Prolific Art Concepts
by Jeffrey A. Nord, Sergeant First Class (Retired Reserves)
Furniture
2001 to 2017
From 2001 to 2005, while serving as Orders, Awards and Clearance Manager for the South Dakota Army National Guard at Camp Rapid in Rapid City, SD, I rented an apartment and garage at Clock Tower Gardens Apartments, which is right across the street from the east gate of Camp Rapid.
I set up a small woodworking shop out of my garage and began making coin racks for my growing collection of Challenge Coins (aka: Commander's Coins). I made a total of 4 or 5 of these. The first two, I made out of pine for my own collection and the rest out of mahogany for other people, then I made 7 or 8 shadow boxes out of mahogany, using either a glass or plexiglass cover. Regretably, I never took pictures of any of them.
The one and only piece that was photographed was the only one I made from oak (below). I made it for SFC Kevin Kabrud's retirement from the South Dakota Army National Guard on April 2, 2005. It is also the only one I did not use a Roman ogee router bit on. Oak is such a hard wood and I thought it might chip if I tried to route it, so I just sanded the edges of each board to round them off a little.
In 2005, I moved from Rapid City to Pierre and continued doing woodworking, although I didn't make any more shadow boxes or coin racks. Instead, I made other things below.
October 28, 2010 - Not satisfied with the design or cost of desks for sale in stores or online, I decided to build my own desk the way I wanted it. Surprisingly, the project took less than a month to complete, as I worked on it part time in the evening and on weekends. To keep costs low, I used pine lumber and 3/4" plywood, spending less than $150 on materials. Instead of staining and finishing, I painted it a red/brown color and added a faux wood finish using a faux wood pattern roller and black paint to mimic wood grain. It came out looking and working pretty good and I still use this desk.
The desk top rests on the two side drawer cabinets and is kept in place with thin strips of wood mounted on the bottom of the table top and surrounding each cabinet top. I designed this desk to be easy to disassemble and move without having to remove a bunch of screws first.
The bottom drawers were installed after this picture was taken and are used as file cabinets. I also put doors on the upper left and right compartments and added a decorative wood strip along the edges of the table top.
April 4, 2012 - I adopted two cute little cats from the local animal shelter and wanted to make them happy, so I purchased a few 8' long 4" diameter posts and 8' long 4x4s, as well as some plywood to construct the frames for cat furniture. I found some free carpet, in very good condition, from the dumpster of a local carpet store and stapled to the frame. Instead of adding foam for padding between the carpet and the wood, I just used a layer of carpet remnants. Combined cost for materials was less than $50.
 Dec 22, 2014 - Pierre St. WorkshopA panoramic view of 3 walls. I added shelves on the left and built the 4'x8' work table on the right to get started. This room was very dirty and dusty with crumbling concrete and some exposed asbestos. In July 2015, it flooded a little and the place smelled like mold. I moved out only a few days to a week later. |  Apr 24, 2015 - Stairway to ShopThis stairway was kind of a pain to maintain. It filled up with quite a bit of trash and leaves. In the winter, I had to shovel a lot of snow. Being a low-spot on the street, it collected all the drifting snow. |  Apr 24, 2015 - Entrance to ShopThis is a very old building, about 100 years old. On the right side is the only window to my shop. |
|---|---|---|
 Apr 24, 2015 - Door to WorkshopI was seriously considering painting the doorway, and hanging a sign saying "SANTA'S WORKSHOP", but with all the problems (asbestos and mold), I'm glad I didn't bother. |  Nov 21, 2014 - Inside of WorkshopI built shelves, hung lights and set up shop. Here you see a project I did for my (then) 3-year-old son, spray-painting letters to spell his name, "Andrew Roger Julio Nord". I painted each name with a different color and hung it in his bedroom, hoping he would learn how to read faster. |  Nov 21, 2014 - Inside of WorkshopHere you can see the different colors I used on each of his name (blue on the table and red, yellow and green on the floor. Along with 3 colors of letters on the floor are small plastic bottles I spray-painted white. I thought I would make them into a light, but that didn't happen. |
 Nov 21, 2014 - Inside of WorkshopThis side was dedicated to wood storage. |
In the fall of 2014, I rented a rough-looking basement storage room in a century-old building on Pierre Street. Before I could set up my workshop, I had to clean the place as best I could. It was a cluttered and filthy mess, with lots of crumbled concrete and dust everywhere. I had to carry several 5-gallon buckets of concrete debris up the stairs and a half a block away to the dumpster. I moved out by the end of July 2015 after the workshop flooded.
