Ash

Make These Picture Ledges for Under $10

October 29, 2016 by Ash 59 Comments

Do you have a bunch of picture frames lying around and a couple hours of time on your hands? Make a DIY picture frame ledge. It’s simple to make, easy to arrange, and looks quite elegant.

Since our move, we still have boxes of pictures frames taking up way too much of our closet space. However, we are one ample box lighter, due to the awesome picture ledge that Ash made.

As I was digging through the box that held the white, cream, and grayish frames, I thought about a gallery. However, I already had one on a neighboring wall, so I wanted something different for this collection of pictures.

That being said, one of Ash’s least favorite chores is hanging pictures up on our walls. You should hear how he tries to procrastinate the task, let alone see his expression when he languidly follows me around the house with a hammer and nails.

And, he definitely does not enjoy when I ask him to hold the picture up to the wall, as I direct from across the room saying, “A little bit left, nope too much….” With my indecisiveness, that goes on for a little too long before I usually end up putting the picture somewhere else.

For these reasons, I knew Ash would love the idea of not having to hang any of the picture frames in this hefty box and instead have the pictures rest on a DIY picture frame ledge.

Would you know he had both photo ledges built in a couple hours?

He used all scrap wood, and then I painted with furniture paint for a nice finish.

The best part?

You can make them too for under $10!

How to Make DIY Picture Frame Ledges

Here are Ash’s instructions on how he built these simple photo ledges.

I came up with a very simple design for the DIY picture frame ledge. Here is an exploded 3D diagram that I created in TinkerCAD to show how the pieces came together:

I was able to use all scrap wood left over from previous projects. I cut the long pieces to the appropriate length. Eileen used the length of the love seat as a basis for how long she wanted the shelves.

Then, I formed the triangle support ends with my miter saw (this is one of my favorite tools – check out my other favorites).

After that, using some wood glue, clamps, and finishing nails, I attached the pieces to each other. Once the wood glue dried, I used the orbital sander to smooth down all the surfaces to make the different wood segments blend into each other seamlessly.

Since it was scrap wood, there were a few gouges here and there that I patched with wood filler and sanded down to a smooth surface.

Finally, my painter, aka Eileen, gave the shelves two coats of paint, and then it was ready to be mounted to the wall.

In mounting, I secured the shelves to the wall using two lag bolts, directly into two wall studs. The heads of the bolts stood out slightly, so to help blend them in, I covered them with some white paint to match the shelves.

Looking back, if I had some Forstner bits at the time, I would have countersunk the lag bolt heads to make them flush with the wood surface.

The cost of the project was free, as we had all of the material in our garage; however, I estimate the project costing $10 for the wood plus a quart of paint.

Our New DIY Picture Frame Ledge

I loved the way the picture shelves turned out. Ash built them so quickly, and without any trips to the store for additional materials, which is always a plus!

I think it took me longer to arrange the pictures than it did for Ash to construct them. (I’m super slow at arranging things…)

Everyone who visits has been commenting on how much they like them. A few people have said, “Have these always been here?” That is one of my favorite comments because it goes to show how great they look where they are.

Not to mention, Ash was so pleased that we didn’t have to hang all those frames. I haven’t told him we still have two more boxes of pictures in the closet. I’m not quite sure where they are going either. Maybe another picture ledge will be forthcoming.

Here’s another angle of our new DIY picture frame ledge. The more I look at it, the more I love it – and it was a lot easier than creating a gallery, and unlike the gallery, I can easily rearrange the picture frames too.

Shelving projects are one of my favorites – I just love different ways you can display pictures, books, and other items. I’m sure we will have more shelving projects coming soon.

Converting a CD Tower into a Pantry Shelf

October 15, 2016 by Ash 46 Comments

When we moved into our new home, we found an old, tall tower style CD holder shelf that the previous owners had left.

It was supposed to be screwed into the wall, but the screws were loose.

Seeing it as a hazard, Eileen wanted to remove it and toss it, but I had a feeling that we could repurpose it one day into something more useful.

So off it went into the corner of the garage where it sat for almost a year.

As the months went by, I was starting to regret my decision of keeping the tower because it was always getting in my way when working in the garage.

Then, one day as I was looking for some cashews in the pantry, I noticed something very interesting.

One side of the pantry had an extra thick wall. It was actually twice the thickness of a regular wall. How unusual, I thought.

My mind immediate jumped to storage.

If there was empty space in that wall, it could open up the doors for all sorts of pantry storage ideas.

Ever since I built a sliding spice shelf in our previous home (in between the fridge and the wall), I had been eager to come up with something similar for our new home.

The pantry was getting difficult to navigate with all our spices, and we could never find anything we needed. Unfortunately, there was no decent space to build the equivalent, so I needed other options for spice storage.

This thick wall was the perfect solution to our pantry storage shortage.

Planning for Extra Pantry Storage

First, I needed to assess the wall situation better.

I needed to know how much space was available inside this wall. For all I knew, it could have been thick to accommodate a central air duct.

I did some knocking on the wall and it sounded very hollow.

Still, I needed to know what was inside before unnecessarily ripping off a large chunk of drywall just to find the area impractical for use.

Using an Endoscope Camera

I took to the Internet and purchased a very cheap endoscope camera for my computer.

The endoscope would provide eyes into the wall and allow me peer around without causing too much damage.

When it arrived, I hooked it up to my laptop, tested it out a bit to get a feel for it.

Pictured below is the endoscope camera, which plugs into the computer via USB.

To give you an example of the detail it gives, I placed the camera inside my son’s fire engine, and displayed on the computer screen is a very detailed profile of the driver.

After testing it out, I then stuck it into a very small hole I drilled into the wall.

The camera had an adjustable light, so I could see inside the dark wall.

I looked up and down, and all around, and the endoscope revealed what I suspected all along – a lot of empty space!

Determining How to Use the Space

Now that I knew what type of space I was dealing with, I had to brainstorm the best way to make use of it.

It was a tall vertical space, so I was thinking along the lines of a vertical shelf to hold spices. That would certainly help with storage.

I went off into the garage to plan out designs for a custom-built shelf to fit the area.

In the garage, I saw some scrap wood resting in the corner that could be turned into shelf pieces, but once again, that tall tower style CD shelf was in the way.

The CD shelf was really starting to test my patience.

I was about to finally toss it out when I had a eureka moment. You know, that CD shelf looked very similar in size to the space that I discovered lurking in the pantry walls.

I anxiously took out my tape measure and did an exact comparison.

The shelf would indeed fit into the wall!

Good thing we did not throw out the CD shelf (more reason for Eileen to start accepting my hoard-ish ways).

It seemed like the perfect solution for spice storage.

It was not very deep, so it wouldn’t hold large cans or boxes, but would easily hold spices and baking materials, which was exactly what we needed.

Installing the CD Tower

Excited about repurposing the CD tower into a pantry shelf, I couldn’t wait to get started. I love being able to repurpose some of the junk I keep around. It’s my justification for keeping everything. And, we really needed the pantry storage. I was tired of rooting through baskets of spices.

Preparing the CD Tower

I could have used the shelf unaltered, but I decided to make it a little shorter for the pantry.

The full height would have sent it nearly to the ceiling, which would made it a little impractical for pantry storage that high.

Cutting into the Drywall

After the shelf was shortened, I needed to cut the hole in the drywall.

I first used a pencil and ruler to outline the exact cutout on the wall. Then I used a special drywall handsaw (commonly called a jab saw) to cut out the hole.

It was a little messy working with the drywall, so I kept my shop vac close by.

After the hole was made, I inserted the shelf into the wall to get a feel for how it would look.

It looked amazing! I couldn’t wait for Eileen to see.

Affixing the Shelf

Now I needed to permanently affix the shelf.

The shelf was not resting directly on the floor inside the wall (it was a few inches above the baseboard), so first I had to attach a 2 x 4 cross piece to rest the shelf on.

I used my Kreg pockethole jig and some pockethole screws to attach both ends of a short 2 x 4 to the wall studs.

I repeated the process to attach another cross piece above the shelf to secure the top.

Then I slid the shelf in between the upper and lower 2 x 4 supports and attached the shelf permanently using some screws.

Applying the Trim

All that was left now was to apply some trim.

I actually had a lot of extra trim left over from redoing some kitchen baseboard a few months prior.

The trim I had originally purchased was too tall for the kitchen, so I had cut it shorter using my table saw. Good thing I held onto the cutoffs.

They were the perfect size to use as trim for the new pantry shelf.

It was already painted too. I secured the trim directly to the shelf using some finishing nails.

Finishing Touches

I adjusted the heights of the individual shelves to accommodate a variety of spice configurations, and then the pantry shelf project was complete.

I loaded it up with all my spices and our baking materials, which freed up so much space in the pantry. It truly was such a perfect pantry storage solution.

This was one of the more simple projects I’ve done recently for such a big reward. I completed the project in a few hours, and best of all, it was free! If you are looking for pantry storage ideas, think outside of the box. You never know what you’ll come up with:)

I’m hoping to repurpose more of my stashed finds in the near future.

12 Must-Have Tools for Every DIYer

September 25, 2016 by Ash 3 Comments

I was sitting in my garage recently looking at my collection of tools on the pegboard, and was thinking how much I take them for granted a lot.

When working on projects, I don’t think twice about the tools. They are just sitting there waiting for use. I grab one as the task requires, and it gets the job done.

So an ode to my under-appreciated tools, I put together a list of the most used tools in my garage.

If you’re a budding DIY’er just getting your feet wet in the home improvement field, you should aim to acquire these tools as the need for them arises.

You could get them all at once, but that’s a pretty large investment, and a lot of the tools would probably just sit abandoned longing for usage.

Remember, as your skills improve, and projects under your belt accrue, so will your tool collection grow. Also, I didn’t include obvious ones like a hammer, screwdrivers or socket spanners.

So without further ado, here are 12 must-have tools for DIYers.

