how to turn picrel into a neat keyboard wrist rest?i only have a hacksaw, measuring tape, and rectangular sander. but no file set, router, table saw or anything like that. so far, i took measurements and made cuts for the width of my keyboard. and im half way through cutting along the length. using the hacksaw to make long cuts is pain because the fine teeth take forever. the bigger challenges with my limited setup are:1- rounding the front edges. i thought maybe use a quarter to make marks, hacksaw the edges off , and then sand it even so it's rounded.2- making all edges smoother. idk if my sander will be enough for the that3- making an incline cut, so the front is half an inch shorter than the back side touching the keyboard. 4- covering my mistakes by making all sides completely flat.
>>3011874here's a picture of what im going for
>>3011875That's called a palm rest
>>3011875Why didn't you just get a keyboard that comes with one?
do you have elbow grease?
>>3011939ok won't argue with you.>>3011942because they're made of plastic. or pu leather that peels.>>3011955yes. but i don't want to run into walls or anything. that's why i came asking for tips. i've never done woodworking projects.
>>3011874You’ll need more than just a hack saw and sander for sure.Get your self a plane makers float aka bed float. They start at $30 but will do anything you mentioned, remove lots of material, shape, round and smoothen. You could get a rasp set for that money instead, but imo an okay float is better than 3 cheap rasps/files.A basic hand plane would do too, but cheap planes are super shit these days and need work out of the box. Maybe a cheap jap saw for the incline and do the rest with the sander (with 60/80 grit you can round stuff fine if your patient). If you’re careful and use a saw guide you could even do the incline with a regular hand saw but theyre not made for ripping and your experience will be pretty bad at best. Then you’ll need a pretty resistant sealing finish like PU or epoxy or the wood will turn black quickly from sweat acids. And finally don’t expect too much, palm rest + inclined keyboard is an old approach to ergonomics, flat keyboard plus proper chair and sitting position is much better and less tiring for your arms and shoulders
>>3012020i'll try to grab some rasps tomorrow, but i swear it feels doable just going slow with the hacksaw to remove chunks out of rounding radius, then smoothing the edges with the sander.
>>3011875So that is a harder wood than you’re using… yours looks like cedar.It’s got lots of checks so prepare for many coats of polyurethane to fill them in.Sometimes you can split the wood lengthwise down the grain accurately to save some time on hogging out huge areas.
>>3012043i did this project before and was disappointed.its more ergonomic to have the keyboard flat and without wrist wrest.
Can't wait to see the finished product op.
>>3012119going excessively slow anon. i should've purchased a real saw. doing this cut with hacksaw took hours, i'm only stopping now so i don't irk the neighbors further. but at least the cut is very precise. there's still plenty of chances for me to fuck this up so stay tuned.>>3012116i know, and chances are this will look like i have a bed slat on my desk. but i'm doing this for myself. i'd rather overwork my bicep and learn something new, than dwell on my ai future and failed romances.>>3012046>Sometimes you can split the wood lengthwise down the grain accurately to save some time on hogging out huge areasno idea what this part means anon, sorry. but thank you for sticking around during my shitshow.
found a quiet spot where i could saw for peace, and managed to split the bastard. now i need a safe and reproducible woodworking approach to make the incline without ruining it.
>>3011874>how to turn picrel into a neat keyboard wrist rest?remove all the parts that don't look like a wrist rest.
A handsaw is an improvement over a hacksaw
>>3012151thank you. i found a couple old handsaws, but they were making too much damage so i went back to saw iii style.i marked the incline cut around the block
it went terrible because i was sawing from both sides, and some parts were not even.
i went at it with the rasp to even it, but because i'm a moron i ended up eating away from the middle edge that i worked so hard to get right.
i used washers of two sizes to mark the edges, then made farting noises with the rasp for 30 minutes to round the edges.
after sanding
im finally at the point of thinking about a finish. don't know if i should stain it or not. and if poly alone can make it warmer enough to not look like default wood.
>>3012166Looks like douglas fir. Where did you get that wood from anyway?
>>3012170found it going through some old wood we kept. was part of a door threshold originally.
>>3012166> stainIf it’s a softwood (which it most certainly is) then no, you should not stain it.
hopefully it was hand selected
>>3012190it's pine i think
>>3011874Literally do what everyone else does , buy a plane from Home Depot then return it when your project is done
>>3012166>can make it warmerthe patina look you are after comes from long oxygen and uv exposure.if you block oxygen by applying a plastic film finish it will never darken.linseed oil is ok but it may add a yellow note
>>3012275i thought cutting it would be the main challenge, now i know finishing is just as difficult. my woodworking journey literally started with this project, so i'm easily confused by all the finishing products and their effect on pine.the options i have within budget are teak oil, generic oil based varnish, and minwax stain, as well as cheap products for a matted or glossy water based polyurethane products.my aim is to make it palatable and non susceptible to water and hand oils. but no idea what to go for for that purpose. i understand a glossy finish would bring out all the mistakes and creases, and the same goes for stains. as for teak oil, it doesn't provide long term protection. what's the chinese approach to solving this problem anons?
