Horse Jumps

I made a set of jumps (with poles) for Victoria, who just bought her own barn in the South Shore of Montréal.  Congratulations!

Some material, all pressure-treated lumber

Cleaning up the posts

Posts for Standards and Oxer

Bases for Standards, each 14" long

Oxer taking shape

8' poles

Very Sturdy!

Fence Replacement

I replaced approximately 40 feet of our fence.  I cut all the boards to match the existing fence boards.  Our neighbour agreed to raise the height of the fence to 7'.

X-Country Horse Jumps

I built cross-country jumps for Riverview Stables, an equestrian barn located in Cumberland ON, east of Ottawa.  This jump is 18" wide by 18" high by 10' long.  I used 1" x 4" and 1" x 3" spruce and pine  boards.  The sides are 3/4" spruce and the 2 x 4 pressure treated bottoms holds everything together. All boards are stapled and screwed.  I put a pair of handles on either side for convenience.

 

18" x 18" x 10' jump

This is a bigger jump, where the dimensions are 36" high by 36" wide by 10' long.  It is extremely solid.

Another one gone!

Simple Bird Feeder for the Backyard

I found this bird feeder plan on the Kreg Tools website, and thought it would be nice in our backyard.  It was very simple and inexpensive to make.  All I needed was a 1" x 6" x 8' cedar fence board. I must say - the birds, squirrels and chipmunks really love this thing!

Handy Bench Hooks

For some tasks at the workbench, securing a workpiece with clamps or vises just doesn't work. This simple jig keeps workpieces in place and lets you re-position material easily.  Using two or more of these allows me to use my jigsaw or circular saw right on the workbench.  Made from scrap 2x4s.  They're so handy, I put screw eyes on each jig and hooked them right to my workbench.

Drill Press Table

The stock metal table that came with my drill press is too small - it doesn't provide a lot of support for long pieces.  So I made a large table.  I built it from two layers of 3/4" plywood.

The lower piece is one single piece (23" x 11-1/4"), while the upper layer is made up of three pieces. The two outer pieces are glued to the lower layer to create a thick, solid work surface. I cut 3/4" x 3/8" dadoes and installed a pair of T-tracks for a fence and hold-downs.  The center piece of the top layer is a removable insert which rests between the two outer pieces.  Its used to back up the workpiece to prevent tearout when the bit drills through, and can also be replaced when it gets chewed up.  I also cut out a notch in the back corner of the table to provide clearance for the table lift crank.

Attaching and removing the table is quick and easy.  Its secured by two studded knobs and washers that fit into threaded inserts installed in the underside of the table.

Rolling Lumber Storage Cart

This cart solves much of my wood storage problems.  After building it, I discovered it holds much more wood than I thought - and it takes up little space. Built from 3/4" plywood, it measures 36" wide by 24" deep by 32" high.  I put casters on it to easily wheel it around the garage.  

Outdoor Buffet/Serving Table

This sturdy serving table is quite useful next to the BBQ.  I found a similar table at an international big box store selling it for $1,800 CAD!  It seemed simple enough to makeSo I went to the local lumber mill (ottawacedar.com), and bought some cedar. 

Assembly - frame: I used pocket hole joinery. I fastened the 2x4s to the 4x4 posts with 2-1/2" screws.  The top is made up of one 1" x 10" between two 1" x 8" boards joined together. I cut each board to 50″ and made staggered pocket holes on the underside. I applied glue and screwed them together one by one with 1 1/2″ pocket hole screws.  To assemble the bottom shelf, I used 1-1/4" brad nails.   I added a 1"×2" to the inner sides of the 1"×4" on the bottom rail to nail the 1"×3" slats into. I also cut a 1"×3" to go across the bottom to support the slats.

Dimensions - the buffet table is 50" wide x 24" deep x 36" tall.  The legs are 4"x4"x36".  There is a 24" gap between the bottom and top shelves, to allow for easy storage.  I bought (Delta) casters from Lee Valley Tools, but I'm not sure I'll use them.

Material:

• 4 - 4x4x4'
• 2 - 2x4x8'
• 2 - 1x4x8'
• 2 - 1x8x5'
• 1 - 1x10x5'
• 4 - 1x3x8'
• 1 - 1x2x8'
• 4 - 2" (50mm) diameter plate-mounted casters (optional)
• Hooks and bottle opener
• Minwax Gel Stain (Aged Oak)
• Old Masters Exterior Spar-Urethane (satin)
• Sico Paint (off-white)

I stained the top and painted the frame and bottom shelf off-white.

Pocket Holes

Glue up of Top Shelf - 50"x24" x 1" thick