A DIY paper towel holder for you... And a -Vote for me- request

Blog DIY Woodworking How tos video

I am back with another video. But before that, wanted to take a moment to share a wonderful news that can do loads of wonders for whatever I am trying to do here on the blog. Social Samosa along with Asian Paints opens the gates for the first ever India’s Décor Influencer Awards (IDIA) – an initiative sculpted to accost the contribution of influencers in the digital hemisphere. And guess what !!! Woodooz.com has been nominated in 5 distinct categories. Fortunately or unfortunately, it boils down to the number of votes the blog can garner for the jury to come to a conclusion on the winners. And hence this request.

VOTE FOR ME and WOODOOZ.COM. Help us win. All I need you to do is follow the links below and cast your vote for Somu Padmanabhan. Here’s the link to my profile that has all the nominations. If you are not interested, you can skip and get to the post below. 

• Rising Star of the year
• Best Mens Décor Blog
• Décor Brand of the year
• Innovative Décor star
• Decor Instagammer of the year

We have always been driven by our passion to do what we do here. Sometimes, a little motivation and push from you can help fuel that passion. Please do consider voting for us before you head to the post below. You can use your FB login to cast your vote. Thanks 

Meanwhile, here’s what we have been up to. We have been wanting a paper towel holder for a while now.  The little one is still not 100% potty trained and we have been using up loads of these papers on and off. So having it readily available on the kitchen counter became the need of the hour. Please do watch this video on the step by step procedure on how this was made.

Our Kitchen cabinets have a combination of bright red and white. And so when it came to matching up with the existing scheme, the choice of colors was evident.  Furthermore, we are also working on an overall traditional decor for the home, which made the design on the holder even more evident. The design, the color scheme and the execution – All Preethi’s handiwork. All I had to do was to give her the holder made in Plywood.

Do it yourself decor

Traditional finish to a DIY stand

While the video explains how this was made, I shall leave you with some progress shots of the project. Meanwhile, it would be great if you can reconsider voting for me, just in case you came until this point without casting your votes. I shall meet you soon with another project and I expect feedback from you that can help me improve the quality of my next video. Please leave me a comment.

Progress shots

Simple DIY idea for Diwali - A serving tray tutorial

Blog DIY Woodworking Festival craft How tos

Last week, we had two major events in Woodooz:

1. We announced the starting of the DIY Woodworking group on Facebook. Interestingly, we received good response and we are getting to consolidate the group with woodworking enthusiasts and aspirants. Already, there are useful threads around how to prepare chalk putty, and what should be the essential tools in a beginner's list. I strongly urge you to join as I foresee interesting DIY shares from folks around the world.
2. We had our first DIY woodworking tip published in the honorable Hindu Melange Metroplus Edition (17th Oct, 2015). I chose a small, beginner level project that can be made around Navratri / Diwali when we have guests coming home. A DIY tray can carry a good show-off value as you can show it around casually and subtley without trumpeting about your new found hobby. This week, I wanted to elaborate on the project - The basic serving tray you can make.

Easy Diwali DIY - Basic woodworking project

The step by step procedure is already in the published content (Check image below), and so I want to focus on the photos (Published and unpublished) that by themselves explain the procedure. Do take a look and let me know if this is something that you would love to make sometime.

Click here to enlarge image

Hindu Melange Metroplus - 17th Oct, 2015

Used simple materials like plywood reapers, OST / Plywood sheet for this project. Made it easier as no power tools are required. Just a hacksaw blade did all the trick for me.

Plywood reapers, OST / Plywood, hacksaw blade, wood adhessive

The size of the tray is based on your requirement. Mine is a square tray and it is 12 inches on all sides. You can make a smaller, bigger or even a rectangle tray - Just customize the size to you needs.

Cut using hacksaw blade

6mm plywood or a 4mm OST sheet (One Side Teak) - Both would serve the purpose. Just walk into a plywood store and ask them if they will be able to spare a sheet that was cut from a bigger sheet. Such sheets normally never sell and the vendors would be happy to give it to you for a small cost.

