crafts Archives - Page 2 of 2

You Can Do That! Woodworking Projects in Google Sketchup

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

If you’re interested in exploring some woodworking projects, there’s a cool way to get an interactive look at the mechanics of various items from tool boxes to furniture using Google Sketchup. Popular Woodworking Magazine offers Sketchup versions of all of the woodworking projects in its ‘I Can Do That!’ series and many more items, with over 200 free plans available to download.

For the uninitiated, Google Sketchup is a free program that enables you to create three-dimensional digital models of virtually anything. It’s incredibly intuitive and easy to use, with introductory lessons offering animated guidance and tips for each tool.

Check out the Sketchup plans for everything from a small Shaker carry box to a garden swing. Getting a look at them in Sketchup enables an enhanced understanding of how the parts fit together, so beginning to intermediate woodworkers have more confidence in their ability to tackle each project.

Eastern White Pine is an ideal wood type for many of these projects – learn more about its desirable characteristics for woodworking, and check out a few more small craft projects.

Hyper-Realistic Sculptures Carved from Eastern White Pine

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

At first, you might look at Randall Rosenthal’s artwork and think – what’s so special about this? It’s just a stack of newspapers, or a box with some cash on it. But reach out to touch it and you’d be in for quite a surprise – because it’s all made of wood. Eastern White Pine, to be specific, a smooth and highly malleable wood that’s perfect for achieving incredible detail like this.

Each sculpture is carved from a single solid block of pine and painted with acrylics. Even the paper, rubber bands and skillfully crafted corrugated edges on cardboard boxes are carved from the wood.

What makes these creations even more amazing is that Rosenthal isn’t looking at some kind of source material while he’s creating each one. He sculpts them as he goes, achieving incredible realism with nothing but his imagination.

See more of Rosenthal’s work at Bernarducci Meisel Gallery.

3 Woodworking Craft Projects You Can Make With Eastern White Pine

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

Eastern White Pine is considered one of the best woods for crafts, since it’s so easy to carve and sand, leading to a smooth final product that will age beautifully over time. It’s recommended for a wide range of products, including birdhouses, toys, magazine racks, signs and other handmade items – there’s virtually no end to what can be created with it. You can find Eastern White Pine at most hardware stores, or purchase craft packs online from shops like The Wood Box. A site called All Crafts offers a large compendium of woodworking plans for small projects like these. Here are three examples.

Birdhouses

From Birds & Blooms comes a simple pine birdhouse project using minimal materials and tools. It’s an easy task for anyone who wants to try their hand at a basic building project, even if you’ve never built anything before. The hole size is variable so you can customize it to the types of birds in your yard, whether you’ve got an abundance of little chickadees or larger bluebirds.

Toy Cars and Trains

Tarjany Designs and Woodcraft.com sell plans for traditional, non-toxic wooden toys, ranging from single cars made from a single slab of wood to intricate train sets with moving parts. No matter what your skill level is, you can find a project to make as a gift for a special little one in your life.

Simple Spice Rack or Pantry Door Rack

A spice rack is another simple DIY wood craft project that can serve as an introduction to making more complex items. Make a small one with just three shelves using the free plans at Woodworking Down Under, or try your hand at a larger rack that fits inside the pantry door at Shanty 2 Chic.

Class Teaches 17th Century Woodworking Techniques in Eastern White Pine

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

Master woodworker Rob Cosman not only offers dozens of tutorials on YouTube, along with a series of DVDs, books and tools, he also teaches workshops in Ontario, Canada and online that share his techniques. Using traditional hand tools, Cosman builds chests, boxes, cabinets, desks, seats, mantles and many other items, often using Eastern White Pine (also known as Northern White Pine.)

“Pine is the one wood that can accept the dings of life and not look out of place as a result,” Cosman writes. “It is also the wood that ages better than all others.” Cosman’s pine gallery includes tables, a bookcase, a Shaker wall cabinet and several chests of drawers. A workshop teaching advanced woodworkers how to build a 17th century chest also utilizes white pine.

“True to the era, we shape this chest using everything from an adze, to a scrub plane to a custom made curved sole wooden plane. With dovetails cut on the round this will challenge everyone.” If you can’t get to Ontario, you can take online workshops for both hand tools and power tools, with two 30-minute lessons per week.

The craft of woodworking is experiencing a revival as many people in other fields return seek out the satisfying experience of building something with their own two hands. Community woodworking shops are taking off around the nation, and as woodworking jobs begin to boom, learning centers of all sorts are offering a wider variety of classes.

Trend Watch: Woodworking Jobs Boom, Learning Centers Pop Up

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

A beautiful new wood construction center at Seattle Central Community College has been built in response to an uptick in woodworking jobs, giving area residents a modern space in which to learn old-world craftsmanship. Many trades took a hit during the recession, but recent projections show that demand for wood products is experiencing a slow but steady increase. That includes new housing construction and remodeling.

“Residential construction will drive much of that growth, with pent-up demand for housing, moderately rising home prices, and growing consumer confidence having the most influence,” says Craig Adair, market research director of APA, the Engineered Wood Association.

Many of the woodworkers taking advantage of the new Seattle facility are new to the craft, coming to it from professions ranging from fishermen to physicians. At the workshop, students learn basic woodworking skills while working on community projects, like turning lumber from trees cut in a local park into picnic benches for that same park.

In addition to cabinetry and carpentry, the center teaches boat building. The center recently acquired a 28-foot cruiser built on Lake Union in the 1920s. The boat, which is no longer seaworthy, will be rebuilt again and again over the coming years as students learn to make repairs, restore rotted areas, and remodel the interior.

Woodworking learning centers aren’t limited to college campuses. Small, private schools like the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine also teach traditional skills, with hands-on, in-depth training. Community woodworking shops are another new trend, offering shared equipment for a fee.

Photos: Seattle Central Community College

Eastern White Pine Houses for Feathered and Furry Friends

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

Did you know that Eastern White Pine is one of the most common materials available to make craft wood projects, including hand-crafted bird and bat houses? Used for centuries to craft traditional wide-plank floors, siding, furniture and other products, sustainably grown Eastern White Pine is durable, yet light and soft, making it easy to work with. You can purchase craft wood to create your own DIY projects, or shop for pre-made Eastern White Pine crafts, including the wildlife houses and feeders available at websites like BirdeeBird.com.

Birdee Bird offers houses for birds, owls, bats, squirrels, ducks, bees and butterflies in addition to feeders and ‘window nests’ with transparent panels that can be suction-cupped to a window in your home for an unparalleled view at developing nestlings. There’s even a birdhouse spycam, a color birdhouse webcam inside a wooden nest box that will send footage of the nest live to your television.

Eastern White Pine is an ideal material for these products, because it provides superior insulation while remaining light in weight. Birdee Bird’s houses and feeders are handmade in Portland, Maine by a team of wildlife experts using sustainable, second-growth pine trees. The eco-friendly pine used to create these unique products is sourced from a local mill that continually replants where it harvests, preventing soil erosion and preserving wildlife habitats. These practices are part of what makes Eastern White Pine more sustainable than pines grown on plantations.