Pierre Street Workshop
The grey cat was named "Grease" (or "Gris", Spanish for "grey" and pronounced the same as "grease").
The orange cat was "Kirby". They were such cute guys, very well-mannered and playful. I really loved them. Sadly, only about two years later, they both contracted FIP (Feline Immune Peritonitis) and passed away soon after.
Cat Furniture
Desk with Hutch
When I left the Pierre Street workshop at the end of July 2015, I had to dissassemble my work table to get it out the door and up the stairs, then reassemble it once I moved my workshop into a garage at the apartment complex where I lived (what a pain!). My son, almost 4 years old at the time, was quite disappointed that I left Pierre Street, because he thought that old basement workshop was cool.
To make up for his disappointment, I thought I would make a pirate ship for him to float down the river one day.
Pirate Ship
 Sep 23, 2015 - Completed Pirate ShipWhen I built this ship, I didn't put any finish on it, because I thought my son would like to paint it. He previously enjoyed painting a small bird house and treasure chest. Unfortunately, he thought this was too big to paint and never painted it. Maybe one day he will. |  Aug 26, 2015 - Taking ShapeHere I glued and clamped some 3/4"x 3/4" strips along the edge of the bow. For the hull, I glued two 2x4s together, rough carved them with the table saw, then shaped on the belt sander. |  Aug 26, 2015 - View from the SternHere you can see the wood railing surrounding the poop deck in front of the bridge. The bridge has doorways fore and aft. |
|---|---|---|
 Aug 26, 2015 - Railing Above BridgeI added a wooden railing on the top of the bridge here. |  Aug 26, 2015 - View from the BowFront view of the wood railing on top of the bridge. |  Aug 26, 2015 - Port Side of ShipI used the rip fence on my table saw to help keep the boat upright while I worked on it. |
 Aug 27, 2015 - Masts Added |  Aug 28, 2015 - Gouging the BilgeAfter testing buoyancy in my bathtub, I learned that it floats well, but wouldn't stay upright (too top heavy). I thought I would gouge out some wood in the deck and put something heavy in there. However, it still didn't stay upright. |  Sep 3, 2015 Posts, Yards & "Rope"Added posts and yards, then tied yellow cord around the railings and yards as rope that you would see on a real ship. The yards are the horizontal dowels that hold the sails on each mast. |
 Sep 11, 2015 - PortholesDrilled three portholes on both port and starboard sides of the bridge. |
September 11, 2015 - On the 14th anniversary of 911, I completed this combination park bench/picnic table in just a few days.
Day 1: Purchased pine 2x4s from a local lumber store, then cut, drilled and sanded pieces.
Day 2: Inserted screws and assembled nuts and bolts to the boards.
I saw a video on Facebook about it and I thought it was cool, so I found plans on the internet and made one of my own. The plans were very detailed and worked out perfectly. I was amazed with the results. I sold it about a year later for $100.
Park Bench/Picnic Table
From September 23 to October 7, 2015, I made an art table/desk for my son. This 2-week project was a real challenge for me. Although I had an idea of how to build it, I wasn't quite sure how to make it work, particularly the mechanism for raising and lowering the desktop. It took some trial and error on the mechanism, but I finally came up with a good solution. I thought very carefully about the height of the table top, not wanting to make it too tall that he couldn't see or too short, that he would quickly outgrow it. As it turned out, he can see just fine and will never outgrow it. I am able to fit in it and have used the desk myself sometimes, although it's slightly snug, but not uncomfortable.
