Contents
TitlePageDedicationContentsPrefaceIntroductionPart1:PreparationandTools
Chapter1:WoodPallets101WhereDoIFindPallets?HowShouldITransportPallets?WhatdoThoseMarkingsOnThePalletMean?HowDoIKnowIfIt’sAGoodPallettoUse?HowDoICleanThepallet?HowExactlyDoIGetThisPalletApart?WhatOtherKindsofWoodCouldIUseifIDon’twanttoTakeaPalletApart?DoIHavetobeaProatUsingPowerToolstodoTheseProjects?WhatEquipmentWillINeed?CanyouTellMeMoreAbouttheSawsI’llbeUsing?WhatPowerToolsMightINeed?WhatdoestheSandpaperGritNumberReallyTellMe?
Who’sReadytoCreateSomethingAwesome?Part2:ProjectTutorials
TheBeginningofEveryProjectChapter2:GettingCrafty
RusticWoodClockVariation—Rope-EdgedClockPictureFrames—3WaysPalletSlatPictureHolderBarnwoodPictureFrameVariation—SimpleJewelryOrganizerThePerfectInstagramPictureFrameVariation—GeometricWallArtCut-OutSilhouette
Chapter3:AroundtheHouseHookBoardwithRepurposedHandlesshoeorganizerPalletSlat–BackedBookcaseFull-LengthMirrorFrameRusticWoodenCratePetFeedingStation
Chapter4:HolidaysandEntertainingEasyPeasyStarPaintedSilhouetteRusticAdventCalendarMiniatureTabletopTreeAmericanFlagPalletSlatTreeTraywithMiteredCorners
Chapter5:IntheYardEclecticDirectionalSign
HangingBedShuttersWelcomeMatWineRackwithStemwareStoragePlanterBoxwithMiteredCornersCoolerSurround
Chapter6:FurnitureHeadboardLargeDogBedTabletopAdirondack-LikeChairBenchwithDecorativeAngleCutsHerringboneCoffeeTableU-ShapedSideTableNightStandwithArrowDetail
Chapter7:TheFinishingTouchesAgingNewWoodOtherEmbellishmentIdeas
TheEndAbouttheAuthorAHeartfeltThank-YouCopyright
Guide
CoverTableofContentsIntroduction
DIYWOODPALLET
PROJECTS
35RusticModernUpcyclingIdeastoPersonalizeYourSpace
KARAHBUNDEofthespacebetweenblog.net
Avon,Massachusetts
dedication
toJoel,Marley,andMico.Ourlifeismyfavoriteproject.
contents
prefaceintroduction
PART1
preparationandtools
CHAPTER1
woodpallets101wheredoIfindpallets?howshouldItransportpallets?whatdothosemarkingsonthepalletmean?howdoIknowifit’sagoodpallettouse?howdoIcleanthepallet?howexactlydoIgetthispalletapart?whatotherkindsofwoodcouldIuseifIdon’twanttotakeapalletapart?doIhavetobeaproatusingpowertoolstodotheseprojects?whatequipmentwillIneed?canyoutellmemoreaboutthesawsI’llbeusing?whatpowertoolsmightIneed?whatdoesthesandpapergritnumberreallytellme?who’sreadytocreatesomethingawesome?
PART2
projecttutorialsthebeginningofeveryproject
CHAPTER2
gettingcrafty
rusticwoodclockvariation—rope-edgedclockpictureframes—3wayspalletslatpictureholderbarnwoodpictureframevariation—simplejewelryorganizertheperfectInstagrampictureframevariation—geometricwallartcut-outsilhouette
CHAPTER3
aroundthehousehookboardwithrepurposedhandlesshoeorganizerpalletslat–backedbookcasefull-lengthmirrorframerusticwoodencratepetfeedingstation
CHAPTER4
holidaysandentertainingeasypeasystarpaintedsilhouetterusticadventcalendarminiaturetabletoptreeAmericanflagpalletslattreetraywithmiteredcorners
CHAPTER5
intheyardeclecticdirectionalsignhangingbedshutterswelcomematwinerackwithstemwarestorageplanterboxwithmiteredcornerscoolersurround
CHAPTER6
furnitureheadboardlargedogbedtabletopAdirondack-likechairbenchwithdecorativeanglecutsherringbonecoffeetableU-shapedsidetablenightstandwitharrowdetail
CHAPTER7
thefinishingtouchesagingnewwoodotherembellishmentideas
theend
Copyright
preface
Hi,mynameisKarahandIuseitemsIfindalongthesideoftheroadtomakebeautifulthingsformyhome.Wait,didIjustsaythatoutloud?Foroverfifteenyears,myhusbandandIhavebeenmovingeveryfewyears
andwe’realwaysonthehuntforwaystocreateahomethatweloveinanewlocation.Butgoingthetraditionalrouteofshoppingforeverylastitemcangetpricey.Andweallknowthatsomeitemsyoufindatthethriftshop,evenwithacoatofafabulouscolorofpaintandthemostfantasticknobsyou’veeverlaideyeson,aren’tevergoingtobeyourstyleordoanythingtohelpmakeyourspacefeellikehome.Insteadofbuyingexpensiveitems,orsettlingforoptionsthatjustdidn’tfeel
quiteright,westartedmakingourownthingsandquicklyfoundthatgettingcreativewithpalletwoodanddesigningfunctionalandbeautifulitemsthatareatruereflectionofourstylewastheperfectfitforourspaceandourbudget.Beforelong,Istartedtochronicleouradventuresonmyblog,thespacebetween(http://thespacebetweenblog.net).Withonlythelimitationsofyourownimagination,youcansurroundyourself
withthingsthatfeellikehomeevenwhenyou’reinthespacebetween.Youknowthatspace—theonebetweenwhereyou’vebeenandwhereyou’regoing.Whereverthatisatthisverymoment,there’snoreasonnottomakeitaspaceyouloveandthatfeelsexactlylikehome.Ontheblogyouwillfindusinthemidstofafull-houserenovationofa1950s
Ontheblogyouwillfindusinthemidstofafull-houserenovationofa1950sconch-stylehomeinKeyWest,Florida.TheblogjourneystartedinCuraçao(asouthernCaribbeanisland35mileseastofhermorepopularsister-island,Aruba),wheretraditionalshoppingcenterswerenonexistentandourmosttreasuredhomeitemswereborneoutofthingsIgatheredfromaroundthebeach,alongtheroad,oroutoflargeconstructiondumpsters.Nowthatwe’rebackintheUnitedStates,albeittheCaribbeanoftheUnitedStates,andundertakingahomerenovationprojectthatwillleavenosurfaceuntouched,wefindourselvesbalancingthedesireforbeautificationwiththerealityofabudget.Myveryfirstpalletprojectwasasimplepieceofinspiringwordartquickly
followedbyapalletwoodcrateImadeasastoragesolutioninourtinykitcheninCuraçao.Thesedays,I’mmoreapttotrytofigureoutawaytomakemyownversionofanywoodenprojectthatIseeforsalethanIamtoactuallypurchaseit.Somepeopledaydreamaboutsunnyvacationsonthebeach,andwhileI’mlivingbythebeach,I’mtheonedaydreamingaboutpalletprojectpossibilities.Yep,Isuredoknowhowtohaveagoodtime.I’msureyou’veseenwoodpalletsaround.Theyareoftenfoundnear
residentialorcommercialconstructionsitesoronloadingdocksofyourfavoritehomeimprovementstores.Theyareconsideredtrashtothosecompanies,butovertheyears,throughtrialanderror,Ihavefoundwaystotransformthis“trash”intopiecesoffurnitureandcraftorartideas.Beitalargeorsmallproject,whenyouletyourcreativityflow,youhavethe
potentialtomakeanitemthatwillalwaysbeoneofakindanduniquetoyourownpersonalstyle.Andsinceourmainmaterial—woodpallets—doesn’tcostanything,we’retalkingaboutprojectsthatareallnearlyfree.Andnearlyfreeisapopularpricepointaroundhere.Inthisbook,I’mexcitedtosharewithyouafewofmyfavoriteprojectideas
alongwithtipsandtricksforfindingandworkingwithpallets.Whoknows,maybewe’llrunintoeachotherattheloadingdockofourfavoritelumberyardoneday.Untilthen…
Untilthen…
introduction
Youmightbethinkingthatwoodpalletsarean…interestingstartingpointforabookofDIYprojects.You’llseewiththe35uniqueideasinthisbookthatthey’reaperfectmaterialforawholerangeofitems—fromaclocktoanAdirondack-stylechair.Afewfunfactsaboutthebenefitsofworkingwithwoodpalletsare:
youcangetthemforfreethey’reamazinglycustomizableonceyoutakethemapartyouonlyneedafewsimplewoodworkingtoolstocreatesomethinggreattheyhaveabuilt-inrusticlooktheylookgreatintheirnaturalstate—buttheyholdpaintorstainwell,too
Ithastakenalmost15years—with5movesamong2differentcountriesandfurnishing7homesonareal-worldbudget—formetofinallyunderstandmypersonalstyle,andthatitcan’talwaysbefoundinastore.Theabilitytocreateourownthingsforafractionofthecosthashelpedtomakeeverynewplacefeellikehome,nomatterwhereweare.MysincerehopeisthatyoufindtheseDIYpalletwoodprojectsinspiringandrepresentativeofitemsyouwouldgladlydisplayaroundyourhomeandmaybeevenmakeyousay“Booyah,Imadethat!”alongtheway.Theyaremeanttoberusticinnature(itisweatheredwood,afterall)andabletostanduptoregularuse,withthenormalbumpsandbruisesthatcomealongwitheverydaylife.Thesespecificdesignsandinstructionscanallbetweakedandadjustedtofit
Thesespecificdesignsandinstructionscanallbetweakedandadjustedtofityourparticularspace.Ifyouneedto,simplyadd(orsubtract)afewinchesorfeetwherenecessarytomakethepiecesfitwhereyouwantthemto,helpingyoutocreatesomethingthatwillmakeyourspacefeeljustlikehometoyou.Theinstructionsareopentointerpretation,too.Forexample,Imayusescrewswhenyouwanttousenails,orImayuseapowersawwhenyou’dfeelmorecomfortablegrabbingyourhandsaw.That’scool;dowhatworksforyou.
Whatyou’regoingtofindaheadvariesfromsimple“I’veneverheldapowertool”beginnerideastoprojectsthatmighthaveyousaying,“Thatlooksalittlechallenging,butI’lltakeitonestepatatimeandseehowitgoes.”Takeitfromme:noDIYprojectiswithoutalittletrialanderror.Ihavelearnedmybestlessonsafterdoingsomethingwrongthefirst(andoftenasecondandthird!)time.YouwillnevermeetaDIYerwhohasn’texperiencedaprojectfailure;it’sjustpartoftheprocess.IfonlyIhadpicturesoftheveryfirsttablemyhusbandandItriedtomake!Whoknewthattermslikeapronandstretcherwereactually
necessarycomponentstothetable-buildingprocess?Luckily,itwasonlyforstorageinourgarage,andthroughtheyears,asourknowledgeandexperiencehasincreased,ourprojectshavecontinuedtoimprove.Clearly,noteverysingleprojectI’veevermadehasendeduponmyblogorin
thisbook.Weallhavethosemomentswheresomethingjustdoesnotturnoutquiteasplanned.Don’tbeconcernedwithmakingthemostperfectprojectever.I’llwarnyounow:Perfectlystraightpalletslatsarehardtocomeby.Butaproject’sperfectiondoesn’tcomeinperfectlyalignedwoodslats.Ifyoucreatesomethingthatyouloveandareproudof,that’sperfection!Ifaparticularprojectreallyisatotalbust,don’tletthatderailyou,either.Grabanotherpalletandgiveitanothergo.Addittothelistofreasonswhypalletsaresoawesome—youdon’thavetofeelbadabouttrashingaprojectthatstartedas,well,trash.
AndeventhoughIcatchmyselfdreamingofaworkshopcompletewithprojectspace,supplystorage,andairconditioning,mygarage(oryours!)actuallyworksjustaswellasaspacetocreate.Ihopeyou’llseethateventhesmallestyardinKeyWest—wherequiteoftenapuppyortwocanbefoundphotobombingmymostfinelyarrangedshots—isworkspaceenoughtocreatetheseprojects.Tohelpeveryonegetstartedwe’regoingtotalkaboutsomeinsandoutsof
workingwithwoodpallets,includingtipsandtricksthatwillhelpyouwitheachandeveryproject.Thirty-fiveinspiringprojectideaswillfollow—everythingfromastatementwalldecorationintheformofaCut-OutSilhouette(seeChapter2)toaversatileU-ShapedSideTable(seeChapter6)perfectforalivingroomoroutdoorspace.Manyoftheseideaswouldalsobeperfectforacraftnightortomakeasagift,liketheMiniatureTabletopTree(seeChapter4).You’llseehowoldpalletwoodcanbesandedandstainedtoenduplookingjustlikenewwoodasitdidfortheseatofthebench(amazinghowthosepalletslatsenduplookingalmostexactlylikethenewwoodusedfortheshutters).Andthenwe’llturnaroundandmakeafull-lengthmirroroutofbrand-newwoodwe’vemadetolookoldandweatheredlikepalletwoodyouwouldhavefoundonthestreet.Nowjusttodecidewhichprojecttotryfirst.
PART1
preparationandtools
Hereiswhereyou’llfindtheanswerstothemostfrequentlyaskedquestionsaboutpalletsandpalletwood.FollowtheQ&Aformattoquicklyandeasilylearnwheretofindpallets,howtodecidewhichonesarebestforyourDIYprojects,andhowtotakethemapart.Everypallethastelltalesignsthatyoushouldkeepyoureyesoutforwhenyou’reonyoursearch.Afterreadingthis,you’llknowjustwhattotakehomeandworkintosomethingfabulous.Andifyoureallycan’tfindawoodpalletordon’twanttotakeoneapart?Noworries!I’llgiveyouotherideasforwheretofindreclaimedwoodtouse.You’llalsolearnaboutthetoolsandsuppliesyou’llusetomaketheseprojects.Manyareregular,everydayitems,butyou’llalsoseeafewspecialtyitemsthatcouldreallyexpandyourDIYcapabilitiesaswell.
chapter1
woodpallets101
IonceshoweduptoalunchdatewithafriendandIhadapallethangingoutthebackofourJeepWrangler.“Wheredoyoufindthesethings?”sheasked.Thatanswerandmany,manymoreareinthischapter.
wheredoIfindpallets?Themostfailsafeplacetofindpalletsisontheloadingdockofalumberyard,homeimprovementstore,andmanyotherlargebig-box-styleretailers.Prettymuchanystorethatreceiveslargeshipmentsofitems,evenfurniture,willhaveasupplyofpallets.Ipromiseyou,onceyougetintothehabitoflookingforpallets,you’llstarttonoticethemallaround.Justbesuretoaskfirstbeforeyoustartgrabbing.Somestoreshave
agreementswiththeirshippingcompaniestoreturnand/orreusecertainpallets.Butmanyarejustwaitingforthetrashcollector,andthestorewillgladlyletyoutakethemofftheirhands.(AndifyouliveinafriendlylittlecommunitylikeKeyWest,Florida,theywillevenhaveanemployeehelpyouloadtheminyourcar.)
Tip!!! Familiarizeyourselfwithyourtown’sgarbagecollectiondays.Ifyoudrivearoundafterpeoplehaveputtheirtrashout
forpickup,youmightevenfindsomethingfuntorevampwithyourpalletwood.Manytimes,adiscardedtableorwobblychaironlyneedsalittleTLCtoberesurrectedintosomethingamazing.
Keepaspecialeyeoutforhomesunderconstruction.Don’tbeshy.Strikeupaconversationwithstrangersthecontractors.Theywillhavesomegreatinsightsforyou.Politelyaskquestionslike:
doyouhaveanypalletsIcouldhaverightnow?areyouexpectingashipmentofmaterialsonpalletsanytimesoon?areyouworkingonanyotherpropertiesaroundtownthatmighthavepalletsavailable?
Afteryoustartaskingaround,you’llgatherastockpileofpalletsinnotime.
Tip!!! Nexttimeyou’reatthehomeimprovementstore,takeaminutetocheckoutthetrashcannexttothesawtheyusetocutwoodforcustomers.Youmayfindsomescrapsthatwillbeperfectforyournextproject.Justaskandyoumightbeabletotakeithomeforfree.
howshouldItransportpallets?Palletsrangeinsizefromabout30"squareupto80"long(ormore)byabout48"wide.Smallerormidsizepalletswillfitrightintoasedan’strunkorthebackofasmallSUV.Ifyoufindalargerpalletanddon’thaveanyfriendswithpickuptrucks
(whichIthinkisprettymuchanecessityinlife),youcouldusebungeecordsorropetosecureittoyourcar’sroofrack.Takingalargepalletapartisanother
ropetosecureittoyourcar’sroofrack.Takingalargepalletapartisanotherwaytofititinyourcar.(You’llsoonlearnafewwaystodothat.)Justgrabyourcordlessreciprocatingsawandcutofftheslatsyouwantrightwhereyoufindthepallet.Youmightdrawafewstrangelooksfromothersforcarryingaroundareciprocatingsawinyourcar,butI’mguessingnoone’sgoingtomesswiththegirlwiththesawattheready.Ifthatisn’tanoptionforyou,adailytruckrentalcouldbeyourbestbet.
Manylocalhomeimprovementstoresrenttrucks,sothatmakesforeasy,one-stoppalletacquisition.
whatdothosemarkingsonthepalletmean?Oneofthefirstthingstoconsiderbeforetakingapalletiswhereithasbeenandwhatithasbeencarrying.Youcan’ttraceeverypalletbacktoitsmaidenvoyage,ofcourse,butyoucanjudgealotonitsmostrecentshipment.Youcantrytogetspecificinformationonwhatwasshippedifyou’regatheringitfromaconstructionsiteorastore.Theloadingdockemployeesseemostshipmentscomeandgothroughoutthedayandwouldbegoodpeopletoask.It’sagoodpracticetoavoidpalletsthathavecarriedchemicalsorpesticidesorliquidfooditems,astheremayhavebeenspillageontothepalletalongtheway.Palletwood,likepressure-treatedwoodyoufindinthehomeimprovement
store,istreatedinonewayoranother,chemicallyorotherwise.Themarkingsstampedontothesideofthepalletmeansomething—forexample,an“HT”stampsignifiesthatapallethasbeenheat-treatedanda“US”stampindicatesitwasmanufacturedintheUnitedStates.Keepinmindthatthesestampsjustgiveyouanideaofthehistoryofthepallet,notthecompletepicture.Forexample,aheat-treatedpalletwaskiln-driedwhenitwasmanufacturedtoinhibitbugandinsectinfestations,butthatstampalonedoesn’tensurethat,overtime,thepalletwasn’tsubsequentlychemicallytreatedbysomeoneotherthanthemanufacturertoextenditslifespan.
themarkingsonapallethelpyouknowhowitwastreatedandwhereitwasmade
Additionalmarkingsmakeeachpalletevenmoretraceable.Refertoregulatoryresourcesonline,suchaswww.iso.org,tolearnmoreabouttheconstructionofpalletsandhowtheyaretreated.Theseresourcescanprovideyouwithdetailedinformationaboutthe
specificationsandregulationsregardingthemanufactureofwoodpallets.Thisinformationcanfurtherhelpyoudecidewhichpalletstotake,basedonyourcomfortlevelandwhatyou’remaking.Forexample,ifyou’remakingawalldecorationthatnoonewilltouch,youmightbeokayusingapallettreatedwithcertainchemicals—butyoumightnotfeelcomfortablemakingaservingtray
certainchemicals—butyoumightnotfeelcomfortablemakingaservingtrayfromthatsamepallet.Again,letcommonsenseandyourownpreferencesbeyourguide.Andifyoudon’tseeanymarkings,pickyourpalletatyourownrisk.
howdoIknowifit’sagoodpallettouse?Greatquestion!Thisinformationisveryimportant.Afterall,wearetalkingaboutpickingupwoodpalletsfromrandomsourcesthathaveshippedunknownproductsfromunknownplacesandhavebeentouchedbyanunknownamountofpeoplebeforeyou.Wehaveenteredthe“proceedatyourownrisk”stageofthisprocess.
