I just threw this together for my wife. It is just a quick and dirty tray bird feeder. I made it from wood I get from a shipping company down the block from my job. So other then the screws and screening this was a cheap build. Not all that much thought went into it. I did not want to make any hard joints so since I was building in in two layers and putting screening between them the joins are just offset. I actually used a tool that almost never gets used. I bought a biscuit cutter many moons ago and almost never find a reason to use it. This was the perfect job for it. as I was just butting the wood up against each other. So the bottom later is join with biscuits.
So steps was measure the wood lengths I had and decide what length and width to make the frame.. Ended up 1-1/2 inches wide by 14 inches long.
1) Cut wood to width and length in the table saw.
2) Cut the biscuit slots where I was joining the wood on the bottom layer.
3) Glue up the bottom frame
4) Cut the legs at 45 degree angles 3 inches long and attach them with 2 screws each
5) Staple the screening on the bottom frame
6) Screw on the top pieces.
And done.....
Some pics from the build.
Using my custom made frame jig to glue up the bottom.
Legs and screening attached
Top part now screwed on and it is completed
Showing the simple legs I made for this as this will be a ground feeder.
Well I finally have made something from the tree I had cut down last year. I saved a bunch of wood hoping to make something from it one day. Well I started hunting through the stuff I have been seasoning and I cut up a small branch and using both a small hand saw and my small band saw I cut some small boards from it. After getting the hang of how to cut boards I ended up with a couple 3/4" thick ones. It took a couple of try's to figure out how to cut them straight on the band saw. It is small so I can only do 4 1/2 inch high boards but it worked out eventually. For bigger ones It would be more wasteful as I will have to use my chain saw and then planer to get some thin boards.
But this is what I managed to get out of the branch on my first attempt. The next one will yield more boards.
Then I came up with this pattern and sized it for one of the boards and this is the finished product. I used my favorite Natural Danish Oil. I also have finally used my laser burner to put my logo on the backer board. SO this is a live edge on one side and I like how it came out..
So I have at least been successful in using the wood from the really old oak tree that needed to come down last year.
I picked up a Neje laser engraver to sign my work. This will be much improved over using my inkjet printer and wax paper. That was always prone to slipping and being smudged. Which I then would have to sand off. This laser engraver can do just shy of 6" square. I made a few test runs tonight trying to figure out the best settings for power of the laser and speed. I have a good set of numbers for slow printing. I will see if I can find anything that will work under the fast mode.
This is so much better and easier then using my inkjet with wax paper.
Now that the Christmas presents have been given. I am now able to post this. I have a video in here of the entire cutting process. So I have made it as short as I thought I should. They have been sped up. If you think they are long now imagine watching in real time!
By the way have I ever said how much I dislike painting projects? Not for the reason you would think. Not because it hides the wood. It does do that but because I just really don't like painting. I would rather spend days sanding then even a day painting. This project was hours of painting. The final product looks good but man do I dislike painting things when there are multiple surfaces to paint and it is not just cover this with paint.
I decided on designing my own pattern for this years gift. I also decided to cut with an angle to drop the letter into it. It is very interesting to cut at an angle. You start with doing all the 90°. Then if you want the letters to drop in you need to cut the cut at this type of angle \. To be exact what I used was 4° off of 90°. So depending on if your blade tilts or the table tilts that is what determines which way +4° or -4°. I used a Flying Dutchman 5 ultra reverse blade so with the kerf of that bade and 4° tilt I get about 3/16" inset. If I went the other way I would get a 3/16" outset. So I wanted to to drop. The main reason is then I was able to sand down the letter backs sticking out the back to make them flush with the board. To drop you must remember that the cut needs to be wider at the top with the kerf cut it will cause the shape to fall in and eventual jam in place. You just put glue on it and push the shape in and let it dry.
Here is the pattern I created. You can freely use this pattern. The only restrictions I place on this is that you can not sell the pattern. You can give the pattern away you just can't sell the pattern. You can always sell the item you make if that is what you wan to do.
I have two versions of the pattern. One that is the full pattern and one that is the pattern split in two pieces. This is 14 3/4 wide so you will need to piece it together or print it to fit on a legal size sheet of paper. I made the outlines red simply because I like to follow red rather then black lines. As I get older I lose the blade in black. While I can see it clearly against a red background. You cut the outside at 90 and cut the letters at either 94 or 86 depending on if your table tilts or the blade tilts. Also depending on if you want outset or inset letters
You also need to remember when you drill your holes to drill them at the same angle.
Here are the patterns
Full
Two halves
Here is the video of my cutting one of these.
Some single shots of the project
The frame and letters v\cut out with the pattern still attached
All cut and pattern removed. I numbed the pieces not so much to tell where they go but so when I was painting them I would paint the proper side. You would be surprised to know how often I would have the wrong side facing me.
All glued up and mostly painted. Sanding down the letters now. The one in the back sis all sanded down while the one in front is up next to sand.
I used a belt sander to take the bulk off then I used a random orbit sander to do the final bit to smoth it out.
For the final look at the front and back of a couple of the finished ones.