Andrew's Art Table/Desk
From October 11 to October 20, 2015, I worked on this queen-size bedframe and headboard. I designed it to be mobile, with wheels, as well as tall enough to vacuum under. I also wanted to be able to just tuck the covers between the bed and the frame, so I made the inside dimensions of the frame two inches wider and two inches longer than the mattress (1 inch on each side). At the time I built it, I was running low on 2x4s and didn't have as many as I would have liked for the mattress support, so I had to try different configurations to get maximum support with the few 2x4s I had available, or else go to the lumber store and buy more (which I didn't want to do). I think I spent less than $100 on materials.
Bed Frame and Headboard
 Oct 8, 2015 Andrew at his New DeskMy son really likes his new desk. It has a table top that can be raised to almost 45 degrees. Below the table top is a 2" deep compartment to hold completed artworks. |  Sep 23, 2015 - Step 1 Basic FrameBuilt frame using ripped 2x4s to make 2x2s and cut triangle shaped pieces for corner supports, then glued and screwed together. |  Sep 23, 2015 - Step 2 More SupportsAdded more triangle shaped pieces to corners of sides for support and decor. |
|---|---|---|
 Sep 26, 2015 - Step 3 Added PlywoodAttached red oak plywood to back and sides of desk and added desktop. Andrew is checking out progress on his new desk. |  Sep 30, 2015 - Step 4 Lift MechanismFinally figured out the mechanism to use to raise and lower the desktop. Initially, I tried to make a wooden gear and tooth system, but that didn't work very well. |  Sep 30, 2015 - Step 4 Front view |
 Sep 30, 2015 Mechanism Works!I attached a few thin strips to a 1x6 and screwed it at an angle to the inside of the desk. This housed the stick that raises and lowers the top. In this picture, you can only see one thin strip on the left side of the stick, because the other is shorter (and rounded on the end) to allow for the cord to travel freely on the wheel. The cord is attached at the bottom of the stick, so when pulled, it pulls the stick up along the shaft of the housing. |  Oct 6, 2015 - I Think It's DoneAfter much sanding, staining and finishing, it's done. Just had to clean up the mess and haul it up to my apartment. |  Oct 6, 2015 - Table Top DownThis picture shows how it looks with the table top down. I was careful to get the three shelves just the right size and spacing for optimum art supply storage. |
 Oct 6, 2015 - Table Top AdjusterI cut five 3/4" holes in a thin strip of wood, then glued that to the side of the desk. Inserted dowel into the lowest position and raised desk top to nearly 45 degrees. Inserted into top hole lowers desk top to horizontal position. The dowel is tied to the cord that led to the stick. |  Oct 6, 2017 - Mechanism AgainAnother picture of the mechanism, but this one is after staining. |  Oct 6, 2015 Lift StickThis picture shows the stick that lifts the table top. The white strip beside the stick that looks like aluminum foil is just the sun reflecting off the concrete floor |
 Oct 20, 2015 - Made my BedOn September 30, 2015, my Mother passed away, just shy of her 80th birthday, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. I remember when I was a kid, she used to always tell me and my siblings to make our beds. I finally made my bed Mom. |  Oct 11, 2015 - Step 1Basic frame with 1x10s screwed to 4x4 bedposts. |  Oct 11, 2015 - Step 2Added corner supports to all 4 corners. |
|---|---|---|
 Oct 11, 2015 - Step 3Screwed a 2x4 into both the left and right side of the frame and onto the corner supports. |  Oct 11, 2015 - Step 4Screwed 2x2 strip (a ripped 2x4) to the inside of the headboard, centered between the left and right corner supports and flush with the bottom of the frame. |  Oct 11, 2015 - Step 5Screwed 2x2 strip onto the inside of the footboard, centered between the left and right corner supports and flush with the bottom of the frame. |
