Jordan Olmstead

About Jordan Olmstead

Posts by Jordan Olmstead:

April 13 2020

Shop Safety: How to Remove Rubber Gloves

Jordan Olmstead 0

Today we take a real quick and easy tip to keep your hands clean when removing used rubber gloves.

There are just a few steps to this process:

Grasp the outside of one glove at the wrist.
Do not touch your bare skin.
Peel the glove away from your body,
pulling it inside out.
Hold the glove you just removed in
your gloved hand.
Peel off the second glove by putting your fingers
inside the glove at the top of your wrist.
Turn the second glove inside out while pulling
it away from your body, leaving the first glove
inside the second.
Dispose of the gloves safely. Do not reuse the gloves.

December 24 2019

Easy to Build Charcuterie Board

Jordan Olmstead 0

Today we are taking a look at a very easy to build charcuterie board that can be made with very few tools.

Required Tools

Jigsaw

Speed square

Drill

1″ forstner/drill bit

Clamps

The piece of walnut I began with was approximately 8″ x 18″. Then using my Incra Tiny T Rule I marked a line 1″ in from the sides and the top. I then marked an additional line 2″ inches in from each side. This would give me a good layout for where the handles were going to be cut.

I then took this board over to the drill press To drill 1″ holes at the top and bottom. This step can be performed with a power drill as an alternative to a drill press.

With all four holes drilled I clamped the board to the edge of my table saw to keep it secure. I then clamped a speed square to act as a straight edge for my jigsaw.

Using the jigsaw and speed square straight edge I connected the two holes I drilled on both sides of the board.

At this point the board could be finished, but I elected to take it one step further. I added a 1/4″ round over to the handles and edges to make the board more comfortable to hold and handle.

Now we’re on the home stretch. I sanded the board up 220 grit and installed some rubberized feet the help elevate it off the table top.

With the bulk of the work complete it was time to really dial in the finish. I applied multiple coats of mineral oil until the wood could not absorb any more. I left that to sit overnight. Then I used a mineral oil and beeswax to apply a final food safe finish. This is a very easy to apply finish. All that needs to be done is rub it in to the wood, wait, and then buff to a beautiful warm finish.

December 9 2019

Grinch Christmas Cutout

Jordan Olmstead 7

With the Holiday season upon arriving I know a lot of people began Christmas decorating the day after Thanksgiving. I tend to take more of a more subtle (procrastinating) approach.’

This year I decided to go really simple and make a Grinch cutout lawn display that appears to be pulling down Christmas lights.

Total Project Cost: $70ish Template Available in the Store

Supplies Needed:

Jigsaw

Spray Adhesive

Plywood

Paint

Lawn Stake or U-Post

Optional Supplies:

Landscaping Spotlight

Black Silicon Sealant

I began this project by using a light coat of spray adhesive to my printed out template, and adhering it to a piece of left over plywood. I used 1/2 plywood for this but 3/4 wood be more robust in the long run.

Before removing the template I used an X-Acto knifee to score all the black lines. This enabled me to go over the entire grinch with a Sharpie marker to ensure I would still have accurate details.

The arm gets attached to a space block before final assembly which gives it some depth.

With the details now traced in Sharpie I painted the whole thing with a white matte spray paint in order to get the best base coat for my colors to go over.

I painted the arm first since it had the least amount of details need. I chose Valspar “Sassy Green” and “Quite Red” paint from the local big box store. While matching paint samples I felt these names called out “Grinch”

In between coats of colored paint I went over the detail lines with black acrylic to ensure I didn’t lose any detail. I ended up doing three coats of color to ensure I got the saturation I wanted.

After it was fully dried I used a gloss clear coat to seal the front and back.

Optional Step: I was a bit paranoid about moisture creeping in the edge of the plywood and causing de-lamination so I applied black silicon sealant all around the edges. I feel this also helps the cartoon look of the cutout really pop.

I then attached a 36″ landscaping U-Post in order to stake it to the ground.

My face at work all day waiting to go home and decorate.

With the cutout complete I just had to decorate. I hung a single strand of lights from halfway over the garage and draped it through the Grinch’s hand. I then positioned a 20 lumen solar powered landscaping spotlight pointed at the Grinch to ensure the display is easily seen by all my neighbors with their massive blowup snow globes and enormous December Electric bills.

