500mm X-Carve to a full 100cm version. This video details the finish, drawer build and installation, up cycling some 1980’s brushed chrome drawer pulls.

I will have another series of videos on rebuilding the X-carve and the first cuts & projects with the new machine.

In case you are thinking of doing this yourself, my total cost for the wood was $180 with the hardwood edging, the drawer slides were $95, the hardware retails for about $35, and the pocket screws, deck screws, nails, glue, and finish was another $50 or so spread out over a few months. I splurged and sourced gas struts to prop the top open. The struts and hardware were $45. A stick would probably have been fine, but I like the look and balance of the struts better. Total build cost was around ~$400 in material.