#HTE

Shop Stools, Classic Joinery, First-Time Welding, a DIY Bluetooth Speaker and More

Old-School Joinery Shop Stool

Jesse de Geest, a/k/a the Samurai Carpenter is back in fighting form, finally bringing us a new furniture build! This week he knocks out a beautiful shop stool created with zero fasteners, just traditional joinery:

Steel & Wood Bench

This week Jimmy DiResta bangs out a sturdy bench that will survive the ravages of its location: The sidewalk directly outside of his Lower East Side workshop. At first I couldn’t figure out why he was attaching the eyelet, then realized this was going to be an outdoor NYC piece of furniture.

Matthias Gets Loaded

No building going on in this one, but Matthias Wandel’s got a new toy: A front-end loader! Here we see him use it to uproot an old swing set on his country property:

How to Make Clamps for 40 Cents

Izzy Swan is back with more money-saving shop tips. This week he shows you how to knock out a quick, cheap set of spring clamps, then demonstrates how you can rig them up with rubber bands to turn them into edge clamps.

Interesting Sharpening System

I thought I’d seen every sharpening jig, rig and system out there, from sandpaper-and-glass to the Tormek, but I’d never seen the system Izzy demonstrates this week. At its center (literally): Cardboard!

Microwave / Recycling Bin / Shredder / Mail Tray Cabinet - Parts 2 and 3

Frank Howarth continues building his multipurpose off-kitchen cabinet. Here in Part 2, he works up the frame and drawers to hold a recycling bin and paper shredder:

Seeing mid-project errors is always edifying, because you see how folks can improvise their way out of a mistake. Here Howarth makes a miscalculation with how the microwave will fit in, then comes up with a workable solution. I also like his explanation of the visual language of the handholds at the end:

First Time Welding - Plywood Rack for Truck Bed

For those who’ve never done it before, welding can be intimidating to dive into, particularly for DIY'ers outside of a classroom environment. Here April Wilkerson takes the plunge, walking you through everything from the unboxing to her first, highly practical project:

Folding Shop Stool

A fun, quick one: Bob Clagett comes up with a design for a folding shop stool, then whips it up using piano hinges and plywood.

DIY Bluetooth Speaker

Linn from Darbin Orvar creates a DIY bluetooth speaker, building the cabinet out of walnut and cherry and wiring up the components herself:

Laura’s Turbo Raft

This one starts off in the shop but ends up in a lake. Laura Kampf builds a raft, then attempts to convert a weed-whacker into a DIY propulsion system:

Bent Wood and Concrete Lamp

Pokémon-Go-playing Steve Ramsey shows you how to prepare and bend oak strips using pipe clamps. He then whips up a concrete base and constructs this Brutalist-style lamp: