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Did you miss me?  I'm back!  After taking a two-month break for over two years, we've decided to move to bigger house with more land.  I will be setting up a shop either in the garage or basement for now so I can start making videos again.  After we get settled at the new place, we plan to add a building behind our house that will have more workshop space for me and plenty of gardening space for my wife.  Stay tuned!

My daughter hung our Christmas stockings on the fireplace mantle and decorated them with some Christmas lights.  This inspired me to try to make some wooden stockings that light up.  In this video, I make a set of five cool LED stockings with the Inventables X-Carve CNC Machine.  Inventables sent me their latest CNC upgrades, so we'll take a quick look what's new for the X-Carve CNC as well.

I used the Inventables EASEL PRO software to design this project.  The stocking is basically a box and the front and back pieces are cut from 1/8" Baltic Birch plywood.  The side pieces are cut from 2x6 material, then it's glued together to make the box.  Click here to open my EASEL project for detailed instructions and to access my drawings.

I found a Set of 5 Battery-Powered LED Puck Lights that fit perfectly inside the stockings.  They included batteries and a remote control that controls all five puck lights at once.  I simply stuck one light inside each stocking using the included double-sided tape.

These were really fun to make and they look really cool.  I love the flashing and fading modes on the remote that make the lights change colors.  I hope this gives you some ideas to make some wooden stockings of your own.  Thanks for checking out this project!  Steve...

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We have A LOT of kitchen utensils and our collection has outgrown the containers that hold them.  In this video, I make a HUGE wooden Kitchen Utensil Organizer with the Inventables X-Carve CNC Machine.   This project would be easy to make with other tools as well.

I used the Inventables EASEL PRO software to design this project.  This would make a great housewarming gift for a new homeowner or for anyone who loves to cook.  Click here to open my EASEL design and download the drawings.

This was a fun project to design and make.  It solves a problem in our kitchen and those are always the best kind of projects.  Thanks for checking out this project!  Steve...

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If you've ever been to a craft brew pub, you've probably seen the wooden beer flights that they use to carry tasting glasses or pint glasses to your table so you can taste the different beers.  These make great gifts and craft fair items, and you might be able to find a local craft brewery that needs some.  In this video, I make four different Beer Flights with the Inventables X-Carve CNC Machine. 

I used the Inventables EASEL PRO software to design these.  Making beer flights is a perfect example of how you could use a machine like the X-Carve CNC to mass produce projects to fulfill a large order from a craft brewery.  Of course you can also make these with other tools - Click here to open my EASEL designs and download the drawings.

If you plan to make a beer flight, I suggest buying the glasses first so you can get accurate measurements for your design.  I bought these 5oz Tasting Glasses from Amazon.  Below are three beer flights I made for these smaller glasses.

On my fourth design, I created EASEL designs for both the tasting glasses and the full size pint glasses.  Here is the beer flight I made for the pint glasses.  I like how the pint glasses sit in the holes securely and will not tip over when being carried.

Since these beer flights will be in contact with lots of moisture and condensation, picking a finish that will last will be a challenge.  I used spray lacquer for mine which should be ok for periodic home use.  If they will be used daily, I would recommend a marine varnish that is used on boats, or an exterior paint would last a while too.  No matter what you choose, plan on refinishing or replacing the beer flights at some point in the future.

Thanks for checking out this project!  Cheers!  Steve...

I made a Guitar Effect Pedal Board about two years ago, and of course, my collection of pedals has changed a lot.  I challenged myself to make one with my Inventables X-Carve CNC Machine.  It's made from 1/2" Baltic Birch plywood with holes in the top for routing cables under the board.  Check out my video of this project below.

I designed this project using the Inventables EASEL online software.  There are three cut jobs in the project, a Top Board, 2 Side Pieces, and a Front Cover.  I used a pattern from the Easel Pro library to V-Carve a cool diamond pattern on the sides.  Click here to open my EASEL project to see how it's designed and make one yourself.

I cut the Front and Back covers to the correct height with a 7 degree bevel to line up with the angle of the side pieces.  I glued the four sides together, then glued that assembly to the underside of the top.  The bottom was screwed on for easy access to run the cables inside the board.  I added non-skid rubber pads to the bottom of the board.

The pedal board is finished with Deft Clear Wood Finish Satin spray lacquer.  I attached the pedals using Velcro strips.  I highly recommend these Flat Guitar Patch Cables for saving space between the pedals.  Thanks for checking out my pedal board project!

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Previously I made a Jewelry Box for my daughter using the bandsaw.  It was a fancy bandsaw box.  I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to make one with my Inventables X-Carve CNC Machine.  I designed a more modern box with shallow drawers and more compartments for separating the jewelry.  I think it turned out pretty awesome!  Check out my video of this project below.

I designed this project using the Inventables free EASEL online software.  The project workspace has 4 tabs at the bottom.  Tabs 1-3 are used to actually cut the parts from 3/4" maple and cherry boards.  The 4th tab contains my original design drawings so anyone can customize the design to fit their needs.  Click here to open my EASEL project to see how it's designed and make one yourself.

It took about 4 hours of machine time to cut all of the parts using the default settings, which are very conservative.  That's ok, because I got a lot of other stuff done while the machine was hard at work.

I purchased some 1/4" aluminum rod from the home center and cut six pieces that are 3/4" long for the drawer pulls.  I used the drill to spin them while I smoothed them out with sandpaper and gave them a brushed look.  These look great and were super cheap.

