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Commanders projects

This is where we don't want anything but evidence of your finest wood butchering in all its glorious, and photograph laden glory. Bring your finished products or WIP's, we love them all, so long as there's pictures, and plenty of 'em!

Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 01 Jun 2015, 15:36

Hi Martin,

Just wanted to let you know i visited Gelmar today and boy was I impressed! They have such a wide variety of useful items at great prices I felt like a kid at Xmas! Thanks for the awesome tip! :obscene-drinkingcheers:
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby martc » 01 Jun 2015, 20:00

I've been using them for about 7 years now and have always been impressed by their products
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Phil » 21 Jun 2015, 09:56

My 2 bits worth - also have used them, good selection and their prices are lower than Builders-Rip-Off-Warehouse

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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 22 Jun 2015, 06:24

So I eventually found time to do some work! I decided to reattach the front of the drawer as the plastic corner blocks didn't give the fit I was hoping for, and since I'm planing to spray the cabinet the impact of screws through the front face should be minimal (time will tell if it was a wise decision!). I lined up everything by putting the drawer and runners into the cabinet, making sure everything was straight and clamped it up before drilling the pilot holes:
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I had to clamp up the board to prevent it from splitting as the short crews for the old bracket already did some damage.
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I had to do some sanding to get the clearances just right so that the drawer could slide easily. I cut small rectangular holes in the back of the drawer cavity so the (slightly too long 250 mm drawer slides) could fit through, I will make end caps for this a bit later.
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Lastly I attached the handle, just to get a real feel for what the end product will look like.
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Now it was time to start on the top, it has a lid to allow access to the compartment that will contain the USB ports. I wanted to get the lid to fit as perfectly and flush as possible. I started making the lid so I could mark the hole needed perfectly. I beveled the edges of the lid at 45º and marked it on the top. I then cut the hole in the top to size. Next job was to also make a 45º bevel on the inside closing surface of the top. All and all it was a difficult job and not as neat as I had hoped,but lessons were learned and next time I will probably make some design changes so as to make things a bit simpler.
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The rounded edge left by the router had to be chiseled, filed and sanded away by hand.

I made a hinge at the back using 5 mm aluminium rod I had lying around, I did not have the appropriate sized dowel lying around and wasn't in the mood for spending time to go to the store. I think the aluminium works well, so I'm happy with using it. I will cut it down and fill the holes once I'm done adjusting the lid. After a lot of fitting, and adjusting I was happy with the fit and finish of the lid. Not 100% perfect, but not too shabby IMO.
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Here you can see the holes I cut in the back of the drawer void for the slides.

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A slightly less aggressive edging on the top.

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All thing considered I think it was a fairly productive day with a lot of small fiddly jobs, I have learned some lessons, which is always a good thing!
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 22 Jun 2015, 08:28

You seem to be making progress. I imagine that the screw holes will be filled and everything painted?
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 22 Jun 2015, 19:02

Andyp wrote:You seem to be making progress. I imagine that the screw holes will be filled and everything painted?


Thanks Andy, progress is a bit slower than I had hoped, but my time for working on this is unfortunatly very limited, luckily I'm enjoying it so ther is no real rush. Correct, I plan on filling the holes and spraing the cabinet (or even perhaps a vinyl wrap :?: :?: ). Since there is no grain in any case, I wanted to go for a more modern look, will see how it turns out!

There is still a lot of small jobs like cutting holes for the USB ports and doing the wiring etc, so I expect to be busy for some time to come.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 22 Jun 2015, 20:14

Are you using MDF from necessity? or style choice? I reckon you have the tools and know-how to make something like that in "real" wood.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 23 Jun 2015, 05:43

Thanks for the compliment! I mainly use MDF because it is cheap. :D
I would really like to use "real" wood in the future, but at this point I'm happy just being able to build the stuff that I need at the prices that I can afford. :)
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 27 Jul 2015, 06:59

I built the second cabinet this past weekend in between power failures (load shedding is big here in SA at the moment) and scheduling conflicts. I don't have any new photos as it is a repeat of the first cabinet, I will take some more photos once I get into details again.

