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A place to purchase woodworking plans and other products created by The Kraftsman.

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Welcome to the Kyserike Kraftsman’s Website

The Kraftsman at work

The Kraftsman at work

My interest in woodworking started early when I would visit my great grandfather’s and uncle’s workshops when I was a kid. I enjoy designing and creating works of art in wood that bring joy to the recipient.

I’ve created this site to document some of my experiences that will hopefully inspire others with similar interests. Please feel free to look around, leave comments, and come back often!

Navigation Hints

Most of the updates that I will make to the site are blog entries with the latest updates being shown right here on the home page. You can always return to the home page by just clicking on the header at the top of any page.

You can view all the posts related to a specific completed project, a project under construction, changes in the workshop, or the latest news from The Kraftsman by clicking on your interested link using the Navigation menu on the left sidebar.

Feel free to leave your comments at any post as I would love to have some feedback on both the projects and the website. Also feel free to become a registered user of the site which will allow you to interact with the site.

If you would like you can also email me at TheKraftsman@kyserikekraftsman.com I would love to hear from you!

Recent Activities

It’s been some time since I’ve made a post and I apologize to those of you that look forward to my updates. It’s been a very busy summer, fall, and winter but hopefully I’ll soon be back on track in the workshop and some more regular posts on my experiences.

Just to give you an idea of some of the things that have kept me busy;

Tack Truck

I’m still working on the tack trunk as time permits. The grooming tote is done and I’m currently staining the wrap holder. The only things left are the mounts for the wrap holder in the lid, adding the lid supports, and finish staining the rest of the trunk. I still plan on making the plans available on the web site after the trunk is completed.

Wainscoting

I needed to create some wainscoting and decided on a frame and panel type design. I designed the wainscoting so that I could build a single wall section as a unit, apply the stain, and then tack the unit to the wall. I’ve been wanting to try out the Kreg pocket hole system and thought that using this system for the style and rail joinery of the wainscoting panels would work great. I was very happy with the ease of use of the Kreg system and the professional looking joints that it creates. I’ll being using this system in more projects in the future (I think it would have worked great in the tack trunk build, I wish I had thought of it sooner!)

Microwave Cabinet Face Frame

I was commissioned to create  a microwave insert unit for an existing cabinet system where the original appliance was replaced with a smaller unit. The insert needed to raise the appliance about 3 inches above the original cabinet base and also hide the space around the appliance to give it a built-in look. I created a shelf/face frame insert that would slide into the existing area. I created a prototype first out of MDF to verify the dimensioning and the visual impact, then used some left over material from the original cabinets to create the final product. I needed to also band the edges of the face frame with veneer since I used plywood for the face frame and stain this to match the existing cabinet stain color.

Shed Door Replacement

The doors for are shed were in said shape (They were just pine doors with too many years of snow piling against them). I removed the old doors and trim and created a new set using pressure treated lumber and exterior grade plywood.  Hopefully these will last a little longer than the original ones (Still need to be stained, probably wait till spring).

Workshop Makeover Part II

The workshop is undergoing a major change where I’m moving it from one garage bay to another so that I can pump some much needed heat into the area in the winter months. This project is taking much longer than I had originally anticipated but I know in the long run it will be worth the effort as I do most of my work during the winter months.

Horseshoe Pit Details

I’ve been asked by a few viewers to provide some more details of my backyard horseshoe pit design so tonight I took some time to enhance the sketchup model some and provide a couple of shots which include dimensions.

The first step in building the pits is to create the base. This is made from pressure treated 2″x6″ lumber as shown in the following diagram. I used 3″ exterior decking screws to secure the individual base pieces. (Click on the diagrams for a larger image).

Horseshoe Base Structure

Horseshoe Base Structure

Next the long side decking is added. Three 7 foot sections of 5/4″ decking are used for each side. Adjust the gaps between the boards so the three boards space the area that will become the throwing walkway. For the inside boards on each side I left a ridge on the support base (about 3/4″) showing so that it could be used to support the screens over the pit area.

Horseshoe Pit Long Decking

Horseshoe Pit Long Decking

Next the shorter decking pieces are added to the front and back of the base structure again leaving a small area of the base structure that outlines the pit area exposed to support the screens. I used normal exterior decking screws to secure all decking.

Horseshoe Pit Short Decking

Horseshoe Pit Short Decking

The backboard is a standalone piece that is comprised of 4″x4″ pressure treated posts and 5/4″ decking. The beverage holder is created using 2″x4″ pressure treated lumber. I created the complete backboard assembly, then drove the 4×4 posts into the ground behind the platform. Rather than using cement to secure the posts in the ground I decided to bolt the 4×4 posts to the base structure using 4″ lag bolts. I had to remove two of the short back pieces of decking temporarily in order to drive the lag bolts from the inside of the base structure.

Front view of the backboard

Front view of the backboard

Rear view of the backboard

Rear view of the backboard

After the horseshoe pit assemblies where set in the ground and leveled I buried a 5 gallon bucket in the pit area to support the cemented spikes. I then covered the inside of the base structure with landscaping fabric before adding the sand to prevent weed growth.

So far after over a year the pits have held up well (except for the corner of one of them that my wife took out with the lawn tractor). If you have any comments or questions on the design feel free to leave a reply.

Bandage/Polo Wrap Holder is Ready for Staining

The Removable Bandage/Polo Wrap Holder for my daughter’s tack trunk is assembled and ready for staining.

Working on the Removable Bandage Wrap Holder

An update on the removable bandage wrap holder that I am designing for my daughter’s tack trunk.

Grooming Tote is Ready for Staining!

Tonight I was able to complete the grooming tote for the tack trunk that I’m building for my daughter Chelsea. I spent the last couple of days completing the design of the tote, making a material list and cutlist, purchasing the material, cutting the parts to size, creating the joinery, and assembling the tote. It [...]

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