Tag: wood

Exit hole

On By CarynIn Craft

I built a cat house bench back in August 2018, before I started this blog. The outside cats never really used it. I cleaned out the old straw and evicted the insect residents.

Photo description: 7-year-old storage bench that is really an insulated cat house, entrance on the right side

I decided to cut an exit hole, so there was an escape route. I didn’t want it to be a wind tunnel, so I cut it into the side of the insulated box.

Photo description: same bench but now closed and a new exit cut into the side

I used a saws all to cut and rather lost control as my cuts are diagonal rather than straight. Serendipitously the two cuts are parallel, so that’s a bonus, even if they are crooked.

I put lavender inside to deter bugs, and put down some fresh straw, since I’ve read that when fabric scraps get wet they don’t insulate where straw insulates even when damp.

Photo description: inside of the bench showing new straw and both escape hatches

While I was at it I also caulked in the gaps on the top that were letting in the damp during heavy rains. We’ll see if the modification made any difference to the local colony. Winter is coming, but it is Texas, so it will flirt with fall for a while longer.

Throwback Thursday: Picture frames

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In May of 2013 I was into making sculptural wood and wire photo frames.

Photo description: oak wood photo frame with wire tree and Mother of Pearl buttons as leaves

I cut the frame from hardwood, sanded and finished it, then put a peg hole and dowel in the back to function as a stand. I drilled holes for the wires, epoxied them in and shaped them. I added tabs to the back to hold the photos in. Did I take a picture of the back? Not of this one.

Photo description: back of an owl photo frame showing peg stand, metal tabs, and hanging hardware. The eyes of the owl were fused glass with iron oxide pupils that matched the tone of the wood. the back of the eyes can be seen in the photo.

My photo skills took a slip back at this time. Many of the photos for the other frames were blurry, or at a strange angle, and others were taken with photos in them. Some of the photos of photos were decent, but since I don’t post faces on this blog, it made them unsuitable for future use. In my past-self’s defense, I had two young children and I’m frankly lucky to have remembered to take pictures at all.

Happy New Year!

On By CarynIn Craft, photography
Photo description: laser cut Happy New Year ornament made from birch plywood held up against the blue sky

I tried cutting this shape from purple heart, but it was too brittle and crumbled coming out of the machine. The plywood is a little better; it still has some flex but still breaks easily with the thinness of the design. As I experiment, I hope to learn solid design parameters as applied to laser cuts. Let the experiments continue!

I hope y’all have a year full of creativity and purpose! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope it brings some inspiration and amusement.