Everyone who takes a carpentry apprenticeship in Germany has to make a ‘final project’. I have to make mine by August 2015. Much to the amusement of my fellow students, I’ve been planning it for about six months already, but there are plenty of stories where people either didn’t finish in time or arrived at the presentation room carrying projects covered in wet varnish. I did the last-minute thing quite enough when I was at school, and this time I fully intend to be in the presentation room with a finished piece and a self-righteous look on my face while fellow students pull in sticky bits of furniture. This is why I am so popular.
My first idea was a really cool toolbox* so I could live the hippy dream of travelling while repairing things for people, astonishing them with my skill and receiving accommodation in return in a sort of communal barter system. I may have got a bit carried away with that idea.
Beautiful Wife suggested I make a Coffee Bar to fit onto the Bakfiets. When she is working with various organisations dealing with ecology and justice, I could ride it over and she could serve coffee. The combination of an unusual vehicle and the smell of fresh coffee would attract people over and we could introduce them to Fair Trade and low(er) impact living, all at the same time.
I wondered how on earth we’d present this to my carpentry master, who has to approve the plans and finance the materials, but that probably wouldn’t be too hard because it is essentially a kitchen unit and we make those all the time. Okay, so it would need to be very waterproof and as light as possible, and most kitchen units don’t have holes in the bottom to fit onto a bicycle frame, but it’s the same basic idea. The idea of driving my Bakfiets into the examination room also appeals, as does being able to blog about it here although I’ll probably do that in any case.
Hang on, I could make mobile bike workshop…
Any other ideas? I need to make something out of wood, remember…
*And only a carpentry student could think of a toolbox as ‘really cool’.
12 comments
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September 14, 2013 at 2:27 pm
jet
I love the coffee shop idea 🙂
September 14, 2013 at 8:21 pm
Andy in Germany
Thanks. it would be fun…
September 14, 2013 at 5:14 pm
Scott
Andy,
I LOVE the idea of a bakfiets coffee bar or repair shop. There is a company in Portland OR (USA) who have done a number of these type of things, and in very cool fashion. I have been wanting to build myself a bakfiets so I could join the coolness too. But alas, I live at the top of a pretty steep hill. The Yuba I just built is heavy enough for the hill.
Check out: http://www.metrofiets.com/ They have a whole gallery of the bikes they have custom built for local businesses.
September 14, 2013 at 8:24 pm
Andy in Germany
Hello Scott, thanks or dropping by.
We live at the top of a very steep hill which does limit the Bakfiets a bit, but it is handy for the school run or riding to the garden, and I only have to pedal in one direction. Braking can be interesting though…
We have an Xtracycle for riding further and on steeper bits.
September 14, 2013 at 10:22 pm
Jos Helmer
Hi Andy,
This guy (re)builds his own Festo toolboxes.
Maybe there are some ideas ?
Rgds
Jos
September 14, 2013 at 10:29 pm
Jos Helmer
PS:
Check his video about the “portable workshop”.
Pretty impressive.
Rgds
Jos
September 17, 2013 at 6:20 am
Andy in Germany
Thanks for that: some great ideas there. The portable workshop is fantastic, I wish we had one. I’ll certainly ‘borrow’ a couple of the desicn features.
September 15, 2013 at 4:36 pm
teigl
The workshop in that video is worryingly tidy! What would he make of mine? I love the idea of a travelling coffee bar on a bike…perfect! Maybe you could sell the idea to Costa’s!
September 17, 2013 at 6:22 am
Andy in Germany
Hello Iain. It is a tidy workshop isn’t it? It looks nothing like ours either so you aren’t alone.
September 16, 2013 at 2:58 am
Randall
Have you seen one of these on the streets anywhere? Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, by the way… http://www.metrofiets.com/who/hopworks/
September 16, 2013 at 3:49 am
Randall
Yeah, this one may inspire a more attainable design given the short timetable: http://www.metrofiets.com/who/trailhead/
September 17, 2013 at 6:24 am
Andy in Germany
I like those very much, the coffee bar one is the same sort of shape as I was thinking of, and it looks beautiful too. I’ll need to add a few features though as the examiners have a list of things (drawers, doors, dovetails, etc) which need to be included.