I have started disassembling some pallets with the aim of seeing if I can make something useful from the lumber recovered. I was also at our local Chamberlain store (Centurion) on Saturday and they have a sale on some recovered pine lumber, so i picked up a couple of decent looking pieces for future use.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 04 Aug 2015, 06:16

I managed to get some time in over the weekend so I finished bolting the 2nd cabinet together and then started on the top drawer. Not many pic's of this as it is more of the same, but I was pretty happy with the slot I cut into the drawer front. I had to do 2 passes to get the slot wide enough, and since I use a small router table I can't setup the stops on the router fence, which means I had to rely on various marks to stop and start in the correct place, all and all I think it turned out ok.
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I then started on the top and the lid for the 2nd cabinet. Due to the difficulty with getting the corners right on the first top and lid I decided to make some minor adjustments by using rounded corners. I measured and cut out the corners on the top with a 54mm hole saw.
http://i.imgur.com/7XWt3ro.jpg

I marked out the corners on the lid with the same hole saw as I didn't have a compass handy. I trimmed of the excess with the sliding miter saw and proceeded to file the edges to the marked out line. I then routed out 3 sides with a 45 degree bevel bit and the remaining side with a rounded bit.
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I also used the sliding miter saw to do the remaining cuts on the top. I did unfortunately get a bit carried away and made one cut too deep, luckily it is only cosmetic damage, so I will use some filler to fix it later on.
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Some fine tuning being done to the top.
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I used the same 45 degree bevel router bit to rout out the inside edge of the lid. I routed it a bit deeper so the 2 pieces would fit flush with the lid closed. In the end I drilled some holes for the aluminium rod used for the hinge, I also had to trim away some material from the rear edge of the top so as to enable the lid to fully open.
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All and all I think it turned out pretty good! There was a couple of areas where I cut too deeply with the router due to the guide bearing not having enough surface to run on (the cut was at the maximum depth), some lessons were learned, which always makes it a worth wile experience!
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Right at the end of the day I also started to plane some of the pallet boards that I started collecting and breaking up over the past 2 weeks. I only spent about 10 minutes on it as I just wanted to see if the idea could even work, and I have to say I'm pretty happy with the results! I'm looking forward to working with some actual wood, even if it is just old pine pallet boards! :D
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Before

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After a couple of passes with the electric hand plane.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Mike G » 04 Aug 2015, 07:16

Oooh.....electric planes and reclaimed wood! That brings back a really, really bad memory...... Be ever so careful you've got all the nails out. Stones end up embedded in pallet wood too. I would certainly pull a scraper over all the surfaces first before planing.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 04 Aug 2015, 12:35

Thanks for the tip Mike, I do each plank myself, by hand and I do double check, but running a scraper over the board first for extra safety is a great idea.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 04 Aug 2015, 12:40

and/or a metal detector.
I do not think therefore I do not am.

cheers
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 14 Aug 2015, 06:54

I was able to put some time in over the weekend. I'm starting to reach the point where I need to do some of the finer work and finishing touches. First order of business was installing the USB ports that will be used for charging my phones and tablet. I have a friend that will be assisting with the electrical part of the setup (I don't want to end up blowing um my devices!). After a bit of head scratching I decided the best way to mount the ports would be to sandwich it between to small pieces of MDF. I recovered the ports from an old PC, so they are a bit dirty, but that won't be visible once the cabinet is finished. I used the Dremmel with an end milling bit do do the cutouts. It took quite a while and created a LOT of fine dust, but in the end I'm happy with the result.
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I then started on the feet for the cabinet. I used some pine boards for this. The pattern in my head was probably a bit more complicated than needed, but I was keen to try and make it. I started by doing the rough cuts that would start to form the final shape. The next step was using a wood spade to drill the holes that needed a rounded shape.
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I then used the jigsaw to connect the holes, and a rasp and file combination to smooth out all the cuts.
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After a light sand I could use the router to cut all the rounded bevels that would smooth the piece out. A good sanding was then required to remove the last tool marks and scratches. I did have a small accident with the sanding skipping over on of the edges and leaving a nasty mark, but I hope to be able to fix it with some more sanding and paint later on. This is the end result:
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Last job for the day was attaching the feet to the cabinet and doing some finishing on it. Thus is where we stand now:
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The hole you can see in this last photo is where the electrical socket will be installed.

At this point I still need to fill all the screw holes, fit the slides and handle for the drawer (I'm waiting with the slides as I don't want to get them dusty as this would adversely affect their operation), finish the electrical installation and then paint. The other cabinet still has a bit more outstanding work, but I'm trying to finish one thing at a time as space is becoming a bit of an issue.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 18 Nov 2015, 06:51

So its been ages since I have updated this tread but things have been pretty hectic over here. Unfortunately I have not been able to finish the night stands as I have had to change my focus a bit. I started converting my garage into a works hop and I also picked up a lot of free pallets as well as some old wooden garage doors, so I have been spending my time taking these apart.