1. Cordless Drill

My drill is the most used tool in the garage. It’s such a versatile tool. It’s functionality goes far beyond just making holes with drill bits.

I use screwdriver bits to work with screws. I use a socket adapter to work with hex bolts.

When dealing with odd angles, I can use a right angle adapter to perform 90 degree drilling. With a paddle adapter, I can mix paint or grout.

Just recently, I discovered I can pump liquids with a drill pump adapter.

With so many different types of drill adapters out there, my personal collection is barely scratching the market, so I’m always on the lookout for cool ones.

My reliance on drill bit adapters encouraged me to even purchase a second drill.

It takes time to swap out drill bits or adapters, and it was starting to become an inconvenience when working with multiple ones at a time.

So tasks like drilling pilot holes for screws, and actually screwing in the screws was simplified to just a task of picking up the first drill, then picking up the second drill.

I even got extra batteries so that I could replace a dead one immediately.

These time-saving expenses improved my project efficiency tenfold.

So it’s a no-brainer why the handy drill is first on my list.

Some of the projects I used the cordless drill on are constructing the sliding garage shelves, creating a boxing speed bag station, and installing tile backsplash.

2. Miter saw

I originally purchased my miter saw for cutting the angles needed for a crown molding project I did a few years ago.

It turned out that this was just the tip of the iceberg of functionality that the miter saw could do for me.

Prior to the jawhorse, cutting wood meant breaking out the hand saw. I would rest the wood on whatever was nearby, and either stand on the wood or hold it firmly with the other hand.

If I had the Jawhorse setup, I would just clamp it down and make the cut.

Now I’m always up for a good workout, but making cuts by hand takes time. The cuts are also notorious for being inaccurate because it’s hard to cut perfectly vertical by hand.

The miter saw changed all that. I just put the wood in position, pull the trigger, press down the saw, and a perfect cut is made every time.

The miter saw also allowed me to do something I couldn’t do before – quickly prototype ideas.

A few of the projects I used the miter saw on are building the outdoor storage shed, the wagon for mower, and the water-saving rain barrel.

3. Wood clamps

For many years I got by without wood clamps. I did not know what I was missing out on.

Then one day I had to borrow a bar clamp from my neighbor to hold down some warped wood while I nailed it in place. I was hooked.

I could not have done that task without a clamp, and many projects since then have been aided dramatically with the use of wood clamps.

Clamps come in all types and sizes, from small C clamps to really long bar clamps, and everything in between.

I now have a variety of these clamps, including some specialty ones too – 90 degree clamps (when you need to hold two pieces of wood perpendicular to each other, like when building bookshelves) and face clamps (for holding two pieces of wood flush with each other for joining, like when using pocket holes).

Some of the projects I used wood clamps on are building my folding workbench, creating French cleat box shelves, and making an outdoor picnic table.

4. Table saw

The table saw has really brought by workmanship up a notch.

I bought mine out of necessity when I hit a snag building my storage shed.

I needed to make some long precise cuts that were too difficult to accomplish using my circular saw or by hand saw.

Being one of the more costly tools I own, I had delayed in getting a table saw for the longest time.

Now that I have one, I have never regretted the investment. I use it for everything from cutting T-11 siding to turning scrap plywood pieces into French cleat shelves.

It’s such a versatile and precise tool, even the neighbors (and the neighbors grown children) are coming to me for help!

As for accessories, I purchased an awesome featherboard to help guide my cuts (a lot of people usually build their own, but I needed one right away for a project and didn’t have the time to make one – plus the purchased one is much more flexible than one I could have built).

I also plan on getting some dado blades in the near future to quickly notch wood and cut grooves.

I used the table saw on many of projects including, the outdoor storage shed, the custom mailbox post, and the wagon for mower.

5. Random orbital sander

When you work with wood, you’ll come to appreciate a good sander.

There are lots of different types of sanders out there. Yet, for a DIYer, you can’t beat a random orbital sander. I purchased mine several years ago to help Eileen refinish an old wooden coffee table.

Prior to that, I had a little mouse sander, and that definitely wasn’t up to the task of stripping the whole table down to bare wood.

I was amazed at what a good job the orbital sander did. In no time at all, the wood was exposed.

I did have to use the mouse sander to get into the small, hard to reach areas, but that’s the purpose of a mouse sander.

These days I use the orbital sander for almost every sanding task at hand.

I just pick out the appropriate grit sandpaper for the job, fire up the orbital sander, and smooth wood is just moments away.

Some of the projects I used the random orbital sander on are the folding workbench, wagon for mower and outdoor storage shed.

6. Plunge Router

I purchased a plunge router a long time ago to help with cutting dado grooves for building a bookcase.

It did an excellent job.

Then it sat dormant for a long time until I started experimenting with bits other than straight cut bits. Now I find myself using the plunge router so much at the end of projects.

It really turns a good looking project into a WOW project.

Specifically, I’m using round-over bits to make nice beveled edges for my woodworking projects.

I built a picnic table the other day and didn’t want people getting splinters from the edges. So, I used the round-over bit to make a nice smooth profile.

Most recently, I made a very professional edge for my folding workbench with another version of the bit.

I’m excited to try out different types of routing bits in the near future and hone my routing skills.

I used the plunge router when I built a wall mounted bookcase and when I created my folding workbench.

7. Oscillating Multi-Tool

This is another recent addition to my tool collection.

I was working on a project the other day and needed to make sure really awkward cuts in a small space.

Realizing I didn’t have the tools to accomplish this easily, an opportunity arose to purchase an oscillating multi-tool.

I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about these tools at the time, but I was fairly sure it could accomplish the task at hand.

After some research, I bought a cordless version and it did exactly what I had expected it to do. I didn’t think I would be using it much more after that, but I was wrong.

I find myself grabbing this oscillating tool off the wall so many times to do cuts or to perform some sanding when I don’t feel the need to set up a larger tool.

It is sort of a hybrid between my compact circular saw and my electric sander.

A few projects I used the oscillating multi-tool on are the folding workbench, the sliding spice rack and an outdoor picnic table.

8. Wet/Dry Shop Vac

You would think that a shop vac was one of the first tools I got.

In actuality, I just purchased my first shop vac about a year ago. I can’t believe it took this long to appreciate the cleaning power of a good shop vac.

I had gotten used to saw dust being everywhere, and the floor of my garage looking like a mess.

With the shop vac, now everything is dust-free and my garage floor is always spotless.

After every wood cutting session, I start up the shop vac. In no time at all is the sawdust gone.

What I love most about the shop vac is that it picks up anything, including nails and screws. I didn’t know this before (any probably why I only just recently got a shop vac).

Now I don’t have to worry about parking the car in the garage and driving over sharp debris left over from past projects.

The shop vac makes certain that everything is removed from the floor.

9. Dremel

Every garage workshop owner should have a dremel and a host of accessory bits.

Not only is it great at precise woodworking cuts, but makes metalworking a feasible task for me.

I originally purchased a dremel to help me cut a hole in the side of my metal computer case. (I had bought an incredibly oversized processor cooler that was too large to fit inside the case. So, I need to punch a hole for it to stick out.)

I was a little nervous at first working with metal, and the sparks flying off the fiberglass reinforced cut-off wheels wasn’t helping, but it got the job done to a perfection.

In no time was a great looking square hole in this thick metal sheet, and my computer could now happily exhaust its heat.

Since then, I’ve never looked at metal as a barrier for me.

In fact, I recently bought some overhead garage shelving, and unfortunately, some of the assembly holes didn’t line up, so some bolts couldn’t fit all the way through. Without the dremel, I may have had to return it.

However, I used a tungsten carbide cutter bit and expanded the hole just enough to make it work. The dremel also works great for sharpening my mower blades too.

A couple of projects I used the dremel on when I was fixing up the mower and when I built my folding workbench.

10. Circular Saw (and compact version)

This is a staple tool of most garages.

I love waking up in the morning to neighbors whirring their circular saws as they are hard at work making sawdust. It’s one of the first power tools I purchased and has seen many hours in the field.

I use it for everything from ripping plywood sheets to cutting out lap joint grooves.

Most recently though, I acquired a compact circular saw and it’s a dream to use.

The downside of a regular circular saw is that it is heavy and bulky, and so hard to use in tight spaces or above your shoulders. They are also very tricky to do small precise cuts.

The compact version solves all of this.

It makes small cuts a breeze to handle, and can fit almost anywhere to perform the cuts. I originally purchased the compact circular saw to cut out window holes for my shed.

I tried using a regular circular saw, but quickly gave up because it felt really dangerous holding the behemoth over my head.

Now I use the compact one almost anytime I need to cut wood.

I love the convenience and precision it gives me.

It does have a very limited cutting depth though (little over an inch), and is not as powerful as a regular circular saw. So I still rely on the regular one for certain jobs.

I used the circular saw on many of my projects, including the outdoor storage shed and a custom mailbox post.

11. Power planer

These were introduced to me a few years back, and what an amazing tool they are.

I didn’t know they existed, as I had a regular hand planer, but it didn’t get much use. I was never really good at the technique and could not seem to get the blade sharp enough to be useful.

Then my neighbor lent me his power planer one day to help me shave down the tops of my closet doors so they would close properly.

In a few quick swipes, I trimmed a small layer off the tops of my doors. After that, they no longer jammed.

For years these doors never closed properly, and now they were fixed in minutes.

So I ended up buying my own power planer later on.

Not only do all the doors in my home close properly now, but I’ve used it in so many projects where I needed to level wood that wasn’t lining up right.

12. Finishing nail gun

My finishing nail gun was the most recent tool I acquired for my collection.

It was up there price wise along with the table saw, so it was an investment. However, it’s the crowning jewel of my collection.

You know you’re an accomplished DIYer the day you buy your first finishing nail gun.

I don’t use it as much as the drill, per say, but when I do use it, it’s such a convenient and efficient tool. It makes you want to keep going and going and get your project done.

