Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Wooden Winch Pulls Mini Van!

I have always been fascinated with winches and gears, so I thought I should try to make one out of wood. I based this one on a metal winch, also known as a ratchet lever hoist. 

I began by constructing a gear using sign-grade pressure treated ply wood.  For leverage and strength I made a large handle. To test the strength of this winch I attempted to pull a mini van weighing 3000 pounds. If my test was unsuccessful and the winch broke, there would have been no risk to myself or the vehicles as there was no tension outside of the winch itself. So the winch would have snapped, and the vehicles would roll in to their blocks. The winch passed the test! If you don’t believe me, check out the video.  


Thursday, May 22, 2014

One 2x4 Workbench

One 2x4 

What can you build with one 2x4? Building something and coming up with an idea may both be difficult to do. It is fun to see what others do, and when we all share we can all learn.

 Summers Woodworking Show proposed a 2x4 challenge where all participants make something out of a single 2x4 (I'll post a link to his page below). I made a work bench with functional clamps. It is small enough to fit on top of a larger work bench, or portable for use anywhere from a kitchen to a picnic table.  The small size is ideal for beginners or those working in small spaces. 





The dimensions for this work bench are as follows:
One 2x4 was used therefore the top is 3 pieces at 18", Legs are 6 1/4" angled at 12°, Base stretchers are 13'

Here's the link to check out my 2x4 challenge video



Here's a link to Summers Wood Working Show

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Welcome!

Welcome to my new website! Thanks for stopping by. Hello again to all my YouTube friends and for those of you who are new, my name is Jack. I am a YouTube-r, woodworker and piano technician. Here I'll share my projects, ideas and other interesting woodworking related material. 

Here’s a short bio. My fondness of woodworking is not a new one. Whether it be for a project in the garage, outside in the yard, or for a piano I've always had a hammer in my hand. I have been a piano technician for more than 30 years and a hobby wood worker all my life. I have always enjoyed working with wood, and creating projects that could be used around the home. I started out building anything I could find the materials for as a boy and teen. As I got older I began to make tools and innovations that could be used for my piano business. Since pianos are about 85% wood I have been fortunate enough to combine my hobby with my job. 



So, hang tight for some upcoming posts and check out my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/Jacka440