Christmas gift projects?

[ShawnR]

Anyone working on projects for Christmas gifts? I have a Christmas party with the gift exchange aspect to go to and usually make something for it. I thought about starting this thread a couple of days ago, hoping for ideas but have since decided to go with something I have done before, a cutting board, nice little knife and assorted local cheeses. (yawn)

But I thought it might be an interesting thread anyways.

I am lucky that this group of people at the party are not shop people (white collar crowd) so it is easy to look like a rock star...

To get it started, some things I have done in the past were...

2" pipe elbows welded into heavy steel plates to function as book ends
Little welded snowman
Cutting board as mentioned above
other things I cannot think of right now... will look for photos
This year, a wool ball feeder/spinner thing (saw it in a local shop, don't know what it is called but used to hold knitting balls while one knits ) for my wife and will take photos later


So, now that I have confessed, anyone else doing anything?

 

[ShawnR]

Oh yea, a giant Jenga .....each piece of made of 2" x 3" x12" ish pieces of wood.

This was really popular. the idea of the party is that you can choose an unwrapped one from the pile or take someone else's that has been opened, whereby they can now choose something or take someone else's. The goal, of course, is to have the most sought after gift. It is rewarding that something that cost virtually nothing in the shop to make can be the most popular gift.

 

[Tom O]

Jenga’s been done There’s always ball in a cup!

 

[Tom Kitta]

Rectified welder for dad. He has a big Forney now and new one is much smaller and compact. Project done. Just have to deliver and sell the big one.

 

[kevin.decelles]

Made a cribbage board for my son out of a cylinder head from a 2001 Polaris RMK 700 sled. Did the holes on my cnc project mill.

 

[kevin.decelles]

The left cylinder head was trashed by a thrust washer from the crank that went through at 7000rpm. You can see the damage if you zoom in

 

[Janger]

That turned out nice Kevin. I like the muted lustre. How did you finish it - beat blast or ?

 

[historicalarms]

I've made several desktop civil war cannons & mortars over the years for x-mas giveaways....never had one returned or been told of any untoward accidents LOL.

I just decided a couple days ago to make myself an Xmas present that has been a "bucket list" thing for me that just never got off the ground before this....I'm going to build a miniature replica of a WW11 artillery piece with "interrupted thread" breach block. I'm only making a few drawings and sorting/collecting scraps around the farm that may be used when the time comes to burst forth (heat is turned off in shop for couple month's to save a few bucks).

 

[kevin.decelles]

I just overlapped cutting passes (using a 2” cutter w/4 carbide inserts)., cutting about 0.012 doc. I used those inserts you recommended for aluminum @Janger