Closer Look: Check Out What I Made This Weekend

Last Saturday was a weekend day like every other, starting with the traditional pancakes and then on to the workshop for a few hours of DIY projects.  Here’s a look at what I worked on in the shop:  

1. Homebrewed Vanilla Bourbon Porter – While this isn’t really in the workshop, it happened and it needed to be mentioned. The brew was completed last week and so after 7 days of fermenting it was time to transfer the beer to the secondary and add the Bourbon-soaked oak chips.  That’s right, Bourbon soaked for 10 days and now they will be imparting their smoky goodness to my brew for the next 10 days. After that will be 2-3 finish days with split vanilla beans and then a month of aging before a Christmas tapping.

2. Raised Cabinet Doors – About a year ago, I started the large project of removing a wall from my kitchen and installing two skylights and an island. This project has been an incredible learning experience, but with my limited time it was way too long in the process. I finally was able to start making the cabinet doors last week, and the final products have come out great. Stay tuned for a full tutorial on making raised cabinet doors.

3. Message Board from my Beer Party – My beer tasting party was last week, so we had to make up a nice menu of items that paired well with craft beer. I made up a menu to match and threw it onto a frame (actually the frame was from the cabinet doors I was making). Now that the party is done, this board will be converted with some cork and chalk paint into a family message board to keep track of our hectic schedules.

4. Simple Dresser Caddy – The last project on my plate was to finish a simple caddy for the top of my dresser. This small box has been floating around the shop for a while, and I needed to get a coat of finish on it. My dresser is a magnet for everything in life, and I’m struggling to keep it from getting too cluttered. The benefit of this caddy is that it can still have some junk in it, but from a distance will look clean and more organized.

There’s another weekend coming along in a few days, so plan on getting out to your shop before the week begins again!