Shop Side Quests
Every workshop has its headliners, the big projects that get all the glory. But then there's the chaotic mess of side quests that pop up while you’re trying to get something done. They aren't planned, they don't have a schedule, and they definitely don't have a deadline. This page is a tribute to all those forgotten projects, a book of half-finished ideas and random experiments that lie buried under sawdust.
They're the projects I start with no clue where they're going, the ones I get a burst of inspiration for and then, just as quickly, forget about. But even though they’re forgotten, they’re still a vital part of the story. Each one is a testament to a brilliant idea that deserved to see the light of day, even if it never got a chance to. They’re the glorious failures, the creative detours, and the proof that even the smallest moments of inspiration matter.
March 30, 2013
This chair cost me nothing, and for a while, I thought it was the start of a great idea. I had a ton of ideas to make it useful around the shop and even started gathering the supplies I'd need. Then, as so often happens, the main quests took over. Now, the chair and all its supplies are sitting on a shelf, patiently waiting for the day when they get to be useful again.
September 9, 2013
So, this might not deserve its own page in the shop, but it definitely deserves to be talked about. This 1988 Pontiac Firebird was my first car, a rite of passage I got when I was 16. We had a lot of fun together back in the day, but that thing also gave me more than a few headaches. It’s long since been sold, but it will always hold a special place in my heart—and probably the trauma and frustration I’ll carry over to every car I ever own.
September 26, 2018
So I needed a place to store some tools—wrenches, screwdrivers, and other things. Pegboard seemed like a great idea, but I also needed to worry about space. Having something I could roll around seemed like a great idea, too. I’ll be honest, though, this idea didn’t last long.
December 9, 2018
So, I thought this one deserved an honorable mention: my first-ever 3D printer. I got it a while back, and in these photos, I was upgrading it with some aluminum parts. This printer started my hatred for filament printers. I've owned a few different ones over the years, but I'll always prefer resin.
jun 18, 2020
The time of reckoning has come for this 3D printer. That thing sat unused for so many years because I could never get it to fully work right, so it went to a new home. I was so done with this thing that even the stand I built for it went with it.
Oct 17, 2021
I had a stack of old paint cans, and drilling into them to retrieve the marbles didn't seem like the safest idea. So, I built this custom contraption to safely open them up. I’ve designed a few better, more compact models since then, but this one still works, so that's a problem for future-RJ.