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Here is my garage after the first batch of pallets was brought in. It was even fuller after the second batch and the 2 garage doors! :lol:

I unfortunately don't have a massive amount of photos, but this is what things looked like on Monday afternoon.

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I have also put op some long term storage between the rafters in the roof. I have attempted to sort out the boards roughly by type and length so I can see what I have available more easily and to keep them out of the way as I have a very small area to work in.

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I placed the boards on their edges to try and better utilise the space and to avoid overloading the "shelves", but I have not really seen any one else store boards on their edges, is there a particular reason for this?

My next goal is to finish taking apart the garage doors and storing the last of the boards, then constructing a more easily accessible short term wood storage for the lumber I'm currently using as well as a nice high bench to work on (the table I'm currently using is way to low to work on and its killing my back standing bent over while working). Exciting times! :D
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 18 Nov 2015, 09:48

I reckon for pallet wood storing them like that won't be a problem. Large boards are normally dried/stored face down with spacers every couple of feet or so to improve the circulation of air and can often be weighted down to ensure they stay flat.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 18 Nov 2015, 11:32

Thanks Andy, having spacers to assist with proper drying makes 100% sense, with the pallets though I would say the stuff is well weathered (understatement! :D ). Thanks for the tip, I'm glad I won't have to rethink my storage solution!
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Rod » 18 Nov 2015, 12:38

I've stored planed timber just like that without any problems but have just "unearthed" a sheet of ply bought several years ago, stored on edge, which is shaped like a banana!

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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 11 Dec 2015, 12:22

I had a birthday recently and was pleasantly surprised to receive a box form my gran, it was unexpectedly heavy for its size:

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I opened the lid of the vintage looking box to be even more surprised!

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It used to belong to my grand father, and it has been used, but seems to be in pristine condition! It still has the original instruction booklet in the box!

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I'm very excited to add this to my small but growing collection! :D
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 11 Dec 2015, 13:21

I also decided to try and turn one of the large pieces of ply wood recovered from a pallet into a scrap bin. First step was to start cutting the pieces required. I used my circular saw with a straight piece of wood as a fence. It worked fairly well, not perfect but close enough. I decided on a sloping design to use the least amount of materials but sill provide adequate support for the longer boards and as a bonus easier access to the shorter items.

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I had to re-trim the diagonal cuts to make sure everything lines up perfectly.

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I then started gluing everything together (my first time using glue) and it turned out to a bit more difficult than I expected!

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I had to get a bit creative with my clamps...

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I decided to add some lockable caster wheels so i can move it around the shop easily.

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I was also able to add more storage for the longer boards.

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And I was able to start hanging my hand tools.

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I still have a lot to do but it does at least feel like I'm making progress!
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Andyp » 20 Jan 2016, 11:01

All table saw posts from this thread are now in the Machines & Power Toolery board.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 22 Feb 2016, 11:45

I eventually got round to making some corner clamp squares much the same as Bob made in on of his treads. Not much to say regarding the construction, they are as simple to make as it looks! I used my FIL's sliding mitre saw to make sure all the angles were perfect after screwing the parts together. I have used them to help get the corners squared up when gluing my saw trolley frame recently and they work great!

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One thing I did notice was trying to glue 2 pieces (laminating) of MDF together was extremely difficult as the 2 halves just kept on sliding across one another due to the smooth surfaces.
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Re: Commanders projects

Postby 9fingers » 22 Feb 2016, 12:14

A tip to help with the sliding problem is to put a FEW grains of abrasive near where you will add the clamps.

Some suggest sand, others table salt on the basis that it will dissolve in the glue. I've also seen suggestion to rub two pieces of sand paper together to release a few particles.

I've tried the salt and it does work but only use it under clamping area as it can make the joint gap elsewhere.
Next time I'd only use it in two locations as far apart as possible for the first two clamps as from then on, the pieces should not slide anyway.

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Re: Commanders projects

Postby Commander » 22 Feb 2016, 13:59

Thanks for the tip Bob, I will give it a try next time. I usually pre-drill and partially fasten the screws so that they are just engaging the hole in the 2nd board, that also works fairly well.
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