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 am Millwright mechanic! Love to build snowmobiles, drive them, and race them! They use to call me ‘Johniefast’ when I was racing!” Twin track snowmobiles entered the consumer market under the Raider brand name in the 1970s, Manta in the 1980s, and Trail Roamer in 2000. The...

Tell us about yourself:“I’m retired, and enjoy puttering around in the shop. I live on an acreage with a long driveway and an access road to the back sheds, so snow clearing is essential.” A front-mounted snowblower on a small tractor was causing problems with rear traction. Even with aggressive ATV...

Tell us about yourself: “I am an elevator mechanic and for the majority of my career, I have been modernizing elevators for Otis Elevator. I always had an interest in mechanical and electrical things, especially in building off-road vehicles. I have been building off-road toys for many years, and th...

Tell us about yourself: “I’m a DIYer that enjoys the challenges of creating my own ideas.” Getting your boat in (or out of) the water shouldn’t be a strenuous process - after all, you’re there to relax, right? Olin took his manually operated boat lift and improved it by adding a few hydraulic compon...

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...

“I am semi-retired and have time on my hands during January and February. I like to build and fix anything to do with automotive. My grandfather was a mechanic in WW2 and I used to help him on all of his cars. Did you notice my MACK truck bulldog on the back of the trike? (see video) It was off my D...

Tell us about yourself: “I'm a toolmaker at Chrysler and love the outdoors. I just wanted a challenge, and every last detail was made with a chop saw, a grinder and welded by me!” There’s nothing like a good BBQ, especially when it involves the smoking of meats for a period of time. Inspired by the ...

“I’m a self-taught entrepreneur, master builder, general contractor, timber framer, general contractor, welder, fabricator, artist and designer. Opened the bus, bought a Japanese fire truck and converted it to a mobile hotdog truck. Bought an old automotive garage, converted it into BLAKE 5000 sq. f...

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: “I graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1971 (the last century) as an Industrial Designer, but spent most of my career working for the Ontario Government. However with the I.D. Degree I have built three houses, a lot of furniture, some sail boats, toys for my granddau...

We’ve seen lots of go-kart submissions since we began our Project Showcase, but they were all built for the driver only. When we came across this one, we had to tip our hats to Dave, who modified his original single seat design to accommodate his grandkids and their buddies. Thanks for sharing your...

Tell us about yourself:“I am a Maintenance Mechanic by trade but now have my own home renovation business. Since the purchase of my first power tool, which was many years ago, I was hooked on building and creating projects from scratch. My wife also changed careers and has made the transition from i...

A restoration with a twist.

Tell us about yourself: “I’m a college student who loves mechanics. I’ve already built a motorized bicycle, and a motorcycle with a Honda 120cc engine.” Warmer weather tends to bring out fun projects like this one. All the planning, budgeting, problem-solving and fabricating pieces are all part of t...

Tell us about yourself: “I am a retired welder/pipefitter who still enjoys projects like this. My friend is the brains behind the designs and is also a machinist. I am also an Amateur Radio Operator.” Art needed an alternative to clearing snow by hand, so he and a friend combined their knowledge (Ar...

Tell us about yourself:“Telecom technician by day and welder/fabricator/inventor by night. I learned to weld in my teenage years and found it to be a valuable skill around the house and yard. I am always working on something new to make life or the house better. Usually, that involves welding...” Sl...

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...

Tell us about yourself:“I'm a computer programmer by day and a metal fabricator by night. I enjoy working with my hands building things and maintaining my vehicles.” One look and there’s no doubt that David put a heck of a lot of thought in the design of his dune buggy project. If he’s not at our Ot...