Home > Beginner Project Plans > Paperweight Free Project Plan

Paperweight Free Project Plan

This is an interesting project that can be used as a paperweight or simply a conversation piece. If you have a 1-inch and 2-inch-diameter Forstner bit, and a 1/2-inch-diameter drill, it's very simple. It's a project that no one can leave alone. Put it on your desk and watch how everyone picks it up—they'll wonder how you made it.

Instructions

Step 1
Start with a solid 2 1/2-inch cube. If you have a solid piece of wood
large enough, use it. If not, glue together scraps slightly larger than the 2 1/2 inches needed—that's what I did with scrap pieces of ash. You might want to make two or three blocks to start with in case you set a drill depth incorrectly later on. The only tricky part of the project is that your block must be exactly 2 1/2 inches on all sides, and it must be square. If not, then the rest of the steps will not come out correctly. Sand all six surfaces using a sanding block, keeping all edges sharp.

Step 2
Using a sharp pencil, draw light diagonal lines from corner to corner, as shown in the drawing, to locate the exact center of each surface. Using a pointed punch, prick-punch the exact center of each surface.

Step 3
The drilling must be done on a drill press with an adjustable depth stop. With a 2-inch-diameter Forstner bit, drill a 15/32-inch-deep hole in the center of all six surfaces. If your work has been precise, you should end up with a new block inside the outer block, hanging on by its corners, as shown in the drawings.

Step 4
Using the indent left by the tip of the 2-inch-diameter bit, drill a I-inch-diameter hole exactly 13/16 inches deep using a Forstner bit, centered inside each of the six 2-inch-diameter holes. The depth must be exact. You will find that you have created another block inside the two outer blocks.

Step 5
Finish up by drilling a 1/4-inch-diameter hole in the indent left by the tip of the I-inch-diameter bit. If the wood grain is interesting, leave the cube unfinished. If you like color, interesting patterns can be achieved by painting the blocks or their side surfaces different colors. Now leave it on your desk or any place where people are; watch how they can't resist picking it up. Most will think you carved out the inner blocks, and they will never realize how easy it really was to make—unless you tell them.