I did a lot of research prior to purchasing the nail gun, and eventually settled on a 16-gauge version.

This thickness nail would be applicable to a much larger range of projects than other gauge nail guns could do. I originally purchased it to help install some crown molding.

Since then, I have used it for help in so many projects.

In just one weeknight, I built a variety of box shelves for the garage using the nail gun (with the help of construction adhesive and scrap plywood).

It would have taken me much longer using regular finishing nails and a hammer.

Just the other day too, I was erecting a 6×6 wooden post in concrete. I used the nail gun to temporarily attach some wooden supports to keep the post level.

I look forward to any opportunity I get to use to my finishing nail gun.

Also, I used the finishing nail gun on a couple of projects lately, including the French cleat box shelves and a shade sail.

Final Notes

I have plenty other tools (like my framing nail gun and jigsaw). However, this list of tools shines a light on what your average DIYer should aim to eventually have in their garage – the must-have tools for DIYers.

However, I do have a wishlist of tools that I would love to add to my collection. Things like a reciprocating saw, drill press, and sliding compound saw.

I’ll get those eventually as the need arises for them, and maybe they will have an impact on my list of most used tools.

Used tools?

On a final note about purchasing tools, there is nothing wrong with getting them used.

A little cosmetic damage is not a big deal, just make sure the tool still functions properly. Also, sometimes you’ll have to do a little bit of cleaning to restore used tools to optimal functionality.

A year ago, I had purchased a used Paslode framing nail gun on eBay for around $100. It retails new for more than double that.

The nails started to jam after a few days of usage. So, I bought a cheap cleaning kit. I took apart the tool and cleaned it internally with a special spray from the kit. It now fires nails like a brand new gun.

Anyway, all this tool talk has certainly gotten me in the mood to make some sawdust, so off I go into the garage.

Creative Garage DIYs to Increase Storage Space

September 6, 2016 by Ash 82 Comments

With our garage being my workshop and our primary storage area, it was filled to the brim with tools of all sizes, boxes and boxes of holiday decorations, yard tools and toys, and so much more.

We already did a lot of DIY projects that saved space and created more garage storage. I constructed a folding workbench, which was such an efficient workstation.

In a corner that formerly was a dumping ground of yard tools, I built a sliding shelf tower, which housed all of our holiday decorations. I also had a lot of creative shelves scattered around.

With so many things in our garage, any empty area was prime real estate, no matter how small.

A Hidden Gem

The other day, some wall space caught my eye – the gap between the two garage doors.

Right away I thought that it would be an excellent place for some narrow shelves. Strange that it took me a year to spot the little gem between my garage doors that could provide more garage storage.

Coincidentally, the project I was working on at the time (the built-in bookcase with window seat) produced a lot of scrap birch plywood.

This was expensive stuff – 4×8 sheets sell for $50 at Home Depot. So I wasn’t wasting any cut offs (I was quite inventive in the different ways I reused those scraps).

My shelving idea between the garage doors would be a perfect little project for some of the plywood scraps to get more garage storage.

Planning the Garage Storage Boxes

Simple flat shelves wouldn’t suffice though. With so little space, the shelves would be small, and things could fall off easily.

So instead of shelves, I started visualizing little boxes on the wall. How nice would it be to walk in wearing yard gloves, and have a box to toss them into as soon as I enter the garage?

I took the box idea a step further and considered using French cleats for them.

This would allow each box shelf to be removed by simply lifting it. It would lead to a very modular design where the boxes could be swapped with other ones on the fly.

Rather than digging through a box on the wall to find what I need, or make repeated trips to the wall, why not just take the box shelf with me? Not only would it create more garage storage – but it also would be very efficient.

Now that’s some clever thinking, if I do say so myself.

I came up with this simple box design below:

Here’s another view of the box design, resting on the wall via the French cleats:

Building the French Cleat Storage Boxes

I was excited to get more garage storage from this wasted space – I couldn’t wait to start building. Here’s a TinkerCAD exploded diagram showing in detail how it was constructed:

Constructing the First Garage Storage Box

In the diagram above, the orange piece on the far right is mounted to the wall (to allow the box shelf to drop into and secure to the wall). The rest of the pieces form the box itself.

The wall mounted piece and the other angled cut directly above it (attached to the box) form the French cleat system. I used scrap ¾” birch plywood for the box and French cleats.

For the floor of the box, I used ⅛” thick scrap plywood. I cut all the pieces to size quickly using my table saw, and then miter cut the side pieces for that nice angled profile.

For the French cleat 45 degree lengthwise cuts, I used the table saw again.

Then I used construction adhesive, some bar clamps and my 16 gauge finishing nail gun to assemble the wood pieces into a functional French cleat box shelf.

Technically, I built the first shelf without the nail gun. I just used regular finishing nails and a hammer.

Finishing Nail Gun for the Win

With these types of shelves, the strength comes mostly from the construction adhesive (that stuff is really strong when completely dry). The nails really just hold the pieces in place for the glue to set. So that’s why I used finishing nails.

Also, I didn’t want to risk splitting the plywood scraps, so finishing nails were a good choice due to their thin profile.

As I mentioned earlier, I was in the middle of a bookcase/window seat project at the time. Part of this project involved installing crown molding and baseboard.

I remembered installing crown molding in my previous home, and having an incredibly hard time doing it with finishing nails and a hammer. So, I ended up borrowing my neighbor’s cordless finishing nail gun, and the installation was such a breeze. I just held the crown molding in place, then tap tap tap, and the nails (technically brads) were countersunk, securing the molding to the wall.

So purchasing my own finishing nail gun had long been on my wish list.

I finally bit the bullet and purchased one for my birthday to use on the bookcase project. I also got some angled finishing nails to go along with it.

They arrived in the middle of these French cleat shelves. So the shelves were the perfect opportunity to hone my skills with the gun.

Here’s a picture of me using the finishing nail gun for one of the box shelves:

I originally purchased an 18-gauge finishing nail gun (keep reading to see why I returned it).

Sidenote on Nail Guns

For those not familiar with finishing nail gun terminology, the gauge represents the thickness of the nail. I’m using the word ‘nail’ loosely because these nail guns actually fire brads, which are strips of thick wire with a very fine head.

They are great for finishing applications (like securing trim) because the heads make a very small hole and require little work to conceal. The thinness of the brads also reduce the likelihood of splitting the wood when they are driven in.

Finishing nail guns are not to be confused with framing nail guns, which fire actual nails and use substantially more power to drive them (hence also more dangerous). I used a gas powered framing nail gun in my shed project if you are interested.

Anyway, I was saying earlier how I purchased an 18-gauge finishing nail gun. Unfortunately, I was not having a good experience using it with the birch plywood. Most of the nails would fire in straight, but then bend half way and stick out the side of the wood. It was very annoying.

I did some research online and found out that 18-gauge nails don’t work well in hardwoods (like birch) and will do exactly what they were doing with me (changing direction as they are driven into the hardwood).

So I decided to return the nail gun and get a 16-gauge version instead.

The new nails were noticeablely thicker and worked perfectly for me. The gun is now a permanent addition to my top 12 list of must-have tools.

What’s the best nail gun for a DIYer?

Depending on the type of woodworking project you’re doing, sometimes you’ll need a thinner nail (higher gauge) and sometimes you’ll need a thicker nail (lower gauge).

Unfortunately finishing nail guns can only fire a single gauge, so you’d need multiple guns to accommodate different nail gauges. This is obviously very expensive, and may not make financial sense for you unless you’re a dedicated contractor.

So, 16-gauge is a good compromise because a majority of the projects a typical DIYer works on can be satisfied with that sized nail gauge.

This has held true for me ever since purchasing the nail gun too. I’ve used it for everything from crown molding to shelves to quickly tacking on temporary supports for concreting wooden posts. It’s also my favorite tool, and well-worth the investment.

Finishing Up the Boxes

With the finishing nail gun, construction of 5 box shelves went by very quickly. I only made 5 because I ran out of scrap wood large enough for box shelves. The remaining smaller scraps had another destiny.

Five French cleat boxes were perfectly adequate for the space allocated though and would definitely create more garage storage and organization.

Here’s a picture of the completed French cleat boxes resting on the wall (they are empty below, but filled today will all sorts of goodies):

After this was completed, some of the remaining birch plywood scraps got used for another project.

Get More Garage Storage with These Ideas

I was going finishing nail gun crazy and just wanted to keep tap-tap-tapping brads. So, I ended up making an incredibly useful battery charging station for my cordless tool batteries.

The garage storage station consisted of four L shaped shelves fixed to the wall, with two triangular supports each.

Here’s a picture of the empty shelves on the walls so you can get an idea of the design:

Here’s what the shelves look like actually being used. This little nook helped get more garage storage and organization.

The shelves created more garage storage – enough space for 4+ battery chargers, extra batteries and a host of accessories.

I got creative and tacked on an empty plastic nail box to store stationary-like pencils, markers and scissors.

I’m most proud of my measuring tape holder though. I was always looking for my measuring tape and needed a dedicated location for it, so I mounted a metal strip to one of the shelves, and the measuring tape just clips onto it.

It’s in the perfect location too. Whenever I need a measuring tape, I just open the garage door and grab the tape off the holder. When done, I just snap it back on the holder and it’s there for future use.

Here’s a picture showing my measuring tape holder:

A Lot of Storage for a Little Effort

So that’s it for this round of more garage storage shelving. I constructed five French cleat boxes in the lost space between the double garage doors and added some bonus shelving too. Not only did I create more garage storage but this storage added another level of efficiency to our garage.

I completed everything on a Saturday with no additional cost to me because I used all scrap wood. Although I benefited a great deal from the finishing nail gun I purchased around the same time, it could have been done with just regular finishing nails and a hammer.

Stay tuned for future shelving ideas as inspiration strikes. I hope this article brought you some inspiration to get more garage storage too.