Tray base cut to fit the frame

Glue on both surface

Apart from the glue, you can use small headless nails to secure the base to the frame. For making sure the glue bond is strong, use masking tape, clamps or just overturn the tray and place something heavy to hold the base and the frame. I use a vessel filled with water if I cannot find my tape.

Masking tape or heavy weight. Both can help to hold the surfaces together

After the base and the frame have bonded well, I used hammered in headless nails (Optional). This is your basic tray. You can even use it without a handle. However, you need to apply the required finish for the tray to be functional. Remember, you are going to serve coffee and tea and you need means to handle the spill.

The tray - Before

Until now, whatever you see is my handiwork. I promptly handed over the tray to Preethi and left it to her to finish it up. I was awed by the outcome and I realized it is good to have an art expert at home. After all, art is not my forte.

The tray - After

I will detail the finishing process as a separate post as this one is already getting photo heavy. It will also help break down the process without having to stuff you with too much information in one go. 

As a parting note, I want to tell you this. Working with wood opens up options for you to make small functional items for your home. If you are hesitant, working on this DIY is an ideal first step to gain confidence. You can make your DIY a talking point among guests and items like your own tray can become conversation starters Now that Navaratri is over, try this out for Diwali. Go DIY and leave us your feedback as a comment.

A Facebook group to share and learn woodworking. Come and join now.

Blog DIY Woodworking Facebook

Would it not be great to have a forum to share all your DIY projects ? Don’t you agree that a group of like- minded individuals getting together to exchange ideas, provide feedback, offer tips and discuss a particular niche is always a healthy way to grow the niche within that community and beyond? Would it not be great that you had someone, anyone to provide you the way forward when you are stuck in the middle of a project? Don’t you agree that having an open environment to have your DIY queries addressed by other enthusiasts can help enhance your interest and skills in the hobby? 

DIY Woodworking - India

From all the "Would it not be great" and "Don't you agree" questions stemmed the idea of creating a Facebook group - A group focused on DIY woodworking more specifically limited to Indian geography.  I created the DIY Woodworking – India group way back in 2013, but never got the opportunity to work on adding more interested members into it. With increasing number of folks taking up Woodworking as a hobby, I wanted to extend an invitation to all of you who are reading this to join the group.

A Facebook Group to share your woodworking outcomes and hone your skills

• If you think DIY Woodworking is your forte, JOIN NOW
• If you even have the faintest of interest in taking it up as a hobby, JOIN NOW
• If you have completed a DIY project and you are looking at like-minded people to share it with, JOIN NOW
• If you are in the middle of a project, and not sure how to proceed, JOIN NOW

I want to bring in relevant interested folks into the group to keep it focused. And that is why I want you to click join, because no one better than you would know if you are relevant to this group.  Once in, be sure to invite your friends and families who would love to come out of their comfort zones and try some bit of woodworking. And for you to understand more, here’s some FAQ on the group :

Some FAQs

Why a group when you have your Facebook page ?

To reiterate, the page is becoming more about me. A group makes it easier for others to join the fun. From one to one on a page, it becomes one to many and many to many which makes it more meaningful.

There are other woodworking forums, then why this?

I want to bring the Woodooz community together. In that sense, I feel this will be a more concentrated group and not a redundant one.

Why DIY Woodworking – India ?

There is enough information available about Woodworking elsewhere. Idea is to bring together folks who can help with local terms, tools, methods and jargons.

There are hardly any people in the group. Why join?

This is the first time am talking about this group, and I hope there would be more enthusiastic people joining in due course. Now, without thinking, you JOIN.

I see no conversation happening in the group. Why join?

We are laying the foundation. The dialogues would soon happen. Trust me.

So go ahead, join. Add your friends. Discuss. Ask. Take help. Learn. Share.

Why wait for a Carpenter ? Be your own handyman

Blog DIY Woodworking home repair

A professionally built modular kitchen. Equally good wardrobes, crockery shelf and TV units. Not much can go wrong right ? True. Because, even after 8 years, all the woodworking we had invested in was intact and functioning immaculately. But not that Sunday afternoon.

