Workshop Journal

Custom Steel Stair Railing System with Safety Gate, Minneapolis
A local client had a multi-part problem: a stairwell and landing in need of railings, an exploratory dog, and stair safety concerns with a baby on the way. And they wanted a unified and elegant design. They were pleased with the results in this full custom steel system, including kid-resistant gate and bespoke latch design.…
4th Gen 4Runner Owner Pro Tips
Overview Toyota’s 4th-generation 4Runner was made through 2003-2009 model years. They came in three trim levels – SR5, Limited, and Sport Edition – and with V6/V8 and 2WD/4WD configurations. Some notable changes through the model years: 05 got an engine update for the V8 2UZ-FE with VVTI and a bit of horsepower gain, 06 got…
Vehicle Undercoating Rust Protection Service
Hey folks, here’s some info on the undercoating service I provide! Price Product Process Notes I’ve been spraying wet film lanolin undercoating for 10+ years, spraying for clients here at my sole-proprietor shop. Bonus eyes on your vehicle: by my inspector nature, I’ll be taking a close look at your vehicle while I’m under there.…
SeatRack Headrest Material Hauler
I made the SeatRack to haul long material or items inside my vehicle securely. It’s a steel rack that slots in place of your vehicle’s seat headrests – including ring washers to protect your headrest mount and protective ball post caps. Contact me for pricing if you want some! It allows me to load more…
Make Your Kitchen Faucet a Push-Button Pressure Washer
I finally replaced the kitchen sink sprayer head that’s been degrading for too long. I’ve replaced it before with a standard common replacement, but this time I researched a little and found what I really wanted, a higher-flow version. And this Hibbent spray head also includes a high-pressure rinse “blade” mode – awesome, and it…
Can I Heat My Home When the Power is Out?
A few quick introductory categories, in case it’s helpful to someone: Smallest Solution To the extent that you don’t need to keep the whole house warm, it’s a lot easier to just generate enough heat for your body. Make your heated space smaller, like close off a room, or set up a tent, or just…
Roof Box Mount System
Lockable quick-mount heavy duty bracket roof box system. Mounts up to two Plano Field Locker Mil-Spec Cases (54″ x 15″ x 6.5″ inside). Easy mount/dismount of the wheeled cases makes them a versatile tool not just on the road but on arrival, as well.
Storage Shelves
I’ve built a number of storage shelf solutions, built-in and free-standing. I’m a maximizer, so I like to model the shelf space with detailed dimensions where it’s helpful to strategize ideal bin or section sizes tailored to planned use. And I’ll tailor structural members to maximize for efficiency, or include steel reinforcement if space is…
Is Rubberized or Paint Vehicle Undercoating a Good Option?
Part 2, A Cautionary Tale I’ll share some thoughts here since it’s a common question I get alongside the lanolin wet film undercoating option (see article Can Lanolin Vehicle Undercoating Help to Stop Rust?). I’ll start with the bottom lines at the top again: Outside of brand new vehicles or full frame-off restorations, I generally…
Solid Brass Milled Handrail Brackets
I designed and milled a pair of bespoke solid brass brackets to put the finishing touch on a custom railing project I made for a client in Minneapolis. The powder-coated railing set includes four pieces: a straight rail, stair rail, hand rail, and gate. Once we had it all installed and mounted, the handrail was…