>>3012275i want to use teak oil, and matte poly, but the only variant of polyurethane i have is water based so they may not play nice. i found a bamboo phone stand that's the right hue and finish i'm going for.
>>3012165>>3012166>>3012305Honestly, this looks 10 times better than what I'd have expected you to manage to achieve, good job anon.
>>3012307i'll take that! thanks friend. couldn't have done it without you >>3012119i'm actually making a second one with a flatter profile whilst deciding on a finish.
Could've just used low profile chocs but now he's got splinters in his palms
>>3012309Unfortunately I'm not familiar with treating soft woods. The only methods I can think of to make it more resilient is resin infusion and that's not really an option with your minimal toolset.Your lowest effort option is using an oil. Mineral oil plus beeswax makes for a balm that's easy to spread (I use it on kitchen cutting boards) but that's not suited for having your wrists on it, as it'd be oily.So I'd probably consider either a hardening oil ( boiled linseed maybe? ) if you wanted a more natural finish, or just slap a thick layer of clear lacquer on that bad boy to protect it and to protect you from splinters.I'm sure actual woodworkers would know better though.
Okay, OP, I will join in with >>3012307I'm an amateur hand tool enthusiast myself, however I mostly only buy tools and sharpen/fiddle with them and do workshop related builds like workbench and drawers and boxes for my tools. All of that inside of my 1 room apartment. So it's not like I'm good, but still I expected you to fail miserably when I saw what you had in terms of tools and especially that you were sawing on a plastic tray filling your carpet with sawdust. It really reminded me of my old days of driving my shitty car to a big box store to buy some shitty chisels that I couldn't even sharpen and trying to build a shitty bench.Anyway, good job man, sorry for doubting you. Keep up the spirit.I'm not a big wood finish specialist myself, so it's more of a beginner advice, but as far as I understand usually you either choose oil (like boiled linseed or some other oil) OR some kind of hard lacquer finish like water based polyurethane for a hard glossy plastic shell. However polyurethane will require many coats with sanding in-between, so oils are quite popular and are very easy to apply with a rag. They will seep into the fibers and polymerize, adding some water resistance to the wood.Pic: My workbench.
finished sanding the second one. because i don't own a vise, i had to do this indian style. holding it between my knees the entire time while rasping the front edge. it came out alright, but not too happy about the center edge having an ugly spot.>>3012323thanks for the advice. i'll use teak oil and try not to oversaturate the block. preferably i'd want to cover it with satin polyurethane afterwards, but all i got is water based poly, and those aren't compatible with oil.>>3012333>do workshop related builds like workbench and drawers and boxes for my toolsdon't be too humble, you seem like a seasoned woodworker if you've been at it for that long. i mean YOU HAVE a vise.about the carpet, i vacuum it afterwards so it's all good.
went with a cowardly matt poly instead of teak oil for peace of mind. it looks nice while wet. wish it could keep this hue but obviously will change after drying.the long cylinders are speaker tilting wedges with proper incline angle and width for my speakers.just realizing this will take days to do all coats. i kept the brush wrapped in plastic. hope the bristles won't stick together.
>>3012522Keep up with the recoat schedule, once it fully dries you have to re-sand to apply another coat, and even then, it’s not as good.> teak oilMost things that dry hard, even if oil-based, are compatible. Teak oil doesn’t dry hard so it’s not compatible, but it’s not simply because it’s oil based.> satinI always and only buy gloss finishes.If you want it satin, you go over it with 000 steel wool. That’s what factories do.You can’t take the satin stuff out (likely ground silica) easily if you need gloss, however you can always add it to gloss or just steel-wool it to the desired level of flatness.> hueThe hue probably won’t change too much, you can use/make toner to imbue your poly with transparent or opaque colour, like yellow or zinc dioxide to make it a bit whiter/lighter.
>>3012660> sand between coatscan't. only have 150 grit sandpaper at hand. stupidly enough i did try to sand the first coat after 18 hours. only to introduce scratches into the surface. second coat didn't alleviate the scratches, so as far as professional results go. this is terrible.> teak oili got scared of it because it tends to stain clothing from what i've read. was only interested in it for the golden color it added. fortunately, the oil based poly i used did yellow the wood enough for the result i was going for. so i'm good with how it looks in terms of color. there's some degree of reflection even though it's a matt poly which is appreciated.> recoat schedulei did the second coat this morning after waiting 16 hours, and the first coat on the opposite side few hours ago. drip is a problem i had to deal with for the smaller parts unfortunately. even though i waited 20 minutes before turning each surface vertical, but that wasn't enough.any salvaging tips would be appreciated. thanks.
i mean.... i wouldn't return it if someone else made it. so i guess it's good enough.
but when the light hits it, it looks encased in a layer of uneven glue. not sure how to make it even. 150 grit sandpaper is not going to help the situation.
