The original sketch was done in 3D Studio Max. We found a few references of desks that she liked and then I took some liberties putting something together. She helped make some decisions along the way, but this is what we came up with:

And cutting begins… Organizing various pieces:

I love using pocket holes to build face frames. They’re efficient and end up creating a really strong joint:

The two sets of carcasses for the drawers:

One of the drawers:

For the drawer faces I used a 1/2″ roundover bit to route the edges:

Drawers coming together. I’m using a single guide below each drawer that has a C bracket to help it slide. They sit on that and the face frame rails. I used flat thumbtacks at either corner of the rails so the drawers slide a bit smoother.

Both sets are complete:

The top of the desk is made of 4 1×5 planks that I edge joined using pocket hole screws and glue. This was the first time I’ve attempted to edge join boards.

Lots of sanding to get rid of those high spots:

I don’t have many pictures of the hutch construction so here’s a detail of one of the small drawers and then the completed unit:

And finally the completed desk assembly. The plan is to stain the desk top, and paint the rest of it an off-white. The drawer knobs will be stained to match the top.

A long time ago when I had my sailboat, I had also gotten a 12v trolling motor to go along with it. Ever since I sold the sailboat, I’ve wanted to see about mounting it to the canoe. Well, I’ve finally come around to it, and after doing some quick research online I found a number of different ready-made mounts that you can buy, but seeing as how simple they seem in design, I figured I can build my own.

I did a really quick and dirty mockup of how I might be able to mount it:

It’s going to need a long piece of wood that runs the width of the canoe right behind where I sit, extending out about a foot, so that the motor’s mounting bracket can be attached to another piece that forms an L shape. I’m going to try and attach the mount to the gunwale with some sort of system that will allow me to easily put it on and take it off… maybe something like mini C-clamps.

I also realized that the motor is pretty substantial in weight. Originally I was going to mount the battery box in the stern where I sit. But because of the total weight of the motor, me and the battery, I’ll probably have to mount it toward the bow and possibly even shifted over to the left a bit, to counter the weight of the motor. Putting the battery up front will also help trim the canoe a little better, although I still may need to add some additional weight up there.

You can go out and buy them nowadays but what fun is that when you can build one yourself! Spending a few hours this afternoon yielded pretty decent results. Here’s what I did…

First, get yourself a food grade 50 – 60 gal drum, barrel, or equivalent container. The markings on this thing show that it once heald apple cider concentrate. I got it from my pops who used it a number of years ago to make wine, but just had it sitting in his garage. Score another green one for me for keeping it out of the landfill it would’ve eventually been tossed into.

I’m using a 4″ atrium grate as a way to keep large debris from getting into the barrel. Trace an outline of the open end onto the barrel and cut it out with a jigsaw.

Later on, I’ll add some stocking material around the grate to keep the smaller particles of dirt from getting down in there as well keep the mosquitoes away.

You then need to cut an overflow hole near the top of the barrel (in my case it’s the bottom of the barrel because I’m using it upside down… I’ll explain in a bit…). When rain collects in the barrel and fills up, which supposedly won’t take much when collected from the roof, the excess water has to go somewhere – enter the overflow drain.

The hole I cut was a about an inch and 3/8 to accommodate another fitting. Here I’m using a hose barb that will eventually connect to section of drainage hose (these types of hoses and fittings are usually found in sump pump applications). I threaded the fitting into the hole and used some teflon thread sealer to help. With the plumbing work I’ve done in the past I’ve found that the sealant is a bit more reliable than the teflon tape. It’s a bit messier going on, but does the job.

The next thing to do is flip over the barrel and attach your valve connection. I got lucky here because the top of the barrel (which will be the bottom when it’s done) had two bungs already in it, with one of them being the exact size I needed for the brass fitting I wanted to use.

Again using plenty of thread sealer, I got the initial fitting and 90 degree elbow in place.

From there it’s just a matter of connecting up the rest of your pieces. This happened to be my arrangement, based on the handful of parts I could find at the store and how far out from the barrel I wanted the valve to be. The valve hose bibb will accept a standard 3/4″ female hose connection if I choose to eventually hook one up. It’s a bit disorienting, but in this shot the valve is upside down.

At this point you’re ready to set the barrel in the position it’s going to be. We have a perfect spot at one back corner of our house, right next to the garden. You’ll want to set the barrel up on blocks so that you have enough height to either connect your hose or stick a watering can under there. I also used a hanger strap to secure the barrel to the house. At 60 gallons this thing will weigh upwards of 500 lbs when its full. You don’t want that tipping over.

I didn’t take too many more step-by-step pictures after this so the best I can do is number a few things in the following photo for reference. 1) I cut a 2.5 foot section of the downspout off. I have to get a cover for the bottom section that’s left there, but the reason I’m keeping it in place is so that come winter I can take the flexible downspout extension that’s connected to the top portion of the downspout (2) and re-route the water back down its original path (1). The flexible extension wraps around the corner of the house and connects to a PVC downspout adapter (3) which fits nicely into the atrium grate. Finally, I connected a section of drainage hose to the hose barb (4) sticking out the top side of the barrel and used a clamp to secure it.

Keeping the drain hose tight against the lower section of the downspout with zip ties, it leads down to an already existing discharge pipe I have hooked up for our sump pump. I cut into this pipe and added a wye fitting so the overflow has someplace to go.

I finished the project late in the evening so I didn’t get a chance to test it out. We’re supposed to get rain early tomorrow morning so I’ll find out soon enough if all my fittings are tight and sealed up enough.

The completed rain barrel… it’s not pretty to look at, but some fresh paint will take care of that.

Here are a few of the references I used for the design and construction of this thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFDlkJOdaM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4zoPm2Eu2Q&feature=related
http://www.cityofbremerton.com/content/sw_makeyourownrainbarrel.html

1. Grab a pair of old sneakers.
2. Trace the outline of the sneakers onto 1/2″ pressure treated lumber, and cut out the patterns.
3. Align the sneakers with the boards and drill two holes (one in front and one in back) through the bottoms of the shoes and into the wood.
4. Pre-drill a bunch of random holes in the wood, large enough to except 1 1/2″ decking screws.
5. Proceed to drive your screws through the boards.
6. Fasten the shoes to your iron-maiden-like platforms with carriage bolts.
7. Walk in circles around your lawn so that your neighbors think you’re crazy.

Yes, I know… it’s a bit ridiculous. But I laughed out loud at myself this afternoon when I tested them out and that was well worth it.

They seem to go into the ground only about half an inch or so - which hardly does any good - but I hacksawed off the protruding ends of the lag bolts so when I use them again they’ll hopefully go in a little further. I figure I’ll use them every once in a while when I mow the lawn – that way I’ll only sometimes look like nut job while I’m out there. :)