My Sunday Afternoons

My Sundays are quite the routine that I thoroughly enjoy. Particularly the afternoons. I get to eat my favorite vathakozhambu for lunch, watch a bit of whatever Tamil movie I can lay my hands on and then have a long siesta. Sometimes long enough to even miss the beautiful sunset from my balcony. It is a habit that I relish. Maybe I believed it helped me with the maddening week that lay ahead. Maybe it helped shake the dreadful blues of the Sunday evening (Worse than a Monday morning I say). May be. May be not. But I look forward to that movie and that naaaaaaap. So anything out of the way can really spoil the pleasure for me.

That afternoon Preethi was working on a painting project and she asked me to get her kit from the draw. I opened the draw to claim the palette, oil paints and the linseed oil. I handed over the art gear and shut the draw close. That's when it happened. As I closed it, the handle with the draw face fell down from the draw (Factory made and made by professionals) exposing 4 wicked nails. Since I was getting ready for my nap, I put the fallen piece of wood away to be dealt with later, only to be told, “There are sharp nails jutting out of the draw. You better fix it NOW”.

Related reading: Start your own woodworking hobby with this simple recipe

Can you see a smiling face with two wicked eyes ? :)

Anything can go wrong

Well, this is only one example. We have had the bed room door knobs not working. The balcony door stopper not being effective. Even the pulley type clothes hanger becoming completely unusable. Point is, anything can go wrong any time. Each of these small issues has its own merit in increasing the discomfort levels one way or the other. Based on the degree of inconvenience, they will need anywhere from immediate to gradual / delayed attention. That Sunday afternoon incident needed immediate attention because of the exposed nails that were kid unsafe.  

I have spoken about the intrinsic benefits of DIY woodworking many times and it wouldn’t hurt to reiterate it. How many times did you have to endlessly wait for a carpenter to come over and repair a problem? How many times did you have to throw a broken something and get a new replacement for it? Everything has a life and everything will show its true color after due wear and tear. There is nothing really as permanence and even durability wanes with time and use.

Moral of the story

My Sunday afternoon could be yours someday. You will have a pressing need to immediately patch up / refurbish a defective / broken something.   And when that someday comes, why wait for that elusive carpenter.Be your own handyman. Learn to fix it yourself. And yeah, you will not repent it.

The supposedly permanent fix - I used extra screws 

• P.S.1 : I ended up watching a Danush movie that afternoon. 
• P.S.2 : I had the audacity to ignore the "FIX IT NOW!" command and went ahead with my zzzzzing. We managed with an interim solution for couple of days before I provided it with the non-existent permanent fix.

The one key thing that my earlier project lacked and the lessons learnt

Blog DIY Woodworking How tos

It took me more than 8 months to make the display case project. Not just because of other things that kept me busy, but also because of my own faults. I still remember how many times I changed the plan either because I did not like the output, or because I did not have the required tools, or plainly because I had messed it up. Most of this tremendously increased my trips to the plywood store. Something as simple as buying a white sheet of laminate only to come back home and realize I have been using oft-white all along. Some of these mistakes added to cost, and the rest of it added to the time and effort involved. By the end of it, all I could muster was a heavy sigh of relief. 

So here I am documenting the lessons from this project just so I keep coming back to this before I start all my newer projects.

Before and after - Display unit built entirely with plywood

Working with laminates

• I should have decided to use a laminate for the outer surface of the shelf. I first decided to stain directly on the plywood. Somehow it did not appeal to me, and so I decided to add a layer of OST and then stain. Somehow, that did not seem appealing and I finally ended up using a laminate.  Effect : Loads of wasted time and effort. I could have saved more than 10 days had I decided to directly go with laminate on plywood top.

Wrong choice of finishing resulting in waste of time and effort

• I should have decided to use a laminate for the insides of the shelf. I first attempted priming the base and then applying white paint. Total failure. Then I shifted to multiple layers of Gesso and white acrylic paint. Effect : Awesome outcome despite the wasted time and effort.  But then when I started applying varnish, the whole output collapsed. Finally, went with oft-white laminate which worked in my favor. I could have easily spent about 15-20 days adding layers and layers of primer and waiting for it to dry.

