Monthly Archives: February 2017

DIY Timber Blackboard

You know when you’ve gotta leave a message for someone at home and you cant find paper or a pen?

Check out this how-to video to make yourself a little blackboard for all the family to use. It’s perfect for the kitchen where everyone can write their messages and a great idea for your shopping lists too.

Have a look at the photos below how easy it is to create this timber framed message board.

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Step 1: Paint

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First, you’ll need a 565mm by 900mm MDF board. Then you can paint your MDF board with blackboard paint. You can leave it to dry while you knock up your timber frame.

Step 2: Measure the timber lengths

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You can now cut your lengths of timber. I’ve used a drop saw. The timber frame needs to go on the face of the blackboard, so therefore you want your frame to be slightly bigger than your board. So the outside of the frame should measure 575mm by 910mm.

Step 3: Cut the timber

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I’m using mitre joints, which are quite difficult if you don’t have a drop saw. You could also use a mitre box or butt joint your joints if you aren’t confident.

Step 4: Line up the lengths of timber

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You should have two long bits and two short bits to make up your frame. It’s important that all four pieces are exactly the same in length to the half mill, so you don’t throw your dimensions out.

Step 5: Sit the blackboard in the frame

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You can then nail the frame to the bench to hold it in position, then place the blackboard over the top of the frame, about 5mm from each edge. Now you can screw the blackboard to the frame, and you have a blackboard for the kitchen where everyone can leave their messages.

 

Related: Do it Yourself

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DIY Photo Holder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEnUN-yoj84 Do you have lots of photos sitting in a draw? Why not let your family and friends enjoy some of these memories? Watch this how-to video to make some simple and creative photo holders that you can us ... [read more]

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DIY Magazine Rack

https://youtu.be/8iee3OCNHTg Here is a great idea to keep your magazines tidy and in order. Take a look at this how-to video of creating this easy magazine wall display. The pictures below also show how simple it is to create this timber fram ... [read more]

 

Spiral potato cutter

I’ve got a brand new gadget in the kitchen, which I saw a couple of years ago at the Easter Show and I absolutely love it.

To use the spiral potato cutter, peel a normal potato, stick a skewer through it (I got some timber skewers with my machine) and then wind the handle so the potato goes through the slicer. Keep going until you get right to the end and then carefully open up the potato along the skewer until you get a nice, long spiral.

To cook, you need some oil in a frying pan (always be careful when cooking with large amounts of oil), a deep pan works best here but don’t stress if you haven’t got one. Before you pop it in the frying pan, cut off one end of the skewer and then let it sit in the pan a couple of minutes until golden brown. Grab the potato spiral with some tongs and season it with a bit of salt, absolutely fantastic!

 

Follow The Build – Mudgee Part 14

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It’s always good to start fitting the house out – bathrooms and the like but it’s the kitchen that’s always fun. I love wood stoves and Rayburn still make the same wood stove they’ve been making for years. So I ordered one with a smaller matching gas stove for those summer months so it’s a bit cooler.

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Related: Follow the Mudgee build

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Follow the Build – Mudgee Part 15

This outdoor BBQ means a lot to the family. So that’s why we kept it and the deck and built the new house around it. All of our family memories have been around that fire. I laid 600 bricks to build it and the hot plate is a 8mm plate weighin ... [read more]

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Follow the build – Mudgee Part 13

I did want a polished concrete floor throughout the house but had some hesitation about slab on ground in the bush. I know it’s done everywhere but I do like the under house ventilation a frame gives you. So I went with steel screw piers as we ... [read more]

My favourite book

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Born in 1894, Facey lived the rough frontier life of a sheep farmer, survived the gore of Gallipoli, raised a family through the Depression and spent sixty years with his beloved wife, Evelyn. Despite enduring hardships we can barely imagine today, Facey always saw his life as a ‘fortunate’ one. A true classic of Australian literature, his simply written autobiography is an inspiration. It is the story of a life lived to the full – the extraordinary journey of an ordinary man.

Gotta be my favourite book of all time. A great Aussie story.

 

DIY Magazine Rack

Here is a great idea to keep your magazines tidy and in order. Take a look at this how-to video of creating this easy magazine wall display.

The pictures below also show how simple it is to create this timber frame and then to add the rope – drill, thread, knot and its ready to go.

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Step 1: Measure and mark

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Measure and mark 600mm (or find the centre) on one 1.2m timber length.

Step 2: Cut the timber

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Cut the timber using a drop saw (a handsaw will also get the job done). This will give you two 600mm lengths – these will be the top and bottom of the frame. Measure and mark the thickness of the timber on both ends of the second 1.2m length. This will make sure you don’t go too close to the edges when drilling. Repeat process on second 1.2m length.

Step 3: Find the centre and drill

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Find the centre of the traced-out square on one end of the 1.2m timber and use a drill and drill bit to make two holes on either side of the centre point, about 1cm apart. Repeat on all four ends. Make sure the holes are slightly bigger than the screw, so the screw has room to move.

Step 4: Form the frame

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Clamp bottom timber (600mm length) on table. Insert screws into the 1.2m-timber holes and align timber and screws on the side of the 600mm length, creating a corner, and screw in place. Repeat process on all four sides, forming a frame. Sand frame well and give it a stain. Leave to dry.

Step 5: Measure and mark

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Measure and mark 150mm in one of the 1.2m sides, starting from the corner. Then from the first 150mm mark, measure and mark another 150mm space this process until you have six marks and a 150mm space between each. Repeat process on the other 1.2m side.

Step 6: Measure and mark

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Measure and mark 21mm in at each 150mm point using a combination square. This will give you the exact centre point, so you drill in the centre of the timber.

Step 7: Drill the holes

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Using a drill and a drill bit that is slightly bigger than the rope, drill holes going all the way through each mark. You should now have 12 holes, six on either side.

Step 8: Thread the rope

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Thread the rope through the holes, cut off excess rope and tie a knot on the ends, making sure the rope is as tight as possible so the string stays in place.

Final step: DIY magazine rack

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Related: Do it Yourself

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DIY Timber Blackboard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOE7CAfQ7QU You know when you’ve gotta leave a message for someone at home and you cant find paper or a pen? Check out this how-to video to make yourself a little blackboard for all the family to use. It's ... [read more]

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DIY Art Boards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exh6v5Gr5hU These art boards are a great way to show off your kid’s art work and knowing how many masterpieces come home each week from school, its also an easy way to update the displays. Have a look at the ... [read more]