Various mechanical projects
Mechanics, Projects ·Introduction
It can be a lot of pleasure to create something out of wood or metal that looks nice and/or is helpful in some way. This page shows a few such examples.
Dresser for my student’s desk
I like to have many shallow drawers close to my workbench for storing all sorts of small items that would otherwise clutter up my working area immediately. Standard dressers from Ikea or so usually are deeper and all the same size, which makes it harder to keep good order. During my communal service (“Zivildienst” in Austria), I was given the task to set up a woodworking shop for teenagers. This dresser for my upcoming student’s home was one project done in this workshop.
Morse key
Although I never really got around to learn it properly, morsing always fascinated me. This straight key is manufactured from aluminium and brass mainly, with the help of a drillpress and my small lathe.
Paperknife
This small paperknife was a one-day project as a gift for a friend. It is carved out of a solid 15mm rod of stainless steel with the help of lathe, angle grinder, bench grinder, belt sander, files, sandpaper and the polishing wheel. The handle is turned from an old piece of presumably rosewood. Turned out nice, but the sanding was so much work!
Wooden box
Another gift manufactured some time ago is this small box with traditional dovetail joinery. It is made from arolla pine (“Zirbe”) and equipped with a snap-in hook that keeps the lid closed unless you lightly push the black (ebony) button.
Bathroom furniture
Some small pieces of furniture were fabricated to keep the bathroom orderly. Not that it is impossible to buy these things, but the materials for these four items cost only about 25 euros. A decent towel holder alone would have cost 40 euros in the hardware store, so in this instance, it was really worth the time. Additionally, you can make them any arbitrary size you want and avoid having to drill into tiles.
This towel holder is able to swing around about 90° on a pair of hinges, so it is easier to access the towels.
A second towel holder fits behind an existing cabinet in the bathroom.
Once and for eternity, the hairdryer found its place on the wall and will never fall off the shaking washing machine again!
Finally, several items cluttering the top of the washing machine have their place now and will not fall off again.
Bicycle parts
A friend needed some parts for the brake system of an old racing bike. This is what we came up with in an evening.