Make an DIY Photo Booth with Four Things

August 30, 2016 by Ash 26 Comments

For our son’s birthday last year, we had a small party with just our immediate families. We had just moved to a new house and barely had anything done.

Even though we were just having close family, Eileen, of course, went all out with zoo animal theme. She always does all of the planning – but asked me to help her create a DIY photo booth.

She created a bunch of photo props, while I looked for free photo booth software. To my dismay, I could not find any simple to use programs out there.

Most of them you had to pay for, and the free ones were terrible. What seemed like a simple task was turning out to be quite problematic.

So I decided to just write my own photo booth software.

By the end of the day, I churned out an app I dubbed Easy Photo Booth. Eileen was totally impressed, and we’ve been using the app at parties ever since.

To create your own a DIY photo booth, you need four simple things:

- Backdrop
- Props
- Easy Photo Booth software – free download, see below
- PC with a webcam

1. Photo Booth Backdrop

This can be as simple as a blanket or a large piece of felt. It shouldn’t be too complicated of a design because your party guests will be sitting in front of it.

At the zoo animals party, we used a lime green blanket as the backdrop and that worked out great.

At the Sesame party, Eileen created a nice Sesame Street scene.

She got a large piece of blue felt from a craft store, and then hot glued on white felt in the shape of clouds.

For the classic Sesame Street lamp post, she used dark green and white felt, and printed the Sesame Street sign on the printer.

Here is the background in the making:

Here’s a picture of the backdrop set up on our deck:

2. DIY Photo Booth Props

Props are pretty much anything glued to a thick popsicle stick.

Choose props that have to do with the theme of your party. Cute signs like “I came for the cake” are always a nice touch too.

If you do make signs, make them very large and easy to read. On the first go around, some of our signs were too small or written too thin to be able to read.

For the zoo animals party, we used these props (pic below). Eileen made the faces from foam, and the signs from card stock.

3. Easy Photo Booth App

I previously had trouble finding a photo booth app that was simple and free. Therefore, I made my version as simple and straightforward as they come.

This simple program is available at no cost to our readers. You can download it using the form above,

It’s an easy-to-use program that runs just like a digital photo booth. For more details on exactly how it works, keep reading 🙂

4. Laptop (with a web cam)

The last item you will need for the DIY photo booth is a laptop with a web camera.

In front of the backdrop and props, I placed a laptop (with a web camera) on a small table.

The guests would then see themselves on the laptop screen. Easy instructions on how to proceed popped up.

I even setup the software to save the film strip images to DropBox.

This allowed me to run a slideshow on the large family room TV of a live photo stream from the photo booth (via a second laptop I had plugged into the TV).

This way, other guests not taking pictures got to partake in the DIY photo booth fun.

Using the Photo Booth App

My photo booth software was a huge hit. It’s now a staple event at our parties, and even our friends/families use it at their events. So I wanted to make the software easily available for everyone for free.

Simply, join our mailing list to access our library with the PC version of Easy Photo booth. I’m sorry, I don’t have a MacOS version of it, but I can port it over to Mac if I get a lot of requests for it.Here’s a screenshot of the program in action:

Easy Photo Booth also offers an advanced mode if you want to fine tune the functionality:

Here’s what the software shows the guests after taking their pictures:

Film strip images like the picture above are generated from the software. It also saves the images individually in case you wanted to use a snapshot outside of the film strip.

I also added an “overlay” feature, which superimposes foregrounds onto your images. Check it out in action below (I’m hiding behind some tree coverage):

So if you’re looking for free and easy-to-use photo booth software for your party, you should definitely check out Easy Photo Booth.

You can host an awesome DIY photo booth with just four things – a backdrop, props, a laptop, and our photo booth software.

It’s fun, free and who doesn’t love a photo booth?!

Installing a Shade Sail for the Patio

August 27, 2016 by Ash 97 Comments

DIY Shade Sail Installation Post Preview: You’ll learn how to install a sun shade sail in your yard, including how to erect the shade sail posts or poles.

When the sun goes down, we loved to sit out on our back patio. Yet, we never used the patio on hot summer days, as the sun beating down made it unbearable.

Eileen and I had discussed how nice some kind of shade would be, and we were somewhat keen on the idea of a retractable awning.

With our son’s birthday party coming up, we had a lot of guests coming over, so our quest for shade on the patio became more of a priority.

However, as the party crept up, I began to veer from the retractable awning idea.

Our budget was under $300 for shade, and I could not find any decent awning within that price range.

I was looking for something that was around 16’ x 16’ and the prices went over $1000, far exceeding our budget.

Also with the party nearby, I wasn’t comfortable rushing a project like this by making a quick decision.

I started researching alternative ways of throwing some shade on the patio.

Something that really stood out were sun shade sails. These are large fabric canopies that are suspended in the air for shade.

I’ve actually seen shade sails at commercial establishments, but never knew they had an actual name. They are known for bright colors in fancy arrangements. After a little research, DIY shade sail installation seemed completely doable.

Planning the Sun Shade Sail

I presented the shade sail idea to Eileen, and she was into it. The savings was huge, and a sun shade sail was the perfect, quick solution to blocking the hot summer sun.

For our DIY shade sail installation, I planned on attaching one side of the sun shade sail to the house, and the other side of the shade sail to two wooden poles.

DIY Shade Sail Installation Materials and Cost

The best part of my sun shade sail plan was the cost. I could get a 16’ x 16’ shade setup for under $150. Compared to an awning, installing a shade sail was a savings of over $800!

The bulk of the price of the shade sail was the actual 16′ by 16′ fabric sail.

The rest of the cost would go towards two 6 x 6 x 10 pressure-treated wooden posts, 4 bags of concrete (80 lbs each), 1 bag of paver base, and some shade sail hanging hardware.

My only concern was transporting the wooden poles for the sun shade sail from Home Depot.

I knew from past experience that 8’ was the max length lumber my car could carry with the rear door closed. These 6 x 6 posts were 10’ long.

After some logistical thinking (including looking at strapping them to my roof rack), the solution was very simple – just place them at an angle, with the excess hanging out the window.

Here’s a picture of car loaded up with the 6 x 6 shade sail posts, concrete and paver base. I was ready to install the shade sail.

Preparing the Shade Sail Materials

The first step in this shade sail installation project was figuring out where everything would go.

I spread out the sun shade sail on the backyard lawn to double check the measurements (the packaging said 16.5’ but I wanted to see what this equated to fully spread out).

The mounting fixtures for the shade sail needed to be larger than the 16.5’ square to allow the fabric to be tensioned properly.

Research online suggested a distance for the fixtures to be 10% larger than the sun shade sail itself. So this meant approximately 18’ for me.

Determining the Location for the Shade Sail

Now I had to locate an area on the porch where this 18’ shade sail square could fit.

The mounts on the house needed to be installed into wall studs for strength, so this meant every 16” (standard stud spacing) on the house could be a starting point for the 18’ square.

In addition to this, I had to contend with obstacles on the post side, like a wooden walkway I built last year.

I also wanted to leave an unsheltered part of the patio for the BBQ grill. It’s not safe to cook directly under shade sails because the heat could damage the fabric.

Taking all these issues into consideration, I eventually settled on an ideal location for our shade sail.

An Uphill Battle with a Rock

Unfortunately, my ideal location for the shade sail had a little snag. There was a giant landscaping rock right in the middle of where I wanted to install one of the wooden posts for the sun shade sail.

At first, I wasn’t worried, but when it actually came time to move it, I started scratching my head. I actually scratched my head for days, trying feebly to move this rock.

I estimated the rock to weigh around 500 lbs.

Additionally, I tried all sorts of techniques, including tying a chain around the rock and pulling with my riding mower. That didn’t work as the mower’s engine struggled under the load.

Then I experimented with a hydraulic trolley floor car jack. The rock started moving!

The movement was not enough to relocate the rock by itself, but it was a nudge (pun intended) in the right direction of getting back on track for the sun shade sail installation.

To complete the task, I determined that I needed a scissor car jack, and also a long heavy duty crow bar.

The additional car jack might have been unnecessary if I had a non-hydraulic jack.

Unfortunately something in my jack wouldn’t let it operate unless it was fairly level to the ground (I guess some fluid was not able to enter the correct passageway if the jack wasn’t level). I needed to use the jacks sideways sometimes to push the rock out of position.

So hence the need for an additional jack.

I decided to get a scissor type jack, as it was purely mechanical and could be used at any angle. Also, I wanted to get a long heavy duty crow bar.

I realized I was having some success prying the rock using my shovel, but the rock would have soon broken the wooden shovel handle.

Getting Closer…

The crow bar was amazing. It’s what helped me the most with moving the rock out of the way of where I wanted the shade sail poles to go.

It was 20 lbs of solid steel, 5’ long providing all the leverage I needed.

The tip was also shaped like a wedge, so it was easy to get it under the rock.

So using a combination of two car jacks (resting on pieces of scrap wood for support) and a crow bar, I was able to move the 500 lb rock far enough to continue my shade sail project.

Here’s a picture showing the results of my hard work. I now had the area clear for the sun shade sail post installation.

Installing the Sun Shade Sail Posts

With the location on the patio determined for our DIY shade sail, the rock moved, and the materials ready to go, I was finally able to start the process of installing the summer shade sail.

Digging the Shade Sail Post Holes

First, I started digging the support post holes.

I had a post hole digger already, but it was a little small for digging holes for a 6 x 6 post. It was really meant for 4×4 posts.

So I made it work by digging 4 holes adjacent to each other to make one larger hole for the sun shade sail posts.

For each post, I made a hole roughly 3’ deep by 1’ wide.

To help track my hole depth, I used a permanent marker and put depth measurements on the digger at 1 foot intervals (I don’t know why you would pay extra for a hole digger that came with depth measurements when you could just do it yourself).

It took a few hours and a lot of labor to dig both holes for the shade sail support posts, but I got it done.