The design contained alignment holes and I used some pieces of bamboo skewers as pins to keep the boards from sliding around during glue up.

I applied my favorite finish which is Deft Clear Wood Finish Satin Spray Lacquer and the box came out great.  Thanks for checking out my project!

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There are a lot of cool road signs out there and some are fantastic pieces of artwork!  I decided to pick my favorite signs that remind me of road trips with my family or landmarks in my hometown.  Watch my video below to see which road signs I picked and how I made miniature versions of them my scroll saw.

When I was young, my family would pack up the Ford station wagon and head to the beach in Florida.  On the way, we would pass time by playing a Road Sign Alphabet Game.  Start by finding a sign that contains letter A and call it out.  Then look for a sign with letter B.  Keep hunting signs for each letter, then whoever gets to the end and finds a sign with Z on it first wins.  I always wondered if anyone else playing this road trip game.

These signs are made using a technique called "Segmentation".  Basically, you place a cutting template on a piece of wood, then cut the parts of the sign with the scroll saw.  Separate the parts to sand and paint them, then glue them back together to make the finished sign.

If you would like to make some signs yourself, click here to download templates for the signs I selected.  For other signs, a simple Google Images search should find a logo or picture that you can use as a template.

These signs would make great personalized gifts for people.  If you know someone who has a favorite vacation spot, restaurant, hometown landmark, or maybe is passionate about a company that they worked for, then make them a sign.  These could also be used for model railroad displays if you can cut them to scale.  Have fun!

Whenever I travel to some place new, I get a keychain for my keychain collection.   I have about 50 keychains in a plastic bag that I would like to display in my office, so I decided to make a Keychain Display Rack.  Check out my video of this project below.

I designed this project using the Inventables free EASEL online software to design the project.  I added the title of the Dr. Seuss book "Oh, the Places You'll Go" at the top and a grid of 54 holes.  The text at the top can be customized or removed to fit more keychains.  I used a precut piece of Baltic Birch Plywood that is 24" wide x 30" tall x .5" thick for this project.  Click here to open my EASEL project to see how it's designed.

I used my X-Carve CNC Woodworking Machine from Inventables to carve the letters and drill all of the holes.

I purchased enough Axel Pegs from Hobby Lobby to fill up the board and glued them into the holes.  I used a small square to make sure they were straight.  These pegs can hold several keychains as I expect my collection to grow.

I trimmed the edges of the board with some 1/2" angle aluminum which looks really cool.  These are mitered in the corners and screwed into the sides of the plywood.  Did you know that you can cut aluminum with regular woodworking saws?  I used my bandsaw.

Below is the final project with all of my keychains hanging on it.  Each keychain brings back special memories whenever I look through them.  I love having this in my office.  Thanks for checking out my project!

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1. Cut all of the boards to size according to the plans.
2. Drill evenly spaced 3/8" holes about 1/2" deep for the pegs.
3. Start from the bottom and attach the thin slat, followed by the 6 wide slats.  Leave a 1" gap between each slat except for the top 2 slats.
4. Glue in the pegs so they are straight and perpendicular to the boards.
5. Attach the two legs.
6. Apply finish or paint as desired.
7. Customize the Donut Wall with a sign or banner for your particular event.

• One 15" length of a pine 1x12 board.
• Five 8-foot 1x2 pine boards.
• Wood Glue
• Picture hanging wire, 2 washers, 2 screws for the hanger.
• Minwax Tintable Water-Based Stain (Below are the Lowes formulas for custom tinting the stain Scarlet Red and True Blue, in case they remove them from their standard color list.)

Lowes Stain Formulas

Designing the Stars in the Inventables EASEL PRO Software

Here are the basic instructions for this project:

1. Cut six 37" stripes.
2. Cut seven 22" stripes.
3. Cut four 19" braces for the back.
4. Cut one 10.5"x15" panel.  (Note: The 1x2's from the home center can vary in width.  Measure the height of the seven short stripes and cut the panel to match.)
5. Round over the front edges with a 1/8" roundover bit in a router.
6. Use a blow torch to scorch the wood (if desired).
7. Stain three 37" stripes and four 22" stripes Scarlet Red.
8. Stain the panel True Blue.
9. Add the stars to the panel.  I used my Inventables X-Carve CNC Machine and the EASEL PRO software to engrave the stars with a 90 degree V-Bit.  Click here to open my Stars project.
10. Glue the flag together using minimal wood glue to avoid lots of squeeze out.
11. Clamp the flag to pull it all together.
12. Attach the four braces to the back with glue and nails.  Make sure one brace overlaps the joint between the union and the shorter stripes.  Space them evenly.
13. Spray with a clear coat finish.  I used Deft Clear Wood Finish Satin Lacquer.

Assembling the Flag

If you don't have a CNC machine, check out these other options for adding stars to the panel:

• Paint and Stencil - Use a stencil to paint the stars.  Click here to order one for a 19.5"x37" flag.
• Hand Carving - Print a paper template to use as a guide to carve the stars with a carving knife.
• Dremel Tool - Draw the stars onto the panel using a template, then engrave them with a Dremel tool.
• Laser Cut Stars - Glue on some laser cut stars.  Click here to order a pack of 1.25" stars for a 19.5"x37" flag.

Hang the Flag using Picture Wire, Washers and Screws

This was a fun project and it looks awesome!  You can get really creative with the blow torch effect.  These flags are very popular and sell well if you would like to try to make some money from your woodworking.  God bless the U.S.A!

DIY Rustic Wooden American Flag by The Carmichael Workshop

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