u/herrsteller

Edit: Since there were a few questions both here and in other posts, I wanted to quickly add an edit. Not to justify why I posted it in r/BeginnerWoodWorking , but as a message to everyone just starting out:

You can do this too! It’s really just a big box! You can use AI to help draft plans, and if you get stuck, you can always ask here on Reddit how to make something work. It’s a wonderful hobby, and it doesn't have to be perfect! Mine definitely isn't either.

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A few months ago, my basement workshop was broken into, and a lot of my tools were stolen. Left with no tools and no secure place to store them, I faced a dilemma: how do I move forward? (Giving up was never an option.)

The idea was sketched out quickly on paper and refined with AI. I envisioned a mobile tool cart that could be stored safely in my apartment and rolled down to the basement workshop when needed, along with a custom built-in cabinet that houses it seamlessly. Plus, my bike was finally going to get a proper home.

What you see here is the current progress. Thanks to a recent battery promotion, Festool actually made the most sense for replacement purchases. I saw a Reddit post where someone painted their Systainers and loved the look, so I replicated the effect using custom stickers instead.

For the cabinet, my goal was to build as much as possible from full-size sheet goods. That stretched my physical strength, space, and skill level to the absolute limit. A lot of things didn't turn out as clean as I had hoped. Still, objectively speaking, not too bad for my very first built-in cabinet!

Unfortunately, I bought the board material for the drawers and doors at different hardware stores, resulting in mismatched wood tones. This means I'll have to redo all the doors anyway—which explains why I didn't stress too much over fitting them perfectly just yet. I just wanted to get it built first. :)

There’s still a bit of work left to do: as mentioned, the doors need to be remade, and a small access door for the breaker box still needs to be fitted. The top and left filler panels are also waiting to be installed, along with the indirect lighting for the mirror.

I’ll also be modifying the mobile workshop cart once more. The table saw is currently housed behind the large bottom door, but I’ve decided to install it permanently down in the basement workshop instead. That will free up some valuable space in the cart for other uses.

Happy to know what you think :)

• Image 1: Bike cabinet with lighting
• Image 2: Full cabinet (right view)
• Image 3: Full cabinet (left view)
• Image 4: "Before" state
• Image 5: AI design concept
• Image 6: Mobile workshop / tool cart
• Image 7: Colorful Systainers
• Image 8: Base structure
• Image 9: Progress shot 1
• Image 10: Progress shot 2

About two months ago, I stumbled upon u/Secure-End4987 's awesome post on this Reddit

While the rolling tool chest itself was seriously cool, it was the custom look of the Systainers that completely stole the show for me. Hydro-dipping felt a bit too pricey for a project like this, so I decided to take the budget-friendly route instead: custom vinyl stickers and a sharp carpet knife. I'm absolutely loving how they turned out and just wanted to pass the inspiration along!

At my office, every meeting room has at least one of these "horses": the Stromer by NJUSTUDIO. I’ve been putting it off for way too long—building something that can actually leave the workshop (up until now, it’s just been tables, cabinets, and jigs for the shop). So, I finally took on my colleague's challenge: "I bet you could build that yourself quite easily."

Of course, "quite easy" is relative. But in just under three hours, the prototype at the end of the image gallery was born. My main goal was learning how to create a template and transfer it to another workpiece. That’s why my horse isn't glued yet; it’s just held together with double-sided tape. This way, I can take the templates apart and use them to make the final product with the proper material thickness.

The pictures show my individual steps. I started by using the table saw to break down the OSB into more manageable pieces, using one of the factory edges as a reference so I wouldn't have to cut that side again. I used a small Forstner bit to clear out the corners and a jigsaw for the long cuts. For those, I clamped a piece of wood as a guide. Unfortunately, I only had a "Speed-Cut" blade and a "Clean-Cut" scroll blade on hand. I went with the latter because I wanted a cleaner finish, but it tended to "wander" a bit in the OSB. On two or three cuts, I ended up about 1-2 mm (1/16") off from where I wanted to be, though you won't see that in the final product.

I taped the finished template onto another OSB board, rough-cut it with the jigsaw leaving about 1-2 mm (1/16") of overhang, and then matched it perfectly using a flush-trim bit in the router. For the head, I went back to the small Forstner bit and, unlike the original, I used a large Forstner bit to drill out the nose. Then I used the guide-and-jigsaw technique again for all the straight lines and cleaned up the edges with a sander.

The entire piece features a 10° angle—both for the legs and the cut along the horse's back. I tilted the table saw blade accordingly and ran the two body parts through in a pretty sketchy, "heart-in-mouth" kind of cut. Then I used the guide one last time to give the feet the same angle so the horse stands flat.

I don't have a bandsaw or a stationary belt sander. Neither would fit in my shop due to space and the lack of mains power. I suspect those tools would have made making the templates much faster and more accurate.

The plan now is to buy some Multiplex or through-colored MDF (20mm | 3/4" or thicker) and transfer the templates. The goal: give one to my colleague and maybe put one in my own home office or living room.

If you’ve read this far, thanks for your time! I’d love to hear your tips on what I could have done better. Also, I’m looking for ideas on how to mount the power strip. In the original, it’s hidden and screwed inside the body, but the official power strip alone costs $45 (40 European freedom money ;) ).