Project Showcase

Tell us about yourself: “I enjoy working in the garage. I used to watch my dad and help him out growing up, and now it's my turn. I like to make it, rather than buying it. If I can, next on the list is a front-end loader for my John Deere 318 tractor.” Adding an implement to the front of a garden tr...

Tell us about yourself: “I have 40 yrs + experience in welding and fabrication. I own a fabricating shop in Fredericton.” Nothing better than a well-groomed trail to enjoy a little outdoor time on the snowmobile or ATV. The design on this trail groomer features a solar-powered electrical system to r...

Tell us about yourself: “I love to invent and make anything…from sand casting parts out of aluminum, to electronics… you build it, they will come. Princess Auto is the holy grail of do-it-yourself stores.” What would you do with a large, unused and obsolete satellite dish planted in your yard? Do wh...

Tell us about yourself: “Millwright by trade, maintenance planner and Mechanical Engineering Tech who likes to make projects that make life easier.” Slopes are no problem when you have something like this at your disposal. No doubt this is very appreciated when you have multiple trips just to bring ...

We’re digging into our archives once again for another Project Showcase file we first featured back in 2007. The first submissions were actually hydraulic systems designed by our store teams in response to a customer’s unique problem that needed a solution. This time, we’re looking at a portable mob...

"I am a full-time licensed industrial mechanic, and enjoy designing and building things. I enjoy motorcycling, rebuilding vehicles (currently a 1968 Unimog) and custom metal fabricating." Landscaping often requires arduous moving of gravel, soil, cement mix or building materials with a manual wheelb...

"I'm a Mechanical Designer, true to heart. I'm always dreaming up stuff. Unfortunately I don't have the time or the means to make them all come true. Lucky for me there's a Princess Auto (unlucky for me is there's a Princess Auto), because I can go in there and my mind just goes rampant! I'm all ove...

Tell us about yourself:“I’m a heavy-duty mechanic for most of my life with a mechanical engineering background, and make small machines as a hobby. I also designed a mini dozer, mini skid steer loader with remote control, mini excavator that rotates 360 degrees, a portable bandsaw mill, backhoe and ...

“I am retired heat pump technician and I always like to build things. I take after my father who passed away at 100 years and 6 months, and worked in his shop until his last days. He started shopping at Princess Auto in the early fifties by catalogue and still had a 1954 catalogue, which he had brou...

Tell us about yourself:“Cabinetmaker, retired Skilled Trades teacher. Since retiring I have started my business Seaside Woodworks building furniture, rebuilding and repairing boats. I work in just about any material, wood, composites, steel, fiberglass and plastics. With retirement though I like to ...

Tell us about yourself: “I’m an electrician by trade. Started this in my late 20s because I wanted a weekend project.” If you remember playing with a Tonka Grader as a child, this radio-controlled grader is the big kid version. While it might not be used for actual roadwork, Andrew still had a purpo...

Here’s a garden tractor restored to working condition, this time with a few improvements. Bill swapped the gas engine for a diesel one and upgraded the hydraulic system. Now this ’68 John Deere is ready for anything! Great job, Bill! Thanks for sharing your restoration project with us!

Tell us about yourself:“I’m a Civil Technologist working for an engineering firm. I enjoy metal fabrication and woodworking; I have built dozens of metal projects as well as many kitchen cabinets over the last 30 years, and I perform most of the maintenance of our automobiles. I will tackle almost a...

"I am a semi-retired senior whose interests until now have been camping, fishing, travelling, cars, pickup trucks, and boating on Okanagan Lake." Bob's mower-to-racer conversion project looks like it can kick up some serious dirt. The dropped hood and lowered chassis definitely adds to the racing lo...

I am a retired math and computer studies teacher, who has been a do-it-yourselfer all my life, due in part to necessity. We live on a fifty acre lot with lots of bush for firewood. I have been retired for twenty years and like designing and making projects in steel, mostly. I constructed a forklift ...