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I turned a 2×3 stud into a serving tray, without drawing any plans.
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Keep making videos like this. You’re trying new things (no plans!) and setting limitations on yourself (one construction grade 2×3!) and you seem to be having fun making videos. You know…like the old days!
I’ve thought about trays as holiday gifts that were functional instead of only decorative. Production question: Why not use a bandsaw to cut the outer handle shape in the same whay you used a wedge to drill out the inside openings? I tend to avoid using a jigsaw.
Yes, a bandsaw will work too.
I love how you are always up for doing new things and using the cheapest materials to make awesome projects! Thanks for all the ideas 🙂
I’ve almost exclusively winged-it, and for the most projects, my working memory makes it work. Recently I turned a shelf project into a dual (mirrored for a room corner) shelf thingy, but couldn’t match the reclaimed 40mm by 40mm central post/support piece, so I decided to remake with 42*42mm stock I can get locally. After doing it initially then twice, I was pretty happy when my wife approved and ordered a second pair of shelves for the other side of the room. Being the first time I was repeating a project I confidently layed out, cut out, and fit/finished all the parts. Then I discovered that the 120mm shelves weren’t 140mm shelves. I wondered why the $27 DAR pine board was $21.60 at check out, but didn’t catch my mistake until final glue-up. Duh. $0.02 Loving it Steve, thought I’d share.
I really like this no plans/winging it video. I never think of recording when I’m just sort of playing around with scrap wood. Really shows your talent!
My several attempts at learning Sketch Up proves that sticky notes/junk mail envelopes and pencil works the best.
Thanks for the fun project!
I’m a novice woodworker, and the times that I have made things without formal plans have felt like much larger achievements. Of course, when I do use plans, I use plans downloaded off the web rather than making my own. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement to just get out there and get to work on it.
Gotta say I agree with the theme of this one. I have been woodworking about a decade now & made some really nice stuff, but I am always working off an idea in my head, or a sketch I made on some graph paper. Never bit the bullet on software…and I do spend a lot of time staring at boards, letting them tell me how to orient them.
Love it. I do a lot of my work on the fly like this. It’s definitely a challenge but when your finished the results are satisfying
Love this format! And the detailed explaining. Lovely tray!
I really miss your project videos. This one is sooo good. I make so many mistakes, and to see you make some of the same ones, gives me courage to try new things.
I absolutely love this video, Steve. It took me back to the good old days when you made so many great projects that we amateur weekend woodworkers with limited tools and limited funds could tackle and complete. Thanks for doing another project video for us and thanks for so many projects in the past. I’ve made many of them. My younger daughter has several bedside tables, two closets organized ala WWMM, a paper towel holder, a coffee table and two beds that you helped me make.
Thanks again.
Either with a plan or just free form, I think the results depend on your artistic vision of the completed project. I like simple and fun projects like this, Thank you Steve!
Love this, Steve! The tray looks great! I agree that sometimes just going with it and working things out on the fly can be a mind freeing experience! (It definitely helps that you use cheap construction lumber though. I wouldn’t want to “wing it” with a piece of walnut. Anyway, great video, looking forward to your next one!
Nice little project, Steve! As a relatively ‘new’ woodworker I’m constantly on the fence: using plans, winging it, or some sort of blend of winging it according to the plan 😄
Off the hip projects are awesome! You never know what you’ll come up with. Nice job.
I enjoyed this. A lot of small projects, such as boxes, that I make are made with a similar technique, where I have some kind of general measurement of the thing the box needs to fit (or fit inside) and then I balance that with the materials I have on hand and decide if I can make it an inch or 2 smaller if the material dictates it, or if I need to go purchase additional stock. I recently made a wooden milk crate for a Halloween display and I based the dimensions off of a standard commercial milk crate but the construction was based on the 1/2” rough pine I had. I decided, like you did, to just sort of wing it and plan as I went instead of sitting down and drawing it out. I wanted it to be quick and dirty and it was, I probably finished it before I would have been done with the design on the computer. Actually, same thing for a little toolbox I recently made for my timber framing tools, because nothing was critical I just got it done in a much quicker fashion than usual and I really enjoyed it.
Watching you for six years now. Still one of the best on YouTube.
I really happy to see making projects on the fly. It is always a fun challenge to go back to just making and item without all of the design time! If find it refreshing to challenge myself by making something on the fly
Really love the video Steve, it’s been a long time you’ve made a project video. Thanks!! Hope your weekend will be great!!