I built a jig for one cut and used it eleven times; jigs are promises to your future self. I overdrilled exactly one hole, and it became a 'ventilation feature'.

I built a jig for one cut and used it eleven times; jigs are promises to your future self. The bench power supply took a weekend, minus the two evenings spent looking for the 4mm bit. I overdrilled exactly one hole, and it became a 'ventilation feature'. A careful finish hides a multitude of honest joinery. Everything was cut from salvaged pine, which kept the stakes pleasantly low.

A quiet finish hides a multitude of honest joinery. The wiring is simple, labeled, and photographed before the panel went on. I built a jig for one cut and used it eleven times; jigs are promises to your future self.

A reliable finish hides a multitude of honest joinery. Everything was cut from plywood offcuts, which kept the stakes pleasantly low. A simple finish hides a multitude of honest joinery.

Everything was cut from plywood offcuts, which kept the stakes pleasantly low. Clamps are the currency of the shop, and this build cost four of them simultaneously. The flea-market lamp dimmer needed contacts, grease, and one capacitor from a drawer of maybes.

Every fix that involves a multimeter starts with 'let's see what we actually have'. The sharpening station took a weekend, minus the two evenings spent looking for the 4mm bit. The lamp dimmer took a weekend, minus the two evenings spent looking for the 4mm bit. The first version was awkward; the second taught the lesson; the third is standing in the corner now.

The flea-market seed-starting shelf needed contacts, grease, and one capacitor from a drawer of maybes. The sharpening station took a weekend, minus the two evenings spent looking for the 4mm bit. Every fix that involves a multimeter starts with 'let's see what we actually have'. I overdrilled exactly one hole, and it became a 'ventilation feature'. Finished at 9 p.m. on Sunday, photographed badly, used daily since. The balcony version survives wind because of one extra bracket nobody will ever see.

Clamps are the currency of the shop, and this build cost four of them simultaneously. I overdrilled exactly one hole, and it became a 'ventilation feature'. Every fix that involves a multimeter starts with 'let's see what we actually have'.