The crow bar I used to move the rock helped out too. It was perfect for breaking any rocks or roots that I encountered.

Rain, Rain Go Away

With the holes dug, I thought it was time to start the concrete for the sun shade sail posts.

I actually had to wait a few days to start this task.

Rain was predicted for the next couple days, and I wanted at least a few days of hot sun to allow the concrete to dry properly.

So when the weather finally cleared up, I went outside to continue the sun shade sail project.

Unfortunately I forgot to cover one of the holes to keep rain water out, and so it was partially filled from a recent shower. It was not draining anywhere, so I had to pump it out.

I didn’t feel like wheeling out my large wet/dry shop vac for this. Then I went to the local habitat for humanity store to pick up something a gallon of paint Eileen saw earlier in the week, and I stumbled across a hand drill pump for $1.

I never knew about these pumps before. You hook it up to your cordless drill and it will suck liquids for you into one tube and out the other. So I hooked up my pump to my drill and in a few minutes, the hole was emptied of water.

It was so cool!

Preparing for the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

Next, I screwed in several galvanized lag bolts into the bottom of the posts to serve as anchors into the concrete.

Then I poured some paver base into the bottom of each hole to give the concrete and the shade sail posts a solid foundation to rest on.

I poured enough paver base for approximately 3” deep and packed it down tightly with a long scrap of 4 x 4 wood.

Here is one of the finished holes, with the gray paver base at the bottom:

Here’s a picture showing some of the lag bolts screwed in the posts for anchoring:

Afterwards, I dropped the shade sail posts into the holes. Then, I used several strips of scrap wood to serve as temporary supports for the posts.

I used a level during this process to make sure the sun shade sail posts stood perfectly straight.

With the posts resting in the holes, stationary with the temporary supports, I could mix and pour the concrete.

Mixing the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

I worked with concrete to erect our rebuilt mailbox last year, so I was confident in my concreting skills.

Instead of just 60 lbs of concrete used for that mailbox though, I’d be using 320 lbs (4 x 80 lb bags) for this.

I started with just 2 bags at a time in my wheelbarrow. I kept adding in more and more water with my hose, mixing each time with my square head shovel, until I got a slightly runny consistency that I liked.

Then, I made sure to give the concrete a thorough mixing. I didn’t want any unmixed powder pouring down the shade sail post holes and creating weak spots.

Here’s a picture of the concrete being mixed in the wheelbarrow (notice one of the wooden 6 x 6 posts in the background with the temporary support strips keeping it in place):

Pouring the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

After the concrete was mixed thoroughly to my satisfaction, I poured it into the first shade sail post hole.

It was a little tight to get the wheelbarrow tilted into the hole, so I shoveled the mixture into the hole, which actually gave me a more even fill.

When all the concrete was emptied, I repeatedly stuck the shovel into the concrete to make sure it was packed down well and to remove any air bubbles.

I repeated the whole process for the other post, and now both shade sail posts were resting in concrete.

Then, I gave the concrete 48 hours of dry time and then packed down any remaining post hole with dirt.

The shade sail posts were in there very firmly, with 160 lbs of concrete holding each support post in place.

I left the posts alone for another few days to work on some other projects. Even though 48 hours was the recommended dry time, a few extra days couldn’t hurt.

The shade sail posts were going to be subjected to large forces once the fabric was tensioned down, so I wanted to make sure the concrete was ready for that.

Here’s a picture of the two mounted poles. The shade sail installation was certainly moving along.

We were having our deck restained for the party (it had deteriorated to the point that bare wood was showing). So I asked our deck contractor to stain the shade sail posts as well to match. Next up, it was was time to install the shade sail.

DIY Shade Sails Installation

Now came the exciting moment. It was time to install the sun shade sail.

I could start installing the hanging hardware and secure the shade sail fabric.

The hanging hardware shade sail installation kit consisted of several stainless steel eye hook pads, carabiners and adjustable turnbuckles.

The eye hook pads were bolted to the wall studs on the house. I had previously purchased some heavy duty eye hook bolts for the 6 x 6 posts.

Looking back, I could have just used some more of the eye hook pads that came with the hanging hardware kit instead.

For tensioning the shade sail fabric, I used the adjustable turnbuckles. These turnbuckles provide two hooks on either end.

As you turn the middle adjustment piece, the hooks extend or retract, depending on the direction you turn. They are perfect for sun shade sails to get the correct tension for your fabric.

Here’s a picture of the hanging hardware on the 6 x 6 support post during the shade sail installation:

Here’s a picture of the hanging hardware for the shade sail installation on the house.

Notice that I had to use some carabiners to increase the length a little:

The turnbuckles were all tightened to roughly the same settings, and the shade sail fabric felt well tensioned.

Our DIY shade sail installation was now completed at this point, and we were very happy with the results.

It took me little over a week to complete the sun shade sails project.

Although most of the time was spent scratching my head over relocating the 500 lb rock, and waiting for the concrete to dry.

The shade sail installation project was completed for $150, just as I had estimated.

Here are some pictures of the completed summer shade sail on the patio:

Using the DIY Shade Sail

The shade sail works great and has been keeping our patio nice and cool. It was perfect at our party too.

I will note though that the effectiveness of the shade sail changes during the day as the angle of the sun changes.

It’s most effective when the sun is directly above.

Other times, the shade it casts is not always 100% over the covered area. It still provides a lot less sun than if we had nothing at all, but it’s not complete coverage.

During winter or heavy storms, we can easily take the sun shade sail fabric off. Then, we just store it until the warmer months.

Snowfall would be too much weight for the structure. And, extreme gusts of wind could put unnecessary stress on the supports.

Rain is not a problem though.

The shade sail fabric is made to allow rainwater to fall through and not pool at the top. They also make shade sails that are waterproof.

Overall, we have been so pleased with our new sun shade sail on the patio, despite the rocks and rain I was thrown during the DIY shade sail installation.

The shade sail provides much needed cover from the sun during the hot summer months. Additionally, we spent such a small amount of money compared to what an awning or screened porch would cost.

We highly recommend sun shade sails for the easy installation and great price.

If you are looking to get more shade on your patio for a budget or to cover a kids play area in a sunny yard location or even to give farm animals some shade, definitely check out sun shade sails.

I’m sure you’ll be impressed.

DIY Boxing Speed Bag Station That Stows

August 20, 2016 by Ash 15 Comments

For many years, I’ve been an avid amateur boxer, always looking to have a good sparring match in the ring with whomever is game.

Lately though, it had been hard to make time for the gym, so I wanted to do a lot of my training at home, where it’s more convenient.

I already had a cheap freestanding heavy bag (with the plastic base that you fill up with water – it was less than desirable but it gave me something to work with).

I also have a double ended bag (attached to a ceiling rafter in the basement and to a water filled base on the floor) and a slip bag (maize ball) that I mess around with as well.

Yet, what’s a good boxing workout without some rounds on the speed bag?

I had purchased a cheap speed bag platform many years ago and had it mounted in my previous home.

However, it never got much usage because it was secured to some wall studs that would literally shake things out of my kitchen cupboards on the other side of the wall.

Also, the house was very small and the noise carried everywhere.

Selecting a Speed Bag Location

After moving into our larger home, the question of where and how to mount my speed bag lingered in the back of my mind for a long time.

I really wanted it in the basement with my other boxing equipment, but the ceiling was really low. It would be awkward to hit the speed bag at that height.

Also, remembering back to cereal boxes falling out of the cupboards at my previous home, I was worried about the vibrations travelling up through the ceiling rafters and having repercussions upstairs.

I eventually decided on the garage as the ideal location.

The ceiling was very high, so I could set the speed bag to whatever height I wanted.

There was no second floor above the garage so no foreseeable issues with vibrations affecting things upstairs. Also, the garage insulated sound pretty well.

So as how many of my projects start, I did a lot of staring (at the garage ceiling for inspiration).

Finally it came to me. I would mount some type of contraption close to the center of the garage.

Even with both cars pulled into the garage, there was a center aisle that was open that would be perfect for speed bag workouts.

Determining a Design for the Speed Bag Platform

With the location selected, I had to be conscious of the clearance required for the speed bag platform.

The garage was a busy area for me as it was also my workshop. I did not want to have to keep dodging the speed bag every time I worked on a project in there.

So I thought hard about how I could make a system where the speed bag platform could easily stow away when not in use and be lowered when it was time for a work out.

After messing around in TinkerCAD for a few hours, I came up a design that eventually produced this awesome thing:

Building the Speed Bag Platform

I managed to build it entirely out of scrap wood.

It consists of an upper and lower piece. The top part is a fixed mount attached to the ceiling. The bottom part slides into the top part and allows the speed bag platform to raise or lower.

I used 4 heavy duty bolts, some washers, and some wingnuts to lock the platform into place when in the desired position.

Additionally, I opted for the wingnuts to make them easy to remove. This was rather than using regular nuts and having to use tools to raise/lower.

I also intentionally went a little heavy on the lower piece using some 4 x 4 wood. I wanted to make a solid rebound surface for the speed bag.

Starting with the Lower Piece

I started working on the lower piece first. I cut the 2 x 4s and 4 x 4s to length according to the TinkerCad diagram and connected them together using construction adhesive, 3” deck screws, 3.5” lag bolts and even some 6” TimberLok screws.

Here is the lower piece color coded with TinkerCAD to help explain the order of things:

I built the red part first using 2 pieces of 2 x 4s and 2 pieces of 4 x 4s.

This was followed by the green part (6 pieces of 2x4s).

I connected the green part to the red part using eight 3.5” lag bolts and washers.

Then the blue part (2 pieces of 4 x 4s) was connected to the red/green part using four 6” TimberLok screws.

Here’s a picture of how it all came together. You can probably tell that the 4 x 4s are pressure-treated due to the green tint, but you can’t always pick and choose with scrap wood:

Working on the Upper Piece

The upper part of the contraption is a little simpler.

