The Long Kitchen Shelf:
Using one long center piece to define the length and balance of the unit, this shelf makes use of that element by creating four distinct areas for storage of common kitchen items. It is made of birch-ply and maple-ply. Tung oil was used to treat the natural wood surfaces and spray paint was used to finish the color surfaces and screw heads.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, power drill and palm sander
Using one long center piece to define the length and balance of the unit, this shelf makes use of that element by creating four distinct areas for storage of common kitchen items. It is made of birch-ply and maple-ply. Tung oil was used to treat the natural wood surfaces and spray paint was used to finish the color surfaces and screw heads.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, power drill and palm sander
A Rolling Cabinet w/ removable cutting board:
Using reclaimed wood from Build It Green, I constructed this cabinet as a solution to our counter space problem in the kitchen. I was influenced by an Elfa's vertical cabinet design I saw while on my first visit to the Container Store. I wanted to create a contrast between woods (using Mahogany and ply-wood), and I wanted to create a "transparent" construction design by leaving the skeleton of the cabinetry uncovered, which served to present a functionally raw view of the cabinet as well as keeping the weight of the object down. I also wanted to introduce a removable top so that the cabinet could be more than just a cabinet.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, miter saw, circular saw, hammer, palm sander, wood file and power drill
Using reclaimed wood from Build It Green, I constructed this cabinet as a solution to our counter space problem in the kitchen. I was influenced by an Elfa's vertical cabinet design I saw while on my first visit to the Container Store. I wanted to create a contrast between woods (using Mahogany and ply-wood), and I wanted to create a "transparent" construction design by leaving the skeleton of the cabinetry uncovered, which served to present a functionally raw view of the cabinet as well as keeping the weight of the object down. I also wanted to introduce a removable top so that the cabinet could be more than just a cabinet.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, miter saw, circular saw, hammer, palm sander, wood file and power drill
The Cubby Dresser:
Using reclaimed closet doors (8), this unit was designed as a large volume storage solution for clothing, but doubles as a dresser top. Using lap joints to interconnect the closet doors, I was able to preserve the full length of four of the doors, dividing the remaining doors in half, which created the vertical braces. The bins are made of cloth and cardboard (they're from Ikea).
Tools Used: Jigsaw and power drill
Using reclaimed closet doors (8), this unit was designed as a large volume storage solution for clothing, but doubles as a dresser top. Using lap joints to interconnect the closet doors, I was able to preserve the full length of four of the doors, dividing the remaining doors in half, which created the vertical braces. The bins are made of cloth and cardboard (they're from Ikea).
Tools Used: Jigsaw and power drill
The Puzzle Chair:
Designed to be assembled using no fasteners, the puzzle chair is a flat-pack, compact and portable unit that can transform into both a chair or a table, depending on how the pieces are configured. It uses lock and key joints, lap joints and guide channels to create a chair that can be rotated in any direction and will remain intact.
Tools Used: CNC Router
Designed to be assembled using no fasteners, the puzzle chair is a flat-pack, compact and portable unit that can transform into both a chair or a table, depending on how the pieces are configured. It uses lock and key joints, lap joints and guide channels to create a chair that can be rotated in any direction and will remain intact.
Tools Used: CNC Router
The Shoe Tree:
With an eye towards saving floor space, the shoe tree is designed to store shoes in both a vertical and horizontal orientation. It attempts to reduce the amount of material required to produce a functioning shoe stand, by using a slender core off of which shoe platforms are able to branch out. Wood is re-purposed from Ikea bed slats. 3/4" dowels were used to create the platforms upon which the shoes rest.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, jeweler's saw, Spade bit, power drill and palm sander
With an eye towards saving floor space, the shoe tree is designed to store shoes in both a vertical and horizontal orientation. It attempts to reduce the amount of material required to produce a functioning shoe stand, by using a slender core off of which shoe platforms are able to branch out. Wood is re-purposed from Ikea bed slats. 3/4" dowels were used to create the platforms upon which the shoes rest.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, jeweler's saw, Spade bit, power drill and palm sander
An Ikea-Hack Stool:
Using reclaimed bed slats made of pine wood, this stool is designed to be extremely sturdy. It currently functions as a foyer seating element for putting on and taking off one's shoes.
Tools Used: Jigsaw and power drill
Using reclaimed bed slats made of pine wood, this stool is designed to be extremely sturdy. It currently functions as a foyer seating element for putting on and taking off one's shoes.
Tools Used: Jigsaw and power drill
Nikon Camera Deconstructed:
Using a 1970's era, single lens reflex Nikon camera as a guide, this model was constructed using foam core board, paper and glue.
