Night Sky Inside

I have always wanted to create the night sky indoors - i.e. build a star ceiling. I thought this would be a cool lighting option for our future home theater and added a few features to spruce it up a bit.   I am working on a 4'x6' panel that will be framed and hung on the ceiling.  The stars are single an multiple strands of fiber optics as small as 0.25mm in diameter and are powered by very bright LEDs (3mm).  I made what I call 'illuminators' that can light up about 50 fibers.  Each illuminator can be set at a specific intensity and some are made to flicker ever so slightly so that when you put it all together it gives a more realistic night sky.

Anyway, the panel is built as you can see in the photo below and I have completed prototyping the electronics.  I am using a pair of Atmega microprocessors for controllers (one controls the lights and is operated via an IR remote control with a touchscreen panel that contains the 2nd microprocessor).

The paper that is covering the panel is my template for drilling the star locations.  It is the north sky seen from Ottawa on our wedding anniversary.

This next photo is a close-up of 5 stars that I was experimenting with to get the right sizes and texture on the panel so that the fiber is unseen when not illuminated.

More to come, but this project is crawling along so it might be a bit yet.

Spruce up a chain link fence

Here is a simple way to add privacy (ok, a tiny bit) and some interest to a chain link fence.  Simply rip cedar slats 1" X 1/4" and 4-5 ft in length depending on the height of your fence and 'slot' them into the chain link.  The photo below is one example but you can double up the slats for more privacy (I could have added slats between the ones shown in the photo).  Any, I think it beats the plastic inserts that are pretty common.

Wood and Iron

I wanted to write something about building a mixed wood and metal fence but frankly the cost of custom welding is a bit steep.  So I bought an arc welder and will be trying my hand at building my own.  It can be argued that a Mig is a better choice for the applications I have in mind but budget dictated that I will start off with arc welding. A good book on welding is in the mail along with some safety equipment.  I also need to install a 220v circuit  which I will run to the side yard as there is too much wood and other flammables in the garage to risk fire and the wrath of my wife.

With a  little practice and patience I am sure I will be able to do it.  

Scrap metal anyone?

Garden Gargoyle

Consider adding a gargoyle to spruce up your garden.   My wife adores them and insisted we get one for our garden.  We found a place in Manotick that does cement castings and came across the perfect one that met her requirements - it had to be 'friendly'.  I believe it is called an Emmett Gargoyle.  The photo below was taken in natural light just before dusk as the sun's rays fell across his face. 

Pool House Update no. 1

Well, It has been a while and I always underestimate how long it is going to take to get things done so here is an update on the pool house from an earlier blog.

I am nearly done the siding and thought I would highlight a couple of features.  The photo below shows how to weave a corner.  It is time consuming as each shingle needs to be cut and planed with a block plane in position but I think the results are well worth it.

Here is a photo of the transom I built for each side of the Pool House (as you can see I still have some shingles and trim to install).  These are very common in New England which gave me the inspiration for this Pool House.  The window is made with maple and individual glass panes.  The casing is white pine.  The nice thing about these windows is they let in a lot of light without compromising privacy or wall space that is sorely needed in a shed.

Anyway, I am playing with the trim work at the moment and will have an update soon.

Brick BBQ in NC

My friend Tony C. lives in North Carolina where BBQ season is all year round.  Well, for die-hards it is here too but you have to be careful of ice, snow and freezing cold, frost-bite prone grilling.

Tony recently had a home built and has been adding the finishing touches to the exterior including patios and a Brick BBQ.  Here is an article he offered for the rest of us DIYers... Thanks Tony!

My wife and I found ourselves in an interesting (if unheard of) situation in the middle of 2009. The economic situation of the past 3 years had worn down the housing construction market to the point where we were able to take our 10-year plan to build our dream retirement home, and get it done within 8 years. 

 

Long story short, we found a builder that would come in at our price, with high-quality, and we moved into that home in May of 2010. 

 

But that was just the beginning of the story as far as work went. We had decided to do all our own landscaping and in addition to that I had put 2 large decks and a brick barbecue on the original plan for approval. With the approval only valid for 12 months, I set about building the decks – one I completed during the weekend of Mother’s Day 2010, and the other (in 95 degree weather) during July 4th weekend, 2010. 

