Shoe rack with seat

DIY shoe rack with bench for a small hallway

You know that feeling when you open your apartment door and immediately run into a mess of sneakers, slippers, and a pair of boots that simply have nowhere to go? That was exactly our situation. The hallway is small, there’s no shelf, and long boots were lying around wherever they happened to land, as if Read more…

Rack plus cover

Foldable car roof rack — design, parts and cover

For a motorist, a roof rack is not only a convenience but also a number of related problems. First and foremost — maintaining proper aerodynamics. The fact is that even when unloaded, despite its seemingly openwork appearance, a rack creates additional “sail area,” increasing wind resistance even at low speed. That means extra fuel consumption, Read more…

Rocking saw

DIY pendulum saw: longitudinal travel and tilt

My first pendulum saw was made from drawings proposed by V. Zaitsev in the magazine “Modelist-Konstruktor” No. 12 for 1985. Indeed, for working with metal using a cutting wheel this tool is simply indispensable, but for working with wood the saw must also be given longitudinal motion. Therefore I had to make another version. The Read more…

Honeycomb memo board

Honeycomb pinboard DIY from foam board in 3 hours

When notes, photos, and ticket stubs pile up on the desk again and the fridge magnet can no longer cope, it is time to make something beautiful and useful. A honeycomb-shaped wall board is exactly the kind of craft that genuinely improves everyday life rather than simply filling a weekend. You get an organizer, décor, Read more…

Veneer finishing

Finishing chipboard furniture: film, paper, veneer

Manufacturing furniture from ordinary (non-laminated) chipboard is completed with its finishing. Although not complicated, this is a responsible stage that largely determines the appearance of the finished product. Finishing may use self-adhesive film, textured paper, fabric (linen, calico), and veneer. Facing with self-adhesive film is the simplest. The workpiece is cleaned of dust. A strip Read more…

Harvest storage room

Harvest storage: burts, pits and a cellar for dacha

The development of garden and vegetable cooperatives, and the construction of dachas and cottages, has sparked increased interest in structures designed to preserve the generous gifts of autumn. Recently, many gardeners prefer to store their harvested crops directly on the plot. However, this often leads to inevitable disappointment, since it is sometimes done without the Read more…

Shoe cabinet

Shoe cabinet design: compact and high-capacity solution

A shoe storage solution is always a challenge. Shoe cabinets usually sold in stores are, structurally, ordinary box units with shelves that are not very well suited for storing shoes. This is exactly what prompted the design of a custom version different from store-bought models. The main advantages of the proposed design are compact dimensions Read more…

Lawn mower made from a chainsaw

DIY lawn mower from Ural-2M chainsaw — 500 mm swath

This spring this lawn mower was assembled quite quickly. Why quickly? Because there was no need to machine a single part. In addition, the design used inexpensive, readily available materials and spare parts. The mower has a number of advantages even over commercial machines: a large swath width — 500 mm; it mulches green grass Read more…

Children’s playhouse

Kids’ garden playhouse 2×2 m: timber frame & euro lining

The wish to build a children’s playhouse on the garden plot for my grandchildren (I have three of them) came when I was leafing through a magazine with illustrations on the subject. But none of the published options was quite right: I wanted not just a playhouse, but a sports-and-play corner. Working in that direction, Read more…

Kitchen hangers

DIY kitchen hangers: corner and arc designs for small spaces

Kitchens in most of our homes are small. The set of kitchen furniture is also limited and rather monotonous, if not outright standard. But there is often so much cookware and other kitchen household equipment that it is no longer possible to place it all in cabinets and cupboards. At the same time, homemakers want Read more…