Hobby Space Re-Organization

 

My Hobby area has become an organizational disaster - this is how it looks AFTER a massive clean up.  It's just not as functional and tidy as it should be and I find my work space shrinking every month or so to a 6 inch x 6 inch spot in the center as debris piles up.

I originally has this bench custom built at least 5 years ago and it's been really good hobby "investment" but it could be more functional.  On each side are some cubbies that I thought would be useful for holding small parts and tools.  Unfortunately, they functional more like a graveyard where stuff falls in never to be seen again.

Heres the left side - I have no idea what the cubbies are stuffed with but at least I keep the TY remotes on top and accessible.  

The right side set of cubbies are just over-stuffed and essentially are inaccessible.  

I'm going to build some shelve units to sit on top the cubbies and provide some more platform space - on the right side of the picture you can see on of the tier paint rack systems I'm going to place on top of the shelves.

I cleaned out the cubbies and piles all of that crap onto the bench top and installed the shelf extensions.  The shel units are just 1/2 birch plywood cut in a 24x9 inch size.  They're held in place by blocks of wood the are friction fit into the cubbies and then the plywood is screwed on.  This makes them very secure but easily moveable to be reconfigured.  Once I figure out the setup, I'll stain the shelves to match the chestnut coloring of the bench frame.

I now need to sort through the mess of stuff that has accumulated over the years.  There's just so much "stuff"...

I do realize that it's been a very long time since I've updated this blog.  I decided to take a little break from blogging as it was becoming more of a chore than fun.  I may transition Lair of the Uber Geek away from blogger (as Google seems to be uninterested in really supporting the tool) and over to another platform but haven't made any decisions on that.  

New Tabletop for the Game Table

With the flooring done, the next project is to revamp the gaming table.  I've removed the old top, which was really, really beat up and am working on a nicer looking replacement

I want to reduce the height of the table back down to 41 inches.  The old table top was 47 inches high after the casters were installed.

Here's a shot of the old table top (and the awful old carpet)

Lots to do this weekend!

 

"Fabricator Cart" Complete

The rolling cart for my Prusa 3D printer and cricut cutter is complete.  The cart was originally designed to allow the Prusa printer to fit on the bottom.  Why? because the lower center of gravity reduces any wobble cause by the printer as if prints.  That idea was abandoned after realizing the cart is really solid (it doesn't wobble when the wheels are locked) and I tend to need to fiddle with the 3D printer a lot more than the cricut.  The Cricut is super dependable but I'm batting under .500 for 3D prints.  That's not a knock on the Prusa it's a superb machine and the companies tech support is one of the best I've experienced.  There are just a lot of factors the impact the success of a 3D print and I have yet to really grasp how they all work.  Good old bog standard "user error" at work here.

A ways back, I made a simple tool caddy for the 3D printer which was attached to the cart.  Almost like I planned it that way - which I, of course, did not.  

It's always better to be lucky than smart.

The cart has a big drawer to store the bits and bobs associated with both tools.  It also fits the chip and mat board used with the cricut.

I may add a shelf in the middle to hold filament spools for the printer.   It will be really nice to have all the tools and supplies I use with these two machines located in the same place.   There is a good bit of terrain work remaining for the Stalingrad project so this setup should get a good work out.

It's not very pretty but hopefully she'll be functional, which is a type of beauty all its own.

The cart is built out of construction grade materials.  The four legs and cross braces are 2x4 studs I cut down to 1.75x1.75 inches on my table saw.  The two platforms and drawer unit from scrap 1/2 inch plywood.  The drawer face and sides along the top are cut from a 1x6 board.  I think the total wood cost is under $20 bucks.

Doing little projects like this one to organize my workspace always proves to be a nice break when I get in a hobby rut and helps me figure out ways to change up my modeling workflow.  This hobby of ours has a lot pieces to it between paints, minis, terrain materials and tools so doing a little thinking on organization is actually very helpful.  I also tend to find things I forgot I had when doing these projects which is kind of like getting a prize at the end of the project.   

Fabricator Cart

Building terrain is the aspect of the hobby I enjoy the most but it's both messy and some of the tools take up a lot of space.  The biggest culprits in that last category are my 3D printer and Cricut cutting machine.  Rather than take up precious gaming table space, I decide to build a rolling cart so I can stack these devices and store them out of the way.

The first picture is the base frame flipped on it's side while checking for square.  The joinery for the frame is a "floating tennon" which provides a great opportunity to get some practice with my Festool Domino cutter.  I need that practice because the next big woodworking project is building some new nightstands as a Christmas present for my wife.  Given the year she has had treating Covid patients, she deserves a really nice Christmas.

Here's a picture of the frame right side up and clamped while the glue sets.  There will be 2 main shelves - one at the top and one along the bottom.  The 3D printer goes on the top shelf and the cricut machine on the bottom.  There will be 4 locking caster wheels which will keep this unit from shaking as the machines do their thing.

Todays task will be to add a drawer along the top section for storage.

I should get this unit done in a few days.

The overall dimensions are 18 inches wide, 24 inches deep and 30 inches tall.  The wood is cheap construction grade pine 2x4s cut down to a 2x2 size.  The plans are - well there aren't really any plans, I'm kind of making this thing up as I go.  Usually not the best method for woodworking are building anything.
 

3D Printer Tool Caddy

 I was cleaning out my workshop and stumbled across a test box I had put together when making my son's Christmas present.  Rather than toss it out, I deicded to make a tool caddy for all the small tools and spare parts I have for my Prusa 3D printer.  It's a bit of a tight fir but the box holds everything.  There's a hanging rack on the front side for hand tools like clippers or needle nosed pliers.

 On the other side are holes that hold the Allen wrenches and small screw drivers.  Inside the box are replacement parts like extra print nozzles and tubing.

I just added a few pieces of scrap wood for the tool rack and some simple handles.  Now, at least, I'll know where all my 3D printer tools are. 

Barstool Project Edging Closer to Complete

 I was able to spend a couple hours in the garage workshop and managed to finish the seats tops and attach them to the frames.  There will be another round of sanding and then the barstools will be ready for finish.  It looks like I will make my self imposed deadline of Monday's club re-opening.

 The first task of the day was to glue up the fourth seat top.  I had to use narrow cut-offs from the leg / apron pieces but had just enough the get a 14 inch square seat out of those scraps.  Sometimes it is better to be lucky than smart.

While the fourth seat was setting up, I got out my router and a round-over bit to take the edge off the seats - I think they came out nicely.  I'll hand sand the top flush and buff out the sharp edge on the corner.

Once I finished rounding over the three previously made seats, the fourth had set up and was also rounded over.

Attaching the seats to the frames was done with glue and some hidden cross sections tacked in place with brad nails.  Once the glue dries the seats will be very firmly in place.

The final task of the day was going over and covering all the brad nails with wood putty.  I've got about 3-4 hours of sanding to do and these stools will be pretty much done.

Barstools for the Club

 With social distancing rules beginning to ease, there have been rumblings of re-opening our club for gaming.  Normally this news would be greeted with joy but I need to get some barstools built to make good on a promise.  I cut all the wood and lap joints a few weeks ago so should get these built this week - well that's the plan at least.  So far 2020 has done a pretty good job screwing up my plans

First up is assembling the leg frames - these are being built for strength and durability not style.  I am cheating a bit as I'm using a brad nailer to tack the pieces in place while the glue dries.

A few hours of workshop time and all for frames are built.  Two stools will be 29 inches high and two will be 24 as that's what we have in the club now.  These frames are super sturdy and should survive high impact gamer usage for years to come.

With the frames built, the next step is to glue up the panels for the seats.  The seat tops will be 14 inches square so I'm glueing up 15 inch square panels (3, 15x5 inch sections).  When glueing up panels, it's really important that the edges faces are square and well sanded.  Also don't put too much pressure on the clamps or the wood will bow.

It was at this stage of the project, I was reminded that I was, indeed, a moron.  I've only got enough poplar wood prepared for three seats not 4!  I could plane up some more from scraps or make the 4th seat out of (shudder) plywood.  I am in a bit of a ethical quandary here.

While the panels are setting up, I made some test pieces with different finishes.  I really like Danish Oil as a finish - it's looks good and is very easy to apply.  After looking at this picture I've realized that my color palette for wood finishing is somewhat narrow - I might need to try some darker finishes.

Before attaching the seats to the frames all of the outer edges will get rounded over and there will be sanding - oh there will be a lot of sanding on this project.

I should get these finished this week and have them up in the club by Monday.  Hopefully you'll see them in a supporting role in a future Little Wars TV episode.  Get it, "supporting role" - he,he - I should have been a stand up comic 'cause I slay me......

Thanks Woodworkers Source!

Woodworkers Source is a small Arizona based retailer of hardwoods and other supplies for woodworking.  They are my "goto" source for any wood I buy.  Once you've played around with a little woodworking is that the big boxes (Home Depot / Lowes) are great for basic supplies but really bad and expensive for any wood other than construction grade pine.

I stumbled across this company via a woodworking you tube video and pretty much will not buy hardwood from anyone else - even though they have to ship to me all the way from Arizona! 

Like all businesses they are struggling with operating under social distancing rules.  There was a minor issue on my most recent order, which was resolved without a problem.  My interactions with the customer service rep were great.  What socked me was they sent me the above hardwood cuts offs and a hat for simply "not being a jerk".  These cutoffs are very high quality and will likely be used for this years Christmas present projects.  It was a very nice gesture and greatly appreciated.

It also caused me to ponder something.  I think it's kind of sad that being polite warranted an award - theres really no excuse for bad manners when trying to resolve an issue.  Just about every business I know is really struggling now and mistakes are inevitable, as customers we can only choose how to comport ourselves when those mistakes happen.  Take a deep breath, don't vent your frustrations in life on the poor customer service rep and maybe you'll get a cool hat too.  It's also just the right thing to do so don't be an ass. 

Thanks Woodworkers Source - you have a very loyal customer.

Hex Terrain Slope Cutting Jigs

One I had a bunch of hexes cut out, the next step is cutting some sloped shapes for hills.  Since the sides need to all line up, I needed to make some jigs - 3 jigs to be specific.

In order to make the three jigs, I needed to cut 10 wall sections.  The length of each of side of a 4" wide hex is 2.3094 inches (just under 2 and 5/16 on an inch.  Each end has a 30 degree bevel so when they're all placed together they form a perfect hex.

In order to aif the assembly of the jigs I cut some 4 inch wide hexes out of 1/8 plywood and glued them down on some plywood.  Each jig would be assembled around the hex base.

The height of each segment is 1 and 5/8 inches - 1/8 for the base they are built around, 1/2 for the standard hieght of a terrain hex and 1 inch for the height of the slope.

 I cut these using my Incra Mitre gauge on my table saw.  It allows my to dial in very exact angles.  I cut the first piece at 3 inches interior length and then snuck up on by shaving a way a little bit a time until it was a perfect match and locked it down with a stop block.

Given the height of the blade and shortness of the piece being cut (less than 3 inches) this set up is VERY DANGEROUS and you need to use clamps to hold both the stop block and the piece being cut.  DO NOT use your hand to hold the piece in place or you may be making a sacrifice to the blood gods of woodworking.  Also stand fully behind the mitre gauge as when you cut the smaller cutoff pieces they can get caught by the blade and flung at you with impressive force.  Like all power tools a table saw should be treated with extreme respect.  If you're setting up a cut that you are uncomfortable with just don't do it.  Step away and think of a safer way to accomplish the task at hand.

To make the three jigs, you'll need to cut 10 wall segments

six of these segments you need to cut the slope on.  I took a piece of 1 inch foam and used it to trace a line from the top down.  I then drew a diagonal line - 3 from the top left to bottom right and 3 from the top right to bottom left.  The where rough cut on my band saw and then sanded to match.

The three jigs all assembled.  The difference between them if the number of wall segments between the slopes - none, one and three.  Because I'm a completist I'll probably bang out a fourth jig that has two wall segment in between the slopes.  I went the this configuration because thats what the GHQ materials suggested are required

The full set of extra pieces in the back are there because once I get this fully set up, I'm making a set of jigs for Ed.

To use the jig, pop a 1/2 inch high base piece into the jig.  It's a snug fit, which is good.

place the 1 inch high section on top an then pass the hot wire cutter over the jig

and, boom, a slope section stater to take form.

As you can see from the first picture the jigs worked pretty well.  I did screw up one thing.  The interior span of my hand held hot wire cutter (and old Woodland Scenics model) is less than the width a the jig.  The same goes to the hot-wire length on the trusty Proxxon.  The jigs are intended to be use with a single pass of hot wire for the base cut and it's a little cumbersome doing multiple angled passes.  It still works but I can't believe I forgot to measure the gap before building these things.  This conundrum is best summarized by a quote from the great philospher and social commentator, H. Simpson: "Dooohhhh!!!!"

Proxxon Hex Cutting Template

A good friend and fellow club member, Ed, has a fantastic collection of GHQ's "Geo-Hex" terrain.  It looks superb and I envy the flexibility his collection provides for gaming.  I also really like the aesthetic - perhaps the hexes bring me back to high school years of playing hex and counter games solitaire - there were not a lot of local war gamers where I grew up near Mobile, Alabama.  Well there were a few but they were fixated on the American Civil War and always wanted achieve confederate victories, with wistful sighs of things would have been better if CSA had won.   I elected not to associate with them.

I doubt I'll ever match Ed's level of craftsmanship but at least I can make my own hexes.  An idea was conceived, plans stolen from another source and I set to work.  What's the first thing one should say when starting any project that involves woodworking - "Lets make a jig!"

Here are the parts you need to make the jig.  I'm using 1/2 inch think MDF as the base and this piece is 6 inches wide by nine inches long.  That fits on my proxxon on the right side which has about 5.5 inches of platform space.  The most important thing is the piece needs to be really flat.  The jig requires two braces to hold the EPS in place while cutting - I'm using scrap plywood - again because its flat and stable.  The last piece is the most important - the guide bar.  This one requires some careful measuring and cutting.

Proxxon's have two grooves the run alongside the lower and right edge on the table top.  You need to cut a piece of hardwood (I'm using poplar as it's what I have) so it fits snuggly but moves easily.  The best way to do this is cut your piece a bit over sized and "sneak-up" on the fit by using a sanding block to remove a little bit of material and re-try the fit.  Rinse and repeat.  Take your time.  If the fit is loose (you can wiggle the guide while it is in the slot) then your hexes will not fit together well.

Don't be afraid to start over here (I did)

With my guide rail cut, the next step is to attach it to the underside of the platform.  I'm using standard wood glue to assemble this jig.  In order not to glue the rail to the proxxon itself, I lined the botton with 2 strips of paper.

This makes the guide sit a little proud (or high) from the tabletop and I can then glue it on.  Using a right angle guide to ensure the MDF is square with the cutting wire. I added glue to the guide and placed the platform on top.

Some of you might be tempted to use that snazy guide decal that the fine people at proxxon slap on top the table.  You could, but check to make sure it's square.  Mine isn't - it's off about 1.73 degrees (I measured 'cause I'm a geek).  Not material for most hobby projects, but this one needs to be precise - so check rather than assume your decal is square.

The next step is just add some weight (just a little is needed and walk away fro 30 minutes while the glue sets.

This picture is a little out of sequence as the braces are attached but you get the picture.

The next step is to attach the two braces. 

Glue them together to form a precise right angle (or "T") with at least 5 inches of material on the side that will face the cutting wire.

Measure and mark a line the is 4 inches away and parallel to the cutting side.  about two thirds down the face daw a line that is 60 degrees on the cutting face (60 degrees on the inside which is the angle facing you while using the jig.

Next, draw a 90 degree line from where the 60 degree line intersects the cutting edge over the to four inch line

Then glue the base so that the bottom brace fits along the 60 degree line and the right side brace intesects at the point where the 90 degree line intersects the 4 inch line we drew at the start of this meandering set of instructions.  It's ok if the bottom brace overhangs the platform.

Once the glue has set trim off the overhang.  I used my table saw but a hand saw will be fine.  - just make sure the jig can pass smoothly and the cutting wire doesn't catch on the brace

The jig is done!  There is one more trick step - cutting your foam blocks.  I'm going for hexes that match the GHQ terrain maker system - their dimension is 4 inches across flat side to flat side.  That means all you have to do is cut a bunch of 4" squares right - WRONG!  While the dimension if 4 inches across flat to flat side - its a bit longer point to point.  In fact its 1.1548x longer - so a 4" inch flat diameter equates to a 4.62 inch length point to point.  I cut EPS rectangles that were 4 by 5 inches in size.

