The Do-it-Yourself Thread: A Home for Handymen and Artisans - General

[QUOTE=Ruzza;39179360]Please tell me you took detailed pictures on how you made that, I'm interested to see how you designed that, it looks really nice and unique from what I've seen, good job ;)[/QUOTE] those particular pieces look to be concepts built in 3D still wondering about build time and what he's done with getting exposure on his actual work

Ajacks since your project line heavily reminds me of boats, I'd love to see you design something involving sailcloth and that wood. [editline]11th January 2013[/editline] Content: My parents are rebuilding an old farm complex in the middle of our town and I am making some money doing some on and off work here and there, there pretty much is no piece, house or patch of yard I where I haven't done something involving building, gardening, brick laying, reconstructing, carpentry, electricians work, you think of a work, I'm sure I've done it. So now that everything finally finishes we are getting renters into the 11 flats we built and I am currently doing the content for the website, part of it is finding old photos and doing some before/after shots. The old pictures suck big dick but I have to work with 'em so here are two of the old main entrance: [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3046933/Bilder/tor3.gif[/img] [img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3046933/Bilder/tor.gif[/img]

[QUOTE=daijitsu;39180271]those particular pieces look to be concepts built in 3D still wondering about build time and what he's done with getting exposure on his actual work[/QUOTE] Build time on the chairs will be pretty minimal, there is actually more work in finishing than in fabrication. Since it uses bent wood, you just need to cut out uniform strips which isn't difficult, and the seat pan is just a flat sheet of heavier gauge metal that has the profile shape cut first, then shaped against a template. I won't know about the build times until I make one, I'm starting the first fabrication of one of those chairs this coming week. As far as exposure, it is at zero. I'm a senior in my 3D Sculpture major at my university and never cared about showing my work, at least not in minor and insignificant juried student shows. [QUOTE=Killuah;39180677]Ajacks since your project line heavily reminds me of boats, I'd love to see you design something involving sailcloth and that wood. [/QUOTE] That's an interesting idea with the sailcloth, from the begining I've been feeling that the series was nautical, I call the coffee table the "hull table" I never thought about playing with sail material. I've always been fond of sailing, my uncle has many sailboats over the years and he's taken me on some terrifying excursions in foul weather. Also that restoration of that farmhouse is beautiful! 11 renters, that must be a pretty expensive project overall.

from designer lady again [quote]Not sure what he means by “never cared about showing my work…not in minor and insignificant juried student shows”. You would be surprised at the attention and word-of-mouth those “insignificant student shows” generate, especially in this age of YouTube and Twitter. Also, do you not think that some of the best critiques designers and “conceptualizers” will get are from our own contemporaries? After all, we do our design for people - to benefit others… Other people’s critiques help us be better at our craft. A food for thought ☺ [/quote] personally, I agree to a point. I always advise against 'explaining' your stuff by telling a viewer what your piece means conceptually or technically, and hate artist statements. The uninformed viewer can tell you far more about your work than you can tell them. however I think a professional critique from a professional who's seen everything modern interior design has to offer would still be nice [editline]e[/editline] lead designer [quote]THE concrete table design is nice but you need to understand the functionality and use plus the cost. The table could be use as an accent but need s to have a glass top for easier cleaning. [b][I'll explain it does][/b] The boat hull needs a secondary tier so its functional and not just a display piece, of would also help in the structural stability of the building with compromising the look. [b][not exactly sure what it means. maybe he missed my comment how it's a work in progress][/b] The chair needs to be sturdy to be able to sit a 300 pound guy for commercial use. [b][sad truth, but that's only if you want to sell commercial. We do mostly restaurants and retail stuff here so he's thinking on our own standards][/b] After school I would start with a established furniture manufacturer for a year or so to establish contact and understand of the furniture business industry. Starving Artist is what they are called today since their work gains notoriety after one’s death and normally artist are more concern about their design rather than understanding the business of furniture work. I have a few Artist friend in Singapore who are registered as National Artist in that country but are not that wealthy because at some point exhibits will on bring curiosity but not the dough. [/quote] tl;dr to make money: buy glass delete aspirations kill self I think the point is pretty clear, as much fun as these awesome designs are, I hope you're keeping functionality in mind for future work so you can maintain decent work in an industry you like, whilst taking more unique projects on the side. The ability to do high end work will draw in attention from people who need 'normal' quality projects much more than if you just show off 'normal' quality stuff all the time, so you're off to a very good start on having a portfolio that gets you places. also your renders are top-notch, is that V-Ray? I forgot but can only assume. [editline]e[/editline] [quote]For the boat hull I mean the glass structure I was referring too will need to be in the middle of the furniture so you can store books and what not , in glass so it does not compromise the beautiful lines of the furniture piece.[/quote]

