#HTE

How to Make $2 Clamps, Build a Wooden Vase and Avoid Nail Gun Blowouts 

Reclaimed Wood Table

A cool, short build from Jimmy DiResta’s archives this week, as he takes some wood he found on the streets of NYC and turns it into a rustic table. Very satisfying watching this one come together:

How to Make $2 Clamps

4x4 lumber is great when you need a chunky piece of wood, but they’re often chemically treated. Izzy Swan makes his own by laminating untreated pine 2x4s, which requires lots of clamps. Rather than blowing money on clamps, Swan shows you how you can make two-dollar versions perfectly suited for this task. (Efficiency tips: Check out the hole he’s placed in the corner of his benchtop, and get a load of that crazy drill-powered wrench!)

Building a 3D Printer Rolling Cart

There’s also a great shop-furniture build from Izzy Swan this week, as he designs and constructs a rolling cart to hold his 3D printer. As usual you’ll find tons of little efficiency tips, my favorite is the double-stick tape drawer slide installation assist:

DIY Belt Sander, Part Two

This is an entertaining one because Matthias Wandel, continuing to build his DIY belt sander, uses the partially-assembled machine–and parts of it, like using a motor as a lathe–to help him complete the work itself:

How To Stop Nail Gun Blow Outs

Tool-using tips from experienced carpenters are the best. Here Jesse de Geest reveals a surprising trick to avoid shooting rogue nails that ruin trimwork, and explains why the trick works. It’s one of those things where after you hear it, you’re like “Duh, why didn’t I think of that?” He also shows you the best way to remove said rogue nail.

How to Build a Wooden Windmill Base and Remove Rust from Metal

April Wilkerson was recently at her folks’ place, and helped her mom out by building this windmill tower:

Here’s the vinegar-based rust removal method that she used:

“Get A Lathe And Have Fun!”

Jay Bates has a new toy in the shop, a Jet Variable Speed Mini Lathe, and he’s been cranking out project after project with it. Having caught the turning bug, Bates walks you through a simple turning to show you why he digs it:

Ridiculous Snack Machine

Relentless problem-solver Bob Clagett sets a silly but fun task for himself this week: How could he have avoided, technologically speaking, his son accidentally spilling an entire box of Cheerios onto the kitchen floor? Here he builds a working prototype–which he admits is more of a study than an actual thing he’ll use–of a simple machine that will solve the issue:

Wooden Vase

It doesn’t get any more basic than this. La Fabrique DIY whips up a simple wooden vase, with an assist from a discarded drink bottle:

Tiny Festival House

On site at the Hurricane Festival, a music festival in a region reknowned for its lousy weather, Laura Kampf manages to get a makeshift shelter up before the thunderstorms arrive. Sadly, Kampf writes, “The weather was so extremly bad that they evacuated the complete infield on saturday and all the concerts were cancelled.” The upshot: The campground was soaked and tents under water but we were safe and dry in our tiny house! Next year i will build a boat :)“

Building the TotalBoat, Part 2

Louis Sauzedde continues his TotalBoat build. Here in Part 2, he rips the stem from a piece of 5x5 white oak. Part of the fun of watching this build, for us non-boat-initiated, is trying to figure out how the pieces Sauzedde makes are all going to fit together: