Hobbies? Or do you build/make anything?

[Arbo]

Figured this would be the best place for this.

Curious as to what hobbies other may have if they build/create things.

Long ago I drew up a CNC router and built it. Doesn't get as much use as it used to due to limited time. But I've done many projects on it, from '3d' carvings to v carvings, to hundreds of lithophanes and all sorts of stuff. Some examples. A celtic design I drew up, aztec calendar, a box for whatever, some prototype custom grips for a llama .45 double stack for a buddy.

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[Little-Acorn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkpUvfWU69s

[Nukeman]

Nice work. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler.. always hit my thumb!!! :laugh:

[Arbo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkpUvfWU69s

Nice. I used to fly RC. I actually got bored of it and sold everything to convert and fund getting into reloading. Amazingly though, I took a trip back east this past summer and came back with a car full of planes (that were given to me by old flying buddies back east) I need to get rid of so I can get back to using my router. I actually thought about getting back into it just to fly the big Stevens Aero Cap, but i figure I know a guy that will enjoy it.


Nice work. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler.. always hit my thumb!!! :laugh:

Me either, that's why I use CAD. ;)

[Arbo]

Suppose I should show and explain what a lithophane is for those that might not be familiar with them. They are 'carvings' in a semi translucent material that just look like a bumpy mess, until you put a light behind them. Long ago an artist would carve them right into porcelain. I'm no artist, so I use software and carve them into corian. An example of one lit from behind. Often they are window hangers, or sometimes placed in a lighted box.

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[CSM]

I have a ton of hobbies which include (but not limited to): chip carving, painting, making chainmail armor, fishing, boating and archery.

Nice work there, Arbo.

[Jeff]

The last hobby I had besides from riding , hunting and fishing I messed with those radio controlled planes, they where fun but quite costly, nothing worse than spending a week building the plane and then flying for a couple minutes only to have it smash into the ground :laugh: but seriously I had a few planes and they where a lot of fun. Ok I jumped the gun again ( imagine that ) Little Acorn had posted the video of exactly what I was talking about except this looks like battery control where I used motors , either way is a lot of fun though.

[Jeff]

I have a ton of hobbies which include (but not limited to): chip carving, painting, making chainmail armor, fishing, boating and archery.

Nice work there, Arbo.

CSM I am guess that chip carving is jsu what it says ( making things out of wood ) last night a guy that owns a saw mill brought three pieces of wood he cut they where 2 inches thick and about 2 foot wide ( we are making a sign for our church out of them , the church is called Gods little church in the country, and it right outside Helen GA ) so the sign will have the loo of the rustic mountains, it will be beautiful, but after talking to the man he is going to cut me some wood to build yard furniture with, I am very excited about that and think it will look beautiful

[WiccanLiberal]

I'm a soft craft kind of girl. I knot and crochet and do all sorts of needlework. I just finished a medium sized knit lap blanket and am busy with pairs of mittens I can give as gifts or sell for some extra cash.

[CSM]

CSM I am guess that chip carving is jsu what it says ( making things out of wood ) last night a guy that owns a saw mill brought three pieces of wood he cut they where 2 inches thick and about 2 foot wide ( we are making a sign for our church out of them , the church is called Gods little church in the country, and it right outside Helen GA ) so the sign will have the loo of the rustic mountains, it will be beautiful, but after talking to the man he is going to cut me some wood to build yard furniture with, I am very excited about that and think it will look beautiful

Chip carving is a form of wood carving that is based on removing small chips of wood to create a pattern. Requires a sharp knife and more patience than I have at most times. I enjoy it though. SOme very pretty stuff being crafted by experts (which I am definitely NOT). Just google it and look at the images; shows what I aspire to be able to do.

[Jeff]

Chip carving is a form of wood carving that is based on removing small chips of wood to create a pattern. Requires a sharp knife and more patience than I have at most times. I enjoy it though. SOme very pretty stuff being crafted by experts (which I am definitely NOT). Just google it and look at the images; shows what I aspire to be able to do.

I will do , I have seen some do it and yes they make beautiful things. I watched a guy up in Helen do it with a chain saw ( I know not the same ) but it was cool as can be just the same .

[CSM]

I will do , I have seen some do it and yes they make beautiful things. I watched a guy up in Helen do it with a chain saw ( I know not the same ) but it was cool as can be just the same .