Made entirely out of 2 x 4s, here is the completed version of it:

The two long 2 x 4s at the top will rest against the ceiling when mounted.

The two dangling vertical pieces serve as guides to facilitate raising/lowering the platform.

They will also have holes that align with holes on the bottom platform. This allows for bolts to lock the two pieces into place.

I used eight 3.5” lag bolts and washers to secure the vertical supports to the long ceiling 2 x 4s.

The upper and lower pieces were now completed.

Here is that they looked like combined (in the contracted/raised position):

Here is what they look like in the expanded/lowered position:

To keep the two pieces in the raised and lowered position, I drilled matching holes (on the four vertical 2 x 4s) in both positions to allow four heavy duty bolts to pass through.

To prevent the lower piece from falling out of the upper piece during a transition period (when all bolts have been removed and I’m raising or lowering the platform), I planned on screwing on two heavy gauge metal plates on the upper piece to catch the lower platform.

Mounting the Top Piece

So to mount the contraption, I had to secure the upper part to the ceiling rafters.

In an effort to reduce damage to the drywall ceiling from vibration (and dampen noise as well), I used ½” thick neoprene rubber sheets in between the 2 x 4s and the ceiling.

I purchased an 8 x 8 square of the rubber and cut it into four 4 x 4 smaller squares.

I drilled a small hole in the middle of each square for the fastener to pass through and placed the sheets in between the ceiling and the 2 x 4s.

For the actual fasteners, I opted to use four 6” TimberLok screws to connect everything to the ceiling rafters.

Here’s a picture of the mount (you can see the neoprene rubber sheets in between the ceiling and the 2 x 4s):

Inserting the Lower Piece

With the upper part mounted very securely to the ceiling, it was now time to insert the lower part.

I placed it into the raised position (highest it could go vertically) and temporarily held it in place with just two bolts.

This was when I screwed on the two metal plates at the bottom to prevent the lower piece from falling out of the upper piece.

Here is a picture showing how the metal plates were installed (you can also see some of the wingnuts from the removable bolts used to re-position the speed bag):

Attaching the Speed Bag

Now that my contraption was mounted securely to the ceiling, it was time to attach the actual speed bag platform.

I just used some lag bolts to secure it.

Here’s a picture from above showing the platform bolted on:

You’ll notice from the picture above that I had to notch the corners of the 4 x 4s. This was so they didn’t protrude beyond the edge of the circular speed bag platform.

Also, the empty square space in the center of the mounting base was intentional.

It allows the speed bag swivel bolts to pass through. It’s also an excellent storage pocket for the removable bolts.

When the speed bag mount is stowed away in the raised position, I don’t need all four bolts in place. So, I just secure two of them and the remaining two get placed in this center square pocket.

Here’s a close-up showing the swivel bolts passing into the empty square hole:

Testing the Speed Bag Station

My garage speed bag project was completed, and I was very satisfied with the results.

I did do some acoustic testing to verify the effectiveness of the neoprene rubber dampeners. I setup my phone to record audio from several key areas of the house and worked the bag as hard and loud as I could.

When I played back the recordings, I could not hear the bag at all. So I was confident that I could now work out whenever I wanted to, and not disturb anyone.

Time and Cost

This project was completed over the weekend for under $40.

I kept the cost really low by using all scrap wood.

My only expenses were the rubber dampeners and some of the fasteners. I already had a speed bag platform and bag, so those cut down costs too.

My platform is really cheap though (I believe I got it at Sears many years ago for $30).

I would like to replace it at some point with a solid piece of wood.

If you get a similar platform, at least get a decent bag (FYI smaller bag=faster rebounds, larger bag=slower rebounds) and a good swivel hook (not the plastic ball-bearing hook that a lot of cheap platforms come with).

Also, I use sandbags (via a heavy duty training weight bag) on top of the platform to add more solidity to the bag rebounds. It reduces a lot of vibrations as well.

Here’s a picture of me working out on the bag:

Finally, here’s a video of the speed bag in action:

Easy, Free Photo Booth App for Parties

July 31, 2016 by Ash 6 Comments

Eileen always throws awesome parties, thinking of every little detail, from the decorations to the games to the desserts.

Yet, once in a while, she enlists a little from from me.

She was looking to create a do-it-your-self photo booth for a small backyard party. She had a backdrop and props planned and was looking for me to help her find a software program that would run on her laptop.

To my dismay, I could not find any simple to use programs out there. Most of them you had to pay for, and the free ones were terrible.

What seemed like a simple task was turning out to be quite problematic.

Making the Photo Booth App

So, I decided to just write my own photo booth software. By the end of the day, I churned out an app I dubbed Easy Photo Booth. Eileen was totally impressed, and we’ve been using the app at parties ever since.

Eileen likes to print out the filmstrips and include them with the thank you notes. Guests seem to love that 🙂

How the Photo Booth App Works

My version was as simple and straightforward as they come.

Setting Up Easy Photo Booth

In front of the backdrop and props that Eileen set up, I placed a laptop (with a web camera) on a small table.

The guests would then see themselves on the laptop screen. Easy instructions on how to proceed popped up.

I even setup the software to save the film strip images to DropBox.

This allowed me to run a slideshow on the large family room TV of a live photo stream from the photo booth (via a second laptop I had plugged into the TV).

This way, other guests not taking pictures got to partake in the photo booth fun.

My photo booth software was a huge hit.

It’s now a staple event at our parties, and even our friends/families have started using it for some of their events. So I wanted to make the software easily available for everyone for free.

Download the Free App

You can download a PC version of “easy photo booth” software below.

I’m sorry, I don’t have a MacOS version of it, but I can port it over to Mac if I get a lot of requests for it.

Using the Photo Booth App

I made the photo booth app as simple and user-friendly as possible. And it has been working out perfectly!

To get an idea, here’s a screenshot of the program in action. There are simple options – such as Start Photo Booth, View Images, or Advanced mode, which provides more advanced options for the DIY photo booth app.

Using Easy Photo Booth - Easy, Free Photo Booth App for Parties

Easy Photo Booth also offers an advanced mode if you want to fine tune the functionality:

Using Easy Photo Booth, a free app for photo booths

Here’s what the software shows the guests after taking their pictures:

Easy, Free Photo Booth App for Parties Film strip images like the picture above are generated from the software. It also saves the images individually in case you wanted to use a snapshot outside of the film strip.

I also added an “overlay” feature, which superimposes foregrounds onto your images. Check it out in action below (I’m hiding behind some tree coverage):

Easy, Free Photo Booth App for Parties

So if you’re looking for free and easy to use photo booth software for your party, you should definitely check out our photo booth app – Easy Photo Booth. Download it using the link above 🙂

A Wagon for the Riding Mower

July 30, 2016 by Ash 45 Comments

Ever since I got a riding lawn mower, I’ve been waiting for the chance to do something really cool with it (other than cut the lawn, of course).

We had recently went to a farm to go strawberry picking, and they shuttled us to the field in a hayride. I joked to Eileen that I should build our own hayride to pull the family around the backyard.

But then I got thinking how useful a DIY wagon cart would be.

So, as many great inventions once started with a mere joke, so did my next project. I was going to build my own lawn tractor cart. The following tutorial will show you exactly how to make a wagon too.

Planning the DIY Utility Wagon

I was really excited for my wagon project. Aside from the original purpose of a wagon ride around the yard, it could really help me save time in many other tasks (particularly when refuse pickup day comes, and I had to haul 10 heavy bags of grass clippings to the curb).

I looked at many commercial lawn mower wagons, trailers, and utility carts in the past, so I had a pretty good idea of how to make a wagon.

In the past, I had once considered buying a wagon utility cart, but never got around to it because of the cost and small sizes they came in. If you’re wondering how to make a wagon, keep reading for all of the steps – they’re very simple.

The actual construction of the DIY wagon was not going to be that hard. It was just a platform with a fence.

Since the DIY wagon was completely custom-made, the wheel system needed to be built from scratch. I had a rough idea of what that entailed. But I still how to figure out exactly how to to make an axle for the wagon.

Wheels would need to be mounted to an axle, which would be mounted to the base of the wagon.

Even though I knew this, I still had lots of questions, such as what would prevent the wheels from sliding off the axle, or the axle from flying off the wagon?

How to Make a Wagon

I did a lot of research on wheels, axles, and bearings and gained some exceptional knowledge on wheeled machines. I made my list of materials and started construction.

How to Make an Axle for a Wagon

In learning how to make an axle for a cart, the following steps will show you the materials you need and how to put the wagon axle together. First, each axle consisted of some pillow blocks, washers, shaft collars, end caps, and wheels.

Materials for Building the Wagon Axle

My homemade wagon axle system would be comprised of the following:

4 pneumatic tires
4 locking pillow blocks (explained below)
2 axle rods
4 locking shaft collars
4 axle rod plastic caps
a number of spacing washers

Pillow Blocks for Building the Wagon Axle

A pillow block is a support pedestal used to mount a spinning axle to a flat surface. It contains a bearing that lets the axle spin independently of the mount.

The ‘locking’ feature of the pillow block is just a screw that you tighten that prevents the axle from sliding out of the bearing.

The pillow block housing comes with attachment holes to let you bolt it onto a surface (in my case, the underside of the wagon).

Here’s a picture of one of the pillow blocks I used (The bearing on top fits into the blue housing below, and the axle rod slides into the bearing):

Spacing Washers for Building the Wagon Axle

In learning how to make a wagon, it’s essential to understand how the wheel parts go together.

First, the two locking pillow blocks are secured to the wagon. Then the axle is inserted into the pillow blocks and locked into place with the block screws.

Before the wheels can be put on the axle, some spacing washers need to go on first.

It’s generally a good idea anyway to use washers to separate spinning parts, but I needed them specifically to enforce a minimum distance between the pillow blocks and the wheels.

