Ryobi tools help DIYers create special gifts for Christmas.
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and a business guru, once said: “Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.”
Never a truer word – and it is particularly true at Christmas, the time when maybe the perfect gift for anyone interested in the creativity of DIY, cooking or crafting projects is the correct tools in order to do those “wonderful things”.
Obviously no-one’s talking about adding on a bedroom or a top storey to your house – though Ryobi tools can help you there too. No, we are talking about something simple; something that will be used every day.
Slice and dice
One such simple project – and a great way to build confidence with power tools, as well as impressing friends and family – is to choose a simple project such as making an interlocking jigsaw-shaped kitchen cutting board.
For this project you will need a Ryobi 18V ONE+ cordless jigsaw, a Ryobi 18V ONE+ Palm Sander, suitable timber (acacia, pine, recycled heart rimu, kauri or even a new unused cutting board), imagination and patience. Ryobi’s Cordless Lithium rotary tool may also be useful in this project.
Decide on the size board (when it is joined together) you would like. The completed board will depend on the dimensions of timber sourced. If using a new store-bought plain board, it may be best to mark it halfway. This will make two pieces that join together, giving the option of a large board that can become two.
Make your mark
On a piece of cardboard the same size as your piece of wood, lightly draw across halfway a line that, at the middle on the top piece, has a jigsaw lug. Cut the card along the pencil line and you will have your template.
Line the template up carefully and draw along the edge. If you have clamps, great, but you can use duct tape to hold the board down while cutting along the line you made. The board you are cutting should be raised off the table or surface you are cutting on. Use scrap wood to do this to prevent cutting into the supporting surface.
A steady hand
Take the Ryobi 18V ONE+ Jigsaw (you may wish to practice on a piece of scrap timber first) place the saw at the beginning of the line and, taking your time, carefully follow the line until the timber is cut into two pieces.
After finishing the sawing, use the Ryobi 18V ONE+ Palm Sander to smooth the edges. The Ryobi Lithium Rotary tool may be used to smooth those hard to get at areas on the cut surfaces.
Drawn and quartered
If you are more adventurous, try making a four-piece kitchen cutting board. Make a template that is a quarter of the board and has a lug to connect to another piece as well as a lug hole.
Trace around the template to make the four pieces. Carefully cut along the drawn lines and there you go! You have a single, two or four-piece cutting board. Each piece can double as placemats, a trivet for hot dishes, an onion or cheeseboard.
Rub the completed boards with any food grade vegetable oil to complete and protect them.
It is possible to purchase and download templates off the internet for a variety of different shaped boards. You can choose from jigsaw, guitar, animal, traditional and many others or use your creative flair to produce unique chopping boards for yourself or for presents.
There are a number of Ryobi instructional videos about tool use including ‘Ryobi Jigsaw 101′.
Completing projects like this will broaden your horizons as well as teaching you uses and capabilities of various Ryobi 18V ONE+ tools.