A Few Projects from 2016 /  by Ty Howard

I think it is always a good idea to look back on your previous work to see how far you have come and what you can improve on. 2016 is when Howard Built LLC was officially launched, and I had multiple memorable projects throughout the year. At the time, I was working out of a large quonset hut just outside of Boise in Garden City, Idaho. There are many great memories of working late into the night to get orders fulfilled and pieces completed. Now I am thankful to say I have a home with a shop right on the property. 

Here are just a few of the projects and process photos from my time in that space.  

SketchUp: Component Basics /  by Ty Howard

SketchUp offers many great tools to use when designing your projects. One tool which comes in handy when making repetitive parts is the component tool. Turning objects into components allows you to make an almost infinite number of identical pieces. Every component can then be edited by making changes to a single component within the group.This tutorial will show you the basics of making a component. 

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First, Start by making a 12" x 12" x 12" cube. You can do this by using your tape measure tool to give you 12" guides, then making a 2D square with the rectangle tool. The rectangle tool will snap to an intersection. 

First, Start by making a 12" x 12" x 12" cube. You can do this by using your tape measure tool to give you 12" guides, then making a 2D square with the rectangle tool. The rectangle tool will snap to an intersection. 

Just click on one corner, then click on the opposite corner. And there you have it, a square! 

Just click on one corner, then click on the opposite corner. And there you have it, a square! 

Now, take your push/pull tool and put your cursor over the square. The highlighted surface is the surface the tool will either push or pull. 

Now, take your push/pull tool and put your cursor over the square. The highlighted surface is the surface the tool will either push or pull. 

With the push/pull tool, click on the surface and pull that surface up. Woah! 3D! Now, you can either try to pull that surface until it is exactly 12", which is pretty hard to do. Or you can pull it up slightly, click once, then immediately type "12

With the push/pull tool, click on the surface and pull that surface up. Woah! 3D! Now, you can either try to pull that surface until it is exactly 12", which is pretty hard to do. Or you can pull it up slightly, click once, then immediately type "12" (don't type the quotations) and hit enter. This will make the surface jump to exactly 12 inches from the original surface you highlighted in the beginning.  

Either triple click, or right-click on a surface and then move to "select" followed by "select all connected", to select the entire cube. 

Either triple click, or right-click on a surface and then move to "select" followed by "select all connected", to select the entire cube. 

After the entire cube is connected, right click again and select "Make Group". This will join all the surfaces and lines into one object. 

After the entire cube is connected, right click again and select "Make Group". This will join all the surfaces and lines into one object. 

To make edits to this group, you have to double click to get "inside" the group. From here you can edit each surface and line. 

To make edits to this group, you have to double click to get "inside" the group. From here you can edit each surface and line. 

Click outside the grouping to get back out of the group. Then, right-click on the object, and select "Make Component". Components are great because you can edit any number of identical components without having to manually make the changes to e

Click outside the grouping to get back out of the group. Then, right-click on the object, and select "Make Component". Components are great because you can edit any number of identical components without having to manually make the changes to each individual component. Instead, you can get back inside the group of a single component, and whatever changes are made inside the group will be reflected on every component of the same type. 

An easy way to duplicate a component is to take your move tool, hold down option (if you are on a Mac) and then hover your cursor over a corner of the component. You will see the move tool with a small + symbol next to it. Now, with option pressed,

An easy way to duplicate a component is to take your move tool, hold down option (if you are on a Mac) and then hover your cursor over a corner of the component. You will see the move tool with a small + symbol next to it. Now, with option pressed, click and drag that component to the desired location. 

Now you have two identical components. 

Now you have two identical components. 

If more components are desired, immediately after you click to place the component, you can type "*x" (x being the number of total extra components you want). After deciding on how many components you want, click enter, and that will place the numbe

If more components are desired, immediately after you click to place the component, you can type "*x" (x being the number of total extra components you want). After deciding on how many components you want, click enter, and that will place the number of components you chose with exact spacing relative to your first duplicate placed. 

In this case, I moved the first duplicate 3" to the right along the red axis, typed "*2" and a second one was placed another 3" away. 

In this case, I moved the first duplicate 3" to the right along the red axis, typed "*2" and a second one was placed another 3" away. 

You can also drag the piece farther, and have SketchUp backtrack and equally space multiple components between the original component and your first duplicate. 

You can also drag the piece farther, and have SketchUp backtrack and equally space multiple components between the original component and your first duplicate. 

Instead of using "*" after immediately placing your duplicate, type "/x" (x being the total number of components you want placed between your original and first duplicate). 

Instead of using "*" after immediately placing your duplicate, type "/x" (x being the total number of components you want placed between your original and first duplicate). 

Now you have the desired amount of components with equal spacing between them. I like to use this feature for figuring out the spacing between each support on a piece of furniture. 

Now you have the desired amount of components with equal spacing between them. I like to use this feature for figuring out the spacing between each support on a piece of furniture. 

With four identical components created, you can now edit all of them by getting inside the group of a single component. Just double-click on your component and you're back inside the group. 

With four identical components created, you can now edit all of them by getting inside the group of a single component. Just double-click on your component and you're back inside the group. 

Notice how when you move your cursor over a surface, that same surface is highlighted on every component. Any changes to a surface or line will be reflected on every component as well. 

Notice how when you move your cursor over a surface, that same surface is highlighted on every component. Any changes to a surface or line will be reflected on every component as well. 