December 14 2017

Rustic Beer Caddy

Jordan Olmstead 0

Today we are going to be making a 6 pack beer caddy. It is a very straight forward project that doesn’t require a workshop full of tools to complete and makes a great personal gift idea. This project consists of only 5 parts; the front, back, bottom, sides and the handle.

Total Project Cost: $6+ Plans Available in the Shop

I started by taking measurements of one of the cardboard 6 pack carriers I had in the fridge. I took some 1/2 inch plywood I salvaged off of a pallet and cut it into three strips which would make up the front, back, and bottom pieces. I made these cuts on the table saw, but they can be down with a miter saw, or a circular or jigsaw with a straight edge guide.

I then chose an angle for the front and back pieces and cut them using my miter gauge. In the video you can see me tracing a piece from a previous build. Again if you don’t have a table saw this can be done with a variety of other cutting tools. I then laid out some lines to make a dado cut in the front and back pieces that the bottom piece would fit into.

Glue and some brad nails make quick work of the assembly as the bottom is fit into the dado and the side rails are put into place. This part of the build can be stylized in a number of way by attaching the rails with half lap, or dovetail joints.

While the Caddy was in clamps I attached the wall mounted bottle opener. With the glue dried and the caddy out of the clamps I sanded it up to 120 grit (normally I’d go 220, but I want to keep it rustic) and applied some boiled linseed oil. Now the only thing left to do is load it up with your favorite adult beverage and be the life of your next party.

September 15 2017

Simple Cosmetic Brass Plating

Jordan Olmstead 0

Today we’re taking a look at a simple, and easy way to bring some cosmetic brass plating to your projects.

Materials Needed:

Steel component

Plumbers torch

Brass brush or wheel

Heat resistant gloves

When it comes to using this technique to apply some brass plating the most critical aspect is ensuring you get a 100% brass brush. Most of the brash wheel brushes found in the local big box as brass coated steel. While great for metal work these brushes won’t work for our purposes. One common place to get fully brass brushes for a reasonable cost is the brushes included in gun cleaning kits. These are readily available at most sporting goods stores and Walmarts.

We’re going to begin by securing our work piece. I used a metal C-clamp to secure a 4″ hairpin leg to the metal work table of my drill press.

Then I heated the work piece using a propane plumbers torch. When the work area was thoroughly heated I began using a brass brush on the heated surface. The melting point of brass is approximately 750º F lower than steel. We’re not not trying to heat it enough to melt it. Just get it hot enough that the brass softens and will transfer from the brush onto the steel.

August 31 2017

Simple Table Build

Jordan Olmstead 0

This was my first serious wood working project. I had a glass L-shaped desk that I really wasn’t happy about. I decided to challenge myself and build a simple desk with tapered legs.

I began by creating a panel of Redwood 2×6’s. Redwood is primarily an outdoor wood and tends to be too soft of heavy wear furniture, but I was looking for something inexpensive to try building my first piece of furniture.

I then cut some long and short stretchers and laid out some shoulders for some mortise and tenon joinery. Mortise and tenon wasn’t the easiest for a first time furniture project, but go big or go home right!?

Using my Plunge Base Mortise with a straight bit I cut the mortises to receive the leg tenons. These legs were originally milled down from a 4×4. When routing thinner stock it is imperative you use and edge guide and the router base is properly supported. I built my own using a design I saw on Jay Bates site here.

With all the mortises cut it was time to move back over to the table saw. I used the Rockler Tapering Jig. For these legs I was going to be cutting a 4-sided taper. When cutting a 4-sided taper it is important to keep the cut offs in order to use them as wedges and support the piece when making the final cuts.

: Legs secured firmly in place on the tapering jig

: Table leg fresh off the taper

: Up close with the four sided taper

I then assembled the frame with glue and clamps. After the table was dry I used a forstner bit and some Figure-8 fasteners to attach the table top.

: Dry fit of the frame

: I was a little paranoid about how many I needed

: Dry fit of the now glued frame and the table top

: I used a chamfer bit on my router to cut a 45 degree angle on the underside of the table and a 11.25 degree on the top

With the table assembled it was time to add a decorative chamfer to lighten the profile of the table, and apply a few coats of Satin Polyacrylic finish.

: I used a chamfer bit on my router to cut a 45 degree angle on the underside of the table and a 11.25 degree on the top

: An up close look at the polyurethane satin finish

: New desk finally in place.

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