To complete the paper towel holder you make a spindle and the practice involved in getting the spindle a even diameter is good for you. There is a small design feature and then you are cutting a tenon on one end too.
The second element is a face plate turning project for the base. When you turn the base you have an opportunity to practice with you bowl scrappers and well as your gouges.
We sometimes forget that to get good at something requires practise. Even when we work in our shop regularly we should take some time and practise some of our skills that we may take for granted.
Recently I have been making some boxes to be attached to bicycles racks.
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A box like this is held to the bicycle rack with 'Zip' ties. The ties are quick, cheap and easy to use. I had a request for a box that was a specific size.
The box had to carry 12 beers, 2 sixes or a full 12. I made the box so that the cases fit snugly so the beer wouldn't rattle around as you brought it home.
I boxes are made from 1/4 and 1/2 inch Baltic birch. Normally I prefer solid wood, but in a case like this the Baltic birch plywood will survive better in the hot sun and probably better in the rain too. A wooden box is not impervious to the weather but then a plastic box breaks down in the sunshine and gets brittle, the wooden box can be repaired when the plastic becomes landfill.
I held the ends on with pocket holes using the Kreg Micro Jig. The Micro Jig is perfect for pocket holes in 1/2 material. I used the dedicated 3/4 pocket hole screws and got solid, strong joints, quickly and easily.
It sounds funny but it is not a bad idea to make a few boxes now and then, as practice tool.
cheers, ianw
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