Iphone camera video stabiliser. Diy project. 2013

This project grew out of my dissatisfaction with the results I was getting from videoing my other projects. I use an iPhone to film and I found that unless you have it mounted on a tripod the results are in the main unwatchable, and of course if you use a tripod then your movement is very restricted. I had seen steady cams online and on ebay but most were bulky and nearly all were expensive. I decided to make one that was small, easy to set up and cheap to make.

So was born the RetroSteady. It's handle is made from bakelite, all the fittings and gimble are stainless steel and the body is made from anodised aluminium. The iphone holder is a standard tripod mount available off ebay for a couple of pounds.

 I have a main site where I hope to sell them eventually .... www.retrosteady.com. I called them the retrosteady because I think the design and black and silver colouring looks very similar to the old film cameras of the 50's and 60's.

Check out the video on this page or search RetroSteady on YouTube for a look at how the stabilizer performs.

The screw knobs on the stabiliser as seen in these photos were all I could get hold of at first but since then I have found a company that supplies very neat thumb screws that will replace them and look less bulky.
 All in all the materials cost me about £20 ..... $30. I created a wooden form to bend the shape of the main support arm and since then have made about twenty of them.

I am currently selling this item on eBay for £39.00 in the uk. You can check it out here ....

RetroSteady on eBay     Just £39 !

How to make recycled pipework bedroom shelves. Salvaged timbers

This is a set of shelves in my sons bedroom made from recycled timber from a salvage yard and some industrial steel pipe work and fittings.

His bedroom was completely stripped ..... new plaster, new wooden flooring, completely redecorated.
The sourcing of the materials took far longer than the building of it as my son chose the rarer smaller size of 3/8 bsp for the framework.

If you would like the dimensions of the project, drop me an email and I will get them out to you.
All in all the material costs were about £130 ($200), not bad considering he now has a wardrobe, shoe rack, shelves and high level storage.

Admittedly the timber shelves do look very rough but it was the look he was aiming for and he is happy with it. The boards were power washed then left to dry for a couple of days. Then we sanded them down and finally added a coat of dark oak wax. The branch for the hangers was treated in much the same way.

How to make and sell small 'Shaker Style' peg shelves.

These shelves are so easy to make. A Kreg pocket hole jig and a router are all you need to knock one up.
I have seen these sell on eBay for £25 ($35) ..... they will cost you just a couple of ££ in wood.
Watch the video and have a go yourself.
Thanks for looking in at shed projects

Alcove cupboards and PC desk project.

This is an alcove refit I carried out in February. All in all it took about 5 days including the painting. Unfortunately I lost some of the film footage so the middle section is a bit bare. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for looking.

The RetroSteady ............ iPhone or small video camera stabilising device.

This is another project I am currently working on......

 www.retrosteady.com

I make these small hand held devices out of aluminium, stainless steel and bakelite.They work really well, taking out all the shakes and bumps from hand held video filming. They are really easy to make using basic tools and a few supplies.

I will be uploading a video shortly detailing how you can make one of these.

If you feel making one is a step too far or you don't have the time, no problem, I will be selling them from the website above.www.retrosteady.com

Small DIY Project. Door support jig.

This is a small jig I built to help when working on doors or large pieces of timber and boards. I was giving a friend of mine a lift replacing 12 internal doors. This involved planing to width and fitting hinges. Without this small jig it would have been a very difficult job holding the doors while doing the work, but with it, it was an easy one man task.
The jig is made by glueing together two pieces of scrap 1" plywood and cutting out with a jigsaw. One thing to be aware of, make sure the angle on the wedge and the angle on the main body are the same, otherwise you will not get a good square grip on the door.

How to make a Pine Country Kitchen Shelf DIY Project

This is a solid pine country kitchen shelf unit. It can be left plain with just a light oiling or waxing or it can be painted. I have made several of these and currently have two in my kitchen, you can see the colour options on the video.

Salvaged Timber Projects.

I'm always inspired when I see items of useful furniture that are constructed using reclaimed or salvaged materials. Many of the pieces are made using discarded pallets or scaffolding boards, stuff that most people would dump in the skip.
The following pieces would look great anywhere from a chic city pad to rustic country farmhouse and all of them have cost virtually nothing to make. With a little thought, a few tools and some reclaimed wood, you too could make some fantastic tables, shelves and benches for your home.

