ipohaus · bench log · alabang

What got made.

A running record of the bench: attempts, materials, what worked and what didn’t. Newest first. The older notes on how we work are further down.

A box and its lidFinger joints in 3mm acacia ply. The box is easy; the lid that fits is not.IPO·HAUS / ATTEMPT 08 / ACACIA PLY / IN PROGRESS / GINAWA SA MAYNILA · 2026A small finger-jointed wooden box on the benchFirst pass on steelA rotary test on a powder-coated flask. The mark holds; the jig needs work.IPO·HAUS / ATTEMPT 07 / COATED STEEL / TEST CUT / GINAWA SA MAYNILA · 2026A steel bottle in the rotary attachment, name test-engraved on the sideWhere the char winsA veg-tan card wallet, and an edge burn that bled into the grain. Failed, logged, useful.IPO·HAUS / ATTEMPT 06 / VEG-TAN LEATHER / FAILED / GINAWA SA MAYNILA · 2026A veg-tan leather card wallet blank with a test engravingA postcard in woodA message etched into a thin wood card, with a hairline frame. This one came out right.IPO·HAUS / ATTEMPT 05 / WOOD CARD / READY FOR REVIEW / GINAWA SA MAYNILA · 2026A thin wooden postcard with an engraved message and hairline borderWhat the grain decidesA parameter grid burned into acacia offcuts. Power, speed, and where the wood pushes back.IPO·HAUS / ATTEMPT 04 / ACACIA / EXPERIMENT / GINAWA SA MAYNILA · 2026Acacia coaster blanks with rows of test engravings at different settingsWhy we put a serial on everythingA made thing should carry its own record. We give every piece a number.→Acacia over walnutWhy we lead with warm local hardwoods, and what the grain decides.→Kept, not sentThe idea behind the name, and the kind of object that outlives the occasion.→The honest charThe dark edge a laser leaves is not a flaw. It is the finish.→Small batches, on purposeOne bench, a few hours a day, and no plans to scale past that.→