Noah B Woodworks

A woodworking page for the free time foot soldier

recent posts

about

Hello there! My name is Noah Budd and I am a woodworker from southeast Michigan. I hail from a small set of towns in the Upper Peninsula called Houghton/Hancock. I lived there for 24 of my 31 years, and graduated from Michigan Tech in 2019 in audio production.

In my free time I am a dad first and hobbyist second. I make music, read books, smoke pipes, and kayak fish. I am a broadcast engineer in my professional life, working an early morning 3:30 – 11:30 am shift. The early bird has most definitely gotten a worm or two.

Thanks for stopping by my site and feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @noahbwoodworks or via the email found on the contact page

-Noah

    • Findings on 3D Printing

      I’ve been looking at all he innovative ways that people use 3D printers and a few things have stood out to me. Fusion 360 is just one of the programs that can be used to make 3 dimensional shapes. It has its strengths but I find it tedious to use. Paid Fusion costs $80 per month. Blender is another one that allows you to be a bit more sculptural, and can be used in conjunction with Fusion to do some tricks. Blender is free. It’s probably in my best interest to learn how to model in Blender, as well as Fusion.

      Threaded inserts that you hot press into the printed model seems to be a really great way to level up any 3D print, especially if you’re making tools. People have made presses and other unique tools just for pressing these little threaded inserts into the plastic with better accuracy. I’d be interested to start messing around with these and figure out a way to do this as well.

      3D printing also unlocks the ability to make molds for silicon and concrete applications. Make the object, make an enclosure for silicon, pour the silicon, silicon dries, and then pour concrete into the silicon mold to make small repeatable objects. I make little fire starters with paraffin wax and I used a wood block to make similar molds. It would be interesting to update that little design with updated branded fire starter molds. Also, you can print a container and pour concrete into it, making it way heavier and sturdier. This is great for when you’re looking to make a heavyset base for a tool.

      I also need to get better filament, or at least figure out how to print with the filament that I purchased. I’ve had around 3 to 4 messed up prints the last few times I’ve tried to use the machine. It’s not the most easy thing to get right, as it would seem that this filament I’m using is picky. Either that or I’m using models that weren’t repaired completely. I usually take the upper threshold of the temperature settings but perhaps I need to be more in the middle of the range. Testing on that to come over the next few days.

    • Getting Re-Centered

      I’ve been struggling lately to stay disciplined. I got quite drunk last weekend and have been recovering ever since. It has also been very cold in the mid west, so the prospect of woodworking out in my very cold barn has not been as fun to think about; it’s almost left my subconscious completely. It would probably be wise to use this time to make the shop look better, and do a bunch of quality of life upgrades. I spent some time reorganizing the shop last weekend, which is a good step in the right direction. I learned last winter that wood glue doesn’t work when it is very cold, and it needs to be above 50 degrees to get a joint that you can trust as uncompromised, so there’s that too.

      I also need to think about what my goals are. They shift almost quarterly, which is not the best habit to have. I’d like to film videos of projects, at one point I wanted to make chairs, I need to make the center and surround speakers for my brother, and now I’m 3D printing puzzle box mechanisms. If I’d like to film videos of projects, I’d like to reorganize and improve the overall functionality and look of my shop. Organization is everything and my lack of cabinetry looks juvenile on camera. Everything is out and about strewn and/or thrown into corners. Tools, like the bandsaw, need attention and sharpening. During this colder section of the year it would be wise to tackle some of these more mundane and boring tasks. Bottom line is if I want to film, the shop needs to look better and be lit better.

      The center and surrounds for my brothers sound system need to wait until it is warmer, so I’m not pressed to finish that anytime soon, but I can get the parts rough cut and the crossovers soldered. I may tackle that at some point this winter. Chairmaking is a phase that I go through when I feel like my woodworking is not soulful enough. Last year I picked up some cool tools for chairmaking, so the next time I’m feeling like making a chair, I’ll be better equipped to do so. The puzzle boxes have been really fun because they’re a purely creative endeavor with meaningful storytelling attached. If I can make a puzzle box with 3D printed and CNC’d parts that’s fairly easy to make, there may be a way to share that with the community. I’d like to start there: Make a puzzle box that has 2-3 steps with 2-3 mechanisms and then grow them larger. It’s no small task as each mechanism needs it’s own design and place in the puzzle.