Tip!!! Dressappropriatelywhenyou’reoutlookingforpallets.Keepinmindthatwitholdwoodcomesrustynailsandpotentiallysplinters.Wearleathergloves,good-qualityclosed-toeshoes,andevenperhapslong-sleeveshirtsandpantsforyourpallet-pickingadventures.Pleaseuseyourcommonsenseandtaketheappropriateprecautionswhenhandlinganypalletwood;thetiniestsplintercanruinyourday.
Onlyyouknowyourownpersonallimitsfortouchingnastythingsorencounteringbugs,dirt,andgrime.WhileI’monetohoprightintoaconstructiondumpstertosnagawoodpalletwiththemostperfectpatina,youmaybetheonestandinghorrifiedontheothersideoftheroad,pointingandgawkingatmymadness.Ihavetoadmit,itwouldn’tbethefirsttime.Somespecificthingsyou’llencounterwhensourcingpalletsare:
bugs/insects/termites—avoidanypalletswithvisibleevidenceof“wildlife.”Justincase,itisalwaysagoodpracticetosprayeachpalletwith
anantibacterialsprayandscrubitcleanafteryouhaveithome.(Moreinfoonthatprocessinasecond.)mold—moldcanrangeincolorfromshadesofgreentoblackandcansometimesevenbefuzzy.Itisalwaysbesttoerronthesideofcautionhere,andavoidpalletswithvisiblemold.Buyamoldtestkitatahomeimprovementstoreifyouwanttobeabsolutelysure.evidenceofliquids—anyspillage,especiallyifyoudon’tknowthesource,shouldbeconsideredareasontoleaveapalletalone.Avoidpalletsthathavetransportedfoodorliquids—youdon’tknowiftheliquidispotentiallyharmfultoworkaround.unappealingodor—giveittheoldsmelltestanduseyourcommonsense.Apalletshouldn’tsmelllikeanything,perse.Ifyousenseastrongodorofanykind,it’sprobablybesttoleaveitbe.Thesmellcouldbefromexcessivechemicalsorresiduefromwhateverittransported.paint—inmyneckofthewoods,ifapalletispainted,itsignifiesthatitisonethatcanbereturnedbythecompanyformoneyandisnotfreeformetotake.Ifyoucantakeapalletwithpaint,alwaysmakesureit’snotleadpaintbeforeproceedingwithanyproject.
Thatmayseemlikealotofthingstoavoid,buthereareafewmorethingsyouwillencounterduringyourpalletsearchthatshouldn’tdeteryouatall:
brokenslats—manysmallerprojectscanbemadeusingshortorbrokensectionsofpalletslats.Forexample,inprojectsliketheHerringboneCoffeeTable(seeChapter6)andthePalletSlat–BackedBookcase(seeChapter3)whereyoucutmanysmallpiecesanyway,brokenslatswouldworkperfectly.rustynails—thesewillbeunavoidable,sodon’tbeafraidtotakeapalletwithrustynails.Butbesureyourtetanusshotisuptodateifyouareregularlyaroundanythingoldandrusty.
irregularcoloring—auniquecolorcombinationinyourpalletslatscanactuallyhelpbringaprojecttolife,and,oncesanded,manypalletslatstakeonadifferentcoloraltogether.ThecolorstreaksintheslatIusedfortheHookBoardwithRepurposedHandles(seeChapter3)addtothedimensionofaprettysimpleproject.knots/nailholes/slatirregularities—whatyouwanttolookforspecificallyinapalletslatwilldependonyourproject,butknotsandnailholescanaddafundetailtoaprojectliketheRusticWoodClock(seeChapter2),andthePalletSlatTree(seeChapter4)reallycametolifewithpalletslatsinavarietyofirregularwidths.
Tip!!! Don’teverusepalletwoodtomakeanythingonwhichfoodwilldirectlysitorthatchildrenmayfindareasontoputintheirmouths.Alwaysrememberthepartaboutunknownproductsfromunknownplacesandtouchedbyanunknownamountofpeople.Wordstoliveby:Palletprojectsandfooddonotgohandinhand.
howdoIcleanthepallet?Cleaningyourpalletisthefirststeponceyou’vebroughtithome.Thiswillgetridofmostsurfacedirtandmakethewoodproject-ready.Thereareseveraloptionsforcleaners,andyoucanbasicallyusewhateveryoucommonlyuseasanantibacterialcleaneralready.Ifyou’relookingforanall-naturalcleaner,whitevinegarisaneffectivechoice.Simplymix1partwhitevinegarand4partswater(ormoreconcentratedfordirtierareas),thenscrubwithamedium-bristlescrubbrush.Inaddition,bleachhastheabilitytokillmanytypesofbacteria(youcanuse
thesameconcentrationasthevinegarmixture),andyou’llfindmanyantibacterialproductsonthemarketthatwilldothejob.Followthe
antibacterialproductsonthemarketthatwilldothejob.Followthemanufacturer’sinstructionsforcleaningwoodwiththeseproducts.Onceyou’vecleanedthewood,letitair-drycompletelybeforeworkingwith
it.
howexactlydoIgetthispalletapart?Finally!Nowwe’reworking.You’vescouredyourneighborhood,foundapalletthatpassedallofyoursafetyrequirements,broughtherhome,cleanedher,andnowyou’rereadytotakeherapart.Following,you’llfindstep-by-stepinstructionsforfourdifferentpallet-dismantlingoptions.Iuseoption1thevastmajorityofthetime,butwhenthatgivesmemoreofachallengethanIbargainedfor,Itryoneoftheotheralternatives.Therereallyisnorightorwrongway,aslongasyoukeepinmindthatsafetyisalwaysthetoppriority.Whenyouusepowertools,it’ssometimeshelpfultohaveasecondsetofhandsavailableforassistance.Safetyglassesareamust,andearprotectionisrecommendedtoshelteryoureardrumsfromthenoise.Takingapalletapartcandefinitelybeaworkout.Buttakeitslowandsteady
andremembertofocusonsafety.Ifaparticularpalletisgivingyoutoomuchtrouble,itprobablywasn’tmeanttobe—justmoveontothenextone.
toolsfordismantlingapallet:leathergloves,hammer,prybar,reciprocatingsaw,safetygoggles,andearprotection(notpictured)
HerearethefourmainwaysIdisassembleapallet:
1. pryoffeachslatindividuallyfromthesupportboards2. pryoffthesupportboardfromthepalletslat3. cutthenailsseparatingtheslatsfromthesupportboards4. cutthepalletslatsoffthesupportboards
Iknowthesesoundlikeverysimilaroptions,solet’slookateachoneindividuallytodeterminewhichoptionisbestforyou.Youmightfindyourselfusingoneoptionoveranotherbasedontheexactconstructionofthepalletyou’vefoundandwhatyou’remaking.Forexample,askyourself:
Arethenailsholdingthepallettogetherstraightorspiral?Spiralnailsarehardertoremove—notimpossible,justharder.Howmanynailswereused?Iftherearemorethantwoorthreenailsatanygivenconnection,youmaywanttoconsidergoingstraightforthereciprocatingsawandcuttingofftheslatstosaveyourselfthetroubleofpryingoffsomanynails.Whattypeofwooddoyouneedforyourproject?Ifyouwantlongslatsandtheaddedcharacterofthenailholesleftinthewoodafterthenailsareremoved,pryingoffeachslatisyourbestoption.Butifyouonlyneedsmallersectionsofpalletslats,justcuttingofftheslatswouldbethequickestwaytogo.
Beforewegoanyfarther,let’slookatthepartsofapalletsoyouknowwhatI’mreferringtointhedirections.
partsofapallet
option1—pryoffeachslatindividuallyfromthesupportboards
whatyou’llneed:leathergloves,hammer,prybar,safetyglasses,andearprotection
ThisistheoptionIusemostfrequently.Wedgethecurvedendofyourprybarinbetweenthepalletslatandthesupportboard,carefullyhelpingitalongwithyourhammerifnecessary,andthenprythepalletslatawayfromthesupportboards(seeimage1).Forbestresults,trytowedgeyourprybarindirectlyundereachnail—thiswillminimizesplittingofthewood.
IMAGE1
Tip!!! JustasRachaelRaywouldtellyoutokeepabowlonthecounterforyourtrashandfoodscrapswhileyou’recooking,Isaykeepabucketnearbytocorralrustynailsandbrokenpiecesofpalletslats.
Afteryou’vemanagedtopryyourpalletslatsseparatefromthepalletsupportboards,youwillneedtoremovethenails.Useyourhammeronthepointedendofeachnailtomaneuveritout,(seeimage2),thenprythemfromtheothersideofthepalletslatwiththeclawendofyourhammerbygrabbingtheheadofthenail(seeimage3).
IMAGE2
IMAGE3
Youonlyneedtoloosenthenailsfromthebacksideenoughtogettheclawofyourhammerunderthenailheadsonthefrontsidetoprythemout.Thefartheryouareabletohammerthemthrough,theeasiertheywillbetoremove,buteventhelittlestgapthatenablestheclawofyourhammertofitundertheheadisenoughtoremoveastubbornnail.Youmightencounterornerynailsthatdon’tcomerightoutperfectly.Hereare
someoptionsinthatcase:
iftheheadofthenailbendsorbreaksoffentirely,pullthenailoutofthepalletslatwithneedle-nosepliers:whilegrippingthenailwiththepliers,rolltheplierssothenailwrapsaroundthepliersasitisreleasing;thismethodalwaysseemstobemoreeffectivethantryingastraightpull
ifthenailstendtobendoverinsteadofhammeringout,theclawendofthehammerworkswelltoprythembackupstraight(seeimages4and5)
IMAGE4
bentnail
IMAGE5
pulltheclawendofahammertowardyoutostraightenoutanybentnails
whenyou’reremovinganailthatisneartheedgeofaboard,alwaysusetheboardforleverage;inotherwords,wedgetheclawunderthenailheadwiththeheadofthehammerrestingontheboardtogiveyouresistancetoprythenailout(seeimages6and7)
IMAGE6
thiswaydoesn’tgiveyouanyleverage
IMAGE7
youwillhavebetterluckifyouusetheboardforleverage
option2—pryoffthesupportboardfromthepallet
whatyou’llneed:leathergloves,hammer,prybar,safetyglasses,andearprotection
Thisisverysimilartooption1—however,youarenowworkingfromthebottomoftheslatandpryingthesupportboardawayfromthepalletslat(seeimage1).Thisworksgreatwhenyou’redowntothelastslatattachedtothesupport.
IMAGE1
IMAGE1
Thesupportboardsonsomepalletscomewithnotchesinthem.Sometimesaproject,liketheWineRackwithStemwareStorage(seeChapter5),iseasiertomakewiththesenotchedsupportboards.They’relikeboardswithaprecutdesignyoucanusetoyouradvantage(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
thepalletonthefarleftdoesnothavenotchedsupportboards,whilethesupportboardsontheotherthreepalletseachhaveprecutnotches
Tip!!! Keepallpartsofthepalletyou’redismantling.Theymaybeusableinoneprojectoranother!
Afewwhacksofthehammerdirectlyontothesupportboardswheretherearestillnailsattachingthatlastslataresometimesenoughtopersuadethemapart(seeimage3).
IMAGE3
option3—cutthenailsseparatingtheslatsfromthesupportboards
whatyou’llneed:leathergloves,reciprocatingsaw,safetyglasses,earprotection,andanextrasetofhands
Ifyou’vegotapalletwithalotofnailsattachingeachslat,it’sgoingtobetime-consumingtouseoption1.It’snotnecessarilydifficulttoprythemallapart,butitistiring—soatsomepointoption3willbecomeyourbestchoice.Thiscanbeamuchquickermethod,butisalsomucheasierwithtwopeople,onetoholdthepalletsteadywhiletheotherworksthereciprocatingsaw.
Carefullyplacethebladeofyourreciprocatingsawbetweenthewoodslatandthesupportboardandcutthroughthenails(seeimage1).Youcaneitheruseawoodbladethatismeantforuseonwoodwithnailsinit,orametalblade.
IMAGE1
Itreallyjustdependsonthelookyouaregoingforandtheprojectyouaremaking.Thisoptionwillleavetherustynailheadsinyourpalletslats,butthatisn’tnecessarilyabadthing.Ifyoupreferthenailheadsremoved,youcanuseanailsetandahammeronthecutsideofthenailstopushthepiecesofnailoutofthepalletslat.
option4—cutoffthepalletslatsfromthesupportboards
whatyou’llneed:leathergloves,reciprocatingsaw,safetyglasses,andearprotection
Foranyprojectthatonlyrequiresshortlengthsofpalletslatwood,thisisbyfarthequickestandmosteffectiveapproach.Lineupyourreciprocatingsawbladealongsidethepalletsupportboardandcutthrougheachpalletslat(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
Theusablepiecesofpalletwoodwillonlybetheshortsectionsyou’vecutoff,butthisisgreatforanysmallerprojectandforthosepalletsthathavealotofextranails.
whatotherkindsofwoodcouldIuseifIdon’twanttotakeapalletapart?
takeapalletapart?So,youlovethelookoftheweatheredwoodbutyoudon’treallywanttohavetogothroughthetroubleoffindinganddisassemblingapallet?Ihearyou!
thesignismadefromaboardpulledfromourneighbor’sgarbagepile;theheadboardismadeoutofbeadboardfoundinthecrawlspaceunderourhouse(theopportunitiesforscrapwoodare
endless!)
Havenofear.Youhaveotheroptionsforfindingreclaimedwoodthathasasimilarlookandfeeltopalletwood,ortoevenmakebrand-newwoodlookoldandweathered.Justlikeyouarereclaimingpalletwoodandputtingittouseinyourownway,youcandothesamewithalloftheseotherreclaimedwoodoptions.Herearesomeideasforothertypesofreclaimedwoodyoucoulduse:
oldfencepicketsordeckboardsrandompiecesofwoodthatyourneighborsputoutwiththeirgarbagedriftwood(oneofmyfavoritewoodoptions,sincewe’velivednear
thebeachforthelastfiveyears)—itmayhaveamoreroundedlook,sinceithasbeentumbledbythesea,butitstillhasthatsameweatheredandagedcharacteraboutitthatyoucanfindwithpalletwood
driftwoodfishcraftonreclaimedwood(forthefulltutorial,visithttp://thespacebetweenblog.net/2013/05/16/easy-craft-idea-driftwood-fish/)
Additionally,ifyou’dratherjustbuysomewoodtocreateanyoftheseprojects,thatwouldwork,too.Inthelumberaisle,the1×4andthe1×6optionsaremostsimilartothesizeofapalletslat,anda2×4isverysimilarinsizetothepalletsupportboards.Anadvantagetostore-boughtwoodisthattheboardscomeinlongerlengths,soyouexpandyouroptionsforcreatinglargerprojects.Butthedownside,ofcourse,istheadditionalcost.Plus,youmightwanttomakethenewwoodlookold.(I’veincludedachapterinthebackofthebookthatgivesyousomeideasfortechniquestomakenewwoodlookold.CheckoutChapter7formoredetails.)
Tip!!! Theactualsizeofnewwoodpiecesisnotexactlythesameastheirname.Forexample,1×2sareactually ⁄ "×1 ⁄ ",1×6sare ⁄ "×5 ⁄ ",and2×4sare1 ⁄ "×3 ⁄ ".Takethese“real”measurementsintoaccountasyouplanyourprojectsifyou’reusingnewwood.
Therereallyisnorightorwrongwaytomakeanyoftheseprojects.Partoftheallureofcreatingpalletwoodprojectsistakingadvantageoftheopportunitytoupcyclesomethingoldintosomethingfunctionalandbeautiful.Butifyoudon’thavepalletsatyourdisposalandyoulovethelook,theseprojectscaneasilybemadewithdifferentkindsofwood.
doIhavetobeaproatusingpowertoolstodotheseprojects?Absolutelynot!I’veincludedavarietyofprojects—someofwhichrequireveryfew,ifany,powertools—soeveryonehasaplacetostart.Idon’twantyougettingfrustratedalongtheway,either,soI’veorganizedeachchapterwiththeprojectslistedinorderofdifficulty,withtheeasiestfirst.Ofcourse,thisisjustmyopinion.WhereIthinkpaintingisprettysimple,thoughsometimestime-
3 4 1 2
3 4 1 2 1 2 1 2
myopinion.WhereIthinkpaintingisprettysimple,thoughsometimestime-consuming,youmightdisagree.Sojustuseitasagauge.Thelevelofdifficultyisrelatedmoretothenumberofpowertoolsusedand
thetypesofskillsneeded,likerippingabevelonatablesaw(rippingabevelmeanscuttingalong,straightcutwiththebladeatanangledownthelengthofapieceofwood)versususingacordlessdrill.Hopefully,onceyoufeellikeyou’vemasteredonesetofskills,you’llwanttograduatetothemorecomplicatedprojects.Andonereallycoolthingisthatmanyofthetechniquesyouuseinonespecificprojectcantranslateintootherprojects.Gotthehangofcuttingyourslatstosizeandattachingthemtosupportboards
tocreatearectangle?Awesome!Nowyoucanmakeanynumberofartprojectsrangingfromasmallcrafttositonyourshelftosomething4'tall.
whatequipmentwillIneed?Youdefinitelydon’tneedtobeanexpertorownazilliontoolstomaketheprojectsinthisbook.Butyouwillneedsomebasicequipmentandcouldgreatlybenefitfromafewspecialtyitemswe’llshowyouhere.Youmostlikelyownatleastsomeoftheseitemsalready.Foranyitemyoudon’thave,hereareafewoptionstoconsider:
buyitemsnew,saysCaptainObviousrenttoolsfromalocalstorelookonlineonsitessuchascraigslistoreBayforinexpensive,usedtoolspurchaseuseditemsfromestatesales,thriftshops,oraHabitatforHumanityReStore(thisoptionisprobablybestforhandtools,sincethesesalesaregenerallyfinalandwarrantiesarenotofferedonpowertools)borrowthemfromafriendorneighbor
Let’sstartwiththemostbasicoftools.
apencil
Let’stalkaboutthepencilforasecond.Youshouldalwayshaveoneonhandwhenyou’reworkingonprojects.Whetherit’stojotdownmeasurements,makeyourmarksforcutting,orjusttostartagrocerylistwhenyourememberyouneedmilkinthemiddleofaproject,apencilisjustaprojectnecessity.