• I should have stuck the oft-laminate first before fixing the sides of the shelf. The shelf was built and then the laminate was stuck. The first time I tried to stick the laminate to the inside back of the shelf, the measurement was slightly off track and when I tried to remove the laminate, it cracked. AIYO !

Laminates can crack easily. I learnt it the difficult way

• I should have known what laminate I was using. Despite the plywood vendor telling me that I bought only oft-white the previous day, I insisted he give me white laminate as a replacement to the broken one. I came home and realized he was right. PHEW !

Finally the wooden shelf was built to my satisfaction and it was now time to fix the glass shelf and the glass doors. YAY !

Working with glass

• I should have known that the glass door will rub with the glass shelf if the shelf depth was not correct. Much to my dismay, I noticed it after all the installment was done. I had to take the glass sheet to the store to cut the edges off to ensure smooth opening and closing of the door. URGH !

• I should have known the glass is fragile and is likely to break when something falls on it.I was installing the door and the hinge on top slipped and fell on the shelf chipping a piece of it. Another visit to the store to shorten the depth to remove the crack. WHEW !

Chipped off glass and the rounded corner - Something to think of next time

Working with LEDs

• Finally, I bought a good looking LED focus light for the shelf. I should have known that I did not have the tools to drill a hole that big and that the drill bit was very expensive. I decided to tone down the size of the focus light (now a single LED), just so I can complete the task. Major BULB !

Working with LED lights - Choose those for which you have the tools

In a nutshell - Plan, plan and plan

If you re-look at each of the points all of it point towards lack of planning which was a result of either lack of knowledge or blatant oversight from my side. While the lapses did add to cost, they have also given me a better understanding of the aspects to take care of in the future. Have to plan so that no time, material, effort or money is wasted. I am sure I will still get some of the things wrong the next time too, but with experience I will reduce the number of these mistakes. And the goal is to eventually master the art of planning before commencing projects. This post is a reminder that I should consciously work towards that. Do wish me luck and let me know if you have had your own time / effort wasting tactics in doing a project.

The story of how Shahjahan ruined my step by step tutorial

Blog Display shelf DIY Woodworking

We bought a DSLR camera back in 2014 to capture better pictures of our DIYs. And when I was working on this particular project, I started taking  a step by step video of the procedure involved. All heavy duty video files. Maybe about 90 minutes of content which was to be edited later. But this was just before we went on a vacation… to a destination with possibly the most romantic symbol ever - Agra. As I stood there in front of the Taj Mahal, trying to get the best angle to capture its beauty, my camera displayed a very very disturbing warning message - “MEMORY FULL”.  8GB and all consumed by my video files.

Down and dejected, I had to choose between what Shah Jahan built and what I was building. With a heavy heart, I chose the former and deleted one file. After about 2 hours, another file disappeared. At the Agra fort, few more went kaput. And by the time we reached Fatehpur Sikri, almost all the files had to be deleted.  This was in Jan 2015, and I was glad I came back with loads of memories, until today when I sat down to write this post. 

The Taj Mahal

The Requirement

My cousin wanted me to make a display case to showcase some (there is lots of them, but he gave me a select few) of the honors and awards his father (My Periappa) had garnered over his very illustrious academic career. He gave me four framed felicitation certificates that he wanted to exhibit in the living room. I took the measurements, came back home and started the project on January 4. And delivered it yesterday after working on it for a short span of 8 months. That should speak a lot about my speed.

DIY Display Case

Show Case

The Design

There was not much in the design. Just a box, with a glass shelf, glass doors, and a focus light. I had to match the color of the shelf with the existing furniture shades and after so many trial and error, decided to go with laminate. The background needed to be white, and used laminates for that too. What took me lot of time was the laminates. The learnings from this project is a post by itself and I shall talk about it sometime soon.

With all the awards and honors

The Challenge

The focus light was a challenge. I bought a nice big light, and realized the drill bit to cut the required hole costed a bomb. And so I toned it down a bit and went for a small light with just one LED. I used stain for the edges and then covered it up with Mod Podge. The entire project was built with 19mm plywood, and 5 mm glass and so it ended up being pretty heavy.

