MadTeddyBear
Well-Known Member
Recently I've been thinking about how I could make my own wooden molds. Since we live in a small apartment and wouldn't have room for a saw to make specific cuts I needed to figure out how to make one with the drill we already had and whatever tools that wouldn't take up a lot of space.
This afternoon I came up with a plan and just finished my ~2.5lb. The inner dimensions are 3.5" wide and 2.75" deep. The end pieces aren't attached to the mold so they can be adjusted to anything below 10.5" long and I wanted to share what I did in case it helps anyone else who wants to make their own.
Materials you will need:
One piece of 1" x 4" x 4' pine board
Four 1" hinges (screws were included)
Two 1/4" x 6" carriage bolts
Two 1/4" wing nuts
Two 1/4" washers
Tools:
Drill with 1/16" and 5/16" bits
Miter Box with Saw
~12" Clamp (optional, but highly recommended)
Small screwdriver for the hinge screws
I bought all of the materials and the miter box at Menards for $16.39. Later I realized I wanted clamps and bought two for $4 each, for a mold this size one would've been enough. I already had the drill and drill bits. Since the bolts, nuts, and washers all came in multiples, I could more just by buying a set of hinges and piece of wood for $4.
To start, cut the board into three 13.5" pieces and two 2.75" pieces. If you want to a larger or smaller mold, cut each of the sides to your desired length plus at least 3.5" to allow 1.5" for the sides and 2" to drill holes for the bolts on each end.
After all of the pieces have been cut, hold the two sides together and drill a whole one each end that's centered 1" from the top and 1/2" from the end.
Here's all of the materials after getting the wood pieces ready.
To add the hinges I set one side flat against the table and the bottom upright on top of it and clamped it into place.
To add the hinges I placed one where I wanted it to be and made a small hole with my screwdriver (or a nail, screw, etc.) to make it easier to drill the pilot hole and screwed them in by hand.
If you don't have a clamp, you can attach the hinge first to the bottom of each side, then line up the base and mark where the holes will be so you can drill it without trying to hold the base upright.
When I flipped it over to do the other side I also put the bolts inside to make sure they could easily get in and out. Here's what it looked like with all of the hinges (and a curious cat).
And now it's done! When you're ready to make soap just set the two small end pieces as far apart as you need and tighten the wingnuts to secure everything, then line with parchment paper. From start to finish took me only an hour.
This afternoon I came up with a plan and just finished my ~2.5lb. The inner dimensions are 3.5" wide and 2.75" deep. The end pieces aren't attached to the mold so they can be adjusted to anything below 10.5" long and I wanted to share what I did in case it helps anyone else who wants to make their own.
Materials you will need:
One piece of 1" x 4" x 4' pine board
Four 1" hinges (screws were included)
Two 1/4" x 6" carriage bolts
Two 1/4" wing nuts
Two 1/4" washers
Tools:
Drill with 1/16" and 5/16" bits
Miter Box with Saw
~12" Clamp (optional, but highly recommended)
Small screwdriver for the hinge screws
I bought all of the materials and the miter box at Menards for $16.39. Later I realized I wanted clamps and bought two for $4 each, for a mold this size one would've been enough. I already had the drill and drill bits. Since the bolts, nuts, and washers all came in multiples, I could more just by buying a set of hinges and piece of wood for $4.
To start, cut the board into three 13.5" pieces and two 2.75" pieces. If you want to a larger or smaller mold, cut each of the sides to your desired length plus at least 3.5" to allow 1.5" for the sides and 2" to drill holes for the bolts on each end.
After all of the pieces have been cut, hold the two sides together and drill a whole one each end that's centered 1" from the top and 1/2" from the end.
Here's all of the materials after getting the wood pieces ready.
To add the hinges I set one side flat against the table and the bottom upright on top of it and clamped it into place.
To add the hinges I placed one where I wanted it to be and made a small hole with my screwdriver (or a nail, screw, etc.) to make it easier to drill the pilot hole and screwed them in by hand.
If you don't have a clamp, you can attach the hinge first to the bottom of each side, then line up the base and mark where the holes will be so you can drill it without trying to hold the base upright.
When I flipped it over to do the other side I also put the bolts inside to make sure they could easily get in and out. Here's what it looked like with all of the hinges (and a curious cat).
And now it's done! When you're ready to make soap just set the two small end pieces as far apart as you need and tighten the wingnuts to secure everything, then line with parchment paper. From start to finish took me only an hour.
