Old Hobby Bench is gone and new one with shelves are in place.
First pass at organizing the table.
Sunday the old bench goes to the street for garbage pickup.
Welcome to the omnibus thread for sharing things you (yes YOU) made. Quilt, Needlework, Model, Woodworking; what do you have to share today?
Please post pics and tell us all about it!
Existing thread here
Should I combine?
I spent the last several weeks working on a software project at home. I was stuck due to retina, then spine problems (either forced idleness, or meds prevented driving).
I decided to write my own encryption software, just to see if it would work. We’re going to start storing some things “in the cloud” and I decided we would be safer running or own encryption algorithm. Or maybe I just needed something to do while sitting around all day.
I’ve written a few passable SHA-1 routines, but decided I’d try the newer RijnDael block cipher standards. I also used my own random number generator based partly on the clock and some boring deBruijn sequencing and bit fiddling. I know it seems weird to forego existing functions for this, but it’s kind of like raising your own food. I just wanted to do it all myself.
It’s working now, and so far, it seems really good. I can encrypt the same file over and over, and it produces completely different encrypted files each time. They’re not even close to matching. Also it produces varying encrypted file sizes, even with the same original file. As part of my testing, I gave it files consisting of the same character repeated thousands of times. Like a multi-page document consisting of just the letter “Z” over and over. The encrypted files it produces were a complete mystery There’s no repetition that I can discover, and there are no apparent patterns. This seems like a weird test, but I wanted to ensure it defeats any attempts to decode based on character frequencies. I’ve run Word docs, Excel, photos, movies, pdfs, audio, everything I can think of through it. And the app turns them all into indecipherable messes. Then magically puts humpty-dumpty back together again.
It can run like a normal app by clicking a screen icon, or it can be invoked as a console function with options following. The console method will trigger a second level of encryption based on the correct arguments (options) provided. The user has to know exactly what to input to use the second level. Files encrypted this way cannot be recovered by clicking the app. This additional level allows me to store files securely somewhere public (like a thumb drive) along with the executable, and any random users will not be able to reproduce the originals.
So, to summarize;
- If we want to store stuff like finance docs in the cloud, we encrypt them on the PC, then upload those encrypted files.
- If we want to store finance and other docs in a portable manner, we encrypt using the console app, then transfer the files and the app itself to a portable drive. This way is useful for long term travel* where we need to pay bills and access various websites online. Should the portable drive or laptop get stolen, it would be useless to the thieves, and I just grab another copy of the drive from a cabinet (or glove box, etc.)
Geeky, I know. But I’m happy about it. 
*Earlier this year we were gone for 10 weeks. I was a bit worried about our laptop and docs residing in the camper while we were gone for daytrips.
It looks like yes.
I made this wall lamp out of some wood scraps leftover from some shelves I put up years ago. Needed a new light source in the living room, so I put together this little thing. Really just a 3-sided box, open at the top, bottom, and back. Whatever that wood was came out looking really good after I sanded and stained it. Top part is just something I found on the internet and color printed. There’s a thin dowel sticking up at each corner holding it on. Electrics are a pre-assembled store bought plug-in lamp guts with a roll switch, wedged into a notch on a piece of wood attached to the inside. Attached to the wall with a couple of keyhole hangers onto screws.
That’s really nice. 
Wow. That looks really good. 
Sounds like a great little project for you - let us know how it goes!
Great job. Wish I had the ambition to put something like that together. 
I got my 3D printer a couple of months ago and I have not even looked at the instructions. Too much outdoor stuff I like to do in the warmer months. Expect some pictures of badly made stuff sometime this winter.
Nice work, I really like that.
I certainly think that went as good as it possibly could.
Very nice!
I just made a very long, skinny, sofa table to put behind our new couch. I made it from poplar, which I think is beautiful wood. Of course, poplar is very soft. So, I took the opportunity to play with resin, and coated the top surface of the table with countertop resin.
There were also two knot holes that I hollowed out and filled with purple blue and black “galaxy resin.” Also, there is a floor HVAC vent that the table would cover, and we didn’t want to fully block. So I made a removable vent panel in the table, carved in an organic sort of pattern.
In progress:
From one side:
From the vent side with closer view:
Close up of galaxy knot hole:
That looks great and if you have cats, they’ll love its location.
Yes we do, and yes they do!
Plus they now have a super secret highway behind the couch.
Once we switch the HVAC over to heat, I expect that vent to be blocked by cat butts (or more likely, sides or bellies) possibly both above and below.
I managed to get a used router, router table, and contractor saw for the project. The table saw was just a slightly newer belt driven version of my old Craftsman wormdrive saw, which I’ve had for ages, but it never had a proper fence. The new one came with a very good fence.
I’d never had a router or router table before. This was my first project to really justify them.
I installed (hard wired) my new dishwasher myself except for some lifting from son and sil. Saved me a bunch. The sad thing is i can install a dishwasher, but I have no idea how to post a picture of my accomplishment.
That table is gorgeous!
Thanks!
At one point I thought I’d never finish, at least up to my standards. My first resin pour was not great. But, I sanded and bought lots more grits of sandpaper, and then polished.
With the new craft table, I’m back to crafting again. Well that and my knees are working much better again so going down the stairs is no longer painful.
I’ve painted a few figures and tonight printed up 9 Stalagmites. Tomorrow, I’ll painted them.
First you need to find a hosting site for your pictures. I use flikr, there are other free sites out there. Upload your picture there, then copy the url of your picture and past it here.
Be sure to remember to enter at the end of the url or discourse does weird things with it.
I do fancypants needlepoint. Mom and I went to a seminar in July and this is the piece from the class I took. I’m thinking I might do it again in grayscale, different colors can change the entire appearance of the work.
Ah, yes I used to use photo bucket and all my pics I had stored there ended up behind a paywall. Didn’t have the $ to ransom them back. I’ll try the one you mentioned, but it sure won’t be the only place I store photos. It was stupid on my part.
That quilt is spectacular.