Happy 2009

I don't know

what's beyond the mountain 

where the late sunlight streams,

but I've already sent my mind ahead

--Saigyo

Best Computer Case Ever!

Now I have to take back the negative things I've said about combining wood and computer hardware. What you're looking at is a Sangaku Japanese case mod, that is, a custom-made box for a desktop computer in the style of Sangaku. Sangaku is the Japanese word for unique, wooden, mathematical tablets created during the Edo period (1603-1867) in Japan.

This case was designed by Nick Falzone, a 19-year old college student studying Architecture at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo CA. Writing for bit-tech.net, Geoff Richards says,

The spirit of the ancient sangaku lives on in the craftsmanship and attention to detail of this project. In the end, there are some 130 wood joints and the case took approximately 300 hours to build in Nick's spare time over nine months during 2005.

Visit the bit-tech.net website for step-by-step photos of the building of this incredible custom computer case and of some of the elements of Japanese design that inspired it.

Bench Dog

More of a bench pup than a bench dog.

Posted by WoodNet Hand Tools Forum member DerekCohen.

Keeping It Simple

WoodNet Forums member NickBee built this plant stand of Poplar with Walnut plywood.

This project presents a few firsts for me. It’s my 1st project with rail / stile / panel construction and it’s the 1st project I completed on my new router table. Now I know there are easier ways out there to accomplish the end result but it was cool to complete this project with: One router bit, One router table fence setting, No specific measurements required.

He's posted enough photos and details to make this into a full-fledged tutorial. I especially like the close-ups of the tight joinery.

Designer Firewood

As readers of this blog know, I enjoy just about everything that's made of wood, and typically appreciate the more unusual applications. But I think I found the limit to my appreciation. Boing Boing Gadgets featured a piece this week about a Berlin-based artist, Nicolas Fischer, who created a sculpture of the world's gross domestic product with the worlds derivatives volume as a statistical map cnc-milled in wood. Kind of a neat idea. But when the result is that ugly, there's only one place for that sculpture: the fireplace! What am I not seeing here? Click image for larger view, or better yet, don't.

Tip for Centering Clamping Pressure

If you use pipe clamps to glue up a solid-wood panel, it's important that the clamping pressure is centered on the thickness of the panel. If it isn't, you'll end up with a buckled panel. What I do to center clamping pressure is fit a dowel that's the same diameter as the thickness of the panel between the clamp jaws and the panel (see Photo). The dowel redistributes the clamping pressure so it's centered on the workpiece. The result is a perfectly flat, glued-up panel.
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Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Somebody's going to be very happy this holiday. WoodNet Hand Tool Forum member LloydParker posted this photo of a mallet he just finished turning. It made of Osage Orange. Beautiful.

Photos and discussion here.

Terrific Tool Boxes

oobject.com is featuring an article of ten interesting tool boxes of different ages and containing tools for different purposes. Lots of cool photos.

The Henry O. Studley tool box is shown in the photo. When closed and hanging on a wall it's 39 inches by 20 inches and 9 inch deep. It opens up to become a 40 inch by 40 inch tool chest.

It's made out of mahogany, rosewood, walnut, ebony, and mother of pearl (Henry was a piano maker). Each tool fits snugly into its space, often with an audible click as the tool snaps into its closely-fit cavity.

[Thanks to Gadgets.BoingBoing.net]

Right-size Workshop

WoodNet Forums member stevenstorey has just posted photos of his new workshop.

I started it August 29th and completed Oct 30. The walls are 7'4" at the wall going to 8'2" in the center... The model I got came from Tuff Shed. It is 12 x 16'8" ( 200 SF ) the max that the city would allow. It does have a concrete foundation.

Photos and discussion here. One interesting part of the discussion is the guys like the smaller size. We see lots of super-large shops featured in magazines. This one looks like it would be comfortable to actually work in.