If you want to meet your neighbors, their kids, their teachers, and friends, build a large dinosaur in your driveway. At first, there was not much interest. As the project started to look like a dinosaur, people started dropping by. I was pleasantly surprised that this project became a social gathering and I found out that I have some nice neighbors.

A friend was adding to his home and wanted to know if I wanted some of the scrap material. I thought that he was bringing a few pieces over. Instead, he came over with almost a truckload. A few weeks passed, then while watching a show about dinosaurs, the idea came to me to make a bench. A sauropod was the best choice.

Building this was a learning experience. I made a frame then gluing the body in a stair step technique using screws as clamps. I did 2 or 3 levels a day, let the glue setup and remove the screws the next day and do it again. After that I would shape it with a saber saw and finish with a belt sander. Then paint.

She is almost 7’-7” long, 4’-6” tall, 2’-6” wide and about 210 pounds. She will seat 2 adults. She is on a rolling platform to be mobile.

I showed her at some A&C shows and a lot of folks had their pictures taken. She was part of the Christmas decorations at Texas Children’s Hospital pulling a sled with gifts. She was a big hit.

The Benchasaurs

She needed a hat

The body.

This project may seam like it was a well planed and done with a solid conception of what I wanted to achieve. That is far from true. It really grew from one idea to another. Here’s what really happened. I have turned my garage into a building studio that I like to call The Toy Box.
I have built some cabinets for it and I thought it would be cute to make the cabinet handles to look like screw heads. Then one thing lead to another. If you have screw heads then I think that I should make some screw bits. Well the screw bits will need a driver to be placed into.
A few months back, a friend at the wood working club sold me a piece of Red Oak that was 2.5” thick, about 14” wide and 8’ long for just $10. If I had gotten this board from a mill it would have cost at least $150 and more, but he thought that I could do something interesting with it. So I cut it up and put it back together.
So what started out as a fun knobs for some garage cabinets turn into a really fun project that tested the limits of the few tools that I have. It was a lot of fun after it was done but there were times that was a little scary when turning such a large piece.

Modern Industrial Art

Secret storage

That is a standard, 6′-8″x 30″ door.

The Treasure Chest is made from red oak. The banding is a manmade stone call Corian. It has a padded lining of crush velvet. The lock is made from walnut and red oak. Yes, it really works so do not lose the key.

While driving down a Houston street I spotted this storefront. I think that it was called ‘3 doors Interior Design. So it was the inspiration for 4” wide binder that would be a photo album.

The doors and windows represent 3 styles of my woodworking. The Spanish style is made from red oak and the hinges are thin black wire that has been glued together. This would represent traditional works.

The center door is made from mahogany and the hardware is from a store that has dollhouse supplies. It’s for contemporary work. The third is made from maple and is for modern work. The glass areas are thin pieces of plastic and the finish is a stone look spray paint. I used a piano hinge mounted with rivets. When I completed it, I showed it to the owner of the store. She has some nice stuff there. Then I had to build another one because she bought that one for over $200.

For those who hunt in the realm of spirits, this is the briefcase is for you. To begin with, it is shaped like a tombstone. It is made of black walnut with a walnut veneer for the surface. On the other surface is a chalkboard. Some ghost may not be on the social network and may contact you – old school style. The interior is lined with a padded silk like material, like a coffin. There’s a leather file storage and a compartment for the tect detection.

The piece was going to be the top of an entry table. After making it, I placed it on the wall so it will be out of the way and safe. I never got that base cabinet made because it look great on the wall. The blanket is made from hardwoods, Corian and crushed stone. It is about 5 feet long x 16” tall x 2” deep and weighs about 25 pounds. So it is important to locate a wall stud to mount it.

I was teaching a class about embellishing a turn piece. The top ring is made from the brass filings from a key making shop. The second ring is a decorative wood trim. Then the third ring is from different plastic flakes, the 4th ring is tile. On the support, I used glitter mixed with epoxy for the rings and dots. The base has tile and crusted turquoise stone. The wood is poplar. Poplar has many colors in it, including purple and green.