Cutting a hex with the jig  hex requires four quick passes.  Place the rectangle in the jig  so the long side overhangs the cutting edge and push the jig across the table.  Oh, make sure you turn on the hot wire cutter too.

After the first pass flip the piece and cut the other side off the point

now reverse the foam so the point is on the other side and repeat the first two passes

After four passes you've got a perfect hex.

They fit together very nicely.  You can batch out a lot of hexes - takes about 10 second to make a hex with the four passes.

I adapted this jig from a set of plans ED gave me.  The orignal plans were based on using both table and band saws to cut the EPS, but the core concepts are unchanged.

I was a little nervous using saws to cut eps as the do create a very fine dust which is extremely unhealthy.  While a proxxon create fumes that are also dangerous it's much easier to vent them away versus fine particles that go everywhere.

Never-the-less ALWAYS where a respirator when messing about with EPS foam and ensure your working in a well ventilated area.

Quarantine Woodworking Project 2: Storage Cabinet: Done

Let's move another gaming related woodworking project into the finished column as the storage cabinet is done and installed in my "terrain workshop".

What? You are unfamiliar with the now standard residential housing feature of a terrain workshop?  Well then sit back and I'll tell you the tale.......

In the basement of our house are these 2 doors which open up into a 8ft x 8ft bump out space that is directly below the breakfast nook of our kitchen.  For reasons that I can not remember, it never got finished like the rest of the basement and has always been a bit of a hobby space for me.

My lovely, yet fierce wife approves of me using this space as she can close the doors and not be reminded of the mess.  At least I hope it's the mess and not me.

 Upon opening the doors, you are greeted on the right side with the new cabinet.  The blue backgrounds and leftover scenery on the shelfs are evidence that this room once held a small HO-Scale train layout.

 On the left side of the room is my trusty terrain making workbench and scenic supplies.  It's a mess.

By the way, that workbench was my very first woodworking project and was built when we first bought the house way back in 1997!  It has served in many different hobby campaigns over the years.

Speaking of messes, we now move on the  disaster of the middle space - it's not normally this bad as I had to move some things to make room for the cabinet.  OK, that was a lie - it's always this bad and I desperately need to reorganize this space - hence the need for a storage cabinet.

The schedule for the next few days are a few board calls and a lot of cleaning up / re-organization of this space.

I wonder how many "missing" figures I'll find as I clear away the debris on the floor of the shop?

Quarantine Woodworking Project 2: Storage Cabinet - Sanding Done

Not as much progress as I would like today on the cabinet given a bunch of work related calls.  I did manage to sand all the surfaces on both the cabinet and drawers.  Sanding is tedious but important

One of the reasons why I have a standard size for drawers is that I've built several jigs that really speed up the construction.  In the center of the first picture (under the small hammer) is my form jig.  I can pop the drawer parts into the jig to confirm they are the right sizes and then glue / nail everything in place.  With my brad nailer and air compressor all fired up. a drawer can be assembled in under 30 seconds and I don't feel like the job was rushed.

The second picture shows the hardware mounting jig - I align it to the left side of the front drawer face and it shows where I need to drill the two holes for the file cabinet drawer pulls.  Drill two holes at those spots and screw in the drawer pulls.  Perfect alinement every time.

Drawer pulls are now all mounted.  I use a very inexpensive style of library index card drawer pulls.  They'er just stamped metal but has a slot for a label and don't take up a lot of space.  I got them on Amazon.  They cost $0.32 per pull when bought in packs of 50.  The eight drawers for this cabinet are the 25th - 32nd versions of these drawers I have built, so I still can make 18 more before needing to buy new hardware.

You can also see that small back panel has been added across the bottom.  I don't need a full panel as the cabinet will be pushed up against a wall in my hobby area but I did want to add something to increase the stability of the cabinet.

All that's left to do is cut two shelf panels which need to be 35.5 inches wide and 18 deep and this project is done.