Thanks Dai for getting some input for me! Although had I known that someone other than student contemporaries were going to read what I said about student shows I wouldn't have said it ;) As far as my design work, I'm forced by my instructors to move towards less function and more sculpture which I do not like so I am trying to skirt the balance between the two. My main woodworking instructor does not support my designs, he would rather me be making an abstract representation of breasts in rosewood. Right now I'm trying to design to the edges of functionality so that I can think of unique ways to problem solve and then work back in towards stability and function. Basically this process right now is just me playing around with ideas, I'm enjoying the process of problem solving and each design that I implement I'm learning more about the issues of construction and function that I'll take on to the next one. As far as a career, I'm actually taking the MCAT next year to get into medical school, I'm on track now to finish with my BFA and then go on to med school. But I've always been extremely interested in industrial and furniture design and I've seriously contemplated getting an MFA in the field but I'm a little up in the air right now. I definitely plan on staying in school for a while longer. I've got a few career paths I could take at this point. Also that is Vray, I just through the model into my little poorly constructed 'studio' setting that I plop all my stuff in for quick renders. [quote] For the boat hull I mean the glass structure I was referring too will need to be in the middle of the furniture so you can store books and what not , in glass so it does not compromise the beautiful lines of the furniture piece.[/quote] That's really interesting, I'll have to take a look at the design again and see if I couldn't work something like that in for a future verison.

[QUOTE=Ajacks;39181133]Build time on the chairs will be pretty minimal, there is actually more work in finishing than in fabrication. Since it uses bent wood, you just need to cut out uniform strips which isn't difficult, and the seat pan is just a flat sheet of heavier gauge metal that has the profile shape cut first, then shaped against a template. I won't know about the build times until I make one, I'm starting the first fabrication of one of those chairs this coming week. As far as exposure, it is at zero. I'm a senior in my 3D Sculpture major at my university and never cared about showing my work, at least not in minor and insignificant juried student shows. That's an interesting idea with the sailcloth, from the begining I've been feeling that the series was nautical, I call the coffee table the "hull table" I never thought about playing with sail material. I've always been fond of sailing, my uncle has many sailboats over the years and he's taken me on some terrifying excursions in foul weather. Also that restoration of that farmhouse is beautiful! 11 renters, that must be a pretty expensive project overall.[/QUOTE] Many thanks for the compliment, more to come. I have to work at my netbook and the Photoshop RAW module doesn't work with 1024x600 :( Also yes, it is pretty expensive, the banks own my parents, me and my kids but as I said we are doing much work ourselves which cost more in the beginning when we were trial and erroring(and found out that the old wooden structure of one of the houses had to be replaced due to a wood eating insect that plagued Germany in the 1900's. Also there is the whole monument preservation laws and I have to be honest: you gotta take a shit on preservation if you want to have the costs in ANY doable dimension, we would've payed 10 to 20 fold the money if we did what the law told us to. Abou the sailcloth: It's such an organic design, anything plastic just seems unfitting to me. And sailcloth is really sturdy so I thought it would fit.

[QUOTE=Ajacks;39181658]Thanks Dai for getting some input for me! Although had I known that someone other than student contemporaries were going to read what I said about student shows I wouldn't have said it ;) As far as my design work, I'm forced by my instructors to move towards less function and more sculpture which I do not like so I am trying to skirt the balance between the two. My main woodworking instructor does not support my designs, he would rather me be making an abstract representation of breasts in rosewood. Right now I'm trying to design to the edges of functionality so that I can think of unique ways to problem solve and then work back in towards stability and function. Basically this process right now is just me playing around with ideas, I'm enjoying the process of problem solving and each design that I implement I'm learning more about the issues of construction and function that I'll take on to the next one. As far as a career, I'm actually taking the MCAT next year to get into medical school, I'm on track now to finish with my BFA and then go on to med school. But I've always been extremely interested in industrial and furniture design and I've seriously contemplated getting an MFA in the field but I'm a little up in the air right now. I definitely plan on staying in school for a while longer. I've got a few career paths I could take at this point. Also that is Vray, I just through the model into my little poorly constructed 'studio' setting that I plop all my stuff in for quick renders. That's really interesting, I'll have to take a look at the design again and see if I couldn't work something like that in for a future verison.[/QUOTE] You're a brilliant graphic designer, an amazing artist, and a fantastic furniture-making guy... And you're going into Medical? Is there anything you don't do?

