Made By HtA

DIY Tool Caddy Inspired By Adam Savage From Mythbusters

I saw this video here where Adam Savage of Mythbusters showed off his tool caddy. It makes a lot of sense to have all of your everyday tools close by, on wheels, with everything out on display. Most workshops have everything hanging on the walls – but the constant back and forth is a bit time wasting for me.

The one Adam built has a ‘stadium seating’ layout. So that you can layer the tools making them easy to see and easy to grab. I built mine the same way. The only difference was that the one I needed to build had to fit under the table. So I built a mini me desktop version.

TOOLS

Saw

I made use of a jigsaw for this project

Drill

This was used to drill holes into the side pieces to fit the jigsaw blade into. You’ll also need screws if you don’t have a nail gun

MATERIALS

Plywood

I used 3/4 inch

Wood Glue

Casters

INSTRUCTIONS

I did what Adam did, and that was to take a look at the tools I use the most and roughly planned out how I would want them organized in the caddy.

Step 1: Drawing Out the Template

I adjusted Adam’s design to fit under my table. I had to take into account the extra height the casters would add, and how much room to leave for bottles to be stored on top of the caddy. In the end the template for my caddy (the side pieces) was 20.5 inches high, and 13.5 inches wide at the base.

I used the round edges a roll of tape to draw out my rounded corners. I also drew out some cut outs.

Step 2: Tracing

After cutting out the template, the next step is to draw it onto a sheet of plywood.

Step 3: Cutting it Out

Cut the plywood. I used a drill to drill holes into the cut out sections so that the blade of the jigsaw could fit in.

In the end I was left with 2 side pieces. I also cut out some boards – which would be the base and top of the caddy, and the railings. These were all the same width at 14 inches, but different heights/depths depending on what they were going to be used for.

Step 3: Assembling the Base and Top

Line up your two side pieces and mark where you want your top and bottom board to go. Then drill the side pieces to the top and base boards.

Step 4: Customizing

From here on out, you can start to design and build the caddy the way you want your tools to be laid out.

For me, I wanted a top shelf with dividers. And a railing that I could drill holes into to hold my screwdrivers, chisels, files and more.

I needed a side piece to fit in pencils, pens, a ruler, and a exacto knife

I added strips of plywood to the base board so I could store sandpaper

A little enclosure was made on the railing to store drill bits

And some screws were attached to the side to hold up a long T-square and a sanding drill attachment

And a hook was added to hang up some rags

Step 5: Adding the Casters

After you have mostly everything in place you can then screw on the casters.

Email me at jacob@hometreeatlas.com with photos if you make your own, or if you have any questions.

March 2, 2016 in Made By HtA

DIY Experiment: Embossing Concrete Challenge

This experiment came from wondering if I could make an inlay in a cement bucket stool. You can see my DIY post of that here (DIY Remix: Koi Fish $5 Bucket Stool DIY).

There are definitely better ways of doing this. Such as using a 3D printer, or even a CNC cutter. But I don’t have any of those tools. So I went and got some cardboard.

TOOLS

Exacto Knife

MATERIALS

Concrete

Go for the premixed bags like Quikrete or I just mixed my own.

Cardboard

This will be used to create the mold for the cement

Packing Tape

Used to cover the cardboard to make it waterproof

Design

Search for ‘black and white ________ illustration’ on google images to get a simple design that you can print out at home and cut out.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: The Template

Print out your design and cut it out using the exacto knife. Then trace it onto a sheet of cardboard, and then cut this out.

I wanted a thick embossing so I doubled up on the cardboard by tracing and cutting two sheets of cardboard.

The Leftovers

The tiny leftover pieces that I cut out from the Koi Fish design, I ended up using for a stool DIY which you can find here.

Step 2: Waterproofing

Hold the cut out templates together and cover it in tape to waterproof it from the wet cement.

Then cut out a sheet of card board that will cover up the hole. Cover it in tape, and then tape it to the template.

Step 3: The Box

Now we need to make the box for the cement to sit in. I just cut strips of cardboard the same size as the sides of the template. Again I double the cardboard to make it sturdy, covered it in packing tape, then taped it to the template.

Step 4: Bracing

Since I’m creating a large A4 size box for my cement, which will push out on the sides, I need to make some bracing.

Simply cut strips the length of the sides of your box. And tape them to form a T. These can then be taped to the sides of the box.

Step 5: Pouring

Mix up your concrete and start pouring. You’ll want a bit of a wet mix so that it gets into the nooks of the design.

You can shake the box gently to level the cement and to bring up the air bubbles. Also tap on the sides to rid of the air bubbles.

Step 6: The Reveal

Wait for 24 hours for the cement to dry. Then cut the sides of the box and gently peel back the cardboard. You might need to take the exacto knife to peel off small piece of cardboard that get stuck to the cement.

Email me at jacob@hometreeatlas.com with photos if you make your own, or if you have any questions.

March 2, 2016 in Made By HtA

Weekend Build: DIY Staircase Dog House

There are a lot of ways you can go about creating a DIY dog bed, from using an old tire or even an old crib (Making Sleeping Arrangements: Creative Ideas for DIY Dog Beds). But why not save some space and go with a built in dog house.

Kay and her father share with Home Tree Atlas how they built, in 2 days, a DIY dog house under the stairs in her Toronto home.