Tip!!! Thisbookisbynomeansintendedtobeatoolinstructionalmanual.Thereareanumberofresourcesavailableonlineaswellasbooksandvideotutorialsthatarespecifictotoolinstruction.Startwiththeprojectsthatrequiretheuseoftoolsthatyouarecomfortablewith,butdon’tshyawayfromtryingnewthings.Alwaysreadanewtool’sinstructionalguideandsafetydetailsbeforegettingstartedandpracticealloftheappropriateprecautionswhileusingthetool.
everythingelseI’llshareafewtipsandtricksspecifictotheprojecttutorialsalongtheway,
butIencourageyoutopractice,practice,practicewithyourtoolsandequipment.Spendanafternoonjustmakingpracticecutstofamiliarizeyourselfwithyoursaws.Setthebladetodifferentanglesandgetafeelforhowitworks.Theseprojectsarejustthebeginningofwhatyoucancreatewithyourtools.Withthatsaid,hereareafewtools,supplies,andconceptsthatweuseinthe
bookthatwillbehelpfulasyoucreatetheseprojects.
thisvarietyofbasictoolsandsupplieswillhelpyoucreatemanyoftheprojectsinthisbook
Someofmyfavoritehandtoolsinclude:
carpenter’ssquare(alsoknownasaframingsquareorsteelsquare)—this24"×16"L-shapedtoolisgreatforverifying90°anglesonlargerpiecesoffurnitureandmarkinglong,straightlinesclamps—agoodpairofclampswillgivegluetheextrasupportitneedstobindproperlywhileitiscuring;clampsarealsohelpfultoholditemsinplacewhileyou’remakingsmallcutsearplugs—todelaythatinevitablehearinglosshammer—kindofself-explanatory,no?handsaw—agood-qualityhandsawworksgreatforshort,straightcuts;lookforonewithablademadeofhigh-qualitysteelandthickenoughto
endurehardwoodcutsleathergloves—leatherglovesreallyprotectyourhandsagainstsplintersandcallousing;asturdypairofleatherglovesisasmartinvestment,astheyprovidemoreprotectionthanabasiccottonpairlevel—technicallycalledaplumber’slevel,thesmallsizeofthistoolishandyforsmalltomidsizeprojectsnailsandscrews—oneoftheseoptionsisusedinprettymucheveryprojectinthisbook;youcandecidewhichworksbestforyou,butscrewsprovidemorestabilityforfurniturepiecesnailset—usethiswithahammertosetyournailsdeepintothewood;thenyoucanplugthetinyholewithwoodfillerifdesiredtohideanyevidenceofthenailsneedle-nosepliers—thesmallsizeandpointedendofthesepliersmakeitagreattoolforanythingfromcoilingwiretoremovingnailsprybar—thistoolisinvaluablewhenitcomestotakingpalletsapartsafetyglasses—alwaysasmartideawhenworkingwithwoodandusinganypowertoolsandpaper—keepavarietyofgritsofsandpaperhandytohelpwithanythingfromremovingsplinterywoodtosofteningyourproject;thehigherthegritnumberofthesandpaper,thefinerthefinishyouwillachievesawhorses—notpicturedhere,butusedfrequentlythroughoutthebook,asturdysetofsawhorsescanbeusedasasurfacetosupportyourprojectmaterialsorevenasabaseforyourmitersaw;plus,sometimesit’sjustnicetonothavetocrouchdowntothegroundtoworkspeedsquare—thissmalltriangular-shapedsquareisgreatforaquickdoublecheckofsquareandalsoformarking45°anglecutsstraightedge—technicallymoreofatermthanatool,butkeepingalong,straightpieceofscrapwood,ayardstick,ormaybea4'levelnearbywill
helpinmakinglong,straightmarkstapemeasure—youknow,tomeasurewoodglue—glue,whencombinedwithscrews,willprovidethestrongestholdattheconnectionsoftheitemsyoubuildovertime,butifyoueverwanttobeabletotakesomethingapart,youmightwanttochoosetoskiptheglue
canyoutellmemoreaboutthesawsI’llbeusing?Let’stalkaboutcuttingandsawsforaminute.Youwillseethetool“saw”referencedinmanyatutorial.UnlessIthinkthereisreallyonlyonesawoptionforspecificcuts,I’llletyoudecidewhichsawyouwanttouse.MostfrequentlyIusemyelectricmitersawforcutsthatjustshortenaboard’slength.Youmightnothaveone,soIdon’twantyoutothinkthatisaspecificrequirement.Ahandmitersawwilloftenwork—orevenajigsaw.Ifyouthinkwoodworkingisgoingtobecomeaprominentpartofyourfuture,aninvestmentinanelectricmitersawwillendupsavingyouabunchoftime,andoftenheadaches,downtheroad.
amitersaw,whetherelectricornot,willmakecuttingmiteredcornersquickandeasy
amitersaw,whetherelectricornot,willmakecuttingmiteredcornersquickandeasy
Amiteredcorneriswhenyoucutthewoodatanangle,usually45°,tocreateacornerjoint.Tocutmiteredcornersontheedgesideofaboard,tiltyourmitersawbladetoa45°angle.Tomitertheflatsideofaboard,usethemiterscalealongthetableofmostmitersaws.Notonlyaremitersawsgreatformakingmiteredcorners,buttheelectricmitersawdoesn’thavethenickname“chopsaw”fornothing.Youcaneasilychopyourwoodtotherightlengthwiththiseasy-to-operatepowertool.Theonlythingyou’llmissaboutthehandsawistheupper-bodyworkout.Afewofmyotherfavoritesawsinclude:
fromlefttoright:circularsaw,reciprocatingsaw,andajigsaw
Thesesawscanbeusedforavarietyofcutsandcansometimesbeusedinterchangeably,dependingonyourobjective.Nomatterwhichsawyouuse,it’simportanttoknowthatthesawbladesremoveupto ⁄ "ofwood,sobesuretolineupyoursawbladewiththecorrectsideofyourmarkforanaccuratecut.
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liningupyoursawbladeonthecorrectsideofyourmarkiskeytoaccuratecuts
Afewadditionaldetailsinclude:
thecircularsawcanmakelong,straightcuts;theactuallengthandstraightnessofthecutisdependentontheoperatorasthisisa
handheldsaw—thelongerthestraightcutyouneed,themorecloselyyoumightwanttoconsiderusingatablesaw.thereciprocatingsawoftenprovidestheroughestcutandcanbehardtokeepinastraightlinebutisgreatfordemolitionworkandrough-cutsituations,wherethecuteitherwon’tbeseenoryoucangobackandmakeacleanercutwithanalternatesawifneededthejigsawisperhapstheleastintimidatingofsaws,maybebecauseithasthesmallestblade;thissawisgreatfordetailcutsandcuttingaroundcorners
atablesawwithafenceandapushstick;theyalsocomewithbladeguardsthatareremovableasneeded
Althoughthistoolisnotabsolutelynecessary,thetablesaw’sabilitytomakelong,straightcutsdownthelengthofyourwoodoffersthepossibilitytochangeyourpalletslatstoanywidthyoudesire.Anoteworthypointhere:I’mparticularlycautiouswhenitcomestogettingmyfingersanywhereclosetoarunningsawblade.Iliketorunaboardthroughthetablesawwhicheverwaykeepsmyhandsasfarawayfromthebladeaspossible.
whatpowertoolsmightIneed?Theseprojectsreallycan’tcometolifewithout:
palmsanderandcordlessdrill
Itstillamazesmewhatadifferencethereisintheappearanceofsandedpalletslatsversusunsandedpalletslats.Usingapalmsandertocreateasmoothsurfaceonthewood(besuretorunthesanderinthesamedirectionasthewoodgrain)andrunningitovertheedgestocreateasofter,roundercornercanaddjusttherightdetailtotakeyourprojectfromliterallytrashtotreasure.Andwherewouldwebeifwestillneededtoscrewineverythingbyhand
witheitherflat-headorPhillipsscrewdrivers?Miserable,that’swherewe’dbe.Inserta ⁄ "drillbitintoyourcordlessdrillandyoucanquicklydrillpilotholesintoyourpalletslatstopreventthewoodfromsplittingwhenyouscrewthemtogether.Andwiththeappropriatescrewdriverbit(dependingonthescrewsyouareusing),thecordlessdrillcanmakequickworkoffasteningevenalongscrewintohardwood.Forthesereasons,Ireferenceusingacordlessdrillintheseprojects.But,hey,thisisajudgment-freezone,sograbthosehandscrewdriversifyou’dprefer.Acoupleofupgradedtooloptionsthatreallyhelpmovethebuildingprocess
along:
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along:
anailgunandimpactdriveraretwotoolsthatcouldreallysaveyoutime
Whileahammerandnailworkgreatformanyprojects,thisbattery-operatednailgunisafuntooltohavearoundtomakequickworkofmanyprojectsthatarenailedtogether.Andwhileastandardcordlessdrillwilloftendothetrick,theaddedbenefitsofrotationalanddownwardforceprovidedwithanimpactdrivercanworkwonderswitheventhehardestwoodandlongestscrews.IfIweretomakeonerecommendationofasmalltoolthatcouldchangethe
wayyouDIY:
apocketholejig
Especiallywhenyou’remakingitemslikefurniture(seeChapter6),thesturdinessofthepiecewilldependonthestrengthatthejoints,wheretwodifferentpiecesofwoodarejoined.Usingthepocketholejigisaneasyandeffectivewayofstrengtheningasimplebuttjointbydrillingapocketholewiththedrillbitprovidedwiththejigatananglewhereyouwillthencountersinkyourscrewstoconnectthejointsecurely.Manyoftheprojectsinthisbook,includingafewofthelargeritemssuchastheLargeDogBed(seeChapter6),PlanterBoxwithMiteredCorners(seeChapter5),andtheWineRackwith
StemwareStorage(seeChapter5),canbemadewithoutdrillingpocketholes,butthistoolisonetoconsiderifyou’relookingtoexpandyourarsenal.
whatdoesthesandpapergritnumberreallytellme?Now,Imaythinkthat100-gritsandpaperisthebestinventioneverbehindwineandcheese,ofcourse.SowhenIrefertomedium-gritsandpaper,thatisprobablywhatI’musing.Somedeterminingfactorsforwhatgrityouchoosetousewillbehowroughthewoodistostartwithandhowsmoothofafinishyouwant.Thehigherthegritnumber,thefinerthegritandthesmootherthefinishyouwillachieve.Forexample,Istrippedandsandedthewoodslatwallsinourhouse,startingwith100grit,thenusing150grit,andfinishingupwith220grittogetanincrediblysmoothfinish.Sincepartofthecharmofpalletwoodisitsrusticnature,Idon’tseetheneedtogetthewoodsupersmooth,butyouropinionmaydiffer.Andyoumayfindsomepalletslatsthatstartoutincrediblyroughwithalotofsplinteryedges.Inthosecases,youmayevenwanttostartwithamorecoursegrit,likea60-gritsandpaper,andworktowardafinergritfromthere.A150-gritsandpaperisthefinestgritIusedforprojectsinthisbook,butthehigherthenumberyouchoose,thesmootheryourprojectwillbecome.
Tip!!! It’salwaysasmartideatowearamaskorarespiratorwheneveryou’recleaningandsandinganykindofwood,especiallyreclaimedwood.
Iuseanelectricpalmsanderaswell.Isay,whyusemyownelbowgreasewhenIcanemployamachinetodotheworkforme?Butthatdoesn’tmeanthathandsandingcan’tgetthejobdone.Justconsiderityourupper-bodyworkoutfortheday.You’llnoticethatthepalmsanderisalwayslistedinthetoolssectionasoptional—handsandingworksjustfine,too.
who’sreadytocreatesomethingawesome?You’revery,veryclosetoPart2ofthisbook,wherewediveheadfirstintomakingsomeprettycoolthingsoutofpallets.Eachprojectdefinesthesuppliesandtoolsyouwillneedaswellasacostinvestment(ifany).Sincethemainmaterialinalloftheprojectsispalletwoodorasimilarequivalent,anycostisprettyminimal.AndIalwaysadvocateusingwhatyouhaveonhand.Soifthetutorialspecifies1×2woodpiecesor ⁄ "plywoodandyouhavesomethingsimilaronhandleftoverfromanotherproject,usethatinsteadandadjustyourmeasurementsaccordingly.Partofthefunofworkingwithreclaimeditemsistheabilitytomakeitcustomandoneofakind.Scroungearoundyourshedorgarageandtrytouseupasmanyaspossibleofthoselittlewoodscrapsandoldhardwareandhingesthatseemtoaccumulateovertime.Andkeepaneyeoutforfunkyhardwareandknobsonfurnitureatthriftshops—youneverknowwhensomethingmightjustbetheperfectfitforafutureproject.WitheachprojecttutorialI’veincludedan“investment”section.Thisismy
bestguessoftheamountoftimeandresourcesyouwillneedtoinvestineachproject.Keepinmindthatthisisjustmeguessinghowlongitwilltakeyoutocompletesomething,butsinceweprobablyhaven’tevenmet,whoamItogaugethat?Thisinvestmentguideispurelymeanttogiveyouabitofanexpectationsoyoucanplanaccordingly,whetheryou’relookingforsomethingtowhipupeasilyonalateweekendnightorsomethingmoreintricate.Thebottomlineisjusttoworkatyourownpaceandinyourownstyle.Iam
ofteninthemiddleofaplethoraofdifferentprojectsatonce.I’mnotnecessarilyadvocatingthatapproach,especiallyifyou’reonetothriveonorderandorganization,butifoneparticularprojectisgivingyougrief,switchitup.Tackleadifferentpieceandcomebacktoshowthattroubleprojectwho’sbossanotherday.Onelastthoughtbeforeyougo:Keepinmind,therearemanyfunwaysto
personalizeandembellishyourownprojects.Someoftheprojectsinclude
3 4
optionalstepsforfinishingtouches,butdon’tstopthere.Useyourfavoritepaintcolors,stencilonmeaningfulnumbers,orchangetheshapeofacertainproject.Makeeachprojectrepresentativeofyourownpersonaltasteandstyle.RefertoChapter7toseeexamplesofsomeofmyfavoriteideasandusethemtogetyourcreativejuicesflowing.Usethisbookandtheseprojectideasasastartingpoint;youcanalsofind
manymoreprojectideasonmyblog(http://thespacebetweenblog.net).Taketheinspirationandletyourimaginationrunwild.Ican’twaittoseewhatyoucreate!
PART2
projecttutorials
thebeginningofeveryprojectAheadyouaregoingtofindspecifictutorialsforanumberofeclectic,unique,andrusticprojectideasmadeoutofpalletslatsandreclaimedwoodalternatives.Sincethebaseofeachprojectiswood,thefirstfewstepsofeachtutorialarethesamesoI’veincludedthemallhereinsteadofrepeatingthemwitheveryproject.AllofthedetailsforthestepsitemizedherecanbefoundinChapter1.
1. selectyourwoodofchoice2. ifyou’reusingpalletwood,removetheslatsfromthepalletsupport
boards3. removethenailsfromtheslats4. cleanyourwoodandletitdrycompletely
Nowyouarereadytocreatesomethingoneofakind.Hereareafewmorethingstokeepinmindasyoumoveahead:
ManyofthepalletslatsthatI’vegatheredmeasureathicknessof ⁄ "butareimperfectcuts.Theymaybeslightlythickeratoneendorevenslightlywiderinvarioussectionsoftheindividualpalletslat.ThelengthofthenailsandscrewsusedforeachprojectinthisbookiswhatworkedforthespecificwoodthatIused.Besuretomeasureyourpalletslats(orfencepicketsorreclaimedwood)beforeyoustartanyindividualprojecttoensureyouusethecorrectlengthoffastenerforyourspecificwood.Theimperfectionsineachboardmayalsoaffectyourcuts.Embracetheimperfectionsanddon’tletthemhinderyourprogress.Ifamiteredcornerdoesn’tlineupperfectlyoroneslatsticksoutalittlefartherthananother,Iliketocallthat“character.”Let’sjustsaymyhouseisfilledwithcharacter.
Now,ontotheprojects!
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chapter2
gettingcrafty
Inthischapteryouwillfindideasforprojectsthatnotonlycanbegreatadditionstoyourownhome,butcouldmakegreatgiftideas,too.Westartwithasimpleyetquirkyideaforaclockandproceedtoavarietyofpictureframeoptions—includingonethatiseventherightsizetocoverupafull-sizeelectricpanel.Sometimesit’sfunjusttotakesometimetomakesomethingcrafty,evenifitdoesn’tserveaspecificpurpose.RemembertocheckoutChapter7forwaystofinishofftheseprojects.AlthoughIhaveleftthemmostlyplain,youcouldchoosetoembellishyourownprojectswithpaintorropeormaybeevenletteringsotheywillbetheperfectfitforyourownspace.
rusticwoodclockItseemslikeeverywhereIturnthesedayswhenI’minanystorethatoffershomedecoritemsIseealarge,round-faced,woodslat–lookingclockforsale.SoIsaytomyselfwhateveryDIYersaystothemselveswhentheyseeanitemtheylikeinastore:“Icouldtotallymakethat.”SoIdid!Thisspecifictutorialisfora19"-diametercircleclock.Youcouldadjustthesizeorevengetcreativewithyourownclockshape.Theclock
adjustthesizeorevengetcreativewithyourownclockshape.Theclockwillfunctionproperlyaslongasyouinstalltheclockkitdirectlyinthecenterofwhatevershapeyouchoose—oval,maybe?Tohangtheclock,Iendedupjustnailingasmallnailintoourwallandusingthetop1×2piecethatconnectstheslatstogethertohangit,butyoucouldalsoaddapicturehanger.And,justtoshowhowprojectstendtoevolve,afterIhadtheproject
completeandphotosdoneIthoughtalittleropecouldbetheperfectfinishingtoucharoundtheedges.It’sdefinitelynotarequirement,butit’safunadditiontofinishofftheedgeofthisproject.
investment:aboutanhourofconstruction,dependingonhowquickofapainteryouare,andthecostofaclockkitsupplies
5woodslatsorpartialslats1nailstring,atleast4"longerthanthedesiredradiusofyourclock2(1×2)woodpieces,cut15"longwoodgluemedium-gritsandpaperclockkitpaintandcraftpaintbrushrope(optional)painter’stape(optional)6–8(1 ⁄ ")nails
tools
hammertapemeasurejigsawclampsoraheavyobject(optional)
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palmsander(optional)drillandbitbasedonthesizeofyourclockkitadjustablewrench(optional)serratedknife(optional)
suppliesneededtomakeapalletslatclock
1. Layyourslatssidebysideverticallyandhammerthenailintothecenterpoint,onlyabout ⁄ "deep(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
1 2
2. Tiestringaroundthenailandmeasuretoextendit9 ⁄ "(ortoyourdesiredlength).Tietheotherendofthestringaroundyourpencil(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
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3. Pullingthestringtaught,drawacirclearoundthenail(seeimage3).
IMAGE3
4. Removethenail.5. Cuteachslatonyourmarkwithajigsaw(seeimage4).
IMAGE4
it’shandytouseasetofsawhorseswhilejigsawing,butanyledgewillwork
6. Laythe1×2shorizontallyontheirflatside.Whendecidingwheretolaythe1×2s,besuretoavoidtheexactcenterpointandacoupleinchesaroundittoleaveroomfortheclockkit,andkeepinmindwhereanyholesareinyourpalletslats.Avoidthosespotsaswellsothe1×2saren’tseenfromthefrontoftheclock.Runbeadsofwoodgluealongeach1×2(seeimage5).
IMAGE5
7. Layyourcutpalletslatsintheshapeofyourcircleontopoftheglueand1×2s(seeimage5).
8. Useclampsorplaceaheavyobjectontopforadditionalpressureifdesired.Letthegluedryovernight.
9. Sandtheentirecirclewithapalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpaper.
10. Drillthroughthecenterofyourcircleandinstalltheclockkitasdirectedonthepackaging(seeimage6).
IMAGE6
althoughmyclockkitdidn’tindicateit,Ifoundanadjustablewrenchtobehelpfulwiththeassembly
11. Addnumbers(seeimage7).EventhoughIstartedbytryingtouseapaintpen,IfoundthatsimplysketchingtheRomannumeralsfirstwithapenciltoensureproperalignmentandthenpaintingthemonwithasmallcraftpaintbrushworkedbestforme.
IMAGE7
useatapemeasureorastraightedgetolineuptheopposingnumbers;i.e.,2and8,5and11,etc.
Tip!!! Insteadofremeasuringtofindthecenterpointtoinstallyourclockkit,usethelittleholeleftfromthenailyouusedtotieyourstringasyourcenterpoint.Unlessyoureallymessedupyourcircle,thendon’tdothatandjustmeasure.
variation—rope-edgedclock
Addropedetailifdesired:Measurethediameterofyourclockandthenmeasurethatsamedistanceonyourlengthofrope.Wrappainter’stapearoundtheropeatthatpoint,thenuseaserratedknifetocuttheropethroughthepainter’stape(thiswillpreventtheropefromfraying).Hammer1 ⁄ "nailsthroughtheropeintotheedgeoftheclock(seeimage8).Nailswithawideheadonthemwillholdtheropeinplacewell.
IMAGE8
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pictureframes—3ways
Whodoesn’tlovetodisplayphotographs,memorabilia,andothersentimentalitemsinneatframesaroundthehouse?Ifyou’resomeonewholikesthelookofrusticwood,usingitasabackdropforyourmostprizedpossessionsisano-brainer.Maketwoorthreeofonestyleofpictureframetocreateauniform-lookinggroupingofphotosorartwork,ormakeoneofeachstyletodisplaytogetherforamoreeclecticlookthatisunifiedbytheuseofthepalletwood.
palletslatpictureholder
palletslatpictureholderThefirstoptionwasinspiredbyagiftIreceivedfrommyin-laws.Thesimplewoodbackdropprovidestheperfectsurfaceforarusticphotodisplay.Themeasurementsinthetutorialworkwellfor5"×7"photos.Agoodguidetokeepinmindasyoucreateyourownistomaketheframeabout8"tallerand4"widerthanyourphoto.ButIalsolovethelookofareallywidematboardwithasmaller,usuallysquare,photointhecenter.Forthatlook,youcouldmakeyourwoodslatsoverhangyourphotobyupto10"oneachside,dependingonthesizeofyourphoto.
investment:lessthananhourandonlyafewdollarsforacoupleofsmallsuppliesifyoudon’talreadyhavethemonhandsupplies
phototodisplay1or2palletslats(dependingonthesizeofyourframe)2(1×2)woodpieces,cuttomatchthewidthmeasurementofyourframe—mineare11 ⁄ "longmedium-gritsandpaperwoodglue1 ⁄ "nailshotglue2smallclothespinsorclips
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawpalmsander(optional)hammerornailgunhotgluegun
1 2
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1. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasureyourphotoanduseamiterorhandsawtocutyourpalletslatstoalengthabout8"longerthantheheightofyourphoto;minearecut13".Youwillprobablyneed3–5slatpiecescutthislengthdependingonthesizeofyourphoto.