 Oct 11, 2015 - Step 6Screwed 2x4 on head and foot supports on center. |  Oct 11, 2015 - Step 7Spaced three 2x2s evenly across bedframe and screwed onto the left, center and right supports. |  Oct 11, 2015 - Step 8Laid down 1x4s lengthwise across the frame. |
 Oct 11, 2015 - Step 9Laid press-wood panels over supports and cut two 1" strips, one for the left and one for the right side, because the panels were just a little too short. |  Oct 13, 2015 - Step 10I ripped a 1x8 to fill the gap between the press-wood panels and the headboard frame. This was to prevent the panels from sliding toward the headboard and away from the foot. |  Oct 13, 2015 - Step 11I cut a 2x4 to fit tight between the head posts and set it flush with the top of the headboard frame. |
 Oct 13, 2015 - Step 12Added supports on each side and center of the headboard 2x4 from Step 11. |  Oct 13, 2015 - Step 13Screwed support on the inside of the right frame board. This will support the base of the headboard shelf. |  Oct 13, 2015 - Step 14Screwed support on the inside of the right frame board. This will support the base of the headboard shelf. |
 Oct 14, 2015 - Step 15Removed frame panels and 1x4 supports, then added wheels to the bottom of the posts |  Oct 14, 2015 - Clearance HeightWith caster wheels attached, the clearance of the bed frame to the floor is 14.5 inches. |  Oct 14, 2015 - Step 16Built rectangular headboard frame to fit snug between both head posts |
 Oct 14, 2015 - View #1 of ProgressView of progress from the foot. |  Oct 14, 2015 - View #2 of ProgressView of progress from left foot post. |  Oct 17, 2015 - Step 17A neighbor was cleaning out her garage and sold me some press-wood furniture that included a mirror. I used the press-wood panels for the mattress support and attached the mirror to the headboard. |
 Oct 20, 2017 - Step 18Last step was sanding, staining and finishing before disassembling, moving it up to my apartment and reassembling. I plan to, one day, put crowns on the tops of each 4x4 bed post. |
From October 29 to November 10, 2015, I worked on a kitchen table for my apartment. I didn't have a written plan when I made it and changed the design a few times while building it.
Photo #1: I purchased spindles and a 5'x3' table top from my local lumber store. After a lot of sanding and finishing, I marked where I thought the table top supports should go and assembled it as shown in the 2nd picture.
Photo #2: I experimented with the placement of the bottom leg supports, by attaching them (with bolts) to the legs as shown in a criss-cross manner. The experiment revealed it was not a good idea.
Photo #3: The finished table.
Kitchen Table
June 26, 2016 - My son liked the desk I made for him, but he always seemed uncomfortable in the office chair (his feet couldn't touch the floor). One of the residents of my apartment complex threw away a kitchen chair, so I used it to make a chair I hoped would be more comfortable for him. I took the legs off the kitchen chair, cut off the front 1/3 of the seat and used the cut-off piece to make a foot rest. Then I mounted the seat on the office chair wheel base. He liked it better than the office chair because his feet were supported by the foot rest. In retrospect, I should have rounded the back corners of the footrest.
Andrew's Desk Chair
January 11, 2017 - In preparation for the Greater Sioux Falls Outdoor Show at the W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds, I made three display panels and a 3-tierred stand below.
DC's Tackle Displays
These three pegboard panels were used for hanging out product at the sports show, so we could easily grab a rig to sell to customers.
I made this 3-tiered stand for displaying each of our different fishing rigs (with prices) on the front table. It worked pretty well.
From January to June 2017, I tried very hard to think of ways to increase production speed on Bottoms Up Fishing Rigs. I created a series of contraptions, of which some I used and some were just funny. It was like doing experiments every day to find out what would or wouldn't work. When I started driving part-time for Napa on April 12th, that put a little damper on my time to experiment.