 

With that done I had just a little time left on the plan approval to build my brick barbecue. I first designed a non-traditional (as in not square) shape because I wanted to break up all the right angles of the house and decks a bit. The design I put together in an XL file (yes, I know, there are better tools for that) and I ordered a Napoleon grill insert from CSGrills.com and double steel doors from eBay. The brick was left over from the house construction (almost 4 pallets!). 

 

As you can see from the photos, I first set bricks out in the general shape I had settled on. Once I (well, mostly my wife) was satisfied with the shape and position I then dug around the bricks, creating a 9-inch deep natural form in the soil. I then built forms from 1 x 6 inch pine and framed out the area for concrete. 

  

 

Then (and I can’t emphasize this enough) with my wife’s help, I mixed and poured 40 – 40lbs bags of Quickrete, setting rebar after about 3 inches had been poured. We kept it watered, pulled the forms and let it set for a couple of weeks.

 

Since I subscribe to the Clint Eastwood philosophy of DIYing (“A man’s got to know his limitations”), I called in a crew of bricklayers to do all the real work. They were a little concerned when they saw the base and listened to my eloquent engineering description of what I wanted built on top of it. Finally I brought them into my home office, pulled up the xls sheet and showed them the picture. They all smiled and said “This ain’t no big deal, son.” and happily retired to the back yard once again, this time with a printout of the plan.

 

Three days later construction on my brick barbecue was complete, and I went about finishing the job with pavers and plants. So, on to the next project! 

 

 

Like Dean Martin always said, “With a good plan, the right tools, and a liberal amount of Canadian whiskey you can accomplish almost anything.”

 

I think it was Dean Martin, anyway…

Turning, Turning, Done.

I just bought a lathe from the US Embassy.  I buy a lot of my tools in the US so picking this up at the embassy was quite fitting.  The reason I buy from the US is that tools are far cheaper south of the 49th parallel.  I have several examples where the price I paid for a new item was less than what folks are asking for it used up here.  In fact it is now a habit I have developed - when I see something that interests me I always check prices south of the border first. But there is a catch.  Shipping and handing charges to have purchases shipped across the border is ridiculously expensive.   Many items ship free in the US or charge reasonable S&H but as soon as it crosses the border hold on to your wallets!

Two years ago we bought our son a microphone for Christmas.  We bought it online from a US retailer for about $200.  Because we were short on time we had the mic shipped to our home in Ottawa and ended up paying  brokerage fees and taxes amounting to more than $80! After that we decided we would buy a mailbox in the US and have our parcels shipped there.  With a mailbox, there is no need to rush to pick up your items so we typically wait until we have several waiting for us.  And we usually combine our trip with some shopping and perhaps even a weekend getaway.  Nonetheless we always, without exception, declare all purchases.  You only pay the HST and it is simply not worth having your name on Canadian Customs' naughty list.

So, I bought a lathe from the US Embassy here in Ottawa.  Today I cleaned it up and turned it on.  Soon I will be creating wood shaving galore as I experiment with my new toy.  I recall working with a lathe a long time ago in high school (the days when they still had shop classes) and am looking forward to turning once again.

Stay tuned.  Perhaps I will post a photo of a project or two down the road.

Ship in a Bottle

When I was a young teenager, I met a gentleman who built ships in bottles.  I was totally amazed and decided then and there that one day, I too would build a ship in a bottle.  A few years back we were visiting the maritime museum in Boston and, lo and behold, there was a demonstration of building ships in bottles.  Well that sealed my fate and I started on my quest to do it.  Here is the result.  Everything is hand carved from scratch - the light coloured wood is basswood that I got out of our backyard.  Other wood used include cherry, pear wood, bamboo, and willow.  The sails are made from rice paper and the lines are fly fishing thread.

A bit of New England in our Backyard

For many years our family traveled to the New England coast for a holiday.  More specifically, our annual summer trip for the past 18 years or so has been to Cape Cod either renting a cottage or camping at Nickerson state park.

Over the years I have fallen in love with New England architecture and, for a long time have dreamed of having a bit of the Cape in our own back yard.  Last year, we had a pool installed which provided me with a great opportunity to build a small pool house with salt-box roof lines and cedar shingle siding. And of course transom windows - you see these a lot in the Cape.  Here is a photo of the work in progress which I hope to have completed in the next week or so.