2. Layyourcutslatssidebysidewiththeslatsrunningverticallyanduseyourtapemeasuretomeasurethewidthofthemalltogether.
3. Useamiterorhandsawtocutthe1×2stothismeasurement(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
allofthewoodcomponentsbeforesanding
4. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandeachwoodpieceindividually.Runningthesandpaperalongthecornersofthewoodpieceswillgivethemaroundededge.
5. Runabeadofwoodglueontheflatsideofeach1×2anduseyourhammerornailguntoattachthe1×2stothepalletslatswiththenails.Each1×2runshorizontallyacrosseachslatandislinedupbasedonyourpersonalpreference.The1×2sshowninthisphotoareinset ⁄ "fromthetopandbottom,butcouldalsobelinedrightupwiththeendsdependingonwhichlookyoulikebetter(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
6. Useyourphotoasaguidetodeterminewheretohotglueeachofyoursmallclipsontothewoodslats.Putthematthetopcornersof
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thephotoyouwillbedisplayingtohelppreventthephotofromcurlingovertime(seeimage3).
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7. Useyourglueguntohotgluetheclipsinplaceandletthegluedry.
8. Cliponyourphotoandenjoy!
barnwoodpictureframeThisframedesignhasaninsetonthebackside,soyoucouldinsertapieceofcutglassorplexiglassforatraditionalframed-picturelook.Butthisframealsoworksreallywelltoshowcaseyourthree-dimensionalart.Maybeattachasetofeclecticoldkeystoamatboardorglueshellsinarowfromyourlastsummervacation.Thistutorialisforaframethatwilldisplayafull8"×10"photo.Butbesuretodouble-checkyour
displayafull8"×10"photo.Butbesuretodouble-checkyourmeasurements,astheywillvarydependingonthethicknessofthepalletslatsyouareusing.
investment:thisframetakeslessthananhourtomakeanddoesn’tcostathingifyouusepalletslats;youcouldalsopurchase1×4sand1×2stomakethissamedesignwithnewwoodsupplies
3palletslatsatleast33"longmedium-gritsandpaper(optional)woodglue1 ⁄ "nails2"nails
tools
tapemeasuremitersawtablesawpalmsander(optional)hammerornailgun
1. Useyourmitersawtocut2palletslatswithmiteredcornersat45°ontheflatside.Youwanttoendupwith2piecesthatare8"longontheshortsideand2piecesthatare10"longontheshortside.
2. Useyourtablesawtorip1palletslatinto2strips1 ⁄ "wide.(Anytimeyoucutalongthelengthofaboard,asopposedtoalongitswidth,itiscalledaripcut.)
3. Useyourmitersawtomitereachcornerofthe1 ⁄ "-widestripsat45°ontheedgeside,soyouhave2piecesmeasuring13 ⁄ "longontheshortsideand2piecesmeasuring15 ⁄ "longontheshortside(seeimages1and2).
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IMAGE1
miteringa45°angleontheedgeside
IMAGE2
finishedwoodcuts,fromlefttoright:miteredontheedgeside,15 ⁄ "longontheshortside;miteredontheflatside,10"longontheshortside;miteredontheflatside,8"long
ontheshortside;miteredontheedgeside,13 ⁄ "longontheshortside
Tip!!! Insteadofmeasuringtheouterframepiecesusingatapemeasure,youcanusethealreadymiteredcutsoftheinnerframepiecesasaguide.Theshortsideoftheouterframepieceshouldmeasurethesamelengthasthelongsideoftheinnerframepiece.
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measuringtheouterpieceoftheframeusingtheinnerpiecethathasalreadybeencuttosize
4. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandeachindividualpieceifdesired.Thereallyrusticlookoftheunsandedwoodisnicetoo,soit’syourchoice.
5. Attachthepiecesmiteredontheflatsidefirst.Runabeadofwoodgluealongthemiteredcornersandnailina1 ⁄ "nailclosetotheoutsidetipofthecorner,andthena2"nailabout1"awayfromthefirstnail,percorner(seeimage3).
IMAGE3
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6. Attachthepiecesmiteredontheedgesidearoundtheoutsideofthepiecesyoujustattached.Runabeadofglueandnailthemtogetherwith1 ⁄ "nailsintotheouteredgeofthepiecesalreadyattached.Besuretoputafewnailsrightineachcornertoensureatightfitandthenaddafewmorealongeachpiece(seeimages4and5).
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theouterframecanoverlaptheinnerframebyabout ⁄ "bothinthefrontandthebackcreatingaliptoinsertglassifdesired
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variation—simplejewelryorganizer
Thisprojectisonepartpictureframe,onepartadventcalendar,andoneparthookboard.Confusedyet?It’sactuallyacombinationofafewprojectsinotherpartsofthisbookmeldedintoone.It’stheperfectplacetocorralallofthatcostumejewelryanddanglyearringsthatarestashedawayinajewelryboxsomewhere.Ithinkthiswouldbesogreathungonawallinamastercloset—it’slikeartfortheclosetwalls,butit’sfunctionalstoragespaceaswell.Twobirds,oneprojectstone.
investment:afewhoursandsomeorganizationalfunforstylishstoragesolutiongeekslikemetools
seeindividualprojectslistedininstructions
supplies
seeindividualprojectslistedininstructions
1. MaketheBarnwoodPictureFramefromChapter2toserveasaframeandwireholder.
2. AddtheeyehooksandwirefromtheRusticAdventCalendartutorialinChapter4tothebacksideoftheframe.Attach1strandofwirenearthetopoftheframetohangonlylongpieces,orusemultiplestrandsifyouhavemoreshorterthingstohang.
3. FinishofftheareafollowingtheHookBoardwithRepurposedHandlestutorialfromChapter3.Thesehookswilladdcharacterandcanholdanythingfromlongnecklacestoheavierpieceslikescarvesorbelts.
Tip!!! Youcouldalsoaddknobsandhardwarerighttotheframeinsteadofusingaseparatehookboard—oryoucould
useboth,dependingonhowbigyourjewelryproblemcollectionis
theperfectInstagrampictureframeThisprojectistheperfectexampleofanideadevelopingovertime.OneofthefirstthingswehadtodowhenweboughtourhouseinKeyWestwastoupdatetheelectricalwiring,includinginstallingabrand-newcircuitbreakerboxrightinthemiddleofourmainlivingarea.Wetriedtothinkofideastohideher,butshe’sanawkwardsizemeasuring39"talland15 ⁄ "wideandshe’snestledbetweenacornerandawindow.TheideafortheGeometricWallArtactuallycametomewhenIwasmakingtheWelcomeMatinChapter5.Butwhatstartedasjustafunarrangementofwoodquicklyturnedintoafunarrangementofwoodwithopeningstodisplayphotos!(AnyoneelseinfatuatedwithInstagram?I’m@thespacebetweenblogifyou’reonInstagram,too.)Theouterframeofthispieceaddsacoollook,plusitmeansthattheframewillhangflushwiththewallonallfoursidesevenafteryouattachpicturesfromthebackside.
investment:afewhoursoftimetocreateandthecosttogetahandfulofyourInstagrampicturesprintedsupplies
20palletslatpiecesmeasuring3 ⁄ "×7"8palletslatpiecesmeasuring3 ⁄ "×3 ⁄ "medium-gritsandpaper1 ⁄ "screws2palletslats1 ⁄ "wide×21"ontheshortsidewiththeflatsidemiteredata45°angle2palletslats1 ⁄ "wide×35"ontheshortsidewiththeflatsidemiteredata45°angle2palletslats1 ⁄ "wide×24 ⁄ "ontheshortsidewiththeedgesidemiteredata45°angle
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1 2 1 2
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1 2 5 8
2palletslats1 ⁄ "wide×38 ⁄ "ontheshortsidewiththeedgesidemiteredata45°angle1 ⁄ "nails
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawtablesaw(toriptheframepieces;ifyou’dliketokeepthemfullwidth,youdon’tneedatablesaw)palmsander(optional)pocketholejigclampcordlessdrillhammerornailgun
1. Withamiterorhandsaw,cutallofthewoodpiecestosize.Youmaywanttokeeptheframepiecesalittlelongjusttogiveyourselfleewaytotrimthemtotheexactsizeoncethedesignisassembled.
2. Layoutyourdesign.Forthisspecificdesign,take4ofthe3 ⁄ "×7"piecesandcreateasquarewitha3 ⁄ "×3 ⁄ "openinginthemiddleandmeasuring10 ⁄ "oneachoutsideedge.Each3 ⁄ "×7"piecewillendupasonesideoftwodifferentsquares.The3 ⁄ "×3 ⁄ "pieceswillfillinaroundtheedgestocreatearectangulardesign(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
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3. Keepingyourdesigninorder,flipeachpieceoversothefrontofyourdesignisfacingdownandmarkwheretodrillpocketholes(seeimage2).Ialsofoundithelpfultoscribbleanumberedguide(witharrowsindicatingifthepiecewasrunninghorizontallyorvertically)startingfromthetopleftcornerandnumberingacrosseach“row,”onthebackofeachpiece.Youwillneed2pocket
holesinoneendofeach3 ⁄ "×7"piecetoconnecteachofyoursquares,andyouwillwantenoughpocketholestoconnecteachsquaretotheothersquarestogivestabilitytothefinishedproduct.
IMAGE2
Tip!!! Takeapictureofyourdesignforquickreferenceincaseyougetthemmixedupwhileflippingthemoverordrillingthepocketholes.Youcouldalsonumbereachpiece(asshowninimage2)andusearrowstoindicatewhichdirectiontheyshouldlay.
4. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandeachpiece.Itiseasiertosandeachpieceindividuallybeforeeverythingisattached.
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5. Withyourdesignstilllyingface-downsoyoucanseeyourmarks,take3or4piecesatatimeanddrillthepocketholeswithyourpocketholejig.Followtheinstructionsonyourpocketholejigtoclampeachpieceofwoodinplacetodrillyourpocketholes.Thenuseyourcordlessdrilltoattacheachpiecetogetherwith1 ⁄ "screws(seeimage3).Repeatthepocket-hole-drillingprocesswithgroupsof3or4piecesofwoodatatime,alwaysconnectingthenewsetof3or4piecestothepreviousset.Astheframetakesshape,makeanyadjustmenttowhereyouwilldrillpocketholesbasedonhowthepiecesareconnectingtogether.Thisprocessismoretime-consumingthanitisdifficult.Allinall,Iendedupusing66screwstoconnectallthepieces.
IMAGE3
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6. Laydownyourcompletelyattacheddesignwiththefrontfacingupnow,andlet’sattachtheframe.Lineupthewoodpiecesmiteredontheflatsidearoundyourdesignandmarkonthebackoftheframewheretodrillpocketholes(seeimage4).
IMAGE4
besureyoumarkholestoattachyourframepiecesthataren’tinthesamespotswhereyoualreadyhavescrewsconnectingthedesignpiecestogether
7. Drillpocketholeswithyourpocketholejigintheframepieces.8. Withyourpocketholesdrilled,butnotyetscrewedin,attachthe
miteredcornersoftheframepiecestogetherwith1or2(1 ⁄ ")nailspercorner.(Thiswillhelpthemstaylinedupwhileyouattachthemallaroundthroughthepocketholes.)Thepocketholeswillbeslightlyvisiblefromthesideview(seeimages5and6).
IMAGE5
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attachingthemiteredframe
IMAGE6
thepocketholesarevisiblenowbutwillbecoveredinthenextstep
9. Tohidethosepocketholemarks,youcanaddasecondedgearoundtheframe.Lineupeachpiecethatismiteredontheedgesidearoundtheframepieceyoujustattachedandattachtheouterframepieceswithnails.Iusedthesame1 ⁄ "sizebecauseIhadthem,butyoucouldalsousea1"nailhereifdesired.
afewfunmemoriestodisplay,like1)ourfirstdayatthedogparkhereinKeyWestwhenbothofthegirlsjusthungbymylegswatchingalloftheotherdogsplay,2)thattimethehardwarestoremademeputMarleyinacart,and3)thedayMicospontaneouslystuckherheadoutthesunroof
andletherjowlsflapinthewind
variation—geometricwallart
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Uniquewallartissomethingthatcanmakequiteastatementinahome.Atthissize,thispiececanalsocoverupastandardcircuitbreakerbox(oursistragicallyrightinthemiddleofourmainlivingareas).Ifyoudon’twanttoleavetheopeningsbare,thedesignofthispieceisperfecttoshowcaseaninterestingfabric.Sinceyoudon’tneedalotoffabric,youcouldsplurgeonasmallpieceofanexpensivetexturedfabric,orjustlookatyourfabricstore’sremnantbinforafrugalfind.Also,withthedesignoftheraisedframeitleavesenoughofagapbetweentheartpieceandyourwalltoaddropelighting!(Thatideacomestoyoucourtesyofmyhusband.)Runsomeropelightinghiddenbackintheretoilluminatethefabric,oremptyopenings,frombehindandgiveoffalittleglow.Youendupwithauniqueartpiecetodisplay.
investment:afewhoursandthepriceofaremnantpieceoffabric…andmaybesomeropelightingsupplies
seeThePerfectInstagramPictureFrametutorial
tools
seeThePerfectInstagramPictureFrametutorial
1. You’llmaketheframeexactlythesameasintheprevioustutorialforThePerfectInstagramPictureFrame.Thisideajustshowshowyoucanmixthingsuptomakethesameframelookverydifferent.
2. Painter’stapeworksgreattoattachfabrictothebackandkeepiteasytochangeoutsoyoucanalwaysdisplayyourcurrentpatternorcolorfascination.
3. Thispieceisfinishedoffwithaverypaleshadeofaquapaint—justacombinationofacoupleofsamplepaintpotsIalreadyhadon
hand.Buttherusticwoodwouldbeanicelook,too.
cut-outsilhouetteSilhouetteartisoneofthesimplestwaystobringdesignintoyourspacewithoutneedingtobearealartist.Orevenapretendartist.Trustme,Ihavetheartisticabilitiesofawasp(Theycan’tbeintheleastbitartistic,right?!)andevenIhavesuccessfullycreatedoverhalfadozendifferentsilhouetteartpieces.Myfirstinspirationforasilhouetteprojectwasourbelovedpups,andtheyweresimplypaintedoncanvas.Iusedmyowndigitalphotographsenlargedandprintedonourhomeprinterandtracedontothecanvases.Ifyoudon’thaveapersonalphotographthatyou’dliketouseforthis
woodpalletproject,aquickGoogleimagesearchisagreatwaytofindanimageyoulike.Justrememberthatthistypeofartisonlygoingto
animageyoulike.Justrememberthatthistypeofartisonlygoingtohaveanoutline,orsilhouette,soimagesthatrequirealotofdetailinsideashapetogiveitstructurewon’ttranslatewell.Thisprojectwouldalsomakeagreatgift—amonogramortheyearin
silhouetteartcouldbeweddingpresentperfection.Formypalletproject,IthoughtawhaleimagewouldbefuntobringinmoreofthatrusticnauticalfeelIamtryingtocreateinourhome.Aseaturtlewouldalsolookneat.Or,Igrewuponafarm,sowhataboutacowimageifthatfitswithyourmotif?Or,abuck’sheadimageforawoodsyfeel?Theoptionstrulyareendless.AndbecauseI’msuckerforasimpleartproject,we’regoingtodelveintotwodifferentwaystomakesilhouetteartwithpalletwood.(YoucanfindthesecondsilhouetteoptioninChapter4;ithasa
holidayflaretoit.)
forthecanvassilhouettefulltutorial,gotohttp://thespacebetweenblog.net/2012/02/09/diy-canvas-silhouettes
investment:onlyanhourorsoofyourtime
supplies
inspirationpicture4palletslatsmedium-gritsandpaper(optional)palletsupportboards(touseasthebackingboardsthatattachtheentiresilhouettepiecetogether—ifyoudon’thaveanyavailable,youcanuse1×4sinstead)woodglue1 ⁄ "nails
tools
sawhorsejigsawpalmsander(optional)tapemeasuremiterorhandsawhammerornailgunclampsoraheavyobject
1. Selectyourimageandalignyourpalletslatssidebysidetocreateasurfacebigenoughtotransferyourimage.Don’tcuttheslatsyet;leavethemlonger/widerthanyouneed.
2. Trace(ordraw,ifyouaretheartsytype)yourimageontothepalletwood(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
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Tip!!! AGoogleimagesearchorevenbasicclipartaregoodplacestofindimagesthatwouldworkwelltomakeintosilhouetteart.Ifyoucan’tblowupyourimagetobetherightscaleforyourproject,divideyourprintedimageintoequal-sizesectionsandthenmarkinpencilthesamenumberofequal-sizesectionsonyourpalletslats;thenfree-handdrawonesectionatatimeonalargerscaleontoyourpalletcanvas.
foldthepaperintoequalsectionstomakeagridtoeasilyenlargeyourimage
3. Withtheimagetraced,butnotyetcut,double-checkyourdrawnimagetomakesurethatwhenyoucutitoutyouwillbeabletoattachallofyourslatstogetherfromthebackwithoutinterferingwithyoursilhouettecutout.Forexample,ifanysectionofyourimageasdrawnwillbehardtocutoutandmaintaintheintegrityoftheimage,youmaywanttomakeminoradjustmentstoyourdrawingtoaccommodateforthat.
4. Supportedbyasawhorse(oranythingwhereyouhavespacebelowyourslatforyourjigsawblade),cutoutalongthetracedlinewithajigsaw,cuttingeachslatindividually.Whencutting,rememberyouarekeepingtheoutsideoftheimage.Errtotheinsideofyourdrawingifpossible.Youcanalwayscutmoreifneedbe,butyoucan’tevergetbackwhatyou’vealreadycut.Ifaparticularcutgoestotallyawry,justfindareplacementpalletslatandstartthatpieceover.There’snorealpressurehereatall.It’swoodyou’vesalvagedanyway,sotakeasmanytriesasyouneedtogetitright(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
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5. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandallcutedges(seeimage3).Realigncutpiecestoensuretheimagelinesmatchupfromoneslattothenext.
IMAGE3
6. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasuretheheightofyourartpieceateachend(orskipthetapemeasureandjustlineuptheboardsyou’reusingforthebackingboards)andmarkwheretocut(seeimage4).Alsomeasureanyinnerareasofyoursilhouettethatwillneedadditionalboardsattachingthemfromtheback.
IMAGE4
7. Useamiterorhandsawtocutyourbackingboardpiecestolength.
8. Layeachbackingboardverticallyonitsflatsideandrunabeadofglueontopofit.Placeeachcutpalletslathorizontallyinplacewiththeendslinedupwiththeedgeofthebackingboard(seeimage5).Repeatthisstepwiththeotherbackingboard,placingitattheotherendofthepalletsslats.
IMAGE5
9. Tostrengthentheconnectionofthegluedpieces,use1 ⁄ "nailsandahammerornailguntonaileachindividualslatintothebackingboard.Use2–4nailsineachendofeachslat.
10. Forthemiddlepieces,runabeadofglueontheflatsideofyoursupportpiecethenlineupyourcutpiecesontop(seeimage6).
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11. Toavoidnailholesinthemiddleofyourartpiece,you’llskipusingthemthere.Useclampstoholdyourpiecesinplaceuntilthegluedries,orjustsetaheavyobjectontoptoserveasaclamp(seeimage7).
IMAGE7
thepiecethatyoucanbarelyseeunderthecementblockisgettinggluedtotheartpiece;theshimpieceyouseestickingoutintothesilhouetteisonlytheretoholdthenarrow,cutsectionofthedesigninplacesoitislinedupproperlywiththepalletslataboveit;oncethegluehasdried,thatextrashimwillnotbepartofthefinishedproject
12. Ifthereareanyboardsoutofalignment,nailthemtotheirneighboringslattoholdthemintoplace.Ifyounaildowntowardthebottomofthepiece,oncehungthosenailswillbehiddenfromthenormalrangeofsight(seeimage8).
