Hand carved red cedar residential sign

It's been awhile since I last posted, but I finally finished a carved residential sign I've been working on in my spare time.
It's made from an 8 x 17" (20 x 44 cm) piece of red cedar, and painted with 1 Shot enamel paint.

Simple knock down stool made from plywood

I have use for a couple of extra stools occasionally, so I recently drew this slotted (flatpack) stool in Sketchup.

I designed it so that two complete 48 cm tall stools will fit into a 90 x 180 cm (3 x 6') piece of 12 mm (7/16") plywood. It could easily be cut with a laser, or a CNC router.
I posted a tutorial of this stool on Instructables.com and it was featured on the top page of the Workshop (Flatpack) category, then also on the front page of the web site (March 2012).
You can order the plans for this stool online via my Ponoko.com showroom, then have them cut it for you, or cut it on your own CNC router.

48 cm slotted stool made from plywood

Completed flat pack stool

Recyling a cardboard box into a table

In addition to working with wood, I have also made a few creations from old cardboard boxes.

I had a fairly large box that an office chair came in, so rather than tossing it out, I recycled it into a small table for the kids' playroom. No glue is used (other than to double-up the flat pieces), and the three pieces all fit tightly into slots and recesses so it can be taken apart easily.
I posted a tutorial of this cardboard table on Instructables.com and it was featured on the top page of the Workshop (Flatpack) category, then also on the front page of the web site (Feb. 16, 2012).

Small table (45 cm H x 60 cm L) made from one large box

Another creation I made from a cardboard box is this pencil crayon holder.

It was made from a box from an electric fan I think. The compartments are all slotted halfway so they interlock, then they were glued along the back and side edges.

Pencil crayon box 26W x 18D x 31H cm

Recycling a bread knife

I have had this bread knife for about 20 years and it still has a sharp blade.

The handle was falling apart, so I made a new one from a scrap piece of wood, and some copper wire. I posted a tutorial of this design on Instructables.com and it was featured on the top page of the Workshop (Repair) category, then also on the front page of the web site (Jan. 30, 2011).
 

The bread knife before and after. With a new handle, and some polish it looks like new.

Easy shoehorn made from bamboo

Today I made this simple shoehorn from a piece of bamboo I had lying around.
I made it in the shape of a stylized sword, similar to those made of foam rubber used in a children's play fighting sport called "chanbara" here in Japan. 

5 cm diameter section of bamboo

Bamboo is split with a knife, the thinner piece on the bottom was used

After shaping with a Dremel tool and sanding, this is the final result.

I posted a tutorial of this design on Instructables.com and it was featured on the top page of the Living category, (Jan. 11, 2011), and it was featured on the front page of the web site on Jan. 14, 2011.
For detailed instructions, check out the tutorial at the link above.

Bear chairs and table for children

This bear shaped chair and table set was roughly based on something similar I saw in a Japanese furniture magazine.

The chairs and table are made from lauan, a soft wood from the Philippines usually used for shelving and door frames etc. No screws or nails were used, just dowels and glue.

Bear chair and table set, table is 37 cm high, chairs are 45 cm high, wood is 2 cm thick.

The lauan (also known as Philippine mahogany) wood used in Japan is quite soft and easy to cut, but it can split easily. Unfortunately I made these pieces with the grain running horizontally - big mistake. They split easily when kids throw them around. I learned that you have to construct anything like this with the grain running vertically to maintain strength.
I posted a tutorial of this design on Instructables.com and it was featured on the top page of the Workshop (Flatpack) category, then also on the front page of the web site (Feb. 10, 2011).

Hand carved Japanese house name plate

Almost all Japanese houses have a name plate posted outside the front door, or on a wall/fence at the front gate. Japanese last names usually consist of from one to three kanji  letters (Chinese characters). Most name plates are made from stone, ceramic tile, or metal as they last longer. Wood is used occasionally, but it will eventually weather if not looked after.

I carved this sign for someone named Saito (read from the top to bottom).

"Saito" name plate, hand carved from katsura wood - 8 x 15 cm

A few hand routed signs I have carved

These are a few signs that I have carved using either a router/trimmer, or a Dremel tool with a router attachment.

This sign was routed first, then the scalloped background was added with a round chisel - 16 x 50 cm.

Lettering was routed, and the black border was added with a large round chisel.

Same as above, both signs are 26 x 100 cm - for a Japanese ski resort.

Flat carved areas were routed, and "Makoto's" was carved with a chisel - 30 x 30 cm.

Hand carved wooden sign (v-incised)

This is a hand carved sign I made for a friend. It is carved from  katsura (桂), Japanese Judas tree wood, a popular wood used for relief carving in Japan.

Below is the completed sign after painting the letters (enamel), and several coats of external varnish (for exterior signs I would recommend using enamel based paints to cover the surface of the sign as well, as varnish will eventually fade and peel). The outside border was edged with a router.

11 x 22 cm hand carved sign using only chisels with a v-incised method.

Wooden signs that look old (weathered)

These are a couple of signs I made recently with a retro theme.

They are made from weathered cedar planks, and after painting I "antiqued" them by scraping, chipping, and sanding so they look old and weathered.

12.5 x 34 cm sign after being aged artificially (matte acrylic paint on cedar, painted border)

13 x 26 cm sign after weathering (matte acrylic paint on cedar, routed border)

I made the sign  below several years ago from an old apple crate that had been outside and naturally weathered. The frame is also made from the same wood.

18 x 42 cm sign made from naturally weathered wood