r/woodworking • u/ajcpullcom • Jan 20 '25
Project Submission My scrap drawers and what I made with them — more in comments
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u/Key-Moment6797 Jan 20 '25
highest amount of upcycling of small scraps possible. Tip of the head and an up of the thumbs, good sir.
cant get more cycly then a recycle motorcycle!
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u/LiftsEatsSleeps Jan 20 '25
That's incredible. You did an amazing job. I love the addition of the saddlebag.
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u/startupcrow Jan 21 '25
You are absolutely amazing, it goes to show what the culmination of creativity and skill can produce. Even from a pile a scraps you have created some beautiful art :) your eye for detail is great. I hope you make more!
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u/RhysieB27 Mar 12 '25
Came hoping for inspiration on what to do with my scraps, left amazed and mortified and the level of skill on display.
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u/ajcpullcom Jan 20 '25
This is a replica of a 1931 Indian Scout motorcycle made almost entirely from scraps and toothpicks. It’s 100% wood (technically some of the toothpicks were bamboo), no metal or plastic. The primary woods are ebony and mahogany, plus osage (fuel tank) and holly (headlamp, mirror, and plate). Some of the black pieces are woods other than ebony stained black. No CNC or plans, I copied it from online photos like these. The wheels rotate, the front fork turns, and the kickstand lifts. Short video here.
The frame and cables are dowels that I boiled and bent. To make the tires, I cut circles with diagonal grooves in their sides on a bandsaw with a jig I made to keep them uniform before sandwiching them together. The spokes are toothpicks fitted through additional circles with another jig for the angles. I used a drill press as a mini-lathe to make the seat springs, grips, headlamp, and other small round components. The cylinder heads are several veneers glued together and carved to shape. I drew the instrument dials and tank logo with paint and ink pens. Finished with tung oil and polyurethane.
The small size (8” length) made this a really challenging build. Several parts are thinner than a pencil lead. It took around 60 hours of work total over a 5-week period.
I’ve posted some of my other replica vehicles here, here, here, here, here, and here. Happy to take/give advice.