If I didn’t put a small distance between the two, then the pillow block mounting bolts would be too close to the edge of the wagon, and risk splintering the wood, or worse, ripping right out the side during usage.

Wheels, More Spacing Washers, and Shaft Collars for the DIY Wagon

So after the spacing washers were put on, the wheel comes on.

After the wheel comes another spacing washer, and then a locking shaft collar.

This is essentially a fat ring that you slide onto the axle rod and becomes immovable once you tighten a screw on it. It’s a lot like the locking mechanism on the pillow block.

The shaft collar is the key part needed to prevent the wheel from sliding off the axle.

Shaft collars come in a variety of flavors. I chose to go with a 2 piece clamping collar. This type of collar comes with two half circles that screw together to form a ring.

I chose this type because compared to other types of shaft collars, it provided a larger amount of force to the axle to prevent it from moving.

Here’s a picture of the shaft collar I used:

End Caps for Building the Wagon Axle

Finally, after the shaft collar comes the axle rod plastic cap. This is just a cap that you hammer onto the edge of the axle. However, it really has 3 purposes.

First, the axle rod has some sharp edges on both ends, so I didn’t want it digging into things and doing damage.

Second, it provides an additional layer of locking protection to prevent the wheel from sliding off. Albeit the locking shaft collar will do its job just fine, but it never hurts to have something extra to re-enforce it.

Finally, it finishes off the wheel setup giving it a nice aesthetic look.

I did a lot of shopping around online and found the best prices to come from Zoro.com and Amazon.

Also, I got some great deals on Amazon for 10” pneumatic tires and some ⅝” bore pillow blocks.

The rest of the parts came from Zoro. Additionally, I made sure that all the parts fit on the axle size I was using, which was ⅝”

Here is a picture of the assembled wheel structure (see what a nice finishing touch the end plastic caps give):

Here’s a close-up of the pillow block and the spacing washers:

How to Make a Wagon Chassis

With the wheels for the lawn mower trailer completed, I could focus now on the wagon platform.

This step of the DIY wagon was going to be a piece of cake.

Chassis Materials

The lawn mower trailer wheels were going to be mounted on 1 ft blocks of 4 x 4s. Those blocks would be attached to a rectangular frame made of 4 x 4s.

I planned on using pressure-treated wood for these foundational 4 x 4s. They were going to be underneath the DIY wagon and exposed more to insects.

Any structural damage to the foundation would be catastrophic so pressure-treated wood seemed a necessity.

However, knowing that people would be riding in the wagon at some point, I didn’t want them in close proximity to the chemicals used in PT wood, so the DIY wagon floor and above would be regular wood.

Also, I did plan on using deck stain on the lawn mower trailer to protect it from water and weathering.

On top of the frame would be some 2 x 8 planks for the floor of the wagon.

Attached to the perimeter of the wagon would be a fence made of 2 x 4s.

Finally, the rear of the wagon would have a swinging gate to allow easy access into the wagon.

Here’s my TinkerCad design of the vision I had in mind:

Chassis Design

In building your own lawn mower cart, the rectangular frame underneath the DIY wagon needs to be strong, as it will comprise a majority of the foundation.

So I used half lap joints to secure the corners of the frame (see my mailbox post where I used a center lap joint).

I made repeated cuts with my circular saw to get rough cut of the joints.

Then I used my chisel and hammer to clean up the cut, and smoothed it down with a sander.

Here’s a picture of a half lap joint in the process of being made (for efficiency and consistency, I clamped two 4 x 4s side-by-side to get 2 joints cut at the same time):

Here’s a picture of the lap joints completed, and the rectangular frame is ready to come together on the DIY utility cart:

To connect the joints securely on the DIY wagon, I used wood glue and lag bolts.

I also wanted the lag bolt heads flush with the surface of frame, so I used a Forstner bit to carve out smooth holes to countersink the bolts.

Here’s a picture of the completed frame bolted together with glue:

Forstner bits are awesome. I just added them to my tool collection and have been using them in a lot of recent projects.

Here’s a close up the holes they made for the bolts:

To complete the foundation, I attached the 1 ft blocks that the wheel axles would be fastened to.

They needed to be firmly attached, so I used wood glue and two 6” bolts to make a strong connection.

Here’s a picture of one of them:

Making the Wagon Floor

Next up was the floor of the lawn mower trailer. I used 2 pieces of 2 x 8s for the center, and 2 pieces of 2 x 10s for the ends.

I attached them to the 4 x 4 frame with some countersunk deck screws.

Here’s a picture of attached floor while building the wagon:

Attaching the Wheel Axles

In learning how to make a wagon, the moment of truth came.

It was time to attach the wheel axles to the frame of the DIY wagon. I bolted the pillow blocks tightly and flipped the frame over.

Would the frame roll smoothly… (drum roll please).

Yes it did!

Here’s a picture of the attached wheels and frame on the lawn mower trailer:

Here’s an underneath close-up of a pillow block mounting to the frame:

I could stop right now and have a gigantic skateboard, but the fun was only beginning. It was time to build the wagon fence and gate.

Building the Fence and Gate on the Lawn Mower Trailer

This part of the DIY wagon project was really easy.

I just cut a number of 2 x 4s. Some were attached to the 4 x 4 foundation frame to serve as posts, and the rest were used as cross pieces screwed into the posts.

For the swinging gate on the homemade wagon, I used some 1 x 3 wood leftover from a previous project.

I made the wagon’s rectangular gate frame with some pocket holes using my trusty Kreg pocket hole jig, and some wood glue.

Here’s a picture of the wagon gate in progress:

Here’s a picture of the DIY wagon with the finished fence and gate (it looks great, doesn’t it?):

Attaching the Hitch to the Lawn Mower Trailer

Prior to starting work on the utility cart, I had done some research on how to actually connect it to the mower.

I found a contraption that let me attach a 2” diameter hitch ball to the back of the mower.

They’re called universal garden tractor hitches.

I also found an adjustable tow bar that would bolt onto a sturdy metal vehicle bumper (like some Jeeps). This would be perfect for my wagon.

I could bolt the connection to my DIY wagon, and attach the other end to the hitch ball on the mower. In theory it sounded good, so I hoped it worked in practice.

Here’s a picture of the hitch and tow bar linking the utility cart to the riding lawn mower (the tow bar can be easily detached on either end when not in use):

Now it was time to test the riding lawn mower and the DIY wagon together. I started up the riding mower and slowly let the brake go.

It started pulling the DIY trailer without hesitation!

I was worried the engine would struggle, but it did not. I did a few laps around the yard and my lawn mower was pulling the DIY trailer perfectly.

The First Ride on the DIY Wagon

Now, I just needed a test subject.

After all, what’s the fun in pulling around an empty wagon?

Eileen was on the phone, and I was anxious to try out the DIY wagon with someone. Then I looked at the house and who did I see looking out at me but my dog Zeus.

Perfect timing!

Here’s a picture of me testing out the lawn mower trailer with my first test subject:

I later applied some deck stain to the non-pressure treated wood, and the utility cart was completed.

Since learning how to build a wagon, I’ve given many rides in the backyard. I’ve also hauled many bags of refuse to the curb in minutes with this DIY wagon, saving a lot of time.

It does take a few minutes to hook up the wagon to the mower though. So I don’t always use it attached.

Although, it works just fine as a stand alone utility wagon when I don’t feel like hooking up the hitch.

Now for some pictures of the DIY wagon hard at work.

This was was taken when I needed to move a lot of equipment into my storage shed from the garage.

What would have normally taken me several trips, took just one with the utility trailer:

Here is the DIY wagon hauling 10 bags of refuse to the curb.

I used to use my wheelbarrow, but that would only hold 2 bags at a time. It pales in comparison to the wagon:

Finally, here’s a glamour shot of the cart functioning as it was intended: as a riding lawn mower tractor trailer.

Time and Cost

The total cost of my DIY wagon project was around $120. It was one of my most fun projects to date, and best of all, it was completed in just a weekend.

If you are looking for some help with the yardwork or a fun fall ride, follow this tutorial on how to make a wagon that functions as a utility cart, wagon, or trailer, and you’ll be up in running in no time!

Constructing a Folding Workbench with Storage

July 18, 2016 by Ash 60 Comments

Digging through my scrap wood collection, I came across some pieces of pegboard from our previous home that I had forgotten about.

I had just relocated a lot of garden tools to the shed, and there was an empty wall in the garage that would now be perfect for the pegboard.

After mounting the pegboard and hanging up some tools, the wall still looked a little empty. I had a vision of mounting a heavy duty folding workbench to the wall.

This was the perfect location, and if the workbench folded, we could still fit the car in the garage.

Moreover, I was also in desperate need of a good workbench. I had been using the driveway and garage floor for all my projects.

The lack of a completely flat and level surface made projects more difficult. So I embarked on this bucket list project of building my own folding workbench.

Building a DIY Workbench that Folds When Not in Use

Installing the Pegboard in the Garage

First off, the pegboard needed to be installed. I had to create a slight gap between the wall and the board to allow the hooks to be inserted.

I used some scrap 1 x 3 wood left over from a prior project to create the gap.

Using my table saw, I cut the wood in half lengthwise to make 1 x 1.5 strips and screwed them to the studs behind the drywall.

Here’s a picture of the wall showing the mounted strips:

Then I hoisted up each 2 x 8 pegboard sheet and screwed them into the wood strips, using washers to secure the board. It all just seemed too simple, and I needed more of a challenge.

After, I hoisted up each 2 x 8 pegboard sheet and screwed them into the wood strips, using washers to secure the board. It all just seemed too simple, and I needed more of a challenge.

I then remembered some French cleat shelves I recently built in between the two garage doors (post to come soon!). They were portable shelves that could be removed from the wall by simply lifting. At the same time, they were very sturdily mounted.

So I quickly made 4 shallow box shelves and rigged up a French cleat system for them.