Try using your push/pull tool to shorter the components by pushing the top surface on the component you have open. 

Try using your push/pull tool to shorter the components by pushing the top surface on the component you have open. 

Now pull it up!

Now pull it up!

Any change you make while inside the component will happen to every component you created. 

Any change you make while inside the component will happen to every component you created. 

If you want to add a texture to the component, if you are outside the component/group, it will paint all surfaces of only that component. If you plan on painting every surface of each component, and you only have a few duplicates, I usually just pai

If you want to add a texture to the component, if you are outside the component/group, it will paint all surfaces of only that component. If you plan on painting every surface of each component, and you only have a few duplicates, I usually just paint each component/group while outside of it. But if you have, lets say 100 identical components, it would be easier to go inside one of the components/groups and paint each surface. 

As you can see, when inside the component when you paint a surface, that same surface will be painted on each component. 

As you can see, when inside the component when you paint a surface, that same surface will be painted on each component. 

Occasionally you will need to make specific edits to a single component. Whether its something dimensional, or it needs to be a different shape, you can do this by making that specific component unique. Right-click on that component, then select "Ma

Occasionally you will need to make specific edits to a single component. Whether its something dimensional, or it needs to be a different shape, you can do this by making that specific component unique. Right-click on that component, then select "Make Unique". 

With this component being unique, now when you go inside the component/group, and highlight a surface, notice that the same surface is not highlighted on all the other components. 

With this component being unique, now when you go inside the component/group, and highlight a surface, notice that the same surface is not highlighted on all the other components. 

Because the component is unique, you can make whatever changes you want to that component, without it changing all the others. 

Because the component is unique, you can make whatever changes you want to that component, without it changing all the others. 

Whether it's creating table legs, or designing the framework for a deck, components will increase your efficiency while using SketchUp. 

I hope you found this tutorial helpful, and that components become a regular part of your design process. Please feel free to leave a comment, or send me an email on what you would like to learn in SketchUp!

The Moby Collection: Moby Wall Art /  by Ty Howard

The Moby Collection actually started out as an experiment. I had a pile of scraps and cutoffs from recent projects which I normally would not have been able to use due to their size. I found a common usable length, 30", and a common width, 1.5" and cut every board to that size. Then, I cut small 1.5" squares out of each of the five hardwoods. 

After my pieces were cut, I put the 30" long pieces in a pile, and the 1.5" square pieces in a pile and then chose a 30" piece and two 1.5" square pieces and glued them together. I continued this random selection process until I was out of wood to use. 

When the glue was dry I took some 1/4" and 3/16" square brass rod (Gem State Metals) and using my router, I cut a recess, or dado, to receive the brass and glued the pieces in place. For this particular piece, I left it unfinished to keep the natural matte look of the hardwoods. 

Moby Wall Art

Materials

walnut + ambrosia maple + birds-eye maple + hard maple + sapele + brass 

 

Retro N64 Console /  by Ty Howard

Though most of my time spent in the shop involves building furniture, occasionally I get a creative itch to build something different. I had the idea of building a retro game console that would combine wood with technology, and what better console to use than my childhood favorite, the Nintendo 64. 

I love the look of retro televisions with their rounded screens, so it was important to include this in the project. I also like the nostalgia of having to plug in the game cartridges into the console, which is why I decided to use an actual N64 as opposed to something like a Raspberry Pi for the internal components. Since I went with the actual N64 console, this meant I had to find one as well as the games that went with it. Over the next few months, I continually checked Craigslist, thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets to find the games of my childhood. 

Through this project I was able to hone my CNC skills, as well as try new things such as soldering and installing mortised hinges. After a few weeks worth of working on this between furniture pieces, here is the end result. 

Retro Wooden N64

Materials

walnut + brass + white phenolic stock 

 

Build Post: The Leroy Desk /  by Ty Howard

The Leroy Desk

Materials

sapele + steel + brass

Dimensions

7' L x 25.5" W/D x 30" T

This desk is the first piece in a collection I had in mind. This series of Leroy furniture will feature simple lines, mid-century design, and an emphasis on functionality for your workspace. For our home, this specific Leroy desk is 7 feet wide, which gives my wife and I plenty of space to work on the same surface. 

The natural red and brown tones of the sapele went perfectly with the dark forest green in our home office, as well as added a warm touch to our creative space. The steel legs offer the support needed for the desktop, our computers, and my wife's plants (which will stay on her side of the desk I hope) and visually the legs are simple with squared connections and keep the emphasis of your attention on the beauty of the hardwood work surface. 

Here are some photos and comments of the build process. 

From concept, to design, to a finished product, what can Howard Built make for you?   

Below are links to the tools, finishes, and suppliers used for this project. 

Boise Woodcraft

 

Festool TS-55

Tried and True Varnish Oil

Ridgid 5" Variable Speed Orbital Sander

Please feel free to comment or send me an email through me "Contact Us" tab in the top right corner. I would love to hear what you think! 

Howard Built /  by Ty Howard

Thank you for taking an interest in the our work at Howard Built LLC. Soon, in this portion of the website, you will find a multitude of posts containing things such as current projects, process photos/videos, tips, tricks, and many other things. Feel free to comment on the posts as they come, or shoot us an email by clicking on our "Contact Us" tab if you have any questions. Again, we thank you for taking an interest in our work and we are excited to share the things that we love, woodworking and design.

Ty Howard

Howard Built LLC 

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