Making Cool Wooden LED Christmas Stockings!

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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Making a Kitchen Utensil Organizer

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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Making Four Different Beer Flights

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...

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Make a Guitar Effect Pedal Board

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.

It took about 2 hours of machine time to cut all of the parts using the default settings, which are very conservative.  I did a two-stage carve on the two side pieces.  I used a V-Bit to carve the diamond pattern, then used an 1/8" straight bit to cut out the shapes.

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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