So, after he inherited his father’s band saw as an adult (as a boy, John said, “I was never allowed to use anything more dangerous than a screwdriver” in his father’s shop), and caught sight of David Wakefield’s book How to Make Animated Toys, John was primed to pursue his interest in making things that move.

His training as an architect and his proficiency with CAD software helped him out on that front. “I made the transition from pencil architect to CAD architect starting in 1996,” he said. “By 1998, I was fairly proficient at 2D stuff.” He subsequently taught himself how to do three-dimensional CAD drawings and now, “3D is the only way I work,” he said. “I model stuff in 3D and work backwards to 2D to get my plans.”

Those full-scale AutoCAD models also help John prove to himself whether a project concept will work. “My architectural training taught me that just because you can draw it, doesn’t mean you can build it or that it works,” and his woodworking skills also come in handy there.

John, however, describes himself as “not really a woodworker; I’m a wood tinkerer.” He still does most of his work on the band saw when he can, saying, “I can do anything on a band saw a lot safer than on a table saw.” He recently bought a scroll saw for $20 on Craigslist but that, too, he says he’s using as a “precise band saw.” “Ninety-nine percent of my cuts are outside cuts,” John said. “I don’t do fretwork or anything. I’m using the eye-hand coordination developed on the band saw.”

His techniques in general, however, have changed over the years. At first, John said, he might create the animation in a project by, for example, using a pulley with an O-ring – but that would have been before he became proficient at making wooden gears. His younger brother, a machinist, helped John develop his process for making wooden gears, and now he creates them from plywood which he also makes himself. Usually, John makes his gears out of cherry, or sometimes walnut, using 1/8-inch plys and alternating the grain to make either 2-ply or 3-ply hardwood plywood. John said this adds stability to his gears.

He has also changed his sourcing of some of the other components of his pieces over the years, moving from finding old Erector Set motors on eBay to purchasing continuous duty synchronous turning motors from Surplus Center.

In some of his more recent projects, such as animated music boxes and animated lamps, the components of the piece become prominent features of the design. For instance, when he’s making a lamp, the designs he’s able to find on purchased lampshades influence the overall scheme of the lamp. A lampshade with a fern design provided “snacks” for two animated brontosauruses in one lamp, while in another case, a chrome lightbulb that resembled an octopus head became the feature for a “Menacing Octopus” lamp with eight waving tentacles.

The songs chosen for his music boxes also complement the animated figures, with Beethoven’s “Für Elise” playing on a box with leaping ballerinas and “If I Only Had a Brain” playing on a Frankenstein-themed box.

John’s also been making some sports-themed lamps; part of the inspiration for this type of project, he said, is that “Toys are OK, but I found that a lot of guys were making toys, supposedly for their children and grandchildren, but really for themselves.” With that in mind, he wanted to make animated projects that, rather than being solely playthings, had “some kind of utility.”

Still, “right now I only want to make things that move,” John said. “I don’t want to turn a pen; I don’t want to make a cutting board. I appreciate it, but I’m not interested. It’s probably a guy thing, or an ego thing, but with the animated lamps, I’m probably the only one in the world making them, so by default I’m the best. I’m number one.”

Editor’s Note: click the links to see videos of John’s projects in action.

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– Paul Postuma
Quispamsis, New Brunswick

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Joanna Werch Takes: According to our printing company (we don’t actually sit in the office and glue individual pages onto each copy of the magazine), the adhesive is formally known as “fugitive glue” or “releasable glue,” and you should be able to find where it is sold by doing an online search for it. It sometimes comes in a roll with a plastic backing, or sometimes in hotmelt sticks.

Tim Inman: I’m not a “home improvement expert,” but my wife and I are now living in our 3D “this old house,” so these kinds of projects are not totally foreign to me either. To seal our old windows – which are NOT rotten after over 105 years of use! – we caulk them all with a product called “strippable” weather sealer. It comes in ordinary caulking tubes and resembles the glue/stickum you reference. It is common, cheap and lasts for years at our house. You might get some and give it a try.

Chris Marshall: I’m in Tim’s camp here, too. Woodworking is what I know best, but I dabble in DIY as most of woodworkers do. I would be inclined not to put adhesive of any kind over “raw” drywall if I ever hoped to remove something from it later on. The paper face is just too porous. If you really want to consider the possibility of removing that wainscot down the road and NOT pulling the surface of the drywall apart in the process, I’d definitely prime it first. I might even use Kilz® or a similar waterproofing product that builds to a good, durable coating. In my experience, adhesives tend to release better from nonporous surfaces than a porous ones.

Fellow eZine readers, please share your thoughts and suggestions for Ralph, too.

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It consists of a large acrylic Hinge Mortising Jig platform with etched guidelines, vertical spacers and an adjustable fence. These adjust to position the jig precisely over the top of the hinge mortise locations on a box, with both the lid and box spaced the correct distance apart and flush with the platform’s bottom face. Once the jig is clamped to the box and lid, the platform provides a sturdy surface for milling the mortises into both the lid and the box simultaneously with a plunge router. The ½-in.-thick platform will suit materials ranging from 3/8- to 1-in. thick.