I got fed up with my Mosin barrel bands being too loose and letting the handguard slip when shooting. So, I annealed them, [IMG_thumb]http://imageshack.us/a/img26/8527/imag0261vj.jpg[/IMG_thumb] bent them out, and tempered. [IMG_thumb]http://imageshack.us/a/img829/8991/imag0264l.jpg[/IMG_thumb] Heat until the oil flashes and quench in oil again. Repeat several times, dry them and put them back on the rifle.

Chopped some wood [t]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3046933/Bilder/IMG_20130114_134730.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=Killuah;39215068]Chopped some wood [t]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3046933/Bilder/IMG_20130114_134730.jpg[/t][/QUOTE] [QUOTE][IMG]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5342745/wood/wood1.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] Gränsfors Bruks small splitting axe is awesome!

[QUOTE=Ajacks;39177487]Fabricating the subwoofer housing would be difficult to fabricate since it'd have to be laminated plywood and formed and shaped into a cylinder but it's doable. [/QUOTE] composites? I'd think some good old glass would be much simpler make that shape with, or are you trying to keep it wood only?

[QUOTE=clutch2;39231077]composites? I'd think some good old glass would be much simpler make that shape with, or are you trying to keep it wood only?[/QUOTE] Fiberglass would be the way to go. If you're going to form it, use wiggle-wood and some west system to shape then veneer it. Or get a lathe, and machine the piece out of a large piece of stock.

[QUOTE=Serj22;39235124]Fiberglass would be the way to go. If you're going to form it, use wiggle-wood and some west system to shape then veneer it. Or get a lathe, and machine the piece out of a large piece of stock.[/QUOTE] You would have to get a large custom bowl making lathe to be able to work a piece that's 15" in diameter. If I did this I would most likely just use stepped plywood layers and a shaper bit on an angle grinder and just take it down smooth.

[QUOTE=Ajacks;39237843]You would have to get a large custom bowl making lathe to be able to work a piece that's 15" in diameter. If I did this I would most likely just use stepped plywood layers and a shaper bit on an angle grinder and just take it down smooth.[/QUOTE] That method could make a really heavy box, though.

Which for a subwoofer enclosure or any speaker enclosure high weight is best for sound quality.

[t]http://i.imgur.com/Eoc1RFk.jpg[/t] I just made this mirror frame lol

Alright, so you guys might think this to be an odd question, but it's important. What would be the best way to support the ceiling/roof of a subterranean structure? I was looking at around two or three feet between the ceiling of the structure and the surface itself.

that sounds moderately claustrophobic I'm no expert, [i]but[/i]... the bigger question would probably be regarding two factors: how loose the earth you're digging into is, and how deep it is underground. if it's loose, you'll need to cover up a lot of surface area to hold it up, if not completely cover visible dirt. if it's packed you can space it a bit, but obviously be wary. Either way it's going to be a lot of wood. Ideally it would form more of an arch shape to maximize support of the weight above it, even 'square' mineshafts have support beams creating arches amongst the long straight supports [t]http://www.quartzsitemineshaft.com/Empire_mine_shaft.jpg[/t] the deeper you are, the more weight you need to bear, so you'll need the major supporting structures closer to each other. I assume you're not anywhere near 'deep' though

[QUOTE=ewitwins;39308233]Alright, so you guys might think this to be an odd question, but it's important. What would be the best way to support the ceiling/roof of a subterranean structure? I was looking at around two or three feet between the ceiling of the structure and the surface itself.[/QUOTE] The way I've always done it, is to use a flat beam across the top, and angled cabin beams with roof ties below that. Basically you put a large bolt on the overhead beam. Then you run two angled boards or more in series up to it. Then you attach a giant wedge made of galvi or something heavy duty to the bolt. Put a nut underneath that. Then tighten the wedge up into the meeting point of both struts to lock it against the top support. Make sure the beams have room to bend ever so slightly to keep it tight against the "ceiling". If this doesn't make sense I can draw it for you. Trying to explain as best I can.

When I built my first underground goldmine I used mechanically anchored rock bolts, but on my later projects I used Grouted or friction anchored dowels instead. I found them to be better since the mechanically anchored rock bolts tend to slip and fracture, the grouted dowels don't. Seriously though, are you guys a bunch of backyard miners or something?