    • New Developments

      Over the weekend the 3D printer arrived in the mail and it is a very fun tool to use. I’ve just been getting a feel for it by printing off random objects that I’ve found on Printables. I’ve made a spool holder for the side of the machine, which is a good upgrade for it. The spool holder it comes with mounts to the back of the machine which makes it take up more desk space and made it so I had to look at the machine from the side. I printed a little toy keychain for my daughter who calls it the ice dragon because the filament I’m using is a clear translucent blue. I printed a gear heart toy and a fidget toy as well.

      As I said in my previous blog post about 3D printing and modeling, I’m looking to make more custom models for printing. Fusion is very nice to use, and I’m looking forward to diving more into building things with it. There are quite a few useful things out there on the web already for woodworking. Various jigs and levelers, but I’m hoping to get confident enough in fusion so when I need something I can make it in the model space and print it fairly quickly and easily.

      Aside from toying with the 3D printer, last weekend had to be the coldest of the year so far. It was a balmy 4 degrees out when I woke up to start woodworking on Friday morning. I layered up and reluctantly got out there. I ended up cleaning a bunch and taking care of making those shop speakers smaller. I built a shelf for them that had to be very sturdy. I ended up moving a wire rack over to the opposite side of the barn that is now holding all of my corded power tools. The wire rack was holding my book collection which is very heavy and bulky, and a few other miscellaneous items that need a new home.

    • Mortise Machine Parts

      The parts came in the mail to fix the broken mortising machine I bought a few weeks ago. I’m anticipating fixing it this weekend. We’ll see though, we’re taking the little one to see Santa and probably going to Christmas City on Saturday. It is also crazy cold out right now. It was 23 degrees when I came to work this morning.

      So I’ve been collecting tools and jigs to level up my box making game for puzzle boxes. I love the look of through mortise and tenons. Especially if they’re tusked or wedged. Its an awesome opportunity to make these joints look really visually interesting. I’ve also really upped my miter game recently as well with the table saw sled I made last weekend. I’m eager to discover how the mortising machine can improve the boxes I make, as it’s a tool better suited for cabinet and shelf making.

      Once the tool has been fixed I’ll likely try to make something with it. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes to fix, then I need to get a mortising bit from Rockler or online. I’d like to get a decent quality set from Rockler but I have a feeling it will cost around $1000. I would really like to rearrange some things in the shop to make it feel less cramped in there. I’ve got a huge speaker system that I’m thinking about disassembling and building a shelf for. I’d also like to disassemble the table that it’s on and build a few shelves or a large cabinet for all of my handheld tools. I’d also like to build a better cabinet for the CNC parts, supplies and tools. This weekend might be a perfect opportunity to tackle some of those tasks.

    • Let the 3D Printing Begin

      I folded like a lawn chair and purchased a 3D printer as they went on sale for black Friday. I plan to use the printer in the following ways: to model and test mechanisms for puzzle boxes, to print little toys for my daughter, and to print organizers for my wife and myself. I was playing around with having AI model things for me, and that was somewhat interesting. Basically I could say something like “make me a hammer” and it would spit some code out that I could paste into another program. The program would render what the AI had made, and it was usually whack. I wasn’t able to get anything good out of it, sort of like when an AI draws a picture there’s just something off and wrong about it.

      I did think it was cool that it could model things and iterating through codes was interesting. I might ask it for more ideas at some point. As of yesterday, documented in my last blog post, I’ve been toying around with Fusion 360 and it is a very legitimate program. I can see why so many people use it. For gears and mechanical engineered mechanisms it is really useful. I’ll most likely follow some tutorials on how to model a mechanism, and then try to print that mechanism.

      It is also winter time, and being out in the barn feels somewhat like a chore when it is 15 degrees out. I’ll still go out there at least once a weekend, but I might wait for it to warm up first. My work schedule happens very early in the morning so I’ll inevitably be up early on the weekends. The question is what to do with the time. The 3D printer can fill that early morning time, I can do computer work from the comfort of my home office and test mechanisms to be made out in the shop. Running the CNC can be done from inside as well, I’ve got a camera set up and the work holding is usually very reliable.