A large cutout in the middle of the platform accepts one of five square acrylic templates that correspond to a specific type of quadrant or side-rail hinge. Each template has precision-milled guide holes for making the required cuts to complete the mortises. The holes are labeled alphabetically in the order of cuts to be made. And, by rotating the template inside the platform so it aligns with a corresponding letter for each cut, the jig takes care of all the spacing and positioning.

Once the proper routing depth-of-cut is set for a particular hinge, the user can cut the mortises for one hinge, then unclamp and move the jig to the other end of the box for cutting mortises for the second hinge, without repeating the setup process.

The templates sell for $7.99 each, and they are sold separately from the platform, so you can buy the specific template to suit your project. Cuts are made with a 3/16-in. straight router bit inside of a 3/8-in. O.D. guide collar in the router. The bit (item 90000; $13.99) and guide collar/template guide lock nut (items 43877 and 63107; $7.99 and $4.99) are also sold separately.

Additional mortise templates for other hinges are coming soon.

Rockler’s new JIG IT Hinge Mortising System is priced at $49.99 and is available now. You can buy it and any of the five hinge templates online or at Rockler stores nationwide.

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“I will tell you what I managed to do. About five months ago, my daughter bought a ferret. It was from the pet store and not very old. I did some research on custom ‘cages.’ I wanted more of a habitat of sorts. I figured this rat would be active and want something to do when my daughter is unavailable to play with her. I took to the iPad and looked up some pictures of what others had done. I saw a lot of people that took crappy knockdown faux cupboards and bookshelves, threw on some chicken wire, and life was good. So, not wanting to redneck something together, I thought ‘I can do it better.’ I took some measurements of the ferret. Side note: have you ever tried to measure a young ferret that cannot stay still? I still don’t know why I measured it, it’s just long and low. So I decided on 4 feet wide, 5 and ½-inch tall and 2 feet deep, and it will have three levels with each level having an obstacle course-like play area. So off I go for some plywood. Two: 4x8x3/4″ sheets and 1 sheet of 1/2″ for the back. I got the pieces home and broke down per my cutlist and dry assembled it on the floor. That is the first time I built anything this size and decided it would be good to dry assemble first. Once dry fitted I stood back and thought,  that seems big enough fora gaggle of ferrets. So I left it alone until my wife woke up for work (thridrd shift) to take a look at it and give her input. So I ended up splitting the whole thing in half and making it only one foot deep. I guess the good thing is I now have enough to build the carcass for a second cage. Maybe I will make it a vacation spot for her ferret.” –  Kevin Hanes

“I began woodworking and woodturning with small projects, because I did not want to ruin a large piece of wood. As a result, I learned the importance of accuracy and attention to detail.  Although I have completed larger projects, I still prefer to work on small items, where avoiding the smallest errors makes the difference between a good finished product and a great one.” – Jennifer Wilson

“I understand the moving of plywood around the shop.  There was a time when I would be able to have my wife stand at one end of the arm saw and balance the wood as I pushed it through. Now, at age 73, it isn’t as easy. I love building furniture, I have a great time doing it and giving it to the family. I have furnished the wood furniture for two daughters and a son.  A few years ago, the art of building a desk was easy. I didn’t have a problem lifting and moving around one of the pedestals from workbench to floor and back again.  Now, if there is something that size, I need to call my neighbor to help. I have taken up the hobby of turning small items like pens and bottle stoppers, but it is not the same.  I like the small objects as they are completed in an hour or less.  The problem is I now have about 40 pens and 20 bottle stoppers without a home.” – John Schelby

“My project sizes around my house tend to be small at this point. I built a pot rack for my daughter recently for her new apartment. I’m a new beginner to woodworking, so small is nice right now. I will eventually graduate up to bigger projects in the future with more skills and tools that I acquire.” – David Drier

“Years ago, I got my first lathe, driving it with an old refrigerator motor. I immediately became addicted to turning.  I have moved up a few lathe generations now.  As an almost exclusive turner I don’t need much ¾-inch plywood.  Why not do more turning?  Even relatively large bowl blanks can be handled easier than a sheet of plywood.  Besides, every now and then you get a chance to harvest some wood when trees are being cut nearby.  That gives you a chance to use your chainsaw.  All that power, what fun!” – James Yarbrough

“My projects are definitely getting smaller. When I was younger, I renovated and restored old wood yachts and sailboats, some as large as 60 feet. Afterwards I built a lot of furniture – much easier on the back. Building furniture is now strictly reserved for my home. When I started doing shows, my focus was creating much smaller projects, primarily wood sculpted boxes. My philosophy now is creating work I can easily pick up and carry. With 30 to 40 boxes, some moving quilts for protecting them, and a bunch of Rubbermaid containers, I am off to have fun at the art shows.” –  Greg Little

“As I grow older (I’m a child of the Great Depression), I tend to think small, but seem to fall into snares that require larger dimensions. Because of that, I resort to using wheels and whatever else will help me hoist the big stuff. When all else fails, I call for help. That said, I do prefer the small projects whenever possible.” – Don Butler

“I started with a full wall cabinet and Murphy bed, one big project. I switched to building floor clocks as they were much easier to handle. With my age increasing and my strength decreasing, I switched to mantle clocks. With the development of Myasthenia Gravis, my strength decreased greatly, and now I have switched to bird carving. I guess the only place to go from here is making toothpicks, but I am not giving up woodworking.” – Mark Woodcock

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– Howard Hirsch
Malvern, PA

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