I suppose it's done now, but generally, isn't wise to use something natural oil type of deal with something like this? I could imagine that you should expect a lot of wear on this, and you'll have microplastics shedding? I am sort of in the same conundrum with other projects.
I did something like this a few years ago and its still going strong. I just used boiled linseed oil on mine and its got a great natural finish and doesn't have any issues with my skin oils at all. It also smells amazing.
>>3012832Ty, I already bought a bucket because I just assumed that would be my goto, but I read that it's a temporary thing, but I would assume as long it's inside buildings it's fine.Currently planning on putting some solar on a hillbilly wooden mount coated with it, just to see how long it lasts. If it gives me 2-3 years extra, then I am considering it for garden stuff.
>>3012826i didn't use tung or linsead oil, which to my understanding needs re-application and will not protect the wood as much as poly, that's why i used resin and oil based polyurethane, which should offer some degree of protection against scratches and water. but don't quote me on that. i literally didn't know these things existed last thursday. i thought about making a phone stand next (copying the ikea stand in >>3012305 ), but will need to acquire a set of chisels, and glue first. im scared of committing to the woodworking lifestyle because i'm already ways down the electronics repair path. the shit you'll get into when you're past thirty and still without a girl.
>>3012867Please stop describing my life.If you got the cash, the CNC carvera air is a desktop CNC that can do both PCB traces down to 0.2 mm. Could also use it for wood projects like this. I got it, but too busy to use it atm. 3000 in freedom bucks.
>>3012945>got the cashyes>>3012945>3000 in freedom bucksno fuck that.>>3012945>Please stop describing my life.we should join sheds.
>>3012867Woodworking is a boomer hobbyYou need space, a shitton of cash and time. Somebody of our generation doesnt have what the hobby demands
>>3013040>Woodworking>ExpensiveI get that the economy is not doing great, but woodworking is probably the most affordable hobby when building shit. Depends on what you're doing of course, but if you can't afford to cut wood, then I don't know. The only thing cheaper is working with mud and if you live in the right climate. Being a boomer hobby auctions and secondhand tend to have tons of tools, you don't need to cuck yourself.
>>3013044the typical beginner mistake is not understanding that tools are the cheap part. Wood is expensive, Hadware is even more expensive. Diy costs more in materials than ikea.Wood is only cheap if its from you own property and somebody with a sawmill cuts it up for you. That in itself is a task impossible for a rentoid without heavy machinery.And then its not kiln dried and takes years to season.Ever wondered why plywood and 2x4s are so popular? its the only shit most can afford and transport
>>3013050Fair points. The not having space especially just ruins any kind of flexibility. I have tended to just get EU pallets that are given away and made planterboxes and molds. For serious work on houses etc it's tough.I do actually often see surplus auctions on planks here (scandinavia), but you'd need some kind of lorry to get it presumably.As I have gotten older I pretty much become convinced that any half ambitious family should have a family farm or space where they can do shit. Clip this prediction that squeezed out farmers who own their lands will turn into coop workshops.
nice op, but you shouldnt rest your hand while typing, its an egonomic thing, also ur keyboard has too many keys
well i'm still fidgeting with that wooden pos i found, and so we're going for round 2. making cradles for my game controllers even though i don't play videogames. i'm copying a design i saw online.>>3013040but wasn't jesus a carpenter? >>3013050>Diy costs more in materials than ikeano not in my shithole country, i get ikea for 3x the us price because of import fees and greed. >>3013053thank you. i need all them rows though because i computer for a living.
first cut done
marks for the tapered top
initially they were similar size but inadvertently i ruined the edges on one and so had to make it smaller to hide the mistakes.
it was a bitch to start a cut from the edge and i scraped the edges (as well as my hand) a bunch of times.
semi circle rasp came through in the clutch. will continue rounding the edges and sanding tomorrow. 6 hours of breathing wood is enough for one day.
here to illustrate the concept (that i copied)
after rounding and sanding edges.
first coat.
>>3013220Verrri nice. A bit worried about the weight. Might easily be the thing that get kicked around. Aliexpress sale coming up. Consider getting those mini magnets. Just drill hole, pop em in and apply a bit of silicone sealent or glue and you got a magnetic base.