Tools Used: X-acto knife and glue
Using a 1970's era, single lens reflex Nikon camera as a guide, this model was constructed using foam core board, paper and glue.
Tools Used: X-acto knife and glue
A Tree Stand:
Small trees call for small solutions. Using 1/2" birch ply, a few dry wall screws, four screw eyes with accompanying nuts and a silicone caulk, a tree stand, which was designed to hold enough water to keep the tree well watered, was crafted for the Christmas holiday.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, hammer, power drill and sanding block
Small trees call for small solutions. Using 1/2" birch ply, a few dry wall screws, four screw eyes with accompanying nuts and a silicone caulk, a tree stand, which was designed to hold enough water to keep the tree well watered, was crafted for the Christmas holiday.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, hammer, power drill and sanding block
Folding Kitchen Counter:
With limited space and the occasional need to re-arrange the kitchen layout for purposes such as cleaning or, as is often the case with NYC apartment parties, needing more space for people to congregate, the folding kitchen counter was created. The counter top is cut from 3/4" Oak veneer ply wood, piano hinge is made of chrome plated steel, legs are unfinished pine, brass spring loaded (w/ locking mechanism) hinges secure the legs in place, and it all sits on a diagonally ripped piece of 4X4, which is bolted into the wall using 5 carriage bolts which were sunk into butterfly anchors. Stools were found at a garage sale. We disassembled, sanded and treated them with Tung oil, reapplied glue to the various recesses, reassembled the pieces and brought the stools back to life.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, band saw, dremel, drill press, power drill and palm sander
With limited space and the occasional need to re-arrange the kitchen layout for purposes such as cleaning or, as is often the case with NYC apartment parties, needing more space for people to congregate, the folding kitchen counter was created. The counter top is cut from 3/4" Oak veneer ply wood, piano hinge is made of chrome plated steel, legs are unfinished pine, brass spring loaded (w/ locking mechanism) hinges secure the legs in place, and it all sits on a diagonally ripped piece of 4X4, which is bolted into the wall using 5 carriage bolts which were sunk into butterfly anchors. Stools were found at a garage sale. We disassembled, sanded and treated them with Tung oil, reapplied glue to the various recesses, reassembled the pieces and brought the stools back to life.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, band saw, dremel, drill press, power drill and palm sander
The Trash Center:
Given the demands of modern trash disposal and frankly, a desire to try our best to do our part to save the planet, creating a distinct and easy system for dividing refuse into like groups, right there in the kitchen, is a good first step. This unit is comprised of (3) 7 gallon buckets, color coded by handle and placement: there is a bucket for paper waste, one for plastic/metal/glass waste and one for organic or otherwise non-recyclable waste. The buckets are suspended off the ground by a 1/2" ply wood platform (that is braced by (2) 1/2" x 3" boards which are screwed into the wall) and are easily removed from the unit for purposes of emptying the contents and/or cleaning the buckets. The buckets can also double as mop buckets when cleaning the kitchen floor.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, power drill and palm sander
Given the demands of modern trash disposal and frankly, a desire to try our best to do our part to save the planet, creating a distinct and easy system for dividing refuse into like groups, right there in the kitchen, is a good first step. This unit is comprised of (3) 7 gallon buckets, color coded by handle and placement: there is a bucket for paper waste, one for plastic/metal/glass waste and one for organic or otherwise non-recyclable waste. The buckets are suspended off the ground by a 1/2" ply wood platform (that is braced by (2) 1/2" x 3" boards which are screwed into the wall) and are easily removed from the unit for purposes of emptying the contents and/or cleaning the buckets. The buckets can also double as mop buckets when cleaning the kitchen floor.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, power drill and palm sander
The Sister End Tables:
Using a 4x4 as the core of the table, I cut (3) squares of different sizes from a sheet of 3/4" Oak veneer ply, and "hung" those squares from the 4x4 core, using small strips of 1/2" ply to create level "stops" for those squares to sit on. Hand sanded and stained using a cherry color finish for one of the tables and an oak stain for the other. They are sister tables, intended to be presented in tandem, one example would be as book-ends for a couch.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, miter saw, power drill, sanding block and palm sander
Using a 4x4 as the core of the table, I cut (3) squares of different sizes from a sheet of 3/4" Oak veneer ply, and "hung" those squares from the 4x4 core, using small strips of 1/2" ply to create level "stops" for those squares to sit on. Hand sanded and stained using a cherry color finish for one of the tables and an oak stain for the other. They are sister tables, intended to be presented in tandem, one example would be as book-ends for a couch.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, miter saw, power drill, sanding block and palm sander
Barn Siding Coffee Table:
Using (3) reclaimed boards from the side of a barn (loc: Hudson Valley, NY), the table top was formed by pressing and gluing those boards together, bracing them underneath with (2) 1"x 3" pieces made of pine. The boards are treated with lacquer to seal and protect the rough, splinter prone table top. Long carriage bolts are used to attach the table top to the legs. Each leg is made of (3) 3/4" birch ply, glued together. A single 3/4" piece of birch ply was used to create a bottom shelf also providing stability to the table.
Tools Used: Jigsaw and power drill.
Using (3) reclaimed boards from the side of a barn (loc: Hudson Valley, NY), the table top was formed by pressing and gluing those boards together, bracing them underneath with (2) 1"x 3" pieces made of pine. The boards are treated with lacquer to seal and protect the rough, splinter prone table top. Long carriage bolts are used to attach the table top to the legs. Each leg is made of (3) 3/4" birch ply, glued together. A single 3/4" piece of birch ply was used to create a bottom shelf also providing stability to the table.
Tools Used: Jigsaw and power drill.
Remote Control Flyer Distribution System:
By modifying a basic RC car (w/fat tires!), adding a pole element (re-purposed tent pole), customized wooded discs and two small sand bags under the hood and trunk as ballasts, I created a friendly and novel way to "hand out" promotional materials. People's reaction to a playful and automated promotional delivery system is almost always met with amusement and intrigue. A potential customer's first interaction with your brand is important -- this is a very low cost and minimally obtrusive way to create a positive association with your brand as well as a more effective way to hand out cards or pamphlets than manually doing it!
The discs are made of ply-wood, separated by a thin layer of neoprene as a way to allow for the cards to stick into the disc in a way that did not impede their easy extraction by an interested person. The discs are suspended on the pole by thick rubber washers that were taken from 6.6 lbs Illy Cafe canisters. The entire unit can break down to fit into a small tote bag for easy transportation.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, mat knife, power drill, sanding block, clamps and spray paint, .
By modifying a basic RC car (w/fat tires!), adding a pole element (re-purposed tent pole), customized wooded discs and two small sand bags under the hood and trunk as ballasts, I created a friendly and novel way to "hand out" promotional materials. People's reaction to a playful and automated promotional delivery system is almost always met with amusement and intrigue. A potential customer's first interaction with your brand is important -- this is a very low cost and minimally obtrusive way to create a positive association with your brand as well as a more effective way to hand out cards or pamphlets than manually doing it!
The discs are made of ply-wood, separated by a thin layer of neoprene as a way to allow for the cards to stick into the disc in a way that did not impede their easy extraction by an interested person. The discs are suspended on the pole by thick rubber washers that were taken from 6.6 lbs Illy Cafe canisters. The entire unit can break down to fit into a small tote bag for easy transportation.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, mat knife, power drill, sanding block, clamps and spray paint, .
Receipt Roll Note Pad:
Taking advantage of rolls of receipt paper that were dumped in the trash, I have re-purposed the paper and using the natural advantages of its structure, created a useful note pad that should allow for many many notes to be taken. Using 1/2" birch ply, a picture frame hook, two small brass hooks, a carriage bolt and nut with rubber washers on either end and a portion of an aluminum can affixed to the board by two finishing nails, there now hangs on the wall a note taking pad.
Tools Used: Jigsaw and x-acto knife.
Taking advantage of rolls of receipt paper that were dumped in the trash, I have re-purposed the paper and using the natural advantages of its structure, created a useful note pad that should allow for many many notes to be taken. Using 1/2" birch ply, a picture frame hook, two small brass hooks, a carriage bolt and nut with rubber washers on either end and a portion of an aluminum can affixed to the board by two finishing nails, there now hangs on the wall a note taking pad.
Tools Used: Jigsaw and x-acto knife.
Glass Top Coffee Table:
Having stumbled upon a 1/4" thick 24" X 36" slab of glass lying in a pile of garbage across the street from my apartment, I decided to pick it, take it home and find a way to make use of it. Using reclaimed Ikea bed slats as a framework and 1/2" plywood pieces I had previously cut and treated with Osmo Polyx Hard Wax for another project, by inlaying the glass into that frame, I came out with a minimalist coffee table. Its advantages are that the glass table top can be removed for easy cleaning, storage or simply moving across the room. With the glass removed, it is a very light frame. I especially like that since the surface is transparent, from a visual standpoint, the table does not appear as a solid, immovable object in the middle of my living room, instead it gives the impression of taking up far less floor space, giving the living room a more open feel than if I had a solid form coffee table.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, drill, dry wall screws and Osmo Polyx.
Having stumbled upon a 1/4" thick 24" X 36" slab of glass lying in a pile of garbage across the street from my apartment, I decided to pick it, take it home and find a way to make use of it. Using reclaimed Ikea bed slats as a framework and 1/2" plywood pieces I had previously cut and treated with Osmo Polyx Hard Wax for another project, by inlaying the glass into that frame, I came out with a minimalist coffee table. Its advantages are that the glass table top can be removed for easy cleaning, storage or simply moving across the room. With the glass removed, it is a very light frame. I especially like that since the surface is transparent, from a visual standpoint, the table does not appear as a solid, immovable object in the middle of my living room, instead it gives the impression of taking up far less floor space, giving the living room a more open feel than if I had a solid form coffee table.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, drill, dry wall screws and Osmo Polyx.
Magazine Basket / Stepping Stool:
In search of a simple way to organize my ever growing magazine pile, I decided to make a "basket" in which could store my magazines, as well as making them easier to carry from room to room. In the process of building the basket, I realized that when I turned it on its top, it performed quite nicely as a sturdy stool for both taking a quick sit as well using as a stepping stool for retrieving things that were just out of my reach. Made of ply-wood, bamboo and nails, it proved to be a simple yet very useful solutions for more than one issue I had around the home.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, hammer, brads, spray paint and Osmo Polyx.
In search of a simple way to organize my ever growing magazine pile, I decided to make a "basket" in which could store my magazines, as well as making them easier to carry from room to room. In the process of building the basket, I realized that when I turned it on its top, it performed quite nicely as a sturdy stool for both taking a quick sit as well using as a stepping stool for retrieving things that were just out of my reach. Made of ply-wood, bamboo and nails, it proved to be a simple yet very useful solutions for more than one issue I had around the home.
Tools Used: Jigsaw, table saw, hammer, brads, spray paint and Osmo Polyx.
Slide Shelving System:
Shelving is generally a fairly static form factor. Once installed, shelves tend to remain in their initial placement for their useful life.Traditionally, as a unit, the relative relationship between shelves of a given unit is that they are all, more or less, uniform in length and depth with variations in terms of height, which is often decided at the point of installation. I instead wanted to create a shelving unit that was more of an interchangeable system and could be modified to meet specific utility requirements from shelf to shelf. I created this sliding frame work to act as shelving rails into which you could slide various depths, lengths and even forms of what could be considered a shelf. This way, the only standard component would be the rail of the shelf that slides into the wall mounted guides. From there, whatever you wanted to add or subtract in terms of structural components, could be done fairly easily as time and contents required.
Tools Used: Table saw, drill, dry wall screws and Osmo Polyx.
Shelving is generally a fairly static form factor. Once installed, shelves tend to remain in their initial placement for their useful life.Traditionally, as a unit, the relative relationship between shelves of a given unit is that they are all, more or less, uniform in length and depth with variations in terms of height, which is often decided at the point of installation. I instead wanted to create a shelving unit that was more of an interchangeable system and could be modified to meet specific utility requirements from shelf to shelf. I created this sliding frame work to act as shelving rails into which you could slide various depths, lengths and even forms of what could be considered a shelf. This way, the only standard component would be the rail of the shelf that slides into the wall mounted guides. From there, whatever you wanted to add or subtract in terms of structural components, could be done fairly easily as time and contents required.
Tools Used: Table saw, drill, dry wall screws and Osmo Polyx.
The Plant Stand:
Built specifically for a Christmas cactus that always, apparently, thinks Christmas comes in November. The top is color matched to the buds that bloom in November. It is designed to bring the plant closer to the viewer, as well as making it easier to water, by reducing the distance between the person watering the plant and the plant itself. The catch dish was placed a slight distance below the planter pot so that it could be disconnected from the main pot but still function as a catch basin.
Tools Used: Miter saw, Jig saw, drill, 5 dry wall screws, glue, spray paint and Osmo Polyx.
Built specifically for a Christmas cactus that always, apparently, thinks Christmas comes in November. The top is color matched to the buds that bloom in November. It is designed to bring the plant closer to the viewer, as well as making it easier to water, by reducing the distance between the person watering the plant and the plant itself. The catch dish was placed a slight distance below the planter pot so that it could be disconnected from the main pot but still function as a catch basin.
Tools Used: Miter saw, Jig saw, drill, 5 dry wall screws, glue, spray paint and Osmo Polyx.