    • Software on Software

      With the new prospect of designing and building a puzzle box, I’ve realized that my 3D modeling game needs to improve. So far, I’ve done all of my modeling in Sketchup’s free version, but as far as I know, Sketchup free wont let you create moving parts that interact with each other. So yesterday I downloaded Fusion 360 and started to familiarize myself with the interface.

      I really like it, especially after I put it into dark mode. With the help of YouTube academy I modeled a 2 to 1 gear set and made the gears spin each other. The nice thing about Fusion 360 is that it will export files that are compatible with Carveco, which is the software I use to get G-code for the CNC. Carveco is the program of choice that tells my CNC what to do.

      I’m progressing from last post where I detailed my strategy for manufacturing the parts. Now the focus has shifted to designing mechanisms for the puzzle boxes. The complete strategy is: design mechanisms based off well known mechanical engineering strategies for making objects move, create those mechanisms in Fusion 360, export the 2D files for each part, import the compatible files into Carveco, do very shallow and fine v-bit cuts that accurately outline the shape of each part, and finally cut the parts out with a scroll saw. The material will be a home made quarter-inch thick plywood.

    • Wombo Combo

      I’ve been thinking about how to machine smaller parts for puzzle boxes. I would like to be able to make small gears, levers, keys and other miscellaneous parts for mechanisms. There are a ton of laser cut puzzle boxes on the market and to me they tend to look cheap. They work very well, so maybe it’s because I know how they’re made. I just don’t think they’re very nice to look at. The majority of that feeling comes from the cheap sheet goods that they use in conjunction with their laser cutters. At first, to test out my methods, I’ll probably use the small sheet good plywood material that is an eighth to a quarter inch thick.

      I’d like to move towards making my own quarter to three-eighths inch thick plywood by laminating hardwood boards together. This will make my boxes look a lot more professional and I can put a more personal touch on it by making sheet material myself. Once I’ve got good sheet material I can move towards the CNC.

      I had an idea last night to use the CNC to engrave the design onto the surface of the board with a very thin V-cut bit, and then cut the parts out with a scroll saw. I’m looking to avoid purchasing a $1-3000 laser cutter to do this faster. A cheap scroll saw should do the job and only costs around $100. I’ve been struggling to figure out how I’d use my CNC but I figure engraving images is a fantastic use. I can engrave clues and other images onto the parts that I then cut out with the scroll saw. I figure with a little practice, I can get quite accurate with the saw, especially if the blade and material are very thin.

      This will hopefully be a one-two punch. The CNC shows me what I need to cut and I do the cutting at the scroll saw. Once I’ve designed the puzzle – which I’m still working out a method for doing – I’ll make the material then proceed to create the box using the above methods. We’re getting a little closer, last week I was trying to figure out how to cute the materials on the CNC, which would present some serious work holding issues.

    • Table Saw Sled

      This weekend I ended up making a rough draft of my table saw sled, which has been long overdue. It’s nothing too special, and I say it’s a rough draft because I’ll more than likely be adding some work holding clamps and length referencing ruler strips to make it easier to use in the future. It’s a neat little design because there are removable fences that I can use with the table saw.

      The entire sled measures 2’x2′ so I put a 2 foot long by 4 inch wide maple strip perpendicular to the MDF sled on the edges. I screwed it in place so it is very sturdy. That was after I had made, glued and screwed the rails that follow the grooves in the table saw. I made a cut down the middle of the sled and I had the skeleton made.

      My table saw is very old, it’s an antique Delta, so when you angle the motor for miters the motor protrudes above the top of the table saw. I didn’t realize this when I made the sled skeleton. I made a removable fence for mitering that brings the fence forward so I can still do 6-12 inch wide mitered boxes but the sled will bump into the motor at the end of the table saw, which is fine. So far I’ve found that I rarely hit the motor while I’m using the saw. I routed a groove in the fence for a small piece of aluminum T-track, and so I made up a little adjustable stop for the fence, which proved to be very useful. The stop folds down on a hinge so I can swing it up and swing it down as needed.