Rig-Making Contraptions
 Feb 20, 2017 Anti-Reverse MechanismI was trying to find a faster way to cut 10 lb test wire, so I came up with this anti-reverse wire spool feed. The gear allows the spool to turn in only one direction. For the gear-stop, I cut a rectangular piece of plastic off a milk jug and screwed to the thin angled wood strip below the gear. I made the jig over a foot wide to allow for multiple spools. Although I never used it for multiple spools, I did use it many times with a single spool and it worked very well. SUCCESS. |  Feb 22, 2017 - Wire Feed/Cutting JigI mounted the anti-reverse wire feed mechanism to the top of the structure and duct-taped two rows of five 24" lengths of PVC pipe to the supports on the bottom 2/3. The idea was to feed five spools of wire down through to the bottom of the 1st row of PVC pipe, then cut the wire at the top of the 1st row. The cut wire was supposed to drop down to the lower PVC pipes, but instead, it stayed in the upper pipe, due to it's helical shape from being wrapped around a spool. FAIL. |  Feb 22, 2017 Wire-Cutting Jig #2I made this jig for cutting 18" lengths of wire. I cut five grooves lengthwise down a 2x4 and spaced approximately 1/2" apart. Then, I cut the 2x4 into six equal lengths (around 15-16"). I glued and screwed to a plywood base. In between each 2x4, I glued a pair of small wood strips and spayed liquid rubber to each strip. The idea was to use clamps at those points to hold the wire in place while cutting it. I never used this jig, instead using something else. FAIL. |
|---|---|---|
 Feb 23, 2017 Shrink-tube Cutting JigI made this jig to cut 5 lengths of shrink-tubing into 100 pieces (5/8" long) with a razor blade. The 5/8" long pieces would later be used to make northern pike rigs. The jig worked somewhat, but needed a bunch of rubber bands to hold the tubing in the horizontal grooves. I'm calling this somewhat of a disappointing SUCCESS. |  March 6, 2017 Rig-Making StationI built a rig-making station with a lazy Susan under the middle level, so the middle and upper level could rotate. The purpose was so I wouldn't have to reach across the table for a rig, I could just spin the table and have the rig come to me. SUCCESS! |  Mar 7, 2017 - Work Station in ActionGlued a round piece of rubber mat onto the table, attached weather stripping around the rubber and divided it into 8 sections. Also wrapped gold and silver duct tape around table and marked inches with a Sharpie to quickly measure wire. On the top tier, I duct taped 4 pieces of scrap foam core board with slits to hold wire and hooks. |
 50+ Double Hook Walleye RigsThis photo was taken May 14, 2017 and shows at least 50 double hook walleye rigs with yellow floats nearing completion. Looks like they just need to be bagged up. Here can also see I added 2" strips of white foam rubber with slits to hold hooks and wire (it held hooks/wire better than the foam core board). Used the top tier to store extra rig-making supplies. |  Jun 12, 2017 Single HookWalleye RigsThis photo was taken June 12, 2017. It shows at least 50 single hook walleye rigs with red and white floats needing swivels crimped on. Here you can also see I added 1" strips of white foam rubber with slits to hold 5" wire used for the rig arms of double hook walleye rigs. |  Mar 23, 2017 - Funny ContraptionI watched woodworking videos on YouTube that integrated metal parts, bearings, gears and belts into the gadgets they were making. I thought I might incorporate some old bike parts and hooked my power drill up to the other side of the top gear (the drive gear), and it turned the chain fine. I thought it'd work good to feed wire. All I needed was a motor (instead of my drill) and on/off switch to start and stop the action, but never got that stuff and didn't use it. FAIL. |
 Apr 30, 2017 Wire Cutter Foot PedalHaving the foot pedal meant that I wouldn't have to grab for a pair of scissors to cut wire. All I have to do is press down on the pedal. Cord attached to the pedal and the cutting jig (shown in the next picture) pulls the scissors closed to make the cut. |  Apr 30, 2017 Goldberg Cutting JigAlmost looks like a Rube Goldberg contraption, but it worked very well. Here you can see one of the holes I cut to allow the cord to pull freely on the scissor mounting plate. I used rubber bands and BBQ skewers to secure the cord to the scissors mounting plate. |  Apr 30, 2017 Wire Cutting SUCCESSThis overhead view of my kitchen rig making factory. On the left is green foam core board. I used a razor blade to make several cuts in the foam core to hold 100 pieces of 5" long wire. On the right, I taped a straw to the base of the wire feed jig and fed the wire through the straw. That kept the wire from feeding back to the spool after cutting. |