TOOLS

Nail Gun

A hammer and nails could also work, but a nail gun will make it much easier

Jigsaw/Drywall Saw

You’ll need a saw to cut the hole (we used a jigsaw but you can also use a drywall saw) and to cut the wooden boards to size.

MATERIALS

The amount of materials you need will depend on the size of your dog, and how big of a dog house you’ll be building.

Pine Tongue And Groove Boards

Enough to cover the inside and outside

Wooden Shims

Used to make the shingles on the ‘roof’

White L-shaped Trim

Any kind of trim could work here, but we have a lot of it and wanted to tie it in

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Cutting the Hole

Use the stud finder and measure out the size of the hole you want to cut.

Step 2: The Interior

The interior of the dog house was fitted with tongue in groove pine boards using a nail gun.

Step 3: The Door

You want to make the entrance large enough for your dog to be able to fit through it easily – about the height that your dog haunches over. While on the inside you’d want it to be high enough for your dog to be able to stand up in.

Step 4: Nailing on the Outside

The pine boards were then nailed to create the outside of the dog house

Step 5: Shingles for the Roof

We used wooden shims since they were cheap and didn’t need to be cut. These were nail gunned to the pine boards.

Step 6: Adding the Trim

We took the white trim and added it to the edges of the outside to create a finished look.

Email me at jacob@hometreeatlas.com with photos if you make your own, or if you have any questions.

March 2, 2016 in Made By HtA

DIY Remix: Koi Fish $5 Bucket Stool DIY

The simple bucket stool DIY, where you fill a bucket with cement and poke in some dowels, comes from Ben over on Homemade Modern. I wondered if there was any way to customize the face of the stool. So I ended up experimenting with debossing / inlaying an image into the cement – using cardboard.

You can check out my other experiments trying to emboss cement (again, with cardboard) here: DIY Experiment: Embossing Cement Challenge.

TOOLS

Saw

You’ll need a saw jigsaw/circ saw/hand saw to cut the dowels to length

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Bucket

Ben uses a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot, with a smooth bottom. I used what I could get my hands on. You basically need a bucket wide enough that you can sit on.

Dowels

1 1/4 inch dowels 48 inches long. For mine, again I used what was available – which was much thinner dowels – they are still sturdy stool legs.

x2 Concrete

I went ahead and mixed my own cement – buying concrete and sand. You can always get Quikrete 5000 concrete which is premixed for you, so you just need to add water.

You’ll also need another color of concrete to pour into the inlay. You can do this by buying a bag of white concrete such as Quikrete Countertop mix in white. Or just buy the white concrete and a concrete pigment dye (like red) – instead of buying 2 bags on concrete.

Illustration

I found my illustration by searching for ‘koi fish black and white illustration’ on google. You’ll need to print this out (in reverse) the size you’ll want it on your seat – I did this at home with on an A4 sheet of paper.

Cardboard, Packing Tape, Compass (or String and a Pencil)

You’ll need enough cardboard to make 2 templates of your design and to make a circle the size of your bucket. The packing tape is going to be used to cover the template to make it waterproof.

Fine Grit Sandpaper (around 100-grit)

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: The Design

So you’ll need to print out your design. Remember it needs to be in reverse since it will be a mirror image when you are done.

I ended up cutting two sheets of cardboard to create the mold shape for the cement pour. I did this so I could double up the cardboard to get a deep inlay in the seat. I saved the scrap piece of the template (the outside) to create the embossed cement plaques DIY (seen at the end of this post).

Step 2: The Mold

The next step is measure the size of your bucket and cut out a circle using the cardboard. A compass or a piece of string and a pencil can be used to mark out the circle.

Then glue the pieces of your design together and onto the circle.

Step 3: Waterproofing

Use the packing tape to cover the the mold to waterproof it. Then put the mold into the bucket. I went ahead and put taped up the sides where the cardboard disk meets the bucket.

Step 4: Cutting the Legs

I ended up cutting the legs to the right height I wanted them. Ben’s instructions are to cut them 16″ long.

Step 5: Pouring the Cement

Mark 3 inches from the bottom of the bucket upwards. This will let you know when to stop pouring the cement.

Mix up your concrete with water and start pouring. You want the mix to be a bit watery so that it covers the mold well. Shake the bucket gently and tap on the sides of it to bring up the air bubbles.

Step 6: Adding the Legs

Make a mark on the dowels 1 1/2 inches from one end. This is how far into the cement you’ll want to push the dowels in. Then place them equally around the bucket.

I used tape to hold down the dowels, since they kept wanting to float up.

Step 7: The Reveal

Wait for over a whole day (20 hours+) for the cement to dry. Now depending on the bucket you have, you might be able to pull out the stool by the legs by bending the bucket to loosen it. In my case, I had to break it apart.

And carefully peel off the cardboard. The cement is still not fully dry – so right now you can either use sandpaper to smooth it out, or what I did was to leave it with all the wavy marks and waited another day for it to fully dry.

Step 8: Pouring the Inlay

Here comes round two of pouring the cement. This time use the colored/white concrete, and carefully pour it into the inlay. You can use a tooth pick to push the cement into the corners and move it around.

Step 9: Going Fishing

Wait another day for the cement to dry. Then use the sandpaper to carefully sand the new cement to unmask the design.

That’s it. I’m curious to know if anyone else will try this with another design. Email me at jacob@hometreeatlas.com with photos if you make your own, or if you have any questions.

Check out my experiment in embossing cement here.