IMAGE8
13. Letthegluedryovernight.14. Sandtheentirepieceifdesired.
chapter3
aroundthehouse
Inthischapter,you’llfindprojectsthataretheperfectadditiontoanyhomeinneedofalittlerustic,uniquegoodness.Addingitemsmadeoutofpalletslatsincertainareasofyourhomeisagreatwaytoinfuseyourpersonalstyleinsmall(orlarge,ifyouprefer)dosesthroughouteveryroom.Increasethefunctionalityofaspacebyaddingauniquehookboardwithvintageknobsorafull-lengthmirror.Orjustbringsomebeautytoaboringoldbookcasebyliningthebackofitwithpalletslatsinabrickpattern.Andifyou’refeelingextraambitious,takethesameprocessfromthelinedbookcasetutorialandexpandittocreateanentireaccentwalllinedwithpalletslats.Ihaven’tforgottenaboutyourfurryfriends,either.Addcharactertothenecessaryfeedingareawithapalletslatfeedingstationfitforyourmostbelovedfamilymembers.Usethesespecificprojectsasaguidetogetyoustartedincreatingitemsthatmakeyourhousefeelalittlemorelikehome.
hookboardwithrepurposedhandlesThisprojectreallycouldn’tbeanysimpler.Themosttime-consumingpartmightbepickingoutthesalvagedhardwaretouseanddecidingontheirlayoutontheboard.YoucanoftenfindoldhardwareataHabitatforHumanityReStore,oryoumightfindsomeonanoldfurniturepieceatathriftstore.Ifoundmineamongpilesofwhatseemedtobecompletejunkinthebackyardshedthatwasleftbehindwhenwepurchasedourhouse.Youjustneverknowwhereyouwillfindalittletreasure.Andwhatafun
Youjustneverknowwhereyouwillfindalittletreasure.Andwhatafunwaytohonorthishousewhenwemoveon—thislittlehookboardcanmovewithuswhenweleave.Maybeyourgrandmotherhasanoldfurniturepiecewithknobsthatwouldbeperfectforthisproject?
investment:afewnostalgicminutesscouringforvintageknobs,orthecostofafewnewhooksandmereminutestocreatesupplies
1palletslatmedium-andfine-gritsandpaper4hooks/hardwareitemsandtheappropriatescrewsforeachadhesivesuchasElmer’sProBondAdvanced(onlyifyourhardwareitemsdon’thavescrewsforattaching)
tools
tapemeasure(optional)miterorhandsaw(optional)palmsander(optional)⁄ "drillbitcordlessdrillclamps(ifyou’reusingtheadhesive)
1. Cuttheslattoyourdesiredlengthifafull-lengthslatistoolongforyourspace.
2. Usethepalmsandertosandthepalletslatthoroughly.Startwiththemedium–gritsandpaperandfinishwiththefine-gritsandpaper.
3. Decideontheplacementofyourhooksandmarkholeswhereyouwilldrillpilotholesforscrewingineachhook.Youcouldmeasureformoreperfectspacing,butthereisnothingwrongwiththeeyeballmethodeither(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
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IMAGE1
4. A ⁄ "drillbitshouldbetherightsizetodrillpillowholesformosthooks/hardwarescrewsbutdouble-checkthesizeofyourscrewstomakesure.Thesizeofyourpilotholesshouldbeslightlysmallerthanthesizeofyourscrews,sousethescrewsasagaugewhenpickingyourdrillbit.Drillholesthrougheachmark(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
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5. Ifyouhavehooksthatdon’thavescrews,applyastrongadhesivetothebacksideofyourhooksanduseclampstoholdtheminplaceuntilthegluedries.
6. Voilà,you’redone!Acoupleof2"nailsrightthroughthepalletslatworkwelltohangitontohardwoodsurfaces.Ifyou’rehangingitondrywall,youwillwanttousescrewswithanchorsforenoughsupport.
Tip!!! Apalletslatwithinterestingcolorcombinationsoruniquemarkingswouldbeagoodfitforthisproject.Lookforonethatprovidesvisualinterest—maybethewoodgrainhasinterestinglinesorthereareknotscreatingafunlook.
shoeorganizer
Canwetalkforaminuteaboutoneofthebiggestorganizationdilemmastoevershowitsfaceintheworldofhomestorage?Thedreaded“bottomofthecloset.”Dundundun.Mostclosetshaveaplethoraofspacealongthefloor,whichformeonlyservesasagatheringplaceforamishmashofeverythingthatdoesn’totherwisehaveadesignatedhome.Andtheshoes!I’vetriedbasketsandbinsandliningthemupneatlyinrowsalongtheclosetfloor.Butwhatawasteofverticalspace.Here’sareallysimpleshoe-organizingsolutionthatmayjustchange
yourworld…or,atleastchangeyourcloset.Thistutorialmakestwoseparate,stackableorganizingshelves,andthisprojectcanbeeasilycustomizeddependingonhowmanyshoesyouhaveandifyouhavemoreofthehigh-heelvariety.Regardinglength:ThepalletslatsIusedwereonly38"longbutI’veseenslatsaslongas48".Youcouldalsolineuptwoshelfsectionsendtoendtomakealongerlineofshoes.Justbesuretosupportanylongsectionswithsupportpiecesinthemiddletopreventsaggingovertime.Regardingheight:Youcouldusea2×6or2×8boardinsteadofthepalletsupportboardsforadditionalheightifyoudon’thavethesameselectionofflip-flopsIseemtohaveacquired.Aswithanyproject,sandingitdownisalwaysanicetouchforasmootherfinish,butforthisparticularprojectIdidn’tfinditnecessary.
suppliesneededtomakeashoeorganizer
investment:nomoneyandlessthananhour;itactuallymightsaveyoutimeinthelongrunsinceyouwon’tbesearchingforyourshoesamidstotherclosetrandomness,soIguessyoucouldsaythisprojectpaysyousupplies
6palletslatsofequallengthandthickness2supportboardsofequalwidth24(1 ⁄ ")screwsshoes
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawcordlessdrill
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1. Lay2setsof3palletslatssidebysideandmeasurethewidthofeachsetof3(seeimage1).Crackedorbrokenslatswillworkfineforthisproject—thoseimperfectionsareeasilyhiddenfacingthebackofyourclosetandundershoes.
IMAGE1
2. Useyourmiterorhandsawtocut4piecesofthepalletsupportboardstothemeasurementsfromthepreviousstep.
3. Lineupthecutsupportboardsedgesideupperpendicularwitheachendofyoursetsof3slats,anduseyourcordlessdrilltoattachthemwith1 ⁄ "screws.Screwintotheholesleftwhenyouremovedthenailsfromthepalletslatswhendismantlingthemfromthepallet—thiswillpreventadditionalcracking(seeimage2).Oryoucandrillnewpilotholesifyouprefer.
IMAGE2
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IMAGE2
4. Ifyourclosetisanythinglikemine,nowmightbeagoodtimetoclearoutanythingonthefloorandgiveitaquickandthoroughdustingbeforeyouputyourneworganizerinthere.
Tip!!! Beforeyoustartthisproject,gatheryourshoecollectiontogaugethebestheightandsizerequirementsforthisproject.Howtallisyourtallestheel?Howlongareyourshoes?Makethisorganizerthedimensionsthatwillbestfitbothyourshoesandyourcloset.
palletslat–backedbookcaseThisprojectisaneasywaytobringsomeextracharactertoanybookcase,hutch,shelving,orotherpieceoffurnitureyouhavewithaboringback.Manynice-lookingpiecesoffurniturecomewithaplain, ⁄ "-thickpieceofplywood,knownaslauan,forabacking.Thisproject,usingpalletslatslaidinabrickpattern,willevenaddsomepizzazztoanentireaccentwall.(Feelfreetopicturemerightherewithjazzhands.)Ifyourbookcaseorhutchhasremovableshelves,makesuretheywillstillfitaftertheaddedthicknessofthepalletslatbacking.Youmayneedtoruntheshelvesthroughatablesawtocutthemdowntofit.Iftheshelvesaren’tremovable,youcouldinsteadaddthepalletslatpatternaboveandbeloweachshelf.Forthistutorial,Icutmyslatsintopiecesthatwere9 ⁄ "longbecausethatmeasurementworkedwellwiththewidthofmyhutch.Fourfull9 ⁄ "piecesfitalongonerow.Youcanusethisexactmeasurementandjustmakeadjustmentcutsattheendofeachrowtomakeeachpiecefitwithyourpieceoffurniture,ormeasurethewidthofyourownpieceanddivideitby4andusethatmeasurement.Here’salookatmyhutchbefore—alittleho-humifyouaskme.
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before:boringhutch
investment:acoupleofhoursandthepatienceittakestohaveallofyourthingsnormallyneatlyorganizedinyourbookcasestrewnaboutduringtheprocesssupplies
enoughpalletslatstocoveryoursurfacearea(Iused32(9 ⁄ "-long)piecesofpalletslats)medium-gritsandpaperwoodgluepainter’stape⁄ "nails(optional)varnishorwoodsealer(optional)
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawpalmsander(optional)tablesawhammerornailgun(optional)paintbrush(optional—forapplyingvarnishorsealer)
1. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasurethesurfaceareayouaregoingtocoverwithpalletslatsanddeterminehowlongyouwanttocuteachpalletslat.(Thehutchinthisprojectis37"wide,withthepalletslatscuttolengthso4piecesfitperrowandenoughpieceswerecuttofilltheheightofthishutchat30"tall.)
2. Useamiterorhandsawtocutallofyourpiecestosize.Atime-savingtip:Whenmakinganumberofshortcutswithyourmitersawthatareallthesamelength,makeapencilmarkrightonyour
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sawandlineupeachpiecetocutwiththatmark;thatwayyoudon’thavetomeasureeachindividualpiece.
3. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandeachindividualpiece.Runthesandpaperrightalongthecornersofeachcutpiecetogivethemalittlebitofaroundedcorner.
4. Tocreatethebrickpattern,layyourcutpalletslatpiecesonthegroundinrows.Lay4piecesin1rowendtoend,andthenuse3piecestostartthenextrowwiththeendofeachslatpieceendinginthemiddleoftheslatpieceoftherowbelowit.Continuethispatternforeachrow.Youwillneedtomakeadditionalcutstocompletethebrickpatternwithsmallerpiecesateachendofeveryotherrow(seeimage1).
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theslatsshownofftotherightwillgetcutinhalftocompletethatrow
5. Useatablesawtoripanyrowasnecessaryforyourdesigntofittheheightofyourbookshelf.Forexample,myhutchmeasures30"highbutmyslatpatternmeasured31 ⁄ ".Ichosetorip ⁄ "offthebottomandtoprowssotheywouldbesimilarheights.Anotheroptionistomakeanynecessarycutsonthelastrowonly(seeimage2).
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thebottomrowhasbeenrippedtoaheightthatwillfitthehutch
6. Onerowatatime,runabeadofglueonthebackofeachpalletslatpieceandthenadhereittothebackofyourfurniture(seeimages3and4).
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7. Foradditionalsupportasthegluedries,usepainter’stapetosecureeveryfewrowsinplace(seeimage5).
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8. Whenyougettothelastrow,measurethedistancetothetopofyourpieceanddouble-checkthatyourlastrowofslatswillindeedfit.Makeanyadditionalcutsasneeded(seeimage6).
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9. Wrapapapertowelaroundaknifeandwipeawayanygluethatstartstodripinbetweentheslats.(Thegluewilldryclear,butit’snicetotrytoavoidanydrips.)Youmayneedtorepeatthisstepeveryfewminutesdependingonhowheavy-handedyouwerewiththeglue.
10. Ifdesired,add ⁄ "nailswithahammerornailgunfromthebacksideofyourbookshelfforadditionalsupport.Uselongernailsifthebackofyourbookcaseisthickerthan ⁄ ".
11. Letthegluedryovernight.12. Ifdesired,applyvarnishorsealer.
5 8
1 4
full-lengthmirrorframeThisfull-lengthmirrorframedwithabarnboard–lookingframeisagreatstatementpieceforabedroom.Turnsout,7'-longreclaimedboardswithenoughwidthtogivetheframeanice,chunkylookarehardtofind.Sothistutorialactuallytakesbrand-newwoodandemploysafew“aging”techniquestogiveitatime-worn,weatheredfeel.Let’scallitthewoodequivalentofwrinkles.Forthatreason,itcostsalittlemorethantheotherprojectsinthisbook,sinceyou’rebuyingthewood(unlessyoufoundwide,7'-longreclaimedwood,inwhichcase…score!).Thefull-lengthmirrorissuchagreatsizethatit’ssuperversatile.She’dlookgreat
mirrorissuchagreatsizethatit’ssuperversatile.She’dlookgreatleanedupagainstthewallinaguestbedroom,oryoucouldhangherhorizontallyoveradoublevanityinamasterbathroom.Somanyoptions!
chunkyboardsalsomakegreatsigns;usethesameagingtechniquesandlearndifferentwaystostencilwordinginChapter7
investment:thecostofasheetofplywood,afull-lengthmirror,four1×6s,andsomemirroradhesive;theprojectitselfonlytakesacouplehourssupplies
2(1×6)woodpieces,8'long(fortheverticalframeboards)
2(1×6)woodpieces,6'long(forthehorizontalframeboards)paint,stain,andorthesuppliesofyourchoicefordistressingwood(seedetailedinstructionsinChapter7)1full-lengthmirror(minemeasured24"×68")1sheet ⁄ "plywood,cut5 ⁄ "largerthanyourmirroronallsidesmirroradhesive(foundinatubenearcaulksandsealantsinahomeimprovementstore)woodglue
tools
varioustoolsofyourchoicefordistressingwood(seedetailedinstructionsinChapter7)tapemeasurecircularsawortablesawmitersawclampsoraheavyobject(optional)
1. Preparetheframeboardsbydistressingthemtoyourliking.CheckoutthedetailedinstructionsformakingnewwoodlookoldinChapter7.Bonuspointsifyouscoredsomereclaimedwoodforthisproject;thatmakesmeofficiallyjealous.
2. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasurethesizeofyourmirror.3. Add11"toboththeheightandwidthofyourmirrormeasurement
andmarkthatmeasurementontheplywood.Thiswillleaveyourplywoodbigenoughfora5 ⁄ "framearoundallsidesofyourmirror.
4. Useyourcircularortablesawtocuttheplywoodtosize.5. Applymirroradhesivetotheplywoodavoidingthe5 ⁄ "fromeach
edgefortheframe(seeimage1).
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5 8 1 2
1 2
1 2
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6. Adhereyourmirrortotheplywoodandletitcureaccordingtotheadhesivedirections.Dependingonthesizeofyourmirror,anextrasetofhandstohelpmaneuverthemirrorintoplacecouldbehelpfulhere.
7. Withyourmitersaw,cutyourframeboardsoutofthe1×6s.Miterthecorners45°ontheflatsideandmakeyourcutssothelengthontheshortersideofeachcutboardisthesamelengthasthedimensionsofyourmirror.
8. Adheretheframeboardstotheplywoodaroundyourmirrorwithwoodglue(seeimage2)andletdryovernight.Itwouldn’thurttouseclampsorjustlayheavyobjectsontoptoensuretheboardsareflatwhilethegluedries(seeimage3).
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9. Whentheglueisdry,wipethewoodandmirrorcleanifnecessaryandhangwithhooksandwiremadetoholdtheweightofyourproject,orsimplyleanagainstawall.
Tip!!! Dependingonthesizeofyourmirror,youmightbeabletogetbothofthehorizontalpieces(forthetopandbottomoftheframe)outofasingle1×6thatis6'long.Whencuttingyourmiteredcorners,flipyourboardsoveronyoursawtousethepreviouslymiteredcutsandsavewood.
rusticwoodencrateIamalwaysimmediatelydrawntothoseold,rusticcratesthatyoucanfindinmanyantiqueshops.ButthenIamusuallyinstantlyturnedoffbytheprice.There’snodoubtthatafunhistorycanaddtothevalueofapiece,ifitinsomewayhasmeaningtoyou.Maybeit’sfromalocalfarmers’marketoranoldcompanyyouknowandlove.Butifit’sthelookyou’regoingfor,luckilytheselittlecratesareprettyeasytomake.Andtheycanbereallyhandyforsomanythingsandmakeafunaccentpiece
whenlayeredintohomedecor.Awoodencratewouldbeperfecttoholdkindlingandfirewoodforyourfireplaceorfilledwithafewsparepillowsnestlednearyoursofa.Thiscrateiseasytocustomizebasedontheselectionofpalletslats
youhaveavailable.Getcreative!Ilikedthelookofthetwonarrowslatsflankingtheonewiderslatinthemiddle,butdevelopadesignthatyouloveandrunwithit.Or,maybeyou’dpreferasolid-sidedcrate?AcoupleofyearsagoImadeasolid-sidedcrateandusedittostoreourcannedgoodsinourtinylittlekitchen.Sheevenhasatopwithahandlemadeoutofdriftwood.
palletslatcrate;forthefulltutorialpleasevisithttp://thespacebetweenblog.net/2012/04/10/pallet-wood-kitchen-crate
investment:acoupleofhoursandthecostofafew ⁄ "squaredowelssupplies
4narrowpalletslats,cut19"long4narrowpalletslats,cut12"long2widepalletslats,cut19"long2widepalletslats,cut12"long4( ⁄ ")squaredowels,cut15"long1sheet ⁄ "plywoodforthebottomofthecrate,measuring17 ⁄ "×12"medium-gritsandpaperwoodglue1"nails
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawpalmsander(optional)hammerornailgunsmalllevelorwoodshimtouseasaspacer
1. Useamiterorhandsawtomakeallofthecuts.Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandeachpieceindividuallybeforeanythingisattached(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
3 4
3 4
3 4 3 4
2. Runningabeadofglueateachconnectionasyougo,use1"nailsandahammerornailguntoattachthe2bottomendpiecestothecenterbottompieceofplywood(seeimage2).Next,attachthe2bottomsidepieces.
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3. Attachthetopsofthoseslatstoeachotherwith1morenailpercorner(seeimage3).
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4. Attachthe ⁄ "squaredowelverticalcornerpiecesbyrunningabeadofwoodglueineachcornerandusing2nailsinbothsidesofeachcorner(seeimage4).
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5. Runningabeadofglueateachattachment,securethenextlayerofsidepalletslats.Toattachtherowsofpalletslatsanequaldistanceapart,cutashimpieceoutofscrapwoodtouseasaspacer.Thiswillensureeachslatisattachedatexactlythesameheightinthatrow(seeimage5).Oryoucoulduseasmalllevelforeachsection.Attachtheendslatstothecornerpieceswith2–4nailsperend.Next,attachthesideslatsinthesamemanner(seeimage6).
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firstattachtheslatsontheendofyourcrateandthenlineuptheslatsoneachside
6. Attachthetoplayerthesameway(seeimages7and8).
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don’tworryifyourverticalcornerpiecesdon’tlineupperfectlyrightawaywiththeendoftheslatsyouareconnectinghorizontally;youmightneedto“persuade”eachpiecea
littletosetthemintheexactspotyouwantateachendofthecrate
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7. Nowtheonlydecisioniswhattoputinit.
Tip!!! CheckoutChapter4,HolidaysandEntertaining,toseehowtousethiscrateasastoragespotforgiftsanddecorfortheholidays.
petfeedingstationCanwealljustagreethatpetsareawesome?InourhouseMarleyandMico,affectionatelydubbed“thegirls,”arejustasmuchapartofourfamilyasthehumanswesurroundourselveswith.Theydon’teverliketostraytoofarawayfromwhatwe’redoingandtheysureknowhowtoshowsomeunconditionallove.Hopingtofallshortofbeingthecrazydogladywhotriestoteachthemhowtositnicelyatthetable(Whowouldpickupmyfoodscrapsbelow?),thislittlepetfeedingstationsprucesupthenecessaryfoodbowlcornerinanyhome.Ifyouhavelargerdogs,youcouldeasilyaddsomelegssoyourssitsatjusttherightheightforyourpets’diningpleasure.Thisisagoodprojecttousescrappalletslatsleftoverfromotherprojects.