I have enough trouble handling a pocket or carving knife never mind a chain saw! There would be much blood, I'm afraid, and most of it would be my own, so no chain saw for me!

[aboutime]

Many years ago, while still on active duty. When I had time at home. I created many Wood Burned plaques of U.S. Navy ships, detailed down to railings, and halyards on the signal bridge, and mast.

It was very time consuming, but relaxing, away from the stresses of many deployments that kept getting longer, and more intense professionally.
There are several ships. Most of which have since been decommissioned, where my work was hanging in Goat Lockers, and First Class Mess's.

[logroller]

Hobbies...does fostering dissent count as "building something"? :lol:

[CSM]

I'm a soft craft kind of girl. I knot and crochet and do all sorts of needlework. I just finished a medium sized knit lap blanket and am busy with pairs of mittens I can give as gifts or sell for some extra cash.

I tried knitting once ... made a huge blanket which I really liked but pretty much gave it up after that.

[fj1200]

Long ago I drew up a CNC router and built it.

I saw Radio Shack is selling a 3D printer for $1600 or does that take the fun out of it?


I have enough trouble handling a pocket or carving knife never mind a chain saw! There would be much blood, I'm afraid, and most of it would be my own, so no chain saw for me!

I think you just need to combine hobbies to make the leap into those requiring chain saws.


I have a ton of hobbies which include ... making chainmail armor...

:poke:

[Abbey Marie]

Well, just look at all my talented guys! I especially love the idea of our Marine knitting. :beer:

My hobbies nowadays are rather sedentary. No more skiing or volleyball for me. :(
Now it's more likely to be reading, fantasy football, and trivia contests.

[KitchenKitten99]

I love creative crafts but my ADD gets the best of me on most of the ones I start and well... lots of unfinished projects end up in storage. Sadly many burned up in the housefire I had almost 5 years ago, though I have replaced many supplies and now I restarted my 'unfinished project' collection...

I love oil and watercolor painting. If I take my time, I actually impress myself on how nice some turn out.

I love crochet, but can't knit to save my life--I have tried at least 3-4 times. I think my brain just doesn't translate the muscle movements. I just use the round knitters and looms. Saves me many frustrations.

I like to make bead jewelry. I have quite a few pieces that I wear, and a couple I have sold.

I love anything with experimenting with cooking techniques and ingredients.

Of course, trail riding and team cattle-sorting/cutting are my favorite hobbies on top of all of these.

[glockmail]

I renovate stuff. I stared out doing cars when I was 16 and that's the hobby I still love the best. I found a non-running 64 TBird back in '86 and did all the suspension and brakes on it to get it road worthy. But when we bought our first house that needed to be renovated as well and it took precedence over the Bird. When we moved I unloaded two other classics, a 69 F100 and a '66 Mustang, but kept the Bird. That again took a back seat as our house here needed work, and I also designed and built a cabin in the Mountains that will be our retirement home. I finally have the money to renovate the Bird up right and currently have too much invested in it to say without embarrassing myself. It's turned into a "resto-mod" project with modern enhancements to the engine, modern electrical system, headers, stainless steel Magna-flo exhaust, leather seats, 700W stereo, air conditioning, lowered anti-sway suspension, custom third brake light, back-up position sensor, vapor recovery system....

[red state]

Sounds extremely nice to build one's own cabin and retire there. My wife and I are currently planning the same thing (just not build one for ourselves) because our cabin area would/will be several hours away.

I hope and suspect you'll do just that some day and I wish you all the very best with that endeavor.

[Arbo]

I saw Radio Shack is selling a 3D printer for $1600 or does that take the fun out of it?

If you know what you are looking for, it's less time consuming to buy pre made. But considering a commercial unit the size I built would have cost at least 15 grand and I did it for a fraction of it, it feels like a reward to save the cash and see your own machine work better. ;)

[glockmail]

Sounds extremely nice to build one's own cabin and retire there. My wife and I are currently planning the same thing (just not build one for ourselves) because our cabin area would/will be several hours away.

I hope and suspect you'll do just that some day and I wish you all the very best with that endeavor.

It's in the Blue Ridge mountains, about a two hour drive from where I live now. I completed it in 2006, before the escalation in land and home prices.

[Jeff]

It's in the Blue Ridge mountains, about a two hour drive from where I live now. I completed it in 2006, before the escalation in land and home prices.

