Hi there fellow pinoy DIYers, I’ve been a member of this forum since 2007-08, my member ID before was First_Trip. Then for some reasons I didn’t visit the site for a long time and so I forgot my password :-). Then recently I came across PHM again and when I found out that I could no longer log in, I registered again, this time as PSB, my initials. I’ve been lurking around PHM for quite some time now (but not really posting) and I’m learning a lot. I also learned from one of the threads here that one must introduce himself first before he can ask questions. So this prompted me to introduce myself to the PHM community.
Anyway, I’m almost 34 yrs old and an industrial engineer by profession. I was born and raised here in Davao City but my parents are from Taytay, Rizal. That gives you an idea of my interest in woodworking. My late dad was an architect but his main source of income is through our woodworking shop. I practically grew up having a woodshop beside our house. At first it was just a small scale operation catering to his own clients then gradually grew to become an exporter. At one point we had around 200 workers and we were shipping to Japan, France, etc. Unfortunately our family business was hit by the Asian financial crisis in the late 90’s. And so by the time I graduated college, our shop was closed; it was one of the saddest time of our life as a family.
In my younger years, during summers, I made small projects for myself and my friends. Since I had access to the machines/tools in the shop, I made various projects like skateboard decks, chako & knuckles, drum stick, dog house, picture frames, wooden box for the girl I was wooing :-), etc. (sadly I have no pics and WIPs). For some of my projects that are still existing, I will try to take pictures of them so I can share with you guys, i.e. if you’re interested lang naman. This is how I developed my love for woodworking. Aside from woodworking, I also do other DIY jobs such as plumbing, masonry and electrical works in the house. I also do basic repairs in my car. I’m also a VW beetle fan w/c i also got from my dad. Basically I consider myself an all-around handyman but with no particular expertise, as they say, jack of all trades master of none, :-).
Recently, I’ve attend a seminar on basic fiberglass making conducted by polymer. This is what consumes most of my spare time these days, doing various FRP projects here and there. I’m currently working on our gate. Previously it was made of laminated plywood which I also built but after 2 years of exposure to sun and rain, it rotted. Now I’m replacing it with FRP gate with some stained glass accents. I will take some WIP pics when I have the time, though I’m terrible at photography.
Some of my recent projects are
- wooden recumbent bike patterned after steve smeck
- pedal-powered scroll saw patterned after rick hutcheson’s design (you may google it),
- a wooden trellis for a neighbor/officemate,
- rainwater harvesting system with rope pump (made of ferrocement),
- basketball board for the neighborhood – plywood core wrapped in FRP
- kitchen cabinet wall mounted, using recycle china cabinet doors
- various scroll sawn wall decors, etc.
I also have this penchant for homebuilt and human-powered tools/machines. That’s why I made the scroll saw. And now since my passion for woodworking was awakened thanks to PHM, I want to gradually set up my own shop and also make my own tools as much as i can such as a treadle band saw, treadle lathe, table saw, drill press, and all the other basic tools in a woodshop. Not that im a cheapskate, but more than the savings from DIYing, I enjoy creating things out of nothing, give new life to an otherwise useless item. I need the hobby more than the money. It gives me a sense of fullfillment, i know you guys would understand this. One of my problem is that I have limited tools and no workshop. It’s only now that I regret not keeping the machines/tools we have in our shop before. Another problem is that my SWMBO is not very supportive of my endeavors. Unlike some of you guys. Paano nyo po ban na convince ang SWMBO nyo, hehe? Sometimes I can only make projects when she’s not around.

Anyway, I guess this is enough for an introduction of myself. I won’t bore you anymore with my boring stories. Hopefully next time I can post pictures of my projects. I’m looking forward to learning a lot and exchanging of ideas here in PHM.
Happy DIYing to all and more power to PHM!