 May 15, 2017 Packaging JigI started making this packaging jig using a hole saw in a 1x6. I cut the bottoms off 10 V8 Fusion bottles (46 oz), took the caps off and hot-glued upside down in the holes. These were the "hoppers" that I would drop product into after finishing each rig. After this picture was taken, I hot-glued short pieces of PVC pipe to the necks of each bottle and made a base for the jig (as you will see in the next picture). |  May 15, 2017 Packaging Jig SUCCESSThis is my first full test after adding the base. I was delighted with the results and it made packaging so much easier and faster. To me, this was a huge victory after so many failed experiments. |  Mar 31, 2017 Foot-Operated CrimperHaving to crimp 4 sleeves onto each double hook walleye rig meant that I had to grip solidly at least 400 times with a crimping tool. There must be a better way, I thought. With the help of a local welder on the metal parts, I made this foot-operated lever that will be connected to the handle of the crimper as you will see in the next photo. |
 May 27, 2017 Crimping SUCCESSThis gadget works like a charm and is much faster than hand crimping. I don't have to repeatedly reach for a crimper and crimp by hand. The only criticism I have, other than it's ugly appearance, is that it makes a creaking sound when I push down on the pedal. |  May 27, 2017 Back Side of CrimperOn the back side of the crimper, I mounted the scissors with block of wood attached to the handle, but without the cords and wooden foot pedal. To cut, I just leaned forward and pushed on the board with my elbow, leaving both hands free to hold wire in place. It worked very well and I'm very happy with the results, even though it looks pretty rough. |  Jun 7, 2017 - Kitchen Rig FactoryI turned my kitchen into a rig-making factory with the round assembly table, the foot operated crimper, the hands-free scissors, measuring stick, packaging hoppers, supplies etc. |
October 27, 2017 - Pulling the staples and old cover off was a dirty job. I sprayed all the legs and arms with hot water in the shower and scrubbed everything to get it completely clearn. I used decorative tacks on the backrest of the big office chair. I'm very pleased with how they turned out. Now my son sits in the little chair when he does art and homework at his desk. Since I already had an office chair that I was comfortable with and didn't need the chair on the left, I donated it to someone who needed one.
October 23, 2017 - Two free office chairs in need of new covers.
OK, so it's really not woodworking, but it is furniture and I did have to pull a lot of staples out of the bottom of the seats (which were made of wood).
One evening, upon returning to my apartment complex from work, I saw a grey office chair sitting beside the dumpster. The cloth cover was stained and dirty, but the wheels and everything else was good, so I took it to my shop for safekeeping.
The next morning, I saw a little black office chair sitting next to the dumpster. When I saw it, my first thought was, "this is going to be a good chair for Andrew". Other than slightly dirty, the chair was perfectly fine. I took that one to my shop also.
A day or two later, I went to Walmart with my son and spent about $20 on nine feet of fake leather and a bunch of decorative tacks.
Reupholstered Office Chairs
During the summer of 2017, my son would regularly trace coloring pages on the glass of my balcony door, using the light from the sun to show the image through the blank piece of paper he was tracing on. As fall aproached, he did not trace much. Part of the reason was because days were shorter with less sunlight, but he also said that tracing on the window was a little tiring.
So, I decided to make him a light box as a Christmas present. A few weeks before Christmas, I went to Menards and purchased some maple and ash wood, along with two 6' long Christmas rope lights and some plexiglass for about $20 total. I kept putting the project off, hoping for a warm day that never came.
By December 24, I had to get it done or else. I spent about four miserable hours in my workshop without heat on a very cold (below freezing) and windy day trying to get pieces cut, drilled, glued and sanded with cold hands.
I used a scrap piece of hardboard for the bottom and attached it to the rectangle formed by the ash (left and right sides) and maple (front and back sides) joined with dowels and glue, instead of screws. I drilled a hole through one of the sides for the power cord to go from inside the box to a wall outlet.
I covered the hardboard and inside of the rectangle with adhesive spray, then carefully laid aluminum foil to cover all inside surface areas below the plexiglass. I laid out the rope lights evenly inside the rectangle and hot-glued to the aluminum foil. Then I cut the plexiglass to cover inside of the rectangle.
Andrew's Light Box
December 24, 2017 - I designed the light box to be just big enough to trace onto the large thick paper I use for acrylic paintings. I hoped my son would later paint some of his traced drawings.
December 24, 2017 - This light box seems to work very well, as you can clearly see the image below the thick matt paper.
January 6, 2018 - Andrew likes the light box and uses it often. These two photos show a cute little Rembrandt at work.