And,ifyourpetisamessyeater,thismightnotbetherightprojectforyou.KeepinmindallofthecautionsandinformationaboutpalletwoodinPart1andconsideralloftheinformationverycarefullybeforemakingthisproject.Therearemanyfood-gradesealersonthemarket;aftersomeresearch,youshouldbeabletofindonethatyouarecomfortablewith.
investment:acoupleofhoursorlessandthecostofthebowlsifyoudon’talreadyhavethemonhandsupplies
palletslatstocreatethedesiredrectangleshape2bowlswithaliparoundtheedge4palletsupportboards2"nailswoodglue1 ⁄ "nailsmedium-gritsandpaper
1 4
food-gradewoodsealer
tools
straightedgemiterorhandsawtapemeasurehammerornailgunspeedsquaresawhorsescordlessdrill⁄ "orlargerdrillbitjigsawclamppalmsander(optional)
1. Layoutenoughpalletslatssidebysideunderneathyourbowlssothereisacoupleofinchesofawoodedgearoundeachbowl.Also,makesurethespacebetweenthebowlsisnotaspacebetweentwoslats(seeimage1).
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makesureaslat,andnotaspacebetweenslats,runsbetweenthebowls
2. Useastraightedgetomarkwheretocuteachslattoyourdesiredrectanglesize(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
3. Useamiterorhandsawtocuttheslatstosize.4. Measurethelengthandwidthofyournow-cutrectangle.Letthe
widthofyourpalletslatsdeterminetheoverallmeasurementofyourproject(seeimage3).Thiswillsaveyoutheextraworkofdecidingonameasurementfirstandcreatingextracutstomaketheslatsfitthatsize.
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5. Cutthesupportboardstosize:First,cut2theexactlengthofyourpalletslatrectangle.Next,linethoseupwitheachedgeandmeasureinsidethemtogetthemeasurementfortheother2supportboardsthatwillrunthewidthoftherectangle(seeimage4).
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6. Useahammerornailguntoattachyour4supportboardstogetherwith2"nails,2–4nailspercorner(seeimage5).
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7. Runabeadofwoodgluealongthetopedgeandattachthepalletslatstothetop(seeimage6).Add1 ⁄ "nailswithyourhammerornailgun.
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evenwiththemostaccuratemeasurements,whichIdon’teverclaimtohave(sometimesthatlittletapemeasurejustwillnotcooperate—amIright?),gettingold,weatheredwoodtolineupperfectlystraightcanbeachallenge;embracetheimperfection—it’spartofthe
charm
8. Placebowlsupsidedownindesiredlocationandtrace(seeimage7).Donotcutthisline!Itisonlyaguide.
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9. Markthecenterofthecircleyouhavealreadytraced(seeimage8).
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10. Measurethedepthoftheliponyourbowls(mineare ⁄ ";seeimage9).
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11. Useaspeedsquareandapenciltocreateamakeshiftcompassandcreateacutlineinsidethebowledgeline(seeimage10).Ifthatprovesdifficult—andtrustme,itdoes—I’mnotaboveeyeballingit,either.Thiscutisgoingtobehiddenunderthelipofthebowlsinthelongrun.Giveitashot.Aslongasyou’reinsidethebowledgemark,you’regoodtogo.
IMAGE10
lineupthecornerofyourspeedsquarewithyourcentermarkandasyoumovethesquareinacirclearoundthecenterpoint,markyourcutlinetheappropriatedistance
insideyourbowledgeline
12. Setyourprojectonapairofsawhorsessoyoudon’tincidentallydrillintosomethingyoulove.Drilla ⁄ "holeanywherealongtheinsideedgeofyourcutlines(seeimage11).
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13. Crossyourfingersandhopethatyourlineisintherightspot—justkidding,kindof.
14. Startwithyourbladeinyournewlydrilledholeandjigsawouttheholesforthebowls(seeimage12).
IMAGE12
15. Checkthefitofthebowlsandmakeadditionalcutsasnecessary.Whilejigsawing,useaclamptoholdyourprojectsteadyifthecutpalletslatsstarttoshake(seeimage13).
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16. Using1 ⁄ "nailsandyourhammeroranailgun,attachthecutslatstotheslatbesideitforadditionalsupport(seeimage14).
IMAGE14
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17. Useyourpalmsanderwithmedium-gritsandpapertosandtheentireproject.
18. Sealtheprojectwithafood-gradewoodsealer.
Tip!!! Acoupleofalternativeoptionstocreatethecircleyouneedtocutoutforthisprojectare1)lookforabowl,plate,oranyothercircularitemthatisthesamesizeasthediameterofthebowlwithoutthelipoverhang.Canyoubelievewehadnothing?Or2)usethenail,string,andpencilmethodweusedtomaketheRusticWoodClockinChapter2.
chapter4
holidaysandentertaining
Whodoesn’tliketothrowapartyeverynowandagain?Inthischapter,you’llfinditemsintendedtoenhanceyourholidaycelebrationsandentertainingendeavors.Butwhatyoumayalsofindaresomeitemsyou’llwanttokeeparoundthroughouttheentireyear.Manyoftheseideas,customizedheretorepresentaholidayidea,caneasilytransitiontoaprojectthatisnotdefinedbyonespecificcelebration.I’dlovetoseehowyoupersonalizeanyoftheideasinthischapterandthroughoutthebook.Givemeashoutattheblog,http://thespacebetweenblog.net—andshareallofyouruniquevariations.
easypeasystarSometimesthesimplestprojectsmakethebiggestimpression.Thislittlestar—whichliterallytakesminutestocomplete—isoneofthoseprojects.Assoonasshewascomplete,Iknewshewouldlookfabulouswithafew
stringsoflightsandsomegreenery,andshewouldendupthestarofourholidaydecor.(Pun,whatpun?)She’sjustsofestiveandbrightandjusttherighttouchofrusticmixedwithafewglowingbaubles.Howfunwouldthesestarsbestrungwithlightsandhungoutsideeachofyourhousewindowsinsteadofwreaths?Sofun.Thatistheanswer.Butthisstarcouldeasilymovearoundtodifferentareasofyourhome
throughouttheyear(FourthofJuly?)asananchorinmanyavignette.Shecanevenholdherownonalittleledge;nofancyaccessoriesrequired.Ifyou’dlikeamorerefinedlookforyourstar,youcouldsandeachslatorembellishherwithyourfavoritecolorofpaint.Butshe’snottooshabbyinhersimple,rusticgloryeither.
thissimplestarlooksgreatleaningonanyledgeormantelinvestment:afewminutestomakeandthenanimmeasurablenumberofminutesgazingatyoursimplisticallyperfectcreation(seriously,thatisgoingtohappen,especiallyatnightwrappedwithlights—youjustwait!)
supplies
5palletslatsofthesamelengthandwidth7(1 ⁄ ")screws
tool
cordlessdrill
1. Layyour5palletslatsintheshapeofastar(seeimages1–4).Therewillbeabitofagapwherethetipof#3and#5willbeattached,butit’snothingalittlemusclecan’tovercomewhenitcomestimetoscrewthatcornertogether.
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2. Nowit’stimetoconnectthem.First,useascrewtoconnectthecornerof#1to#3(seeimage5);then#2to#1;andthen#4to#1,notinthecornerbutwhere#4overlaps#1(seeimage6).Next,connectthecornerof#4to#2,then#5into#4.
IMAGE5
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3. Finally,you’llscrew#5into#3.Here’sacloseupofthegapbetweenslats#3and#5(seeimage7).Ijustusedalittleextrapressureontheslatwithmyfootwhilescrewingitinfromthefront,andtogiveitextrasecurity,Iaddedanadditionalscrewfromthebacksideofthatcorneraswell.Easypeasy,right?!
IMAGE7
Tip!!! Thisprojectcaneasilybetakenaparttostorethroughouttheyear.Removethescrewsandputtheminaresealablebag,andthenrubber-bandtheslatsandthebagtogether.Everythingwillfiteasilyintothecornerofaclosetorattic.
paintedsilhouetteWe’vecometothepointofmakingoursecondsilhouetteartoption(youcanfindthefirstoneinChapter2).Thisoneistheperfectprojectforalittlenighttimecraftingwhilewatchingyourfavoriteholidaymoviesthatyou’vealreadyseenamilliontimes,andthatyoucanrecitethelyricsanddialoguetoon-command—buthavetowatcheveryholidayseasonanyway,becausethey’reawesome.Youcanmakethiscraftaslargeorassmallasyoulike.Ichosetooutlinethepaintedimageinwhite,andIendedupusingaclearwaxtofinishitoffandgiveitjusttheslightestbitofsheenandalittleextraglimmerfortheholidays.Ifelljustonestepshortofbeglittering(youknow,likebedazzlingonlywithglitter)her,butthatmightjustaddtherightamountofglitztothisrusticlittlepiece.
investment:lessthanthetimeittakesyoutowatchafull-lengthholidaymoviesupplies
3palletslatsmeasuringabout11"widewhenlaidsidebyside,cut14"long2(1×2)woodpieces,cut6"longwoodglue4(1")nails(optional)silhouetteimagepaintmedium-gritsandpaper(optional)
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsaw
clampsoraheavyobjecthammerornailgun(optional)scissorsorX-Actoknifepaintbrushpalmsander(optional)(optional)
1. Useamiterorhandsawtocuttheslatsand1×2stolength(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
2. Laythe1×2sverticallyontheirflatsidesandrunabeadofwoodglueoneach.
3. Laytheslatshorizontallyontopofthe1×2s(seeimage2).Clamporweighdownwithaheavyobjectandletdryovernight.Ifyoudon’twanttouseglue,useahammerornailguntosecuretogetherwiththenails.
IMAGE2
4. Findandprintimage.5. CutouttheimagewithyourscissorsorX-Actoknife,andthen
traceitontothepalletslats.6. Painttheimageontothepalletslats(seeimage3).
IMAGE3
7. Sandifdesired.(Sandingoverthepaintedareawillgiveitadistressedlook.)
Tip!!! Youcanfindfinishingwaxatmosthomeimprovementstores,anditisavailableinlightordarkoptions.Whenappliedwithanatural-fiberbrushandbuffedsmooth,thewaxaddsanicesheenandsoftnesstoyourproject.Waxworksgreatonsmallcraftprojectsaswellaslargefurniturepieces.
rusticadventcalendarI’vealwayslovedtheideaofauniquewaytocountdownthedaysuntilChristmas.There’sjustsomethingaboutbuildinguptheexcitementonedayatatimewithareminderofhowcloseyou’regettingtothebigday.Acoupleofyearsago,IturnedabranchIfoundonthesideoftheroadintoawaytocountdownthedaysbydoingrandomactsofkindness.(Youcanfindthefulltutorialontheblog,completewithsomekindnessideas,http://thespacebetweenblog.net/2012/11/12/countdown-to-christmas/.)Andthere’snoreasonwhyyoucouldn’tfilleachofthetreatbagsforthisprojectwitharandomactofkindnessidea.Orwhateverlittletreatyou
knowyourlovedoneswillenjoy.Childrencouldevenhelpwithsomepartsofthisproject—talkaboutafunwaytokickofftheholidayseason!
suppliesneededtomakearusticadventcalendar
investment:thecostofthetreatbagsandclipsandthetimeittakestogetintotheholidayspiritsupplies
2fullslats1fullslat,cutinhalf8(1 ⁄ ")screwsmedium-gritsandpaper(optional)6eyehookswireorstring25smallbags
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25smallclipsorclothespins
tools
miterorhandsawcordlessdrillpalmsander(optional)drillbit,sizebasedonthesizeofthescrewendofyoureyehooksneedle-nosepliersmarkerorrubberstampset(optional)
1. Createarectanglewiththefull-lengthslatsandhalf-lengthslats;lineupeachcorneroftherectanglewiththeverticalhalf-lengthslatsonthetopofthefull-lengthslatsrunninghorizontally.Useyourcordlessdrilltoattachwith2screwspercorner(seeimage1).Youcouldusepalletslatscrapsforthehalf-lengthoruseahandsawormitersawtocutaslattosize.
IMAGE1
2. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosmootheachslatifdesired.
3. Fliptherectangleoverandusetheheightofyourtreatbagsasaguidetomeasurewheretoaddyoureyehooks.Howmanyrowsyoumakewilldependonthelengthofyourpalletslatsandthesizeofyourtreatbags(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
4. Tohelpgettheeyehooksstarted,useyourcordlessdrillfittedwiththedrillbittodrillinbarely ⁄ "togiveadefinedspottostartscrewingthehooksinstraight(seeimage3).
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5. Screwinyoureyehooks.Ifyouhavetroublescrewingintheeyehooksbyhand,needle-noseplierscanhelp(seeimage4).
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6. Runyourwireorstringhorizontallybetweentheeyehooksandcuttolength(seeimage5).
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7. Setyourassembledwoodenrectangleasideanduseamarker,rubberstampset,paint,orwhateveryouhavetonumberyourbags1–25(seeimage6).
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8. Fillyourbagswithadventtreatsandhangeachfromthewirewithyoursmallclipsorclothespins.
9. Addanyotherembellishmentsormessagesoftheseasontotherectangleframeifdesired.
Tip!!! Forthisproject,itisokayifyourpalletslatssplitwhenyouattachwiththescrews.Ifyou’dliketopreventthemfromsplitting,however,youcanalwaysdrillpilotholesslightlysmallerthanthediameterofyourscrews.
miniaturetabletoptreeHere’stofestivelittlecraftprojectsthatcanbemadeinmereminutes.Iactuallymadeafewoftheselittletreesasgiftslastyear—theywereabighit.Thiscouldbeasuper-funkids’activityataholidayorbirthdayparty.Cutandsandthetreesaheadoftime,thenletkidsassembleandembellishthemwithpaintorglitter.(WhoamIkidding?Iwanttodothat
embellishthemwithpaintorglitter.(WhoamIkidding?Iwanttodothatformynextgirls’nightget-together,butitsoundslikeitwouldbefunforkids,too.)Thesetreesaresoversatile—theycouldbeafunadditiontoyourawinter-themedmantel.Scatterthemthroughoutopenshelvinginyourkitchenorputacoupleonyourguestbathroomvanityforatouchofholidayspiritineveryroom.Thisistheperfectprojecttouseupthoserandompalletslatpiecesthataren’treallybigenoughfortheotherprojectsbutaretoobigtojustthrowaway.
investment:aboutanhourofholidayfuntime
supplies
2or3palletslats(using5smallscrappalletslatpieceswillalsoworkduetothesmallnatureofthiscraftproject)medium-gritsandpaper1×2wood,aboutaslongasyou’llwantyourtreetomeasureinheightwoodglue1 ⁄ "nails
tools
tapemeasurejigsawspeedsquareclampsawhorsepalmsander(optional)heavyobject(optional)hammerornailgun
1 4
1. Useyourjigsawtocutapalletslatintoyourtreebaseandtrunkpieces.Asmallsquare,roughly3"×3",workswellforabase,andasmallrectangle,roughly1 ⁄ "×3",makesanicetrunk(seeimage1).Youcouldalsochoosetomakethebaseanothershapeifyouprefer.
IMAGE1
thetoppieceisthetrunkandthesquarebelowitisthebasepiece;theotherpalletpieceswillgetmarkedandcuttocreatethetreeshapeinthenextsteps
2. Lay3slatpiecessidebysideanduseaspeedsquareandpenciltomarkanglesoneachslattocreateatreeshape.Thetopofthetreeshouldcometoapoint,thetopofthenextslatshouldstart
1 2
insidethebottomoftheslataboveitbyabout ⁄ ",andthebottomslatshouldalsobeindentedabout ⁄ "(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
3. Useyourjigsawwiththewoodpiecesclampedtoaworksurfaceforadditionalstabilityandcuteachslatalongyourmarks(seeimage3).
IMAGE3
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4. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandeachpiece.
5. Useyourjigsawtocutyour1×2tolength.Youwantittobeabout2"shorterthantheheightofallofyourcuttreesectionstogether.Runabeadofglueontheflatsideof1×2toattacheachofthe3treeslatsandthetrunk.Startwiththebottomofthetrunklinedupwiththebottomonthe1×2(seeimage4).
IMAGE4
6. Letthegluedryovernight.Youcoulduseacinderblockorotherheavyobjectto“clamp”downtheslatswhilethegluedries.Youmayneedtosupportthecornersofthecinderblockwithscrapwoodtopreventtippingover.
7. Toinstallthebase,nailstraightupthroughthebasepieceintothetrunkand1×2support(seeimage5).
IMAGE5
Tip!!! Itriedmakingthesesmalltreeswithdifferentwidthpalletslatsanditlookedalittlewonkyformyliking.Theuniformslatsgiveitagoodtreeshapeandthevarietyinthecolorandtexturesofthewoodaddjusttherightelementofquirkformyliking.
AmericanflagIlovethelookofarustic,woodenflag.Wehavehadafewclothflagsovertheyearsthathavegottentatteredandtornafteryearsofblowinginthewind,andIthoughtthatinsteadofinvestinginanotheroneitwastimetomakeoneoutofwoodthatwouldprovetobemoredurable.Thisprojectturnedouttobetheperfectexampleofhowthingsdon’talwaysgorightthefirsttimearound.Somethingaboutmathanddivisionandfiftystarsinonelittleblueboxgavemybrainarunforitsmoney.But,all’swellthatendswell,evenifIdidhavetobuymorepainttocompensateformyshakymathskills.
investment:alittlepatriotismandanafternoon;ifyoudon’thavecraftpaintonhand,thatwillbeyouronlycostsupplies
6palletslats,about44"long1palletsupportboard,cutinto2pieces22"long24(1 ⁄ ")screwsred,white,andbluepaintmedium-gritsandpaperpotatopapertoweldarkwax(optional)
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawcordlessdrillcraftpaintbrushes4'straightedgepalmsander(optional)knife(tocutthepotato)natural-fiberbrush(optional—toapplythewax)
1. Useyourmiterorhandsawtocutyourpalletslatsandsupportboardstosize.Thesupportboardsshouldbeslightlyshorterthantheheightofyourpalletslatswhenlaidsidebyside.YoucanfindmanyresourcesfortheexactdimensionsoftheAmericanflagonline.Asaguide,atraditionalAmericanflagisalmosttwiceaswideasitishigh.Forthisproject,Iamusingalooseinterpretationofthosedimensions.Theyarecloseenoughthatanyonelookingattheflagwillknowitisprettydarnclose,butIdefinitelywouldn’twanttobejudgedforaccuracy.
2. Laythepalletslatssidebysidehorizontallyoverthe2supportboardsthatarelaidverticallyanduseyourcordlessdrilltoattach
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with1 ⁄ "screws;use2screwsperslatpersupportboard(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
length,44";andheight,23 ⁄ "
3. Next,we’regoingtomeasuretheblueboxontheflag.Abasicguideisthatthewidthoftheblueboxisabout ⁄ ofthemeasurementofthetotalheightoftheflag.So,sincemyflagisjustover23"high,Imeasured18"acrossthetop(18isabout ⁄ of23).Theheightoftheblueboxisjustoverhalfofthetotalheightofthewholeflag.Sincemyflagis6palletslatstall,Imadetheblueboxslightlybiggerthan3slatstall.
4. Painttheareafortheblueboxandthenpainttheremainderoftheflagwhite.Letdry.
5. Measure13equalhorizontalstripes,andmarkthemwiththe4'straightedge(seeimage2).Paintthetopstripeandeveryother
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12
3 4
3 4
stripered(seeimage3).Youwillendupwith7redstripesand6whitestripes.
IMAGE2
IMAGE3
6. Sandtheentirepiecewithmedium-gritsandpapertogiveitadistressedlook.
7. Nowwe’llmakeastampoutofthatpotato.Carveastarshapeoutofthepotatowithyourknife(seeimage4).(Ifyouhaveastarstencilorrubberstamp,youcouldusethatinstead.)Coatthestarwithwhitepaint.Stampstarsinthebluebox,alternatingbetweenrowsof6starsandrowsof5,endingupwith50total(seeimage5).Useapapertoweltowipeexcesspaintoffthepotatoasyougo.Now,ifyouhappentolineupyourstarswrong,notleavingyourselfenoughroomforall50stars,youmayneedtoreapplybluepaintandstartthepotatostampingover.NotthatIwouldknow.