LED Focus light

That satisfying feeling

Yesterday was the delivery. And it was such a pleasure to see my uncle get so excited about the display shelf project. All his accolades came out from inside rooms and went into the display case. In his late 80s now, it is amazing how much he wanted to understand the details of how the shelf was built. And I cannot explain how generous he was in appreciating the effort. I walked out mighty happy. Moments like these make my day and make Woodooz a really worthwhile effort.

Do it yourself project

With whatever pictures and videos I could save, I shall put up a step by step procedure soon. I also wanted to share some learnings, that had I known, could have saved me days of wasted time. And sometime later, I will also do a video tutorial on how to install a under the cabinet light. Until then, let me know what you think of this display case. Would love to know all your thoughts.

Meet Indranil Banerjie - The man behind the blog IndianDIY

Blog DIY Woodworking Indranil Banerjie interview

While the purpose of a blog may be to showcase ones own work, there is also the intent to encourage others to take up the idea being promoted. More and more blogs on a particular niche is a sure sign that the idea is catching up. Woodworking in India is one concept that is not widely popular. And so it is a tremendous boost when a blog like IndianDIY is doing its bit to ease the concept to hesitant, yet interested Indian hobbyists. Meet Indranil Banerjie, the man behind IndianDIY who is an ardent Woodworking hobbyist from Noida.

I was prompted to write this feature after my interesting meet with him in Bangalore. He said, “I have learnt so much from the Internet. And it is time I give back without expecting anything in return”. His blog is all about giving back to the DIY community. Read on and know more about him. Over to Indranil.

Indranil Banerjie of IndianDIY.blogspot.com

An introduction

I took to woodworking four years ago after my 51st birthday! After working hard all my life on a desk, I wanted to do something creative with my hands, something physical that I could hold and feel. Woodworking interested me, but I never had the time or the money to pursue it . At 51, I had the time and a little money to seriously consider it. 

We had settled down in a sleepy suburb 35 km from Delhi and there was nothing much to do. There were hardly a couple of restaurants, one movie hall that showed only Hindi movies and no coffee shops either. I began in a small way wondering if I would ever be good at it or make something worthwhile. Today, I am at an intermediate stage and have not looked backed ever since.

Teak Wood Book Shelf

 How did you discover your passion for woodworking ?

Beautiful things always fascinated me. I liked the elegance of fine furniture and in my extensive travels all over the world came to admire wooden objects as much as object 'd art. Like in all crafts, there is something of the creator that gets imprinted forever in the object. Perhaps my pathetic quest for immortality :)

Kitchen Wall Cabinet

Why is age, sex or location a barrier (or not a barrier) for hobby woodworking in India ?

Like the marriage ads that say age, sex or caste no bar, I feel all good enterprises in life are indissoluble. A beautiful woman is so regardless of age, caste or geography. The call to arts and crafts is similarly exalted.

I want to get into DIY Woodworking. But I don't know where to start. Your advice ?

I found the greatest difficulty was to actually do something instead of just thinking about it. The fear of failure is always high and the only cure is to plunge in. Make something, no matter what others might think and the days will not be far when you will feel fulfilled. That is the road to excellence.

Indranil with his dovetails

Is the required platform / Tools available in India for someone to pursue DIY home repairs and carpentry ?

Yes, everything is available. You have to search and adjust your capabilities and acquisitions according to your pocket. Power tools are not necessary but nice if you have the money. Hand tools on the other hand are relatively cheap and will last a lifetime.

Quality can be a problem at times but good suppliers can be located with a little help.

Your favorite project so far ?

Inlaid dovetail box.

Dovetailed Wooden Chest / Box

And lastly, what have been your 3 big challenges in this journey of yours ?

• The weather - North India is horrendous for 6 months of the year and I can barely pursue my hobby during that period.
• Time - there is so little each day.
• Bringing myself to the cut - I always hesitate and procrastinate. I wish I could be more resolute and actually cut the wood without thinking on and on whether I will make a mistake.