This coffee table is made from nothing more than a pallet and some supermarket trolley wheels. The maker has left in all the scratches and dents that pallet has gained through it's life. A lick of stain and this is ready for a tray of coffee any lounge. www.coolthings.com-pallet-coffee-table/

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You don't need to have pallets to make furniture around your home, scaffolding planks will do very nicely aswell.
Tom Robinson custom built furniture makes and supplies a range of salvaged items including this bed. Just ask yourself, what price did you pay for your last bed £200 - £300 - more likely more than that. And was it unique? Did it have a story to tell?

I have bought old boards recently and paid £10 for 5. Granted, they need a bit of work doing on them but when they are complete they look superb. Keep looking out for my scaff board coffee table in a later post.

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This kitchen table and benches is also made intirely from salvaged scaff boards. These planks are usually American Redwood or European Spruce. In this example, the timber has been given a lime wash after preparation to give it a clean farmhouse look.

Available from Folksy.com a UK company, they cost around £450. Not cheap but look and feel great and again, a great talking point as well as doing your bit to renew salvaged materials.

Finally used the corks!

You may remember a few post ago I asked if you had any ideas for a bag full of corks that I had. Well the majority of the replies were in favour of a cork board. So here it is.
I've incorporated a few extra bits on there like a corkscrew and an old nutcracker.
The corks were all mounted on to a 3/4 back board of MDF and a surround of 2x1 softwood. I still have to finish the board, not sure whether to varnish the whole thing or maybe just wax the outer surround.
The board measures approx 28" x 16". Not sure if i should mount it vertically like in the picture or horizontally. I tried to make the design not only practical but pleasing to look at aswell, hence the extra pieces.
Visiting a local craft fair recently I saw the same thing but smaller for £25. The whole thing cost me about £7 (minus the wine).
This is an easy project for anyone to try and gives really nice useable results.
Give it a bash!

Salvage Wood Design Projects.

WoodWorks-Glastonbury
This company, based in Glastonbury make a wide range of stunning wooden furniture made entirely from recycled and salvaged materials.

Their range includes mirrors, shelves, tables, boxes, music stands and ornaments. 

Belinda-Jane Miers is the creator behind these beautiful pieces. She uses locally sourced pre-used timber,driftwood and scrap metal to create them.

Check out the site and be inspired ! ......
 http://www.woodworks-glastonbury.co.uk/

Jewellery Box

Hi again. Here is a short video showing a jewellery box I made a couple of years ago. The original design was by Steve Ramsey - the producer of 'Woodworking for Mere Mortals' website and YouTube channel.
I have a link to Steve's page here -------------- >
If you would like to make one of these I suggest you have a look at Steve's YouTube page where he posted a very comprehensive video of him making it.

The box is made from Ash, Walnut and I think boxwood.

Gate is Finished

I don't think there was enough work in mounting the gate to warrant video, so I'll just write the main points here.
The top hinge had to be raised by about 4 inches to line up with the crossledge on the gate. This is just mounted by four screws in to a mahogany stile.

I had to drill a one and a quarter inch hole through the gate and brace to mount the lock. Originally I was unsure whether a lock designed for indoor use would stand the test of time outdoors, but the lock is probably in it's 10 or 11th year now and with just a couiple of squirts of WD40 now and again it is working fine.

On top of the door I have mounted a strip of 2x1 as a rain guard for water running on to the end grain. The wood is rebated on the bottom about three eights of an inch so it overlaps on each side.

I have also fitted a small hook and hasp latch at the top of the door as extra security if the lock is on latch. This is because we have two dogs and the kids are always leaving the gate open.

Prior to mounting the gate I left it soaking at each end overnight in Cuprinol 5 Star wood preserve. This soaked up inside the door and hopefully will provide years of protection. The rest of the gate has had a liberal brushing of the same.

Next stage is to colour the gate with a mid brown stain called fencelife. This will have to be repeated each year as the stain faids in sunlight.


I mentioned in my last video that I used a homemade door stand for planing and working on the gate. In my next post I will show some photos and instruction on how to make this handy tool.

Ledge and Braced Garden Gate

Following my post earlier this week, here is the video showing how to make a simple ledge and braced garden gate. It's quite a long video but it covers all the relevent parts.
In a few days time I will be hanging the gate so I'll put that video up as well.
If you have any questions, drop me a line and I will help where I can.

Workmate Mountain !

Following on from my earlier B&D Workmate post: Iv'e just come across this great site! Rupert Blanchard's 'Styling and Salvage'

Rupert searches the boot sales and auction houses of the South East to find second hand furniture, storage items and general materials that he can 'hack' and turn in to really useful pieces of furniture. He uses old doors, delapidated cabinets and drawers to create some briliant results. Check out his site by clicking the image above.

