A maker's portfolio
Small projects, honest tools, and the odd note about what worked and what I would do differently next time.
A running list of what has been on the bench lately. Each entry is one short paragraph and a few tags.
A stackable crate for the garage, joined with simple finger joints and finished with a soft wax. The first attempt split, so I drilled pilot holes the second time.
A small lamp that clamps to the edge of the bench. The shade is a folded sheet of brass; the arm is one piece of walnut bent slowly over a form.
Three planters poured in cardboard moulds and left to cure for a week. They are heavier than they look, which turns out to be the whole charm.
A no-nonsense stand built from scrap steel and an old vice. It lives in the corner and has quietly become the most useful thing I own.
Measure twice
The rule is old because it is true. I now mark every cut with a pencil line and cut on the waste side of it.
Let the finish cure
Wax and oil need time, not heat. A warm room and a full day do more for a surface than any shortcut.
Keep a scrap bin
Offcuts become jigs, shims and test pieces. Nothing useful goes in the fire until it has been measured twice.
The handful of things that earn their space on the wall.
A sharp blade and a light cut leave a surface no sander can match. Ten minutes of sharpening saves an hour of sanding.
Three sizes cover almost everything. Keep the bevel flat, work with the grain, and take small bites.
You can never have too many. A glue-up with too few clamps is a repair waiting to happen.
A fine pull-cut saw that leaves a clean edge and needs very little force. The blade is thin, so let it do the work.
For the moments when a ruler is not enough. Measuring the actual part beats trusting the plan every time.
A cheap brush keeps glue out of the joints and off your fingers. Rinse it while the glue is still wet.
Open index.html in Notepad and type over the words to make the page your own. Every colour, space and border lives in style.css, which sits beside it. The comments in that file are labelled by section — top bar, hero, columns, tools, footer — so you can jump straight to the part you want to change. Save the file, refresh your browser, and repeat. That is the whole workflow.
The projects, tools and notes are ordinary lists and boxes. Copy one block, paste it, and edit the text to add another. Delete a block to remove one. Nothing here needs JavaScript, a framework or a photo.