Beer and biriyani

There is so much to ask. Yet, will stop here hoping this little interview leaves you with wanting to know more about Indranil's wonderful blog and his woodworking adventures. He is celebrating completion of 100 posts on his blog and has an exciting giveaway for you. Do take a moment to check his contest announcement and participate. I am yet to send in my entries and have already laid my eyes on the two books he is giving away. Meanwhile, do leave me a comment if this feature impels you to take up Woodworking as a hobby.

P.S. All photos are owned by Indranil. Kindly do not use these photos without express consent from the owner.

Assembling your DIY Navaratri steps [Step 3] - A video post

Blog DIY Woodworking Golu padi Golu padi series Golu steps video

This is the final post in the golu padi series. This one will be about the assembly of the golu steps. Do ensure you check out the two earlier posts. I am a bit relieved that we don't have to go in search of bricks, card boards, or left over planks to build the steps like we did the last two years.

Before you read the rest of the post, do spend some time to understand what a pilot hole is and what is a cross dowel. These two concepts are essential to get a better grip of the post / video.

Since the video is a little elaborate, I will write only a bit about what needs to be done with pictures.

Check Out ! Complete guide to build your own Golu steps

• [Step 1] Golu Padi Design (Built using Google sketchup)
• [Step 2] Materials required and cost involved
• [Step 3] The actual assembly of the steps [Video Post]

Disclaimer : Materials used and measurements depicted are suited for the collection of dolls we have. Kindly assess your collection and accordingly choose 12mm / 19 mm ply for your steps.

The Golu Padi - Final look

Step 1

Join the vertical teak wood support with the horizontal strip of wood. Drive pilot holes and use the nuts and bolts to tighten the wooden pieces.

Do this on both sides of the plywood strip to get the basic support structure in place. (Watch video to know how this is done)

Vertical supports joined at the bottom using a horizontal wooden strip

Step 2

Join the side risers with the vertical teak wood support. Make sure the top rear of the side step is aligned with the wall, and the bottom is parallel and placed on the floor. This is critical to get the required stability. Again, use pilot holes, nuts and bolts. (Watch video to know how this is done)

Side riser joined to the vertical support

Attach the other side riser to the other side of the support structure. Notice how the side steps are balanced without any further support?

Other side riser attached to the 2nd vertical stem

Step 3

With side risers in place, start joining the steps (padis) to the sides. You can screw the step planks to the side steps, but then, it would make assembling and dismantling on a regular basis a pain. To overcome this, use nuts and bolts the way cross dowels are used in the flat pack furniture industry (Watch video to know how this is done).

Start with the top step. Use two bolts on both sides of the planks.

Start adding the step planks - Top one added

Keep adding all the other steps in sequence. For the 2nd, 3rd and 4th padis, it is enough you use only one bolt on both sides.

For the bottom step, use two bolts on both sides. This will ensure the steps do not split at the bottom.

All the step planks joined with the side risers

Finally, evaluate your outcome. Think the steps are wobbly ? Check if the bolts are sufficiently tight. If required include an additional horizontal support connecting the two teak wood vertical stems on the top. And most important : If you know someone who would benefit from this post, do remember to share it. Just click on one of the share options at the end of this post :)

Happy Navaratri 

[How to] Build your own 5 step Golu padi - [Step 1] Basic design & the measurements

Blog DIY Woodworking FAQ Golu padi Golu padi series Golu steps How tos Navratri steps

• Want a dismantleable Golu Padi for this Navaratri ?
• Feel the ones in the market are very expensive ?
• Had trouble trying to find a carpenter to get it done for you ?
• Did you land up here looking for means to build your own DIY Golu Padi right from scratch and at a much lower price ? 

Well, you have come to the right place. Just browse through the 3 posts from the drop down below and learn about the basic design, materials required and cost, and the assembly procedure (a video).

Check Out ! Complete guide to build your own Golu steps

• [Step 1] Golu Padi Design (Built using Google sketchup)
• [Step 2] Materials required and cost involved
• [Step 3] The actual assembly of the steps [Video Post]

Preethi had started the Golu display at our new home with make shift Golu steps. This year, we wanted something that is more permanent and easy to store and assemble. And so started the Golu padi project. Before that, I would like to thank Love and Lentil for their tutorial from which I took the design with minor additions.

Basic design of the Golu Padi

So, what do you need to get your basic 5 step Golu padi up and running (Well ! Not literally)

• 2 side steps that will support your Golu padis
• The actual steps (5 of them)
• Vertical support for the side steps
• Horizontal support

The focus of this post would be to explain how to arrive at the measurement for the side steps based on the width of each of the Golu padi. And in turn, arrive at your total amount of wood that you need to purchase.

Key Decisions

First decide on the following : What should be the height between two steps ? What should be the width (depth) of the steps ? What should be the length of the steps ? All these three decisions will be completely based on your own collection of dolls / idols. For convenience, choose the height and width (depth) to be same.  In our case, we chose 8.5 inches as the height and depth.

Choose the width, height and length of your steps

Dimensions for the side step support

Here is where Pythagoras Theorem comes in handy. Don't really remember using it for anything functional in the last so many years. Your padi width / height (indicated by 'a') being the sides of a square, you will need a plank that is 5 times the diagonal of that square. The below illustration will help you decide how much of side step support plank that you would need based on your choice of width and height.

How to arrive at the dimension required for Side step support

For 8 inches wide step, you would need just one board of 4 feet x 7 feet plywood. This will suffice for a 5 step golu padi. If you keep increasing the width dimension or increase the number of padis, the total requirement would change. However, the same logic as explained above can be used to calculate your total plank requirement. Again, the below illustration is self explanatory :

Total (ply)wood requirement for an 8in x 8in step (4 feet long)

Horizontal and vertical support

The vertical support is required to hold the structure in place without falling down. And the horizontal support is required to prevent the structure from falling sideways. Both these supports are critical to the stability of your entire structure. You can either use the left over wood (as indicated by the wooden texture in the above photo), or buy the required amount in addition to the 4ft x 7 ft board. The length of these supporting pieces are not provided as they are straightforward and can be derived by merely measuring using an inch tape.

Vertical and side support for the overall structure

To summarize, we saw :

• What is the basic design of the steps
• How much wood is required depending on your choice of width dimension
• How the vertical and horizontal supports help holding the golu steps in place

I will shortly (In 2-3 days time) follow up this post with what I have used for making the steps and the cost involved. Meanwhile, you will have to tell me if this DIY will be of any use to you at all ? Would you be prompted to go ahead and try this out for this festive season ? Let me know in the comments section.

At the Bosch Brand store & DIY Square - An afternoon well spent DIYing

Blog Bosch DIY Square DIY Woodworking Wall clock woodworking workshop

Yeah ! An afternoon well spent making my own DIY Wall Clock. Before I even say anything, I have to mention that the use of the DIY Square is completely free. You can walk in and have a hands-on tools experience with absolutely no sales pressure.

So, what is this DIY Square ? It is an activity center in Bangalore that allows hobbyists to work with power tools and experience the joy of hobby / DIY woodworking. It is an attempt by Bosch to reach out to interested DIYers by providing them with an environment to give wings to their creativity. It also houses a range of power tools and working materials that you can procure.

Bosch Brand Store and DIY Square - A place to unwind DIYing

What turned out to be the highlight of my visit was the amount of fun that I had. I was like a kid in a candy store. While I was a little hesitant initially, Mr.Bhaskar at the Square gave me quite the needed push to try the Jigsaw and the power sanders. He along with Eesha ensured they took me through a DIY project in quick fire time. I was using these tools for the first time and I ended up having the confidence to believe I can use them with all ease. 

Mr. Bhaskar taking us through the tools

I was told that one can walk in to the square to execute his / her own ideas.  Picture wanting to build a small stool or a table or a shelf and also having someone to hand-hold you while you give life to your imagination! It is lovely place for anyone who has been contemplating DIY Woodworking for a long time, and didn’t know how to go about it.

Trying to make my own clock and using the Jig Saw

To anyone who asks me how to get into DIY woodworking, I tell them to take a plunge. However, a visit to the DIY Square can be an intermediate step that can make your plunge seamless. You can get your queries clarified from an expert. You can get an idea on the kind of tools you may need. You can even feel, and use the tools (with expert supervision as needed) with no pressure of buying anything. Walk out making your own piece of art and show it off with friends and family.

With my Wall Clock - Thanks Eesha and Bhaskar

Even better. You can visit the Square as a group. With friends. And with your family. Quite an appealing proposition right?  Which is why I need one in Chennai too.

Some tools on display on the activity table

It was a fruitful afternoon and a very humbling experience for me. I thought I can tame these tools at the first go. But then I realized practice and more of it is what will lead to mastering the use of any tool. I left with a sense of excitement. Maybe, it is the right kind of propulsion I needed. More projects have been there in mind. And now there is enough motivation to pursue them.

DIY Square Kayvee Associates Opp to Bosch Banerghatta Road, Bangalore Tel – 080 – 22109036 /65679561 Mon-Sun 10am-6pm DIY Square

Bosch Brand Store & DIY Square 62/2 Sarjapur Road Opposite Salarpuria Sanctity Bangalore 560035 Tel – 080 – 42177732, Mob: 9886082223 Mon-Sun 11am-8pm

Disclaimer : My visit to DIY Square was sponsored by the event organizers. However, I was not asked or influenced in anyway to write this post. My opinion here is voluntarily written and is completely mine.

Popularizing DIY culture in India - An interaction with VP, Bosch power tools

Blog Bosch DIY DIY home tools DIY Square DIY Woodworking general interview Media

DIY in India is certainly a concept that is catching up. While there are individuals in pockets already indulging in Do It Youself, the idea by itself cannot gain widespread awareness unless there is more focus, attention and thrust coming from the industry at large. Bosch, India, is now getting to broaden that interest through its Home and DIY power tools and its DIY experience center, The DIY square.

Home and DIY Power Tools stall

I recently had the good fortune of interacting with Mr. Vijay Pandey, Vice President of Bosch power tools, India, at their facility in the Garden City. The event was organized for folks from the media to break Bosch’s image of being a predominantly Automotive focused organization and was aimed at introducing the audience to the other streams of business lines that it was already flourishing in - DIY, Home and Garden power tools being one of them.

Click here for more images from the event

Mr.Vijay Pandey at the Bosch Brand DIY Square

Here’s couple of interesting things that came out straight from the horse’s mouth.

He said,

“Bosch provides the joy and first hand experience of DIY by allowing interested hobbyists to unleash their creativity at the Bosch brand store and DIY Square – An experience center that provides tools, assistance and all the needed guidance to overcome the hesitation of using power tools. The use of DIY Square is completely free (unless there is considerable amount of materials used) and there is absolutely no sales pressure. Walk in. Walk out. And have fun in between.”

When asked about the target market,

“We are not trying to replace the carpenters, nor are we trying to convince every individual to DIY. There is a certain section that knows DIY is cool and the outcome of DIY is worth showing off. We want to target that section by providing them with a platform to learn and the right tools to experiment and experience DIY”

Tools demonstration at the venue - Got to hold and try the tools

It was also interesting to note that the tools are very easily available through Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal and other E-commerce portals. Bangalore is lucky in one sense that this whole revolution is starting with the city. We had a tour of the DIY Square (And that is a separate post by itself) and I spent the most time there laying my hands on the tools and watching others get a grip of it too. Friendly staff eager to see us brim with joy was an added bonus. Try it and if you like, buy it is an idea I wish existed here in Chennai too. 

Bosch tools on display

Bosch Home Smart Kit 

The whole event left me with a sense of pride. I walked out with the resolution to up my ante. DIY is cool and I hope to continue enjoying the benefits that it has to offer. And it is indeed nice that Bosch is doing its bit to popularize the DIY culture in the Indian sub-continent. That said, what is your take ? Do you think there is growing enthusiasm to embrace this culture ? Share your thoughts as a comment.

Disclaimer : My entire visit was sponsored by the event organizers. However, I was not asked or influenced in anyway to write this post. My opinion here is voluntarily written and is completely mine.