IMAGE4
makingapotatostamp
IMAGE5
8. Tokickupthedistressedlookofyourprojectafewnotches,useanatural-fiberbrushtoapplyadarkwaxifdesired(seeimage6).Alittletipaboutthewax:alittlegoesaverylongway,especiallywithdarkwax.Startwithalittlebitandworkintoit,addingmoretoproduceamoredistressedlook.Also,youmayhavenoticedhowbrighttheredpaintlookedwhenIwaspainting.Ifyoudoplantofinishwithadarkwax,startwithbrighterpaintthanyouthinkyouwant—thewaxwilltoneitdownandgiveitanentirelydifferentlookwhenyouaredone.(FindmoredetailsaboutwaxingandotherfinishingtouchesinChapter7.)
IMAGE6
Tip!!! Youmayneedtoplayaroundwiththelayoutofyourpalletslatsbeforeyoufinalizetheirplacement.Somelaymorecloselylined-upwithcertainslatsthanothers.Andthisisagreat
projecttouseslatsthathavesplitsandcracksinthemifyouliketherusticlook;theslightvariationsaddtotherusticnatureoftheartpiece.
palletslattreeOnNovember1,2011,myveryfirstblogpostwasatutorialabouthowtomakeaChristmastreeoutofdriftwood.WehadbeeninCuraçaojustoverayearandtheideaofbuyingapinetreethathadbeenshippeddownfromtheUnitedStatesjustseemedsillytome.Usingatreeafriendofminehadmadetheyearbeforeasinspiration,Imadeafewdifferentvariationsofadriftwoodtreeforourholidaydecor,andshe’sstilloneofourfavoritethingstopullouteveryyearfortheholidays.I’vegiventhemasgifts,andImayormaynothaveacousinwhokeepshersoutyearround.Theprocessformakingapalletslattreeiseveneasierthanthe
driftwoodtree.There’ssomethingtobesaidforaprojectthatdoesn’thavetofollowanyspecificmeasurements.Maybeyouwantashortandstouttreeoratall,lankyone.Eitherwaylooksfunandquirky,andifyougetyourslatsattachedtoyourtreetrunkanddecideyouwanttoswitchitup,that’saneasyfix,too.Also,randompalletscrapsthatarecrackedorleftoverfromtheotherprojectswouldbeperfectforthisproject.
findthefulltutorialformakingdriftwoodtreesathttp://thespacebetweenblog.net/2011/11/01/pinterest-challenge-driftwood-christmas-tree/
investment:acoupleofhoursandafewdollars
supplies
8palletslats(somecanbescraps)2palletsupportboardsforthetreebaseandtrunk(theheightyouneedforyourtrunkwilldependonhowtallyouwantyourtree)4flatcornerLbracketswithscrewsself-adhesivefeltpads3(1 ⁄ ")screws16(1 ⁄ ")screwsmedium-gritsandpaper(optional)
tools
speedsquareorstraightedgemiterorhandsawtapemeasurecordlessdrillsawhorsepocketholejigor4Lbracketsclamppalmsander(optional)
1. Layoutpalletslatstocreatethetreeshapeyoulike(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
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2. Useaspeedsquareorstraightedgeandpenciltomarkeachslatatthedesiredlengthtocreatethetreeshape(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
3. Useamiterorhandsawtocuteachslatonthemarkstocreateyourtreeshape(seeimage3).
IMAGE3
4. Setthepalletslatsasideandassemblethetreetrunkandbase.Useamiterorhandsawtocut1supportboardinto3pieces:one15"longandtwo7"long.SettheminanXshapeforthebase(seeimage4).
IMAGE4
5. UseacordlessdrillandtheflatcornerLbracketstosecurethebasepiecestogetherwiththescrewsprovidedintheLbracketpackaging(seeimage5).
IMAGE5
6. Addtheself-adhesivefeltpadstothebottomofthebase(seeimage6)fortworeasons:
1. toprotectyourfloorswhendisplayingyourtree2. sotheXbasesitsflatevenwiththecornerLbrackets
attached
IMAGE6
7. Layyourpalletslatsintheshapeofyourtreetodeterminehowtallofatrunkyouneed(seeimage7).Useamiterorhandsawtocuttheremainingpalletsupportboardtosizeifnecessary.(Ifyouwantaparticularlytalltree,youcouldpurchasea2×4touseforthetrunkinsteadofusingapalletsupportboard.)
IMAGE7
8. Placethesupportboardyouareusingforthetrunkonasawhorseandsecureyourpocketholejigtotheboardwithaclamp.Useyourcordlessdrilltodrill3pocketholesinthebackoftheboard(seeimage8).Ifyoudon’thaveapocketholejigtodrillthepocketholes,youcanuseLbracketstoattachthetrunktotheXbase(seeimage9).
IMAGE8
IMAGE8
IMAGE9
9. Usethecordlessdrilltoattachthetrunktothebasethroughthepocketholeswith1 ⁄ "screws(seeimage10).
IMAGE10
10. Laythetrunkonastep,oranythingwithasimilarheightasthebackoftheXbasesothetrunkislayinghorizontally.Layouttheslatsforanapproximatedesign(seeimage11).
IMAGE11
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11. Attacheachslattothetrunkwith2(1 ⁄ ")screwsperslatusingyourcordlessdrill.Youcoulduseatapemeasuretoensuretheslatsarecentered,orjusteyeballit,mypreferredmethodinmostcases.
12. Decorateandenjoy(seeimage12).
IMAGE12
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13. Usingapalmsandertosmoothoutanyroughedgesonyourpalletslatsisalwaysagoodwaytofinishoffaproject.Or…paint,stain,anddistressafewslatsforamorecolorfullook(seeimage13)ifdesired.
IMAGE13
Tip!!! Foranyprojectyoumightwanttodisassembleatanypointconsiderusingscrewsinsteadofwoodglueandnails.Nowyoucaneasilytakeoutthescrewsandstorethistreeoutofsightthroughouttheyear.
traywithmiteredcorners
Astylishtraycanworkwellinmanyspacesforanythingfromaplacetostackyourmagazinesonyourcoffeetableorottomantoaservingstationforplatesandglasswareatyournextdinnerparty.Thevintagehandlesaddanotherelementofdetailtothisotherwisestraightforwarddesign.Ifyouwantedtoaddabitmoreflair,youcouldincorporatetheherringbonepatternfromtheHerringboneCoffeeTabletutorialinChapter6oranarrowdesign,similartothedrawersontheNightStandwithArrowDetailinChapter6.Thegraypatinaofthesespecificwoodslatsgavejusttherighttouchofarusticfeelthatonlyalightsandingwasnecessary,onlytoremoveanyloosesplinters.Beonthelookoutforpalletswithwoodtonesthatyouaredrawnto—thosewillworkwellforprojectsyouwanttokeepunsanded.
investment:acoupleofhoursandthecostofsomeoldhandlessupplies
3palletslats,cut21"long1palletslatatleast50"longtomitercutforthetrayedgesscrapwoodsupportpieces ⁄ "thickorless,about8"longmedium-gritsandpaperwoodglue1"nailsself-adhesivefeltpads(optional)1setofhandles(optional)2drillbits,onethatisslightlybiggerthanthethreadedendofthescrewsandasecondthatisslightlybiggerthantheheadofthescrewsforyourhandles(optional)
tools
tapemeasuremitersawtablesawpalmsander(optional)hammerornailguncordlessdrill(optional)
1. Laythe3slatsmeasuring21"longsidebyside;theywillendupbeingthebottomofyourtray.
2. Measurethewidthofthese3slats.Thismeasurementisthelengthoftheshortersideofyourmiteredcorners,thesidethatwillfacetheinsideofthetray.
3. Miteroneendoftheslatfortheedgesat45°angleontheedgesideofthepieceofwood.Rememberthesideoftheboardfacingtheinsideofthetrayneedstobeshorterthanthesideoftheboardfacingoutfromthetray.
4. Measurefromtheshortersideofthecutangletothelengthof
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yourmeasurementfromstep2andmarkit(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
lineupyourtapemeasurewiththeshortendofthemitercut
5. Cutanopposing45°cutatyourmark.Besuretocuttheangleintherightdirection,withlongeredgesonthesamesideoftheboardandtheshorteredgesontheotherside.
Tip!!! Sawbladesmeasure ⁄ "thick—keepthisinmindwhenliningupyoursawbladewithyourmarks.Lineupthebladejustoutsideyourlines.Youcanalwaystakeanothersliveroff,butIstillhaven’tfiguredouthowtoaddwoodbackwhenmycutsaretooshort.Angledcutscanbeparticularlytrickytolineup,sogoslowlyanderron
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thesideofmakingthecuttoolong.There’snoharminneedingtoshaveoffalittlebitwithafewextracuts.
6. Repeatthisprocessforthelengthofthetrayaswell.7. Runbothoftheedgepiecesthroughatablesaw,rippingitinhalf
lengthwiseandcreatingthe4totaledgepiecesyouneedforthetray(seeimage2).Youcanchoosetoleavetheedgepiecesfull-widthifyoudon’thaveatablesaw.Inthatcase,justbesuretomitercut2piecesateachofyourmeasurements(thelengthandwidthofyourtray—4piecestotal,2ofeachmeasurement).
IMAGE2
8. Useapalmsanderandmedium-orfine-gritsandpapertolightlysandallpalletwoodpiecesbeforeassembly.
9. Lay2supportpiecesontheirflatsidesabout6–10"apartandrunabeadofgluealongthetopofthem.
10. Attachthe3slatstothe2supportpieceswith1"nailstocreatethebottomofyourtray(seeimage3).Use2nailsperslatpersupportpiece(12total).Addtheself-adhesivefeltpadstothebottomofeachsupportpieceifdesired.
IMAGE3
11. Oneatatime,attacheachedgepiece.Add1nailperedgeallthewayaroundtogeteachmiteredcornerlinedupasmuchaspossiblewhileleavingflexibilitytomaneuvereachpieceintoplace(seeimage4).Youcouldalsorunabeadofglueifdesired.
IMAGE4
12. Wheneverythingislinedupascloselyaspossible,add2or3nailstoeachsideandsecureeachmiteredcornerwithanadditionalnail(seeimage5).
IMAGE5
13. Nowyouhaveafinelittletraytouseforanythingfromaplacetostackbooksonyourcoffeetabletoabaseforanicebowlandaccessoriesonasofatable.Ifdesired,youcouldstophere.But,forsomethingalittleextra,Ithoughtaddinghandleswouldbeafuntouch.AndsincethesetIusedcameoutofourbackyardshedtheyweren’tanyaddedexpense.(TheHabitatforHumanityReStoreisagoodplacetofinduseditemslikehandlesandhardware.)
14. Toaddthehandles,measuretofindthecenteralongtheedgepieceofeachendofyourtray.Youcanalsoeyeballyourcenterbasedonthecenterslatinthebottomofyourtray.
15. Usingthecentermarkandthehandlesyouareusingasaguide,measureforyourhandleholesandmark(seeimage6).
IMAGE6
16. Usingthescrewsthatgowithyourhandlesasaguide,findadrillbitthatisslightlybiggerthanthethreadedendofthescrewandaseconddrillbitthatisslightlybiggerthantheheadofthescrew(seeimage7).
IMAGE7
17. Makesureyourtrayisproppeduponscrapwoodoronasawhorsesoyourdrillhasroomtocomeoutbelowwithoutdamaginganythingunderneath.Drillallthewaythroughyourmarkswiththesmallerdrillbit(seeimage8).
IMAGE8
18. Screwthescrewsallthewayintothehandle(notattachingittothewoodyet)andplaceuptotheedgeofthetrayandmarkwheretheheadofthescrewwillbewhenthehandleisattached(seeimage9).
IMAGE9
19. Flipoveryourtrayandmarkonthelargerdrillbitwithpainter’stapehowfartodrilltoreachyourmark(seeimage10).
IMAGE10
20. Fromthebottomsideofyourtray,verycarefullydrillstraightthroughthesmallholeuntilthepainter’stapereachesthewood(seeimage11).Makesureyouuseanice,sharpdrillbit—thesharperthebit,thecleanertheholeitwillmake.Whenyouhaveverylittleroomforerrorthiswillgiveyouthegreatestopportunityforsuccess.
IMAGE11
21. Usethesmalldrillbittotapthescrewsintotheholessothethreadscomeoutthroughthetop(seeimages12and13).
IMAGE12
IMAGE13
22. Lineupthethreadsofthescrewswiththeholesonyourhandleanduseacordlessdrilltotightenthemsecurely.Tighteneachscrewalittleatatimetohelpthethreadsstaylinedupsothehandlescrewsincompletelystraight.Alldone!
chapter5
intheyard
Inthischapteryouwillfindprojectsgreatfortheoutsideofyourhomeandaroundyouryard.Afewrustictouchesaddedtoeventhemostmodernofdesignscanaddjusttherightamountofeclecticstyletobringyouryardfrombasictobeautiful.Asalways,feelfreetotailortheseprojectstoyourspecifichomeandaltermeasurementsorcolorstosuityourspaceandpreferences.
eclecticdirectionalsignDirectionalsignsareprettypopularhereinKeyWest.Youseetheminrandomyardsofhomesandatavarietyofdifferentbusinessesintown.Theyaremeasuringthedistancetoanyvarietyoflocationsaroundtheworld.SincemyhusbandandImoveeveryfewyears,itseemedlikeafunideatocreateourownsigntochroniclehowfarwecurrentlyarefromtheotherlocationswe’velived.Itcouldbefuntomakeonewiththelocationsofallofyourfamilymembers,ormaybeevenallofyourdream
vacations.Iactuallyusedoldfencepicketsformywoodinthisproject.Wehad
juststartedafenceupgradeinouryardandhadthemonhand.
investment:afewnightsofstencilingandpaintingwhilewatchingyourfavoritetelevisionshowsandthecostofa4×4postsupplies
palletslats(thenumberwilldependonhowmanysignsyouwanttomake)paint4×4post(orreclaimedwoodpost)medium-gritsandpaperpolyurethane1 ⁄ "screws(thenumberwilldependonhowmanysignsyouaremaking)
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawletterandnumberstencilssmallcraftpaintbrushespalmsander(optional)cordlessdrill
1. Decidehowmanysignsyouwouldliketomakeanduseamiterorhandsawtocutyourpalletslatstothedesiredlengthandshape.Mineareabout30",butnoneofthemisexactlythesame.Useyoursawtocutpointedendsatoneendofeachpalletslat.
2. Useasmallcraftpaintbrushtopaintyourdesiredlocationsanddistancesoneachsign(seeimages1and2).Youcanuseany
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font,stencil,orfree-handpaintstrategythatworksforyou.
IMAGE1
Iliketofirsttracetheoutlineandthenfillitinwithpaint
IMAGE2
afterfindinganimageonline,Ijusttraceditandcreatedmyownimperfectmilemarkerzerosign
3. Paintorstainyour4×4postifdesired.4. Useyourpalmsanderwithmedium-gritsandpapertosandand
distresseachpalletslatandthe4×4postifdesired.5. Coateachpalletslatandyour4×4postwithpolyurethanetosealif
desired.6. Useacordlessdrilltoattacheachsigntoyour4×4postwith1 ⁄ "
screws.7. Todisplayyournewcreation,youcouldeither:
digaholeand“plant”thispieceinapermanentlocationaddanXbasesoitstandsalone(seetheinstructionsformakinganXbaseinthePalletSlatTreeprojectinChapter4)
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Tip!!! Tofindthemileagefromonedistancetoanother,type,forexample,“mileagefromKeyWesttoMaine”intoasearchengine.
hangingbedThisprojectisinspiredbytheideaoflounginginahammockandswinginginthebreeze.Buthaveyouseenthepriceofagoodhammockthesedays?Ifyouuseapalletforyourbase,youronlyexpenseisthecostoftheropetohangandthenanycushionsandpillowsyouwanttoadd.Whendeterminingwhattohangyourbedfrom,besuretocheckwithprofessionalstomakesureitcancarrytheloadofthenewbedplustheweightofanyoneonit.Youmightalsoneedtodrillholesthroughsomethingtohangthisbed—again,checkthatyou’renotcompromisingthestructuralintegrityofanythingbeforeyoudrillintoit.Wewouldn’twantyourrelaxingafternoonnaptoturnintoacollisionwiththegroundbelow.Ifyoudon’thaveagoodspottohangapalletbed,youcouldjustlaythepalletsrightontheground.
laythepalletsrightontheground.Withthisprojectinmind,keepyoureyesoutforagood-sizepallet—
onethatisapproximatelytwiceaslongasitiswidewouldbeperfect.Youcouldevenaskatdifferentstorestoseeiftheyeverreceivethatsizeofpallet;maybethey’llsetitasideforyou.
thefirstpalletbedImadeforourrooftoppatioinCuraçao;youcanfindthefullprojectathttp://thespacebetweenblog.net/2012/06/04/how-to-make-a-pallet-bed/
investment:youdon’tevenhavetotakeapalletapartforthisone,butyouwillneedtobuysomeropeandcushions;youmightneedtoenlistthehelpofafriend,butthenyoucantakeanaponyournewbedafteraboutanhourofworksupplies
1fullpalletabout80"×40"3(2×4)piecescutthesamelengthasyourpallet
18(2 ⁄ ")screws40'of ⁄ "rope,cutinto2equalsections(theactuallengthyouneedwilldependontheheightofwhateveryouarehangingyourbedfrom)painter’stape
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawhammerormalletcordlessdrill1"drillbitserratedknife
1. Findapalletyourdesiredsize.Youwon’tbetakingitapartsolookforapalletwiththeslatssecurelyattached.Ifanyslatsareloose,afewscrewsworkwelltoreattachthem.
2. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasurethelengthofyourpallet.3. Useamiterorhandsawtocutallofthe2×4stothatsame
measurement.4. Attacha2×4toeachofthe3supportboardsonyourpallettogive
itthestructuralintegrityitneedstosupportweightwhilehanging.Youwillinsertthemallfromoneendandyoucannudgethemalongwithahammerormalletifnecessary.Butteach2×4rightbesidethesupportboardsandattachthemwith2 ⁄ "screws,5or6perboard(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
1 2
3 4
1 2
5. Startingattheedgeofeachcornerofthepallet,measure7"inonthelongsidesofthepalletanddrilla1"holeateachspotthroughboththesupportboardandthe2×4(seeimage2).Youwillbemaking4separateholes.
IMAGE2
youcouldskipthisdrillingandjusttietheropearoundthewholepallet,butthesedrilledholeswillkeeptheropeinaspecificspot
6. Measurethedistancedownfromwhereyouwillbehangingyourbedtothepointintheairyouwouldlikeyourbedtohang.Doublethatmeasurementandthenadd4'—thisishowlongyouwillwanttocutyourrope.Forexample,ifyourmeasurementis6'youwillwant16'ofrope.
7. Measureyourropetothelengthfromstep6.Wrapapieceofpainter’stapearoundtheropeatthatmeasurementanduseaserratedknifetocuttheropethroughthepainter’stape.
8. Repeatthepreviousstepsoyouhave2piecesofropethesamelength—forthistutorial,eachpiecewouldbe16'long.
9. Runanendof1pieceofropethroughoneoftheholesyoudrilledinyourpalletandtieaknot.Ifyouwanttheknotshowing,runthe
ropesotheendisoutsideofthepallet(seeimages3and4).
IMAGE3
IMAGE4
10. Repeatstep9,runningtheothersectionofropethroughtheholeintheotherendofthepalletonthatsameside.
11. Runbothsectionsofropeoverwhatyouwillbehangingyourbedfrom.Itisveryhelpfultohaveasecondsetofhandstoassistyoufromhereonout.
12. Repeatstep9withtheotherendsofeachpieceofrope,threadingthemthroughtheholesyoudrilledontheothersideofyourpallet.Pulltheropetaughtsoyourbedhangsatyourdesiredheightbeforetighteningeachknot.Forafancierknotyoucouldtieaslipknot—theweightofthebedwillpulltheknottightbutitwillalsobeeasytoloosenifyoueverneedtomoveyourbed.(Searchonlineforaslipknottutorialifyou’dliketousethatoption.)
13. Trimtheropeifnecessaryanddeckoutyournewbedwithcushions,pillows,andapuppyblankets.
Tip!!! Ifyouhaveatablesaw,youcanruneach2×4throughthetablesawontheflatsidetoripdownthewidthby ⁄ "tomakeiteasiertoinsertthemintoyourpallet.Eventhoughthehammerormallettechniquewiththefull-size2×4takesalittlemoreeffort,itdoesstillwork.