Beautiful country up there, my dream is to have a log cabin up there

[glockmail]

Beautiful country up there, my dream is to have a log cabin up there

Everyone wants a log cabin, unless they have already owned one. Depending on how you go, it adds about 15% to the construction cost of a home. The electrical wiring is a nightmare, and in spite of the manufacturer's claims, they are not energy efficient. Wood shrinks as it dries, a small amount in the grain direction but by a lot perpendicular to the grain, so an 8' wall of logs will shrink about 1-1/2". Because of that a second floor supported by a center wall will slope from the center to the outsides in about three years. (A good builder will plan for that and make the center support wall shorter.)

Folks also like timber frame homes, but the problem there is that the framers who practice that art tend to be pot smokers. So your project will get delayed as they forget to show up for work.

I built mine with a hybrid timber system. I eliminated all the perimeter timbers and used conventional 2x6 framing. I also used steel plate connectors hidden in a center kerf cut and connected by 1/2" steel pins. I got the idea from a Simpson timber beam hanger, and had a friend of mine who fabricates sheet metal make the plates. This convinced my regular framer that he could do it himself, eliminating the pot smokers from the job. All he had to do was purchase a larger circular saw to make the cuts of up to 5-1/2" deep in one pass.

Here's a photo of a post-beam-post connection using a steel kerf plate. The upper post has not yet been installed, so you can see the plate sticking up and the two holes for the pins. In the background you can see the conventional framing. The holes left in tne timbers get covered with hardwood plugs, so the end result is a joint that appears to be done with wood dowels.

[Arbo]

It's in the Blue Ridge mountains, about a two hour drive from where I live now. I completed it in 2006, before the escalation in land and home prices.

That like the areas around Ashville? (just further from civilization though) If so, very nice indeed.

[glockmail]

Asheville is indeed in the Blue Ridge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Appalachian_map.jpg

[logroller]

Everyone wants a log cabin, unless they have already owned one. Depending on how you go, it adds about 15% to the construction cost of a home. The electrical wiring is a nightmare, and in spite of the manufacturer's claims, they are not energy efficient. Wood shrinks as it dries, a small amount in the grain direction but by a lot perpendicular to the grain, so an 8' wall of logs will shrink about 1-1/2". Because of that a second floor supported by a center wall will slope from the center to the outsides in about three years. (A good builder will plan for that and make the center support wall shorter.)

Folks also like timber frame homes, but the problem there is that the framers who practice that art tend to be pot smokers. So your project will get delayed as they forget to show up for work.

I built mine with a hybrid timber system. I eliminated all the perimeter timbers and used conventional 2x6 framing. I also used steel plate connectors hidden in a center kerf cut and connected by 1/2" steel pins. I got the idea from a Simpson timber beam hanger, and had a friend of mine who fabricates sheet metal make the plates. This convinced my regular framer that he could do it himself, eliminating the pot smokers from the job. All he had to do was purchase a larger circular saw to make the cuts of up to 5-1/2" deep in one pass.

Here's a photo of a post-beam-post connection using a steel kerf plate. The upper post has not yet been installed, so you can see the plate sticking up and the two holes for the pins. In the background you can see the conventional framing. The holes left in tne timbers get covered with hardwood plugs, so the end result is a joint that appears to be done with wood dowels.
That's a cabin like an aircraft carrier is a boat. Spectacular nonetheless. :2up:

[Arbo]

Asheville is indeed in the Blue Ridge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Appalachian_map.jpg

I know that, and know the blue ridge's, was just curious if that was the area where you get to escape the zombies.

[glockmail]

That's a cabin like an aircraft carrier is a boat. Spectacular nonetheless. :2up: Thanks, but it's pretty small. My neighbor's houses are all huge in comparison. The closet in the master bedroom, while technically a walk-in, is small. My wife wanted it that way since we wouldn't have a lot of hang-up clothes, but now I'm beginning to wonder. And there is no second bathroom on the main level, so guests have to use my bathroom.

I've considered putting a urinal behind a curtain in the mud room to take care of the gentleman's needs. :laugh:

[glockmail]

I know that, and know the blue ridge's, was just curious if that was the area where you get to escape the zombies.
No zombies sighted up there, so I guess so. Lots of bears and wild turkey though. And there has been two sightings of a mountain lion about three years ago.