Building & Making on Youtube
Darbin Orvar - Girl in a Shop
My adventures in building, diy, construction, testing and finishing.
Lately I’ve been getting back into bookbinding which is such a fun and interesting thing to do. I love making my own books! Now, as I was starting to work on some projects, I was happy to get back to using our awesome book binding tools we made a while back.
The book press in particular is a project I often get questions about whether or not we have a building plan. Well now we do: BOOK PRESS BUILDING PLAN
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An outdoor sofa that’s good looking, affordable and easy to disassemble, that’s what we’ve here. This design features a modern style and measures 55” wide and 30” deep. It's a straightforward project resulting in a very useful couch to relax in outside. HHere is the building plan: Outdoor Sofa Plan (including step by step instructions, cutlist + scalable design files)
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I always thought learning new things was fun, however it wasn't until we had a son and became responsible for his education that I have become more immersed in the concept of learning.
My child is 6 now and we have been teaching him things all along, ever since he was big enough to respond. I think that's the same for most parents who decided to take control over their kids’ education, whether or not they send them to school or decide to teach them at home.
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If I were to start fresh with an empty shop, what would be the first tool I would get? Well, while I'd be tempted to say tablesaw (is there a more practical tool?), I think I would actually get a laser engraver to start with. For the past year now we've been working quite a bit with laser engraving and cutting, and it's such a useful tool for making small and precise things. Especially boxes, gears, models not to mention marking out different things. It's fast, fun and opens up a new world of possibilities.
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You push a button on a box in one location, and it activates a light and a buzzer in another. This is done over wifi, so you can place the boxes wherever you need them within that range. Where do you place them? One could be in your house, and the other in your workshop (so family members could contact you when needed), you can put them in different rooms of the house… there are lots of options.
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It's time to start thinking of garden projects! A raised garden bed is a great one since it brings the planting up (you don’t have to sit on the ground), you can control the quality of the soil, and it also looks really nice and can work as a divider in your garden.
For this project, we're going to go cheap and basic and resaw some 2x4s. I'm going to be using pressure treated wood which I will paint because it's what I had on hand, however you could just as easily use framing lumber.
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When we first moved into this house, the space where my current small workshop is located was originally a little garden shed. The previous owners left behind a bunch of stuff, most of which wasn't worth saving, howeover there was one thing which I kept: an old metal vise.
I figured it would come in handy and one day.... I would clean it up and restore it a bit. Ever since, it's been sitting on the counter, I've used it a few times, however it was quite grimy and dirty and could definitely use a good cleaning.
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After last week’s exploration with wood hinges, a couple of people suggested to me that instead of using wood dowels or metal nails, bamboo skewers might make a good substitute when it came to the pin that moves the hinge. And why not! Bamboo skewers are pretty hard and durable and quite thin too.
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I always thought that traditional wooden boxes with metal hinges and other hardware are practical, but a little boring. Boxes that you can make on the other hand where the design itself limits hinges, clasps etc... are a bit more interesting. I'm talking sliding dado lids, fitted lids that sit on top, or wedge designs like a Japanese toolbox. None of these boxes require any external hardware, everything you need to complete the project is within the wood.
Read MoreWe recently got a new addition to the workshop - a Grizzly G0844 woodturning lathe. The main reason why I wanted to get a lathe was to make the step of sanding and finishing our spinning tops a little more efficient. The spinning tops are cut on the rotary attachment on our Avid CNC machine, and while the CNC is great for a lot of different jobs, sanding and finishing is not one of them!
Read MoreI was in the mood to get out in the shop and build something simple. For a while I'd been thinking it would be fun to dust off the hand tools and I happened to have some resawed 2x4s on hand. 2x4s obviously aren't fancy, however there is something appealing about the cleanness of the wood and the straightness of the grain. In terms of the project, there's been one type of box I've been wanting to make lately, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity - a mini Japanese toolbox.
Read MoreThe spinning top journey has been a fun one! They are now stocked in the shoppe if you’d like to pick one up, and I have a video ready all about the process thus far. When we first started playing around with the idea of making the tops, the project was centered around just that. Making different designs, cutting in different woods etc… Since then, we’ve tried out a lot of different concepts, ventured into making dishes and perfectly sized keepsake boxes,
Read MoreSome projects or concepts just speak to you right away. The wax pot was one of those for me If you’re not familiar, a wax pot (aka a greasepot) is an old fashioned object that the woodworker kept on the bench or in their apron. It’s a small wooden box filled with some sort of lubricant - either wax polish or tallow.
Read MoreAre you the type of person who sometimes have projects laying around for a long time, mid way through finished? Well, I certainly am. Sometimes projects go by real fast and sometimes you get distracted, or other things take priority.
Read MoreIf you like coffee, and the process of making coffee, then you may appreciate the opportunity of being able to set up a brewing station in different places. In other words, the ability to take out your fancy coffee equipment and set up camp whether at a park or a winery or just in the backyard.
Read MoreSo for the last couple of weeks, I've been working on a concept that started out quite simple, and has evolved from there into many different aspects. What is it? It's a spinning top. You know the classic toy that kids have played with for ages (quite a few adults too I may add.) It's been a rather fun object to work on, and I'm not done yet. But, let me share what's been going on with this project and where I am right now.
Read MoreLately I've been getting into hosting livestreams on YouTube about different maker-related subjects. It's been a fun opportunity to connect with people and to explore ideas and projects in a more relaxed way.
Here are the latest ones:
It's almost spring and summer and high time to start thinking about your outdoor spaces. While building a pergola or gazebo can be a fun project (I've done it! You can do it!), sometimes, you really just want to pick something up that makes life a little easier and where you just have to do some assembling.
If you're thinking about buying a gazebo, pergola, canopy or really any other outdoor furniture or structures, then I just wanted to share that I have a great discount code for ALL Sunjoy products (this code is valid on all non-sale items). The code is "DARBINORVAR" and will give a 13% discount!
I'm going to put up my own SUNJOY wood and metal gazebo in a couple of weeks, but I just wanted to share the discount code ahead of time, in case anyone else is getting started on their spring planning.
8 - 29x12x0.75 inches (736x304x19mm) - sides
2 - 28.5x12x0.75 (724x304x19mm) - middle
4 - 31.5x12.0.5 (800x304x12mm) - backs
4 - 33x29x0.5 (838x736x12mm) - tops
8 - 15.38x3x0.5 (391x76x12mm) - bracing pieces
8 - 23x10x0.75 inches (584x254x19mm) - sides
8 - 12.875x10x0.5 (305x254x12mm) - front & back
4 - 15.125x11.25x0.5 (384x286x12mm) - drawer faces
4 - 22.5x13.38x0.25 (578x340x6mm) - bottoms
2 - 29x12.5x0.5 inches (736x317.5x12mm) - tops
4 - 29x12x0.5 (736x304x12) - bottoms & back
2 - 12x11.5x0.75 (304x279x19) - sides
2 - 11.5x2.2 (292x50x50) - posts
When planning out this project, I really wanted to create the ultimate home office system where various objects had a home, especially my beautiful typewriter, electronics devices, laptop and odds and ends. At the same time I wanted to make the space feel airy and light, so I decided to distribute the various shelves, cubbies etc... on the entire wall. Here are some more in-depth pictures of how it turned out.
The overall unit
The oversized pegboard or dowel board, is definitely one of my favorite pieces!
The cubby unit holds various odds and ends.
