In January 2018 we were still working on setting up the new-to-us house and I needed a place to feed Izzy the cat. We had a space in the corner of the master bedroom and the previous owners left a large old wood workbench with drawers on the back porch. I used the drawers as the structure for a cabinet, and cut sections of the workbench top for the cabinet top, bottom, and door.
Photo description: cabinet made from old workbench drawersPhoto description: inside of the cabinet, showing the open back
The door had a crack, so I used an old leather belt as strapping to reinforce it. It worked, because the door is still strong after 8 years.
Photo description: closeup of the leather strap showing the carving details from when it was a belt
I wanted a set of chimes for the front entry, so decided to make some.
Photo description: graduated chimes made from 1/4 inch aluminum rod hung with fishing line from a section of a cedar branch
I read that chimes are usually made with solid aluminum or brass tubes. Aluminum is easier to work with, so I purchased a set of 10 quarter inch rods that were each 16 inches in length for about $14. My first step was to make a small groove in some scrap wood to hold the rods while I drilled a hole in each end.
Photo description: scrap wood jig holding a aluminum rod and a hole drilled in the end with a drill press
Once each rod had a hole in each end, I used a band saw to cut the rods into different lengths, with about a 1/2 inch difference. I then sanded them to remove the burrs and sharp edges.
Photo description: 19 graduated aluminum rods with one extra originally intended to play the chimes, but was unnecessary
I found a scrap of cedar branch from a failed walking stick project and cut it to about 12 inches. I sanded it and finished it with Howards Feed-n-Wax.
Photo description: cedar branch being prepped for holes drilled 1/2 inch apart
I used steel stranded cable to hang the wood, and monofilament fishing line to string the chimes. The knots for the fishing line are all on the back of the branch. The chimes are strung with line that comes out the back and back in the front to increase ring time, and I found have a long line for stringing and a shorter secondary line for tying knots worked fairly well.
Here is a video of the chimes in action. If I get ambitious, I will tune them .
Critters and Craft 