      I drilled 2 holes into the removable fence and the sled itself and used large hand turned nuts to fasten the removable fence square against the sled. It worked pretty well, and I was able to make 3 mitered boxes very quickly yesterday. I’m hoping to use the sled primarily for mitered boxes, but it can do repetitive cross cuts as well which will be useful for the making of end grain cutting boards.

      While figuring out the correct width for the adjustable mitering fence, I made another fence out of white oak that is a little less thick, which gives more room for bigger cuts on the sled. I ended up making this one first, realized it was too thin, and made the mitering fence I have now. I like the adjustability of it and should come in handy, especially if I add extras like hold down clamps and a ruler for easy measurement.

    • More Puzzle Box Fun

      Yesterday I went down a huge puzzle box rabbit hole after I was done working. I watched a ton of videos about how to make simple boxes, and people opening more complex boxes. They’re fascinating to me because of the intricacy and complexity. I’m thinking this weekend I’d like to try to make a small box with a secret compartment. It should be a good introduction into the world of puzzle box making and I’ve already drafted an idea for a more complicated puzzle box.

      Puzzle boxes are interesting to me at this point in my life because they’ve got a lot of depth in terms of story and craftsmanship. Many of the boxes I viewed yesterday had a specific story attached to them. Whether it was killing a jaguar with a spear or trying to find lost gold in the wild west, the boxes took you on a journey and that’s what’s fascinating to me right now.

      I’ll most likely start small and research different mechanisms and work primarily on the mechanisms at first. The CNC will be a very useful tool but I’ve got to figure out how best to do small eighth inch or quarter inch sheet material. I’m thinking I do a sacrificial 12″x12″ piece of MDF and plane it down in the planer when it gets all gnarled up. It’s tricky because I’d like to cut all the way through the sheet goods to avoid having to use the band saw and router. Using those tools will add extra time and effort to the projects. The problem with cutting all the way through is that it is hard on the router bits, especially if I’m using double sided tape to fasten the sheet material down.

      I’ll have to experiment with different sheet goods. Quarter inch sheet material might be large enough to use the flush router with. I’d like to be able to do more intricate, smaller parts but the CNC is sort of a large machine, so work holding is definitely a challenge at the moment. I’d prefer not to ruin bits by constantly cutting all the way through the workpiece and into the tape. I could do a CA glue and scotch tape situation, which probably wouldn’t ruin the bits as fast.

    • Puzzle Box Rabbit Hole

      Over the last day or two, I have been thinking about designing and making a puzzle box. The CNC could be extremely handy for this task. I’ve also been thinking that these blog posts are very helpful to me as a maker. They act as a springboard to get my ideas onto paper, and release a lot of inner thoughts that I have throughout the week. They help me better prepare for the weekend sessions and I’m not constantly looking to purchase new tools and equipment because I’m focusing my energy on projects ahead.

      This next weekend I’ve got some goals to accomplish. I’d like to do a wooden wall hanging art piece that has an inlaid quality. I’m thinking an old nickelodeon inspired piece where it’s the early 2000’s nickelodeon logo made with contrasting pieces of wood. Either that, or the old cartoon network logo would be cool. I was always more of a cartoon network kid but their logo isn’t as cool as nickelodeon’s.

      The other major goal I’ve got for this weekend is to get the mortising machine that I purchased last weekend to work. I just ordered the parts a minute ago so those could take anywhere from a week to 2 months to arrive. Not holding my breath on that one and I’m fairly certain they wont arrive by the weekend, given that it is Thanksgiving/black Friday.

      So that leaves inlaid logo or wall art piece and to explore a puzzle box. These fascinate me because of the intricacy and complexity. I built a stool with a moving extendable set of steps last weekend and the kinetic (moving) aspect of the chair really inspired me to do more projects with parts that move. Box making is a craft in its own. I’ve been trying to create a humidor for a few weeks now and those boxes are extraordinarily special and beautifully crafted.

      I’ll most likely research how to design these puzzle boxes, and look at different latching mechanisms. So far I’ve come across gear latches and magnetic releases. There are tons of methods, which is an exciting rabbit hole to dig into. The combination of these latching mechanisms make these puzzles unique and interesting to craft. Many of the successful ones tell a story as well, which adds depth and complexity to the object.