DYI: HQ Studio Office Setup with Mitsushi Tools

Abe Olandres

Aug 29

In another article, we shared some of the lessons we learned during our move-in to our new studio HQ. We also said improvements are never completely done, so every now and then, we'd make some DIY projects in the studio.

Here are some of our DIY projects at the studio.

Hexagon LED Ceiling Lights. We used a hexagon or honeycomb LED lights on the ceiling of our A-ROLL room so that the entire room is flooded with ample lights. We initially used double-sided tapes to attach them to the ceiling, but once the lights became warm/hot, the tape would peel off. We eventually drilled some wood screws in some parts to keep the whole setup intact.

RGB Strip Lights for Cove Ceiling. In the living room, we added 20+ meters of RGB lights to the recessed ceiling to add more color to the space. Since each individual 5-meter strip has its own controller, we had to but a separate and more powerful controller in order to add them in a series and then screw the controller in one section of the ceiling.
Chopping Block Coffee Table. Every time we passed by Los Banos, we'd pick off some wood blocks for some home DIY projects. They're mostly chopped down from tamarind trees and used as chopping blocks. We decided the bigger trunks would look better as a coffee table. Bought some hairpin table legs from Lazada (see here), sanded off the top part with 800-grit sandpaper, then screwed the hairpin legs for an instant coffee table that we can use as props for shooting B-ROLLS in the studio.
Floating Narra Shelves. In the powder room, we decorated one side of the wall with floating shelves using leftover pieces of Narra wood. I think this was the most challenging DOY we've done so far because the shelves need to be very aligned and level, as the support also has to be strong enough to carry the load of putting items on it. We also have to pick a specific drill bit to drill holes into the wall tiles and be careful not to crack them.
We also tried to rebuild a dilapidated ping-pong table for the office, and while we completed it, we made a mistake in picking the type of plywood to use for the tabletop. In the end, we were not able to use it as the ping pong balls would not properly bounce off the table.

In almost all of the DIY projects we've done, there are some very basic tools you'd almost always need. They're pretty much the very basic tools for everyday use here in our studio -- a cordless drill and an electric screwdriver.

Mitsushi MLDZ12T Cordless Drill

The cordless drill runs on 12V with adjustable speed for proper adjustment to the type of drilling you'd need. The variable drilling speed adjusts depending on the downforce (or forward force) you apply to it.

The battery is a 3.7V 1300mAh Lithium-ion and lasts for quite a while (for weeks, actually) if you're just doing light work.

The collet can hold drill bits of varying sizes -- from 0.8mm to 10mm. The kit comes with a comprehensive set of accessories (around 29 in all), from varying sizes of drill bits, multi-functional drive bits, and nut drivers.

We also love this flexible drill bit extension that you can use to fix those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. There's also an extra battery pack so you can quickly replace batteries on-the-go while the other one is being charged (typically about one hour to fully charge).

The dual or 2-speed function allows for both high-speed and high-power and the 25 clutch settings enable efficient and accurate screwing while reducing fastener damage. We've had no problems with drilling thru typical surfaces like wood, plastic, tile or metal. At some extent, it can also drill thru concrete gravel but with hard cement you may need something more powerful. Plus, this drill also has screwdriver functions just in case you need some heavy-duty work with it.

Mitsushi ML100B Lithium Electric Screwdriver

For smaller or less exhaustive tasks, a wireless screwdriver is your next best friend. From building a custom desktop PC, fixing up our new Synology NAS, to putting up yet another CCTV camera in the office, all you need is trusted screwdriver (better if it's cordless one like the Mitsushi ML 100B).

Almost 90% of our furnitures in the studio HQ were bought from Ikea and while they always come with an Allen key (or Allen wrench), sometimes you still need a screwdriver to assemble them.

The Mitsushi ML100B comes with 10 short screw bits with extension, 8 nut drivers (5mm - 12mm), 4 slotted bits, a flexible extension, and two wood drills. This 4.8V driver has a maximum torque of 3.5nm and powered by an internal Lithium-ion battery (charging time is somewhere around 3 to 5 hours which is quite slow).

The ML100B also has this nifty little function that allows you to change or rotate the handle which can be very useful for when you're getting into cramped space like a chassis of a mini-ITX PC case.