Here’s a picture of the shelves, along with the pegboard and my fancy tool collection:

Creating the Folding Workbench Design

With the pegboard and shelves installed, I could start on the DIY folding workbench.

To come up with the design, I first did a lot of research on existing workbenches, especially folding ones.

I was initially considering one that folded up to cover the pegboard when not in use. A nice feature of that design was that it left below the pegboard intact. So, I could make use of the space for shelving in the future.

I ended up ditching that idea because it would hinder my ability to get tools off the pegboard when the table was folded up.

The extra space below the pegboard was not worth that inconvenience.

Thus, I decided my workbench would fold downwards.

Many fold-down tables I came across had built in legs at the front that swung down. I wanted to make my table free of legs to give a more roomy feel, and also allow easy access to the floor when the table was down.

Sweeping up a sawdust covered floor is a lot easier with no table legs in the way. So finally, all my research culminated into a custom design, which I created in TinkerCad.

Here are the TinkerCAD diagrams of the table in the up and down position:

As you can see in the diagrams of the DIY folding workbench, I planned to have the table supported with 3 wall mounted legs.

Each leg would rest on hinges, allowing them to swing inwards and lay flat against the wall. With the legs folded in, the tabletop (also resting on hinges) would fold downwards to lay on top of the legs.

I really liked this floating workbench design and was eager to start work on it.

Constructing the DIY Folding Workbench

The workbench construction consisted of 3 main parts – tabletop, legs, and wall mounts. Once completed, I would need to secure the pieces to each other with hinges.

So first I started with the tabletop.

Building the Workbench Tabletop

For the DIY floating workbench tabletop, I opted to use several planks of 2 x 8 and 2 x 4 wood for the top, much like a picnic table. I liked the look because it blended in well with my existing garage shelves (including a sliding shelf behemoth I made a few months ago).

To assemble them together, I used a number of techniques.

First I drilled 10 pocket holes along the length of each board. I used the Kreg Pocket Hole jig to precisely drill all the holes.

Then I applied construction adhesive to sides of the planks, clamped them together tightly and fastened them to each other with 2.5″ pocket hole screws.

Wood Clamp Tip

If you’re really getting into some wood working projects lately and don’t already have a variety of wood clamps, I would strongly recommend getting some. For years, I never had the need for any.

Then about a year ago, I had to borrow a neighbor’s 3ft bar clamp to help hold some warped wood in place while I drilled it down. I was hooked ever since.

Now I’ve accumulated a host of clamps ranging from 3″ C clamps to 3ft bar clamps. For the bar clamps, I always try to get them in pairs because many clamping scenarios are better with multiple pressure points.

A lot of bar clamps also convert to spreaders, which let you “spread” a certain distance between two pieces of wood (never thought I’d use that feature, but trust me, you’ll run into a scenario where you’ll want to pry apart two pieces of wood).

I’ve also got a few 90 degree clamps, which are a godsend for building bookshelves (or any other scenario where you need to secure two pieces of wood perpendicular to each other).

I even use an awesome Kreg face clamp to keep two pieces of wood perfectly flush for joining (also use it for the pocket hole jig to keep it in place as well).

Alright, enough rambling about wood clamps.

Finally, I ran 3 perpendicular 2 x 4 supports underneath the tabletop for additional strength. These supports also serve as stops for the swinging legs, so the spacing of them was actually determined by the positions of the legs on the wall.

Here are pictures of the top and bottom of the DIY folding workbench’s completed tabletop:

The floating workbench’s tabletop was very heavy but sturdy. The surface and edges were a little rough, so I planned to sand it down in the end and then route the edges with a rounding over bit.

Constructing the Workbench Legs

Each leg consisted of 2 pieces of 2 x 10 planks, cut to 27” in length. I secured the planks to each other, similar to the table top (with pocket holes and wood glue).

I did notch the corner of each leg structure with a 45 degree cut for a nice angled design. This would give me more leg room, and also eliminate a pointed edge to get snagged on.

Here’s a picture of one of the legs being worked on. The DIY folding workbench was already becoming very handy, even just resting on some sawhorses:

The next task was to bolt 2 x 4 mounts into the wall studs. I used 3.5” lag bolts for the fasteners, and made sure they were perfectly level.

I completed the mounts:

For the horizontal 2×4 (that the table top will hinge to) that connects to each vertical support, I used 5 fasteners to secure it.

I used 3 lag bolts to attach to each vertical support and two 6″ TimberLok screws in between the vertical supports to attach it directly to two additional wall studs.

For the lag bolts, it was essential that they were flush with the surface of the wood.

Up until recently, countersinking lag bolts was not a clean and easy task for me.

This was until I bought a set of Forstner bits that made the task a breeze. Unlike regular drill bits, Forstner bits are specially made to cut flat bottom holes to precise depths.

Here is a picture of one of the bolts up close countersunk with a Forstner bit (note the gap around the bolt head to allow room for the socket spanner):

Finally, with the 3 main project segments completed (table top, legs, mounts), I could start attaching them to each other with hinges.

Prior to a Home Depot trip for all the lumber, I stopped by the local Habitat for Humanity Restore. I was in luck because I picked up 12 used door hinges for a mere $3. Home Depot was selling a pack of brand new ones for $23.

I highly recommend the Habitat stores if you happen to live near to one. They can sometimes yield big savings for your DIY projects.

Attaching the Workbench Hinges

Attaching the hinges went on fairly easily. I used three of the regular door hinges for each leg. Then, I used 3 heavy duty hinges for the table top.

Here’s a picture of the workbench legs mounted with some hinges. Once again, I used a level to ensure accurate alignments:

I positioned the table in place, and attached it to the wall mounts with the 3 heavy duty hinges.

I used two types of fasteners for the hinges. For the wall mount connection, I used four 1/4″ lag bolts per hinge.

For the table top connection, I used Simpson 1.5″ structural screws (these screws are amazing for all sorts of projects due to their anchoring strength, so I always have some on hand in the garage).

To prevent the doors from accidentally swinging shut while the table was down, I attached a small bolt lock on each leg to lock them into place.

Here’s a picture of one of the heavy duty hinges used to fasten the table top to the wall mounts:

Here is the bolt lock in action to secure the swinging legs.

Note the rectangular notch I had to make on two of the legs to account for the heavy duty table top hinge when folded inwards:

Final Touches on the DIY Folding Workbench

The floating workbench was practically complete at this point. The tabletop just needed a good sanding, and the edges needed a nice routed cut.

I used a 3/8″ radius round over edging bit with my plunge router.

Here’s a picture of the tabletop corner once routed (looks very professional, doesn’t it?):

Finally, I finished the DIY wall-mounted, folding workbench. Confident in its strength, Eileen and I both sat on it to prove that it was a sturdy design. The table did not even budge.

Eileen has plans to paint the garage walls. She found two gallons of high-quality blue paint at the Restore. And, she has an idea to make the pegboard look nicer too. Stay tuned for an updated picture!

Lumber and materials costed around $150. I completed the entire project over the weekend.

Overall, the DIY folding workbench was a much needed addition to my garage workshop. I will be using it a lot in the very near future.

We are already enjoying how much space the floating workbench saves. We love that we didn’t compromise any of our garage space while also finally having a place to work.

If you are in need of a workbench or are looking for a folding solution, this DIY folding workbench is completely do-able and you will love the results.

Skip links

Main navigation

Ash

How to Make DIY Picture Frame Ledges

Our New DIY Picture Frame Ledge

Planning for Extra Pantry Storage

Using an Endoscope Camera

Determining How to Use the Space

Installing the CD Tower

Preparing the CD Tower

Cutting into the Drywall

Affixing the Shelf

Applying the Trim

Finishing Touches

​7. Oscillating Multi-Tool

​11. Power planer

Final Notes

Used tools?

A Hidden Gem

Planning the Garage Storage Boxes

Building the French Cleat Storage Boxes

Constructing the First Garage Storage Box

Finishing Nail Gun for the Win

Sidenote on Nail Guns

What’s the best nail gun for a DIYer?

Finishing Up the Boxes

Get More Garage Storage with These Ideas

A Lot of Storage for a Little Effort

1. Photo Booth Backdrop

2. DIY Photo Booth Props

3. Easy Photo Booth App

4. Laptop (with a web cam)

Using the Photo Booth App

Planning the Sun Shade Sail

DIY Shade Sail Installation Materials and Cost

Preparing the Shade Sail Materials

Determining the Location for the Shade Sail

An Uphill Battle with a Rock

Getting Closer…

Installing the Sun Shade Sail Posts

Digging the Shade Sail Post Holes

Rain, Rain Go Away

Preparing for the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

Mixing the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

Pouring the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

DIY Shade Sails Installation

Using the DIY Shade Sail

Selecting a Speed Bag Location

Determining a Design for the Speed Bag Platform

Building the Speed Bag Platform

Starting with the Lower Piece

Working on the Upper Piece

Mounting the Top Piece

Inserting the Lower Piece

Attaching the Speed Bag

Testing the Speed Bag Station

Time and Cost

Making the Photo Booth App

How the Photo Booth App Works

Setting Up Easy Photo Booth

Download the Free App

Using the Photo Booth App

Planning the DIY Utility Wagon

How to Make a Wagon

How to Make an Axle for a Wagon

Materials for Building the Wagon Axle

Pillow Blocks for Building the Wagon Axle

Spacing Washers for Building the Wagon Axle

Wheels, More Spacing Washers, and Shaft Collars for the DIY Wagon

End Caps for Building the Wagon Axle

How to Make a Wagon Chassis

Chassis Materials

Chassis Design

Making the Wagon Floor

Attaching the Wheel Axles

Building the Fence and Gate on the Lawn Mower Trailer

Attaching the Hitch to the Lawn Mower Trailer

The First Ride on the DIY Wagon

Time and Cost

Installing the Pegboard in the Garage

7. Oscillating Multi-Tool

11. Power planer