The Cedar Workshop

A bunch of stories/videos based on making solar panels, hacked wind turbines, renovations and DIY-er projects.

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The trusty 150 watt wind turbine did not make it through a big wind storm we had a month ago. The blades were just spinning in the slightest breeze and I knew something must of broke.

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Off Grid Upgrade: The Quest for Running Water

Off Grid Upgrade: The Quest for Running Water

This project was started just after the roof ice ripped off the main water supply pipe. Instead of replacing it and having the same problem again in a few years, I decided to take the water barrels off the roof and bring them inside and under the cabin. Due to the lack of resources, I had to reuse all the existing parts. As I was fumbling around through the plumbing box of fittings, I figured I…

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Yellow Cedar Budget Box for Garbage

Yellow Cedar Budget Box for Garbage

The solar kiln for the firewood had to go. It did its job and dried the firewood, but now my spouse wants it gone. She now wants a bear proof box for the rolling green waste/garbage cans.

Since we get more bears at our city slicker homestead (go figure) it has to be a be sturdy, but budget friendly.

The plan was to build an enclosure on top of a pallet. It would hold two rolling styles of garbage…

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DIY Mobile Shelves

A video about how to make mobile shelves out of an IKEA shelf unit and a furniture dolly. A fairly easy project that will take a few hours, but the results are amazing. It makes it easy to move a major shelf unit around your shop for storing materials and it can be positioned close to your work area. Feel free to check out the Facebook page for more recent updates.

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Portable Green Waste Processing Table

Portable Green Waste Processing Table

What do you give a wedding florist for Valentines Day? Definitely not flowers! Been there and done that. What my spouse needs an item that will make her life easier in her florist workshop. So the project for this week was to make a portable table that could support a bunch cutter (flower stem cutter), a bucket and a hole for the green waste/cuttings. It had to be not too heavy and could be moved…

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Making a Difference

On a family vacation in Mazatlan, Mexico, my spouse suggested we do some volunteer work to help out others that are less fortunate. On the third day, we hooked up with a group from the La Vina Vineyard Church. It was a well organized group of people who get together, prepared lunches for over 300 people and then distributed them to those living in 3 local communities (first world residents might…

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Wood Stove Generator - Part 1

Wood Stove Generator – Part 1

The goal was to generate a few watts of power off a woodstove, to run a small water pump or charge a 12-volt battery.

Since I’m waiting for some parts for the Cowboy Hot Tub project, I thought I would mess around with some ideas of generating power from a wood stove. The video will be part of series. I have few concepts and need to test them out with the materials on hand.

I watched a few videos…

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The Cowboy Hot Tub Project - Part 2

The Cowboy Hot Tub Project – Part 2

Lots of changes to the project, but the end results was a hot bath in an off grid situation. The first was to move the tub to a better location for my family. The old tub was located down at the lake, which can be tiresome walking up and down the hill to use the washroom, get more beer, etc. The plan was to put it where the current outdoor shower was located in between the outhouse and the…

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The Cowboy Hot Tub Project

The Cowboy Hot Tub Project

Since it was super hot at the cabin (and no campfire ban), thought it would be a good plan to “test” the Cowboy Hot Tub Project. The goal was to place a hose/copper pipe in campfire and run it back into the tub. The water would be pumped through the hose and come out warm on the other end. After 2 hours, the water should be a reasonable temperature. Most of the parts were scavenged, but the stock…

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How to Make Lawn Dice for Yardzee

How to Make Lawn Dice for Yardzee

A fairly easy project that takes a little bit of time to make, but fun to play with friends. Ideal summer BBQ game or an activity for an outdoor wedding.

It’s basically 5 cubes of wood with a shallow hole bored on each side to resemble large dice.

I used a cedar 4″ x 4″ x 8’ post cut into cubes. The sides are sanded, holes are bored into the wood with a spade or forstner bit, black paint is…

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Getting Stumped in July Series Part 1- The project for July was to remove a stubborn Douglas Fir tree stump. The tree was diseased at the top and had to be cut down last February.

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Late Night, Quck Fix for a Croquet Set

Late Night, Quck Fix for a Croquet Set

The project was to repair and update an 8-piece Croquet Set. The set was too be rented for wedding the next day. It was to be one of the many lawn activities for the outdoor reception. When the project first started a few weeks earlier, I thought there was only one handle to be repaired. The bottom part where the wooden thread was snapped off. Materials were sourced and the plan was to fix a few…

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DIY Veggie Planter Box Project A video about simple box planters for your patio. All the materials were made from scrap lumber and plywood.

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Experimental Wind Turbine Tower - Part 3 - 8 Short Stories to Share

Experimental Wind Turbine Tower – Part 3 – 8 Short Stories to Share

The video and blog post was Part 3 of the Experimental Wind Turbine Tower Project.

Overall plan for the lowering of the old tower

As seen in a previous video, the support tower was raised up into place. The 23-foot support tower would make the process of erecting the towers easier and safer. The plan was to come back, lower the tower for maintenance and remove some of the blades. But, as life…

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2nd Attempt at Making Plywood Gears

2nd Attempt at Making Plywood Gears

Have not been to the cabin for a few weeks. There have been too many household projects that need to get done first. But, in between the daily chores, I’ve been messing around with gears made from plywood. Also wanted to incorporate more woodworking into the projects. The plan for this project was to mount a large gear onto a wind turbine and then have a smaller gear attached to a DC motor.…

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Experimental Wind Turbine Tower Project- Part 2 - New Support Pole

Experimental Wind Turbine Tower Project- Part 2 – New Support Pole

A video shot over the April 8th weekend. It’s about how to erect a support pole next to the existing big wind turbine tower. It’s one of the steps required to raise and lower the big wind turbine.

The support pole was from a large 25-foot tall tree that was missing 90% of its bark.It was dead and very dry inside. It made a perfect support tower for the existing and future taller tower.

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Experimental Wind Turbine Tower Project - Using a Tall Tree (Part 2)

Experimental Wind Turbine Tower Project – Using a Tall Tree (Part 2)

A video about raise up a super tall tree into the air with a bunch of pulleys and then see how it functions as a wind turbine tower. The goal of the project was to source materials for a 50-foot tower, in this case, a skinny, tall, dead tree. Then use a living tree as the “crutch” to winch up and support the dead tree.

After testing out the new tower, the next step would be to attach a medium…

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