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shuttersAsimplesetofshuttersisaneasywaytoaddalittlecurbappealtothefrontofyourhome.Youdon’tevenneedtoaddthemtoeverysinglewindowofyourhouse—considerjustmakingapairforthewindowsthatcanbeseenfromthestreet.Dependingonthesizeofyourwindows,youmightactuallybeabletousepalletslats,butforthistutorialI’veusednew1×4stoshowthatwithalittlesandingandstainingtheycanenduphavingthesamelookasapalletslat.Thetoolsandsupplieslistassumesyou’remaking2shutters,somultiplyeverythingby2foreachadditionalsetyou’dliketomake.
setyou’dliketomake.Andwhenitcomestothesizingofwindowshutters,whatwillbe
appropriateforyourwindowswillvarydependingonthestyleofyourhouseandyourpersonalpreference.Takeadrivearoundyourareaandseewhereyourneighbors’shutterslineupwiththeirwindows.Aretheyastallastheirwindowtrim?Aretheyverynarrowordotheyappeartobeabouthalfthewidthoftheentirewindow?Whichstyledoyoulikebest?Theseobservationswillhelpyoudetermineyourspecificshuttermeasurements.Orjustwingitandmakewhateversizeyouwant;there’snohardandfastrulehere.Becausereally,wholikesrules?Andifyou,too,needtousenewwood,rememberthattheactualmeasurementofa1×4is ⁄ "×3 ⁄ ".3 4 1 2
checkouthowweaccentedtheshuttersontheporchwithmanyupcycledelementsathttp://thespacebetweenblog.net/2014/04/17/creating-curb-appeal-front-porch-decorating/
investment:thedryingtimeforthestainandpolyurethanecouldtakeafewdaysdependingonhowmanycoatsyouwant,buttheonlycostisthepriceofthe1×4sandtheshutterhardware,assumingyoualreadyhavewoodstainandpolyurethanesupplies
1×4s(howmanyyouneedandthelengthwilldependonthesizeofyourwindowsandthestyleofshutteryouchoose)medium-gritsandpapercottoncloth(forstainapplication)woodstainpolyurethanewoodglue1 ⁄ "screwsshutter-hanginghardware(foundatmosthomeimprovementorhardwarestores)
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawpalmsander(optional)paintbrush(forapplyingpolyurethane)cordlessdrill
1. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasuretheheightandwidthofyourwindows.
2. Useamiterorhandsawtocutyour1×4stothesamelengthastheheightofyourwindows.Howmanypiecesyouneedtocutwilldependonthewidthofyourwindows.
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3. Useamiterorhandsawtocut2piecesof1×4pershutter2"shorterthanthewidthofeachshutter.Forexample,eachofmyshuttersarethewidthof4piecesof1×4,withatotalwidthof14",soIcutmypieces12"long.
4. Useapalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandeach1×4piecemakingsuretoremoveanysplinteringwood(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
5. Useacottonragtoapplystaintoeachpiece(seeimage2).Don’tforgettheendsandsides.Refertoyourcanofstainfortherecommendeddrytimebeforeyouproceedtothenextstep.
IMAGE2
6. Useapaintbrushtoapply3coatsofpolyurethane.Refertoyourcanofpolyurethaneforrecommendeddrytimebetweeneachcoat.
7. Aftertheappropriatedrytime,lineupthe1×4sthatarethesamelengthasyourwindowssidebysideandmeasure8"downfromthetopand8"upfromthebottomandmark(seeimage3).
IMAGE3
8. Runabeadofwoodglueontheflatsideof1ofthe12"pieces(orwhateversizeyoumadethembasedontheshutterwidthyouchose)andlineupthetopofitwiththemarkatthetopoftheshutterandlayit,centered,acrossthewindow-lengthpieces.Useyourcordlessdrilltosecureitwith1 ⁄ "screws.Ifyouwantthescrewshidden,screwtheminfromthebackofthewindow-lengthpiecesintothehorizontal12"piece.Theywon’tbeseenwhenyourshuttersareopen.Justlaythe12"piecesontheground,thenlineupthewindow-lengthslatsontop.Eventhoughyoucan’tseethe12"piece,youcanuseyourtapemeasuretoensureyouattachitintherightspot(seeimage4).
IMAGE4
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9. Runabeadofwoodglueononeflatsideofanother12"pieceandlineupthebottomofitwiththemarkatthebottomoftheshutter.Useyourcordlessdrilltosecureitwith1 ⁄ "screws.
10. Repeatsteps8and9foreachadditionalshutter.11. Attachyourshutterhardwarewiththescrewsprovidedinthe
packagingatyourdesiredheight(seeimage5).Theexactmeasurementdoesn’tmatteraslongasyouattacheachshutterusingthesamemeasurementsotheylookuniformoncehung.
IMAGE5
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welcomematAwoodmatwouldbeafunadditiontoanythingfromanoutdoorshowertotheentranceofalogcabin,whereit’dbetheperfectspottoleavebootstodryafteradayfrolickinginthesnow.Forthisspecificproject,Ispentalotoftimesandingmyslatssmooth.Thereisalwaysachancebarefeetcouldfindtheirwayontoanymat,soIjustwantedtobesureminewasassmoothaspossible.Mypocketholejigmadethisprojectreallyeasyaswell.Thisisn’texactlyaneverydaytool,butifyou’reinterestedinanykindofwoodworkingIwouldseriouslyconsiderinvestinginone.Ifyoudon’tcurrentlyownone,acoupleofalternativesforthisprojectcouldbetouseflatbracketsscrewedintotheundersideofyourmatoreventodrillthroughthethicknessofeachslatandconnectthemtogetherwithametaldowel.ForthisprojectIchoseathickslat.Theseareabout1"thickandI
foundthemallononeheavy-dutypallet.Duetothenatureoftheproject,
foundthemallononeheavy-dutypallet.Duetothenatureoftheproject,beinganoutdoormat,Ifiguredthethickertheslat,thelongerthelifeshewillhave.
investment:thesandingisthemosttime-consumingpart,butyou’restillonlylookingataboutanhourofworksupplies
4palletslats,38"long23palletslatpieces,5"longmedium-gritandfine-gritsandpaper1 ⁄ "screwswoodstain(optional)woodsealer(optional)
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawpalmsander(optional)clamppocketholejigcordlessdrillcottoncloth(optional—forapplyingstain)paintbrush(optional—forapplyingsealer)
1. Measureandcutyourslatstosizeusingamiterorhandsaw.Useyourpalmsandertosandaflatsideofeachpalletslatpiecethoroughly,firstusingmedium-gritsandpaperandthenfine-grittogetasmoothfinish(seeimage1).
IMAGE1
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2. Layoutyourmatdesignwiththesandedsideofyourslatsfacingdown.Markyourpocketholelocationsontheunsandedside.Withfullslats38"longandpiecescut5"long,therewillbeapproximately6"betweeneachpiece;alternaterowsoffullslatsandrowsofpieceswithopenings(seeimage2).
IMAGE2
3. Oneatatimesecurethepalletpiecestoaworksurfaceandyourpocketholejigwithaclampanddrillthepocketholesusingyourcordlessdrill.Repeatwiththeremainingpalletpieces.Idecidedtodrill2pocketholespercutpiecetoattachthemsecurelyintothefullslats(seeimages3and4).
IMAGE3
thepencilmarksshowwherethepocketholeswillgo
IMAGE4
4. Connectallofthedots,er,slatsthroughyourpocketholeswith1 ⁄ "screws(seeimage5).Iendedupusing52screws.
IMAGE5
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5. Ifdesired,stainandthenprotectitwithawoodsealer(seeimage6).Thisisalwaysoptional,butitisagoodideatohelpextendthelifeofanyprojectyou’llbeusingoutside.
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winerackwithstemwarestorageThisprojectissuchafunadditiontoanyoutdoorspace.Thisrustic-chicwinerackwithanadditionalstoragerackforstemglasswarebelowistheperfectconversationpieceinanyeclecticyard.Sinceitisbesttostorewineonitsside,thispieceprovidestheperfectspotforshort-termstorageduringabackyardgatheringorasaservingareaforanykindofbeverageyou’reoffering.Ifyoudon’tdrinkwine,noworries—thissamedesignwithoutthewineglassstoragewouldmakeafunmagazinerackonawallorevenacookbookholderforyourkitchen.
investment:therearesomedetailcutsthattakealittleextratime;justconsiderittherightamountoftimetoletyourwhitewinechillwhileyou
makethistotallyfreeprojectsupplies
1fullpalletwithnotchedsupportboards2"screws1wineglass(touseasameasuringguide)2scrappalletslatpieces,about2"widemedium-gritsandpaper
tools
speedsquarereciprocatingsaw(orcircularsaw,jigsaw,ormiterorhandsaw)sawhorses(optional,dependingonthesawused)tablesaw(optional,dependingonpalletslatwidths)tapemeasurecordlessdrilljigsawpalmsander(optional)
1. Laythefullpalletonthegroundwiththenotchedsideofthesupportboardsfacingup(seeimage1).
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Ididn’tbothertocleanthefullpalletfirstsinceIwasonlygoingtobeusingasmallpartofit
2. Useaspeedsquaretomarkalineoneachsupportboardofyourpalletthatlinesupwiththetopofthesecondslatfromtheendonthebacksideofyourpallet(seeimage2).Dependingonthewidthofyourpalletslatsandhowfaraparttheyareattachedtothesupportboards,youwillendupcuttingyoursupportboardsabout10–12"longandtherewillbe1palletslatattachedtothefrontand2attachedtotheback.
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3. Useyoursawtocuteachsupportboardonyourmark(seeimage3).IusedareciprocatingsawbecauseIcouldjustpropupthatendofthepalleton2piecesof2×4scrapwoodandcut.Ifyouwouldprefertosetyourpalletonasetofsawhorses,youcoulduseacircularsaw,jigsaw,orevenahandsaw.
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4. Youmightnothavethis,butmysupportboardsstuckoutalittlebeyondthepalletslatsattheend.Ifyoursdothesame,cutthemflushwiththepalletslatwithareciprocatingsaw(seeimage4).
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5. Measurethedepthofyourentirepallet(seeimage5).
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6. Removeapalletslatoftherightwidth(basedonthemeasurementinstep5)fromthepalletyoujustcutapart.Useyourcordlessdrilltoattachittothebottomofyourpalletpiecewith2"screws,using2persupportpiece(seeimage6).Youmightneedtoripapalletslattosizewithatablesaw,butIgotluckyandhadonejusttherightwidth.
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7. Youcouldstoprighthereandjustfinishheroffwithsomesandingandmaybeapersonalizedmessagelike“Sean’sReserveCollection,”butwherethere’swinethereneedstobewineglasses,solet’saddarackalongthebottomforsomeconvenientwineglassstorage.
8. Cutoff1morepalletslatfromthatsamepalletwiththesamemeasurementfromstep5.
9. Usingawineglassasaguideandatapemeasuretoensureequaldistancebetweeneachglass,markhowfarapartyouwouldlikeeachwineglasstohangupsidedownfromtherack(seeimage7).Asaframeofreference,mywinerackmeasures40"longandIdecided5"lookedlikeagooddistanceapartforthewineglasses.
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10. Usingtheequallyspacedmarksasaguide,useaspeedsquaretomarkU-shapedopeningsthatareabout3"longand1"wide(seeimage8).
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markwheretocutopeningstohangyourwineglasses;theseareabout5"apart
11. UseajigsawtocutouteachU-shapedopening.Didallofmycutscomeoutexactlythesamesizeandshape?Nope.Doesitmatter?Nope.
12. Cutthepalletslatscrapsabout2"×4"long.Theywillfunctionasspacerswhenyouattachthewineglassholderboardtoleaveenoughofagapforthebaseofyourwineglasses.
13. Laythewinerackonitsback.Lineupthe2"piecesofpalletslatwitheachendofthewinerackalongthebottomside.LayerthepalletslatwithyourU-shapedopenings(openingsfacingthefrontofthewinerack)ontopofthe2"palletslatpieces(sothe2"piecesarecreatingagapbetweenthewineglassholderslatandthewinerack).Markandthendrill2pilotholeswithyour ⁄ "drillbit;theseholewillgothroughthewineglassholderslatandthe2"palletslatpieces.Make2holesperslatpieceabout2"apart(seeimage9).
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14. Useyourpalmsanderwithmedium-gritsandpapertosandeverypieceoftheentireprojectnow,beforeyouattachthewineglassholderboard.Itwillbeeasiertosandineachofthewineglassholdercutsbeforeassembly.
15. Lineupeverythingasyoudidinstep13.Use2(2")screwsperendtoattachthewineglassholdertothescrappiecesandontothebottomofyourwinerack.
16. Justtoprovethatmostprojectsdon’tworkoutasplanned,acoupleoflittlepiecesofthepalletslatbrokeoffasIwascuttingtheUshapes(seeimage10).Didtheynotknowtheyweresupposedtoendupinabook?.ButthatendedupgivingmetheperfectopportunitytotrysomethingI’vewantedtotryforawhile—usingarakeasanothereclecticwaytoholdwineglasses(see
image11).I’veactuallyhadthisrakeonhandforawhile;whenthehandlebrokeoffitIjustcouldn’tgetmyselftothrowitout.
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Tip!!! Atthriftstoresandyardsales,keepaneyeoutforrustyolditemsthatyoucanupcycleintosomethingelseentirely,likewedidwiththerakeinthisproject.
17. Toattachtheraketothewinerack,Ijustfoundadrillbitslightlylargerthantherakehandlesothehandlewouldfitthroughit.Drillthisholeupthroughthebottomofthewinerackfromoneofthecut-outsthathadbroken.ThenIusedasmallnailwedgedinthesmallopeningofthehandleoftherakeasamakeshiftpintopreventthehandlefromslidingbackoutofthehole.(Seeimages12–14.)
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18. Tohangthewinerack,Iused2"screwstoattachitdirectlytothewoodenfencearoundouryard;thestabilityofthefenceprovidestherightamountofsupportforthispiecethatcangetheavyfilledwithfullbottlesofwine.
planterboxwithmiteredcorners
Now,I’mnogreenthumbbutIfigureifmyplanterboxesareatleastcute,peoplemightnotnoticethenear-deathexperiencemostofmyplantsseemtobehaving.Ahhh,thepowerofdistraction.(Areminder:don’tplantanythingyouaregoingtoeatinaplantermadeoutofpallets.CheckoutallofthegeneralpalletwoodprecautionsinChapter1.)Apairofthesecutelittleplanterboxeswouldlooksogreatflankingafrontdoororwalkway.Or,placeoneafteranotheronyourporchsteps.Usingpressure-treatedwoodifyou’rebuyingitnewisalwaysagoodideaforanyprojectthatwillliveoutside—thetreatmenthelpspreventdecayandinsectinfestation.Youcouldevenadjustthemeasurementsofthisdesignandmakealong,narrowrectangleshapeandfillinanotherwiseneglectedareaofyouryardwithaplanterboxthatwilllookgoodwhetherornotyoucankeeptheflowersinthemalive.Forthisproject,themiteredcornersinthetutorialaddanextralevelof
difficulty.Ifyoudon’tfeellikeyou’requitethereyet,usebracketsandattachyourcornersthatway.Ormaybethisistheprojectwhereyoudecidetotacklethatnewskill.Goforit!Asalways,Iencourageyoutousewhatpalletwoodyouhaveonhand.I’veoutlinedthistutorialspecifictothemeasurementsofthepalletslatsIhadavailable,sobesuretodouble-checkallyourmeasurementsasyougo.Tobeginthisproject,Iused6full-lengthpalletslatsmeasuredandcutinto12equal-lengthpieces,butyouroverallmeasurementforthesedoesn’thavetomatchthistutorialexactly.So,you’vegotoptions,andwhodoesn’tloveoptions?
investment:acouplehours,andthecostofan8'-long1×4andabitofplywood,unlessyouareusingwoodpiecesyoualreadyhavesupplies
12palletslats,cut17"long
8(1×4)woodpieces,cutthemeasurementofthewidthof3slatssidebyside,minewere11 ⁄ "longmedium-gritsandpaperpaintorstain(optional)1 ⁄ "screws13 ⁄ "squarepieceof ⁄ "plywood(orwhateverscrapwoodyouhaveonhand)4(1×2)woodpieces,9"longwoodglue1 ⁄ "nails
tools
tapemeasuremitersaworhandsawpalmsander(optional)paintbrushcordlessdrilltablesaw⁄ "drillbithammerornailgun
1. Theplanterdesignhas3palletslatsrunninghorizontallyalongeachsidewith21×4srunningverticallyupeachendofeachsidetocreateamiteredcorner.Useyourmitersawtocutthepalletslatsand1×4saccordingtothemeasurementsprovidedortothesizeofyourchoiceanduseyourtapemeasuretofindthetotalheightof3palletslatslineduphorizontally;thencutthe1×4stothatlength(seeimages1and2).
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insteadofusingtheexactmeasurementsforthistutorial,youcanlay6palletsslatssidebyside,measurethelongestdistanceontheshortestboard(showninthisphoto),and
usethatdistancetodeterminehowlongyour12slatsshouldendup
IMAGE2
the1×4boardswillrunperpendiculartoyourpalletslats
2. Sandthe1×4sandthepalletslatsusingapalmsanderwithmedium-gritsandpaper.Paintorstainthe1×4boardsifdesired.Thepainthelpscamouflagethedifferenceinthelookofthe1×4sandthepalletslats.(Andhopefullyitwillhelpdistractattentionfromanypotentialflowermisadventuresthatmayenduphappeninginthisveryplanter).
3. Laythepalletslatssidebysidehorizontallyin4separaterowsof3slatseach.Lineupthe1×4boardsverticallyalongtherightandleftedgeofeachoftherows,andplacethemunderneaththepalletslats.Useyourcordlessdrilltoattachthepalletboardstotheverticalpieceswith1 ⁄ "screws(thesideswithouttheverticalpieceswillbetheinsideofyourplanter)(seeimage3).Whenattachingyourscrewsstay2 ⁄ "fromtheedgetoleaveroomforthemitercutinthenextstep.
IMAGE3
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4. Nowyouhave4assembledsectionsthatwillbethe4sidesofyourplanter(seeimage4),andyou’rereadytomiteryourcorners!Technically,whatwe’reabouttodoiscalledrippingabevel.Thebevelistheangleyouarecuttingintothelengthofthewood(alsoknownasabevelededge),andanytimeyoucutalongthelengthofaboard,asopposedtochoppingaboardinhalf,itiscalledaripcut.
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5. Adjustyourtablesawbladetoa45°angleanddouble-checktoensureyourscrewswon’tinterferewiththebladewhenyou’recutting(seeimage5).
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6. Runthe1×4edgesofeachsidethroughyourtablesaw.Makesurethesideswiththe1×4boardsattachedendupasthelongersides;thosearegoingtobetheoutsidecornersofyourplanterbox.
7. Measurethewidthofyourpiecesfromthebackside,insidecornertoinsidecorner(seeimage6).
IMAGE6
8. Cutthe ⁄ "plywood(orwhateveryouhaveonhandthatwouldworkforthebottomofyourplanter)tothatmeasurement.Mineendedup14"square,butIcutmyplywood13 ⁄ "toensureitwouldfitbecausemeandmeasuringdon’talwaysgetalong.Usea ⁄ "drillbittodrilldrainageholesinthebottompiece—Idrilled10holes.
9. Useamiterorhandsawtocutthe1×2piecestolength,about2"shorterthanthesizeofyourplywoodfromthepreviousstepwillwork.Attacha1×2toeachplanterside,roughlycenteredandlinedupwiththebottom,with1 ⁄ "screws(seeimage7).Theselittle1×2piecesservetwopurposes:1.theycreateaneasyledgetosupportthebottomsquarepiece2.theyleaveroomfordrainageinthebottomofyourplanter
IMAGE7
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lineupthebottomofthe1×2withthebottomedgeofeachplanterside
10. Runabeadofgluealongthemiteredcornerofasidepanel,linethatcorneruptothemiteredcornerofthenextsidepanel,anduseahammerornailguntosecurewith1 ⁄ "nails(seeimages8and9).Repeatthisprocess,connectingeachmiteredcornerofeachsidepaneltocreateasquare.
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11. Insertthe13 ⁄ "squarepieceintothebottomoftheplantertorestonthe1×2s,andgettoplanting.Apeacelilyfillstheplanteroutnicely,oraferncouldbeaniceaccenttoaporchorpatio.
Tip!!! Whenattachingmiteredcorners,itlooksniceifyouhammerallthenailsintoonlytwoofthesides,leavingtwosideswithