Diresta: Hardwood Phone Case

Woodworking Workshop
Diresta: Hardwood Phone Case
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I often use a Zip Lock bag to keep my phone safe from dust and water and the coins in my pocket. But the workshop environment is also hazardous to my phone with tools banging and shuffling around.

So I made this case to keep the phone safe in and around the shop. It’s just to protect the phone when it is sitting around. In my backpack and on the go I use a scrap piece or Bubinga hardwood lined with soft leather.

Here you see some techniques you can apply to other creations. Enjoy.

Tools
Table saw
Razor blade
Sander
Drill press
Bandsaw
Chop saw

Supplies 
Bubinga wood
Jade glue
Spray glue
Polishing wax

In each bi-monthly episode of DiResta (every other Wednesday), artist and master builder Jimmy DiResta (Dirty MoneyHammeredAgainst the GrainTrash for Cash) lets us into his workshop, to look over his shoulder while he builds whatever strikes his fancy. 

18 thoughts on “Diresta: Hardwood Phone Case

  1. SaluteDiResta: Phone Case di legno | Salute says:

    […] Per saperne di più sul make […]

  2. Bill Amaya says:

    Whew, using a pocket knife as a push stick. Do what you want in your shop but to instruct that way?? In my shop you would be fired. Losing limbs, fingers or having a kick back because of inadequate push stick is so 1950’s. The table saw is the number one cause of accidents in wood shops. It is obvious that you are really talented. Now take your instructions to a more professional level, please.

  3. jimmydiresta says:

    Have you ever used a sharp knife as a push stick for thin light wood ? If you have you would realize this is actually safer. Wood can not slip under the knife tip. Also the knife is stronger and thinner for narrow, near the fence cuts. Try it; So you don’t get fired; take Push stick and cut end to 45 dg. Hammer in a brad nail and keep the sharp nail tip sticking out 2mm to bite into the wood and give it a try on wood thinner than .125. You will find I am right. 40 years on the table saw. Thank you for watching.

    1. Bill Amaya says:

      Jimmy,
      Thanks for the reply. Here is my two cents. When table sawing wood you relieve stress. The wood can curl up as well as bend right and left. The danger comes from trapping a board between a fence and a cutter. This is true on all cutting machines. If that trapped board pinches, by curling or bending due to the release of stress, game on. So we do a couple of things, one is to have a push stick that contacts the board in more then one place. It is typically a piece of plywood that has a notch in it so that when viewed from the side it looks like a shoe with a heel. The heel part is what pushes the piece through. The “sole” holds the piece down and let you control the piece against the fence. You can actually twist the piece into the fence. So if a board bows away from the fence as it is being cut, the out feed side of that board will start to drag on the part of the saw blade that is coming up out of the table saw. If it can lift up, because you only have one point of contact, game on.
      So in many ways the danger part of the blade is the outfeed area. To mitigate that we make and use a “shark fin” splitter. It is simply a piece of wood the thickness of the blade or kerf that is fixed to the table saw insert. The “shark fin” helps in two ways. First it holds the trapped board against the fence. Our experience is that if the board tries to bow away from the fence it gets wedged against the shark fin and becomes difficult to push. That is mission critical feedback, allowing you to stop, turn off the saw and rethink the process. The other thing the shark fin does it that it forces you to push the piece entirely through the saw before you can move your hand/ push stick to the left. Many people make that movement because it slides the off fall piece away from the blade as well. You can clearly see in the video you making that motion. Now I do not believe that motion is in and of itself dangerous. It is only dangerous if you do not clear the blade. Look close at yourself at 1:02-1:05 of the movie. Scary. Really and I am not trying to nit pick.
      So you have to ask yourself ” how many times in my life time am I going to use the tablesaw”? Then the question is “what percentage of times am I going to do everything correct”? If you can perform perfectly, at 100% accuracy over that period of time you do not need to take precautions. I know over a long enough time line, with enough chances to be incorrect that some where I will make a mistake. If I make 10,000 cuts with an accuracy of 99.9% I know with certainty that I am going to cut myself. With that in mind why not put the effort out there to be safe? be as safe as possible?

      Best regards,

  4. terre says:

    I love Jimmy and covet his skill and confidence. However…the point being made is that the rest of us mortal makers do not have ’40 years on the table saw’ and hope to emulate those with experience and gifts such as Diresta is blessed with, and should be shown best practices for all levels. Period. If you are willing to explain why you do something that LOOKS dangerous, great, we’re all listening. Otherwise, don’t be so cocky when you put it out there.

  5. jimmydiresta says:

    Guys thank you for your feed back ill take it to heart
    Thank you for watching.

  6. Phi Ga says:

    Another great video! Have been watching all of them and can’t wait to learn about how you treat materials. Great stuff!

  7. terre says:

    An artist AND a gentleman…

  8. Want an iPhone case that won’t give you any lip? Put a cork in it. | MAKE says:

    […] fit snugly without needing to come up over the bezel.  If you appreciated Jimmy Diresta’s  shop-proofed phone case, odds are you’re going to like what Ben Saks is up […]

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