What really caught my eye was his collection of B&D Workmates. He collects these second hand benches and currently has a pile of 13, nainly 625's but a couple of very early silver framed models as well.

Check out some of the recycling Rupert has done especially his fashion store refits. His work has a distinct style ...... well worth a look.

New Garden Gate Urgently Required

Follow me to see how I go on remaking the garden gate. Wet rot has set in and it really is beyond repair.

We have had it for about 12yrs now but its starting to look way past its best.

I'm going to be making a new one and upload the photos and the video on YouTube.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Black & Decker Workmate refit

First made in the early seventies, the Black & Decker workmate now has worldwide sales topping 35 million.
 Invented by Ron Hickman, the workmate was rejected by many companies as being not commercial enough. It was famously rejected by Stanley tools as 'Sales possibly being in the dozens'. Ron had that rejection letter framed and mounted in his office.

The workmate is superb, well, I say the workmate, I mean the original aluminium framed WM625 workmates, that were manufactured in Ireland in the 70's. They are robust, adjustable, great looking benches, something I feel the later models lack.
Originally in powder blue these workbenches sold in their millions all over the world and made Ron a multi millionaire. I own two 625's an early alluminium model and a more recent steel framed one. I use them all the time, they really are a versatile tool and I would reccommend every DIYer to get one (or two)

An early WM625 (right) and the latter all steel version.

I bought the latter at a car boot sale for a fiver. The wooden bench tops were shot so i replaced them with solid oak jaws.

One of the damaged jaws.

The solid american light oak jaw replacement.

Oak WM625 bench top

Having a pair of workmates allows you to work really long pieces of timber and also they're great as a portable working platform. Clamp a couple of planks across them and you can do indoor decorating, easily make repairs to garage gutters, tall fences and hedges etc.

HotPod update .....

Late last year I was fortunate enough to be invited down to St Ives in Cornwall by Dan Harding, the inventor and manufacturer of the fantastic HotPod stove. I had contacted him through a link on YouTube and he said if I should find myself in his neck of the woods, I should pop in. I didn't need asking twice and when myself and my wife planned a week away at Sennen Cove near Lands End, Dan's workshop was on our list of places to visit!

We took our 'NotPod' along to show him and he gave us some very useful tips. (Mine is the smaller one in the photo)
Dan has his own smithy/blacksmiths shop in Cornwall where his hand built stoves are made and it was great to see him at work. Dan produces the hand made stoves to order (now in a range of enamel finishes) and also produces a cast iron version that is just as good looking and efficient but easier on the wallet.
If you fancy a HotPod you can contact Dan on    Tel: +44(0)1736 797 285

The Kreg K3 master system I bought recently in the USA

On a recent holiday in the USA I bought the Kreg Jig. This is a superb tool that allows woodworkers to quickly and easily create strong and accurate joints without the need for dowells, biscuits, glue or clamps.
It really speeds up the build process and after the initial purchase (about £100 plus screws) will start saving you time and money.
I'll be posting some pictures soon of a few items that I've made using the jig. Check out the video to see how I modified the jig to suit my bench.

Bird Table in White Gloss Finish

This is my latest project just finished. Its my dads birthday in a couple of months and he wanted another bird table as his last one rotted away.

This is made from PreVac treated redwood with a gauranteed non rot of 10yrs. It's made mainly from 2X2 and 4X1 with the feeding table made from Ply. The two cross pieces for the feet are 24" accross with 45 deg angle supports on all four sides. Each of the feet has two or one 4X4" pads.

The roof is made from two 500 X 250mm slates which were very tricky to cut, in the end I used a 'dremel' with a cutting disc to get through them. They sit on two 30deg angle pieces cut from 4X1 and lightly screwed in with Black Japaned screws.

The central ridge piece on the roof lifts out to allow nuts to be put in to the mesh food container. The whole table is fastened by four M6 coach bolts and wing nuts to a plywood top on the stand, which allows for easy removal.

Any Ideas For Some Corks??

I bought these wine corks, about 200, off Ebay a few months ago with the intention of making a notice board out of them but I've since gone off the idea. Has anyone seen a project that has used a lot of corks or any ideas for what I could use them for? I've tried cutting them and they are a nightmare ... they start to crumble and flake so if I could use them whole rather than chopped, that would be better.