I played minecraft once also I've had an interest in structural engineering since I was little, I've studied a bit about load bearing, though practical application in things like civil engineering would call for something a bit safer than hand crafted wooden supports at any rate I'd advise against digging a tunnel unless you've got several people with you and [b]know about any drains or electrical lines buried in the area[/b]. Nothing's worse than hitting a pipe, except hitting a cable

Currently working on a headphone amp that will play nice with the wildly varying impedance of my IEMs. If anyone wants I can post schematics when I get it all finalized.[QUOTE=Ajacks;39177487]Decided to make myself a design for a hi-fi main speaker, two 8" midranges, horned tweeter and sealed 12" sub woofer, all the voice coils aligned. Fabricating the subwoofer housing would be difficult to fabricate since it'd have to be laminated plywood and formed and shaped into a cylinder but it's doable. I mainly did this design just to kill some time and help develop the bent cherry series. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/dsadaccs.png?t=1357884269[/IMG][/QUOTE]I demand far-field measurements! NOW!

[QUOTE=Ajacks;39310390]... Seriously though, are you guys a bunch of backyard miners or something?[/QUOTE] I've built sub-structures that get used as oil pits, so you can go below a car/boat without lifting it.

[QUOTE=daijitsu;39312244]I played minecraft once also I've had an interest in structural engineering since I was little, I've studied a bit about load bearing, though practical application in things like civil engineering would call for something a bit safer than hand crafted wooden supports at any rate I'd advise against digging a tunnel unless you've got several people with you and [b]know about any drains or electrical lines buried in the area[/b]. Nothing's worse than hitting a pipe, except hitting a cable[/QUOTE] That's not too much of a concern, I've already checked local files and there's no record of anything being buried back there. That being said, I'll be moving slowly and I'm not using very many power tools, so if I come across anything I'll halt work and reconsider my location.

Gonna move my washing machine and dryer into my conservatory and hide them with some kitchen units and a worktop. Need to drill a 40mm hole in the wall for the out-pipe from the washing machine. I'm gonna look for an actual drill bit to do it instead of taking my dads advice of hammer and chiselling half a brick out.

You're going to need a bloody beefy SDS drill for a ~40mm masonry bit (Core drill), especially if it's an old house. Watch your wrists though! It's hilarious seeing someone drill a 5"+ hole through solid brick with a handheld drill... It looks wrong.

Any content is content so I'll post. Today, I fixed two things, my grab handle in my F150 and my vintage Panasonic Auto-stop sharpener, this thing has been out of commission for like two years now and I've finally decided to sit down, disassemble it and figure out why it stopped sharpening. Turns out that these things are incredibly robust, the sharpening blade is actually a very heavy cast spindle, not a cheap little razor blade like most modern sharpeners. Well I found out that there was small rod inside the gearing mechanism that was out of place. Works flawlessly again. (Please note the pencil in the picture had not been sharpened -_- ) [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/sharpner.jpg?t=1359246849[/IMG] Wow from what I can tell these Panasonic's are regarded as some of the best automatic pencil sharpners ever produced. They are industrial strength and go for about $40 on ebay, some cheaper, but mostly around $40. Interesting. Definitely was worth investigating why it stopped functioning.

[QUOTE=Ajacks;39372016]Any content is content so I'll post. Today, I fixed two things, my grab handle in my F150 and my vintage Panasonic Auto-stop sharpener, this thing has been out of commission for like two years now and I've finally decided to sit down, disassemble it and figure out why it stopped sharpening. Turns out that these things are incredibly robust, the sharpening blade is actually a very heavy cast spindle, not a cheap little razor blade like most modern sharpeners. Well I found out that there was small rod inside the gearing mechanism that was out of place. Works flawlessly again. (Please note the pencil in the picture had not been sharpened -_- ) [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/sharpner.jpg?t=1359246849[/IMG] Wow from what I can tell these Panasonic's are regarded as some of the best automatic pencil sharpners ever produced. They are industrial strength and go for about $40 on ebay, some cheaper, but mostly around $40. Interesting. Definitely was worth investigating why it stopped functioning.[/QUOTE] I typically stay on the pen side of things, but I'll definitely pick one of those up if I see one at an antique shop around here.

[QUOTE=Tezzanator92;39365013]You're going to need a bloody beefy SDS drill for a ~40mm masonry bit (Core drill), especially if it's an old house. Watch your wrists though! It's hilarious seeing someone drill a 5"+ hole through solid brick with a handheld drill... It looks wrong.[/QUOTE] We had to get one to drill a hole in our foundation, every once in a while it would catch and start spinning the drill, I swear you can break an arm doing that

[QUOTE=jaredop;39373784]We had to get one to drill a hole in our foundation, every once in a while it would catch and start spinning the drill, I swear you can break an arm doing that[/QUOTE] You can. [editline]27th January 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=woolio1;39373087]I typically stay on the pen side of things, but I'll definitely pick one of those up if I see one at an antique shop around here.[/QUOTE] You would not be disappointed, normally they have a woodgrain finish, I just had repainted mine years ago to match my office colors.