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backpacking poop shovel
I am planning a backpacking trip and did not have a poop shovel. This is one of the cheapest pieces of gear that backpackers carry, but of course, where would the fun be in that. It had been a while since I welded any aluminum, and this was the first times setting up for welding […]
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top bar beehive
Almost two years ago, a friend of mine wanted help building a top bar bee hive with these instructions http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/support-files/how_to_build_a_tbh.pdf, so I thought I would build one with her. Who knew it would take two full years to get it set up in a garden… Here are some photos of how my build came along, […]
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salt shaker
For some reason it is fun to make salt shakers. Here is one I started three and a half years ago and finished over the weekend. It consists of a section of Delrin tube sandwiched between two sheets of 1/4″ polycarb. There is a little retaining groove in the PC, but maybe if I did […]
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drill bit rack
This weekend was full of garage organization and tool shuffling. In short, many things that needed doing were done. The drill press now finally has a home against a wall, so it is time for all the drill bits to join it, too. Construction is very basic. I took apart the cheap metal drill index box […]
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sleeping bag and compression sack
I am going on a backpacking trip. I want to carry as little as possible if I can, so I tried to make a lighter and smaller sleeping bag. First, I cheated by starting with a sleeping bag. It is one I have had as long as I can remember. Its okay for warm car […]
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small paring knife
Recently, my friend Nick gave me a knife blade that he forged. Here’s what he said about that process: “the knife is rather experimental. the steel is from a Timken bearing race. one side is ground hollow. quenched from an orange heat in motor oil. tempered over a hot block to a straw color.” Seems […]
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Take Flight for Kids
Today Tom and I brought some of our unique vehicles to the annual Take Flight for Kids festival held at the Reid Hillview Airport. Also exhibiting with us were tons of custom hotrod builders, model airplane enthusiasts, several FIRST Robotics team (including my high school team 604!), and many others. They were even offering free airplane rides for […]
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woodkart – it works!!
Oops, we finished this over a year ago, but I never got around to blogging. Better late than never, right? The title glosses over some details: since the last post, we added the seat, breaks, motors, batteries, and motor controllers. To mount to motor we first assembled the chain, then pulled the motor back as […]
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roll top backpack
Lately I’ve been feeling like my trusty backpack of 4+ years (a cheap North Face knock off that I first met in a Hong Kong street market) is a bit bulky for the stuff I usually carry around these days. My current laptop is about half the size of the one I used in school, […]
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homemade bike frame bags
In one week (eek, so soon!!) I will go on a long bike ride with Muffin. The plan is to post details of our adventure on amybikessomewhere.wordpress.com This weekend I worked on some bike frame bags to help free up some space in my rear panniers. Here is the result: The small top tube bag […]