Personal Projects & Interests is my sandbox for life outside the office—where spreadsheets, sensors, and code tackle real-world chores and passions. Here you’ll see data models guiding gear buys, DIY automations that make the house (and gate) smarter, endurance training logged like an experiment, and reflections that tie it all together.
In building out my workshop, I was tired of setting up sawhorses the garage and realized that I needed to better use the floor space of my shop. Setting up a 4×8 workbench is a right of passage for the aspiring maker. They are quick to make and super useful. Most of them are pretty […] read more
So I need a clamp, specifically a corner clamp jig. Google finds this: And I was inspired by this fireball tool mega square but they are $190.00 for a 12 inch. Yes, made of cast iron, but I was curious if I could make this myself. For one, a MDF clamp would be just as […] read more
With all the isolation ahead with Covid19, I wanted to pick up my long neglected hobby of building things. Initial Design I recently purchased the shapeoko 3 XXL CNC and needed a workbench in my garage to support it. Requirements: Super strong and sturdy Big enough for Shapeoko (45”W x 40-1/2”L x 16”H) Fast to […] read more
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As we renovate our house, we are living in a much smaller place with a really small kitchen. When we got a Linea Mini and a Eureka Zenith 65E High Speed Espresso Grinder for Christmas, we needed a good spot and I designed a set of shelves to fit in our kitchen alcove and dramatically […] read more
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Around 1710, the English theologian Thomas Woolston wrote that Christianity would be extinct by the year 1900. In 1822, Thomas Jefferson predicted there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian. While these predictions didn’t pan out, we live in a world that neither of them […] read more
This post is about how to use design tools to save time and build nice stuff at home using computer controlled machines (CNC). In addition to describing my design process, I’ve also included the helpful references I found along the way. Our old thermostat was too small for our wall. I could have replaced the […] read more
Framing around bulkheads is painful. It is hard to get everything straight and aligned. I found the Shopbot to be very helpful. There are three problems I was trying to solve: (1) Getting multiple corners straight across 30 feet, (2) nearly no time and (3) basic pine wood framing would sag over a 28″ run. […] read more
My daughter had to make a “probability game” for her fifth grade math class. She has been learning javascript and digital design so we worked together to design and build a roulette wheel for her class. First, she drew out a series of sketches and we talked it over. She wanted a 0.5 inch thick […] read more