Patchwork Stars – DIY from Rockwell Tools

I’m so excited!

I’ve shared a peek or two on Instagram and Facebook, but I haven’t mentioned anything on the blog itself – and it’s been KILLING ME!

I was contacted by Rockwell Tools to try out one of their power tools.

The campaign is called “Tools for People That Rock” – so it was a no-brainer that they would contact me.  I mean, come on – who rocks more than I do right? lol

Frankly, I have no idea how they found my blog and decided on me as a candidate, but I was beyond THRILLED to participate.  No diamonds for this chick – give me some power tools!

I was given several tools to choose from and I decided on this bad boy:

 The Rockwell BladeRunner X2 uses widely assorted, T-shank, jigsaw blades to cut wood, PVC, plastic, aluminum and other non-ferrous metals, as well as ceramic tile. This lightweight, portable benchtop saw does the work of multiple saws by making fast and accurate rip, cross, scroll, inside and miter cuts.

Unlike conventional saws, BladeRunner X2 handles a variety of projects by simply changing blades. It’s also affordable, compact and weighs less than 15 lbs. The saw measures only 6 ¾ inches high. The saw’s tabletop measures 17 In.W x 15 ¾ in.D

Isn’t he handsome!  Best part is that he’s only 15lbs so he’s easily transported from place to place.  The Bladerunner X2 comes with blades to cut wood, metal, plastic, aluminum and ceramic tile – everything a DIYer could possibly need.  In addition it comes with a fence to keep your rip cuts straight,  a cross cut mitre attachment to help with perfect angles and compartments to store all of the accessories right inside the table itself.

Having never used this before, I need to do a little playing to figure it all out – I decided that patchwork stars would be a great starter project.  I found a template on Her Tool Belt that I liked best – there are lots of templates out there, but Amy provided two sizes 13″ and 6″ and gave the template as a single point – which allowed for using up scrap wood.

I gathered up all of my bitty-bits and started tracing out stars.

The Bladerunner X2 can handle up to 1 1/2″ wood, so it’s perfect for smaller projects.  If you ever learned sewing in high school home economics, you can use this saw.  Just place the wood on the table, lower the guard to the height of the wood and slowly push your piece through.  Like buttah baby!  The guard makes it almost impossible to cut any digits off – and you know if someone was going to lose a finger, it would be me.  The table top offers a 0 – 8″ scale on either side of the blade, so it’s easy to keep your cuts straight.

It was so easy that I might have gotten carried away a bit…

These are 4 of the 12 patchwork stars I cut out.  Yup, I kept cutting until I had 60 points and I did it in less than an hour.  Best part, ALL SCRAP WOOD!

A little sanding to smooth out the edges;

Then some wood glue and a staple gun to hold the seams in place (and give it a rustic look).

I love how the grains of the wood in each of the patchwork stars are alternating.

Remember to staple the front and back of your stars for stability, and don’t stain them until the wood glue is completely dry.  (sand off any excess glue)

Since these were going inside, I didn’t even bother to varnish, and just left the muted shine of the stain and natural wood come through.

If you are a hobby DIYer (like me) and want the power to create, but without the danger of industrial-sized saws, the Bladerunner X2 is for you.  Compact, light, VERY user-friendly and it comes with all the bits and bobs you’ll need to make just about any project.

I’ll be using my bad boy again soon – so keep following for more projects from Rockwell Tools.  Want to see what the other bloggers “that rock” are up to?  Click over to Instagram and look for the hashtag #toolsforpeoplethatrock.

Rockwell Tools are the gifts that keep on giving, fixing and building.  Skip giving gadgets and give a gift this year.  Let Rockwell Tools help celebrate the people in your life that ROCK!

  Also available at Lowes and Canadian Tire

*This is a sponsored post;  Rockwell Tools provided me with the BladeRunner X2 to test, but all opinions expressed are my own.

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