Throwback Thursday: cat box bench

On August 27, 2026 By CarynIn Cats, Craft

In August of 2018 I built a bench with an insulated section and a non-insulated section inside. The idea was to provide Sophie the cat a hiding place, since she was working on being part of our family.

Photo description: hand made wood bench painted gray

Photo description: same bench with the lid lifted to show the insulated section on the left, and cat door on the right

This was one of the largest flops. No cat ever used it for more than a casual inspection, and after a few years on the front porch, I moved it back behind the coop for the meadow cats, who also eschewed it. I tried cutting a secondary hole so there was an escape route, but still it was not an acceptable hide-y hole. Now, after eight years of being outside, the lid has broken, the legs are rotting, and the bugs have taken it over. Time for a something different.

Make it fit

On August 24, 2026 By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

I had the idea to install an under mount sliding keyboard to a buffet table. This poor table has undergone many modifications as its purpose has changed over the years, and not once was it a buffet table. We purchased it new to be a TV stand, then it became a standing desk, then an electronics table, and now it is going back to being a desk. I purchased a clamp-on keyboard tray as there wasn’t much wood under the drawer to mount anything. Unfortunately the clamps wouldn’t fit under the drawer, and there is a gentle curve to the underside support that makes the right side thicker than the left. Hm. So I chiseled out space.

Photo description: dado cut into the frame of a drawer slot

I used a small pull saw to cut across the grain at the ends of the dado, then used a chisel and mallet to remove the wood between the cuts.

Photo description: clamp for a sliding keyboard in the newly cut dado

Photo description: installed keyboard tray with drawer back in place (tools and sawdust still need to be cleaned up)

I’m pleased with the modification (which is good because there is no going back now). I can sit and use the keyboard at a comfortable height, or move the keyboard up and stand at the desk if I wish, depending on what I’m doing.

Throwback Thursday: catio

On July 30, 2026 By CarynIn Cats

In May of 2018 my eldest and I finished building a catio on the back side of the house. We built it from 2×2 lumber, painted it, and encased it in welded wire fence material, with a screen door. Izzy the cat still loves it.

Photo description: calico cat laying on the dirt in a custom built catio

It attaches to a back window so the cats can come and go as they please. After eight years, though, it is looking rather raggedy.

Things I learned with this catio:

Even though I painted it, I should have used all exterior treated lumber
Small hammocks made from outdoor fabric are fantastic, the cats love them, put a grommet in the center to let the rain drain
Put sand in the bottom, but also have kitty litter boxes
A nice long ramp wrapped with outdoor fabric makes a good scratching surface
Multiple staggered high shelves are appreciated
On the next one, I’ll probably add a roof

PVC overtone flute

On July 13, 2026July 10, 2026 By CarynIn Craft, music, Uncategorized

Watching YouTube shorts sent me down another overtone rabbit hole. There was a person with a flute with no finger holes playing a lilting beautiful tune. Wha?! Some quick internet research revealed the Koncovka, a Slavic shepard’s instrument made from a long wood tube. The flute has two overtone series possibilities, one with the bottom hole open and the other with it covered, giving this simple whistle an astonishing number of notes for something with no finger holes. My next question was how to make one, and I found this short YouTube tutorial to make a PVC version.

I have some thin walled PVC tubes from an old Ladder ball game. These pipes have become materials for other projects more than they were ever assembled for the game.

Photo description: PVC pipe with a slot cut and sanded smooth, a section of dowel sanded to fit snuggly inside the tube, and a short section of red PVC pipe the same length as the wood and split lengthwise

Photo description: wood plug finished with butcher block wax and fit into the top of the tube

Photo description: red sleeve placed over the white PVC to create a narrow hole

Photo description: rubber band around the red sleeve to keep it tight and reduce air leaking

Photo description: finished PVC overtone flute

The tone of the flute is quite pleasing and very fun to experiment with. Below is an audio file of me playing the PVC overtone flute I talk about in this blog post.

I love it when my crafting and music rabbit holes merge and open a new room.

Throwback Thursday: cat cabinet

On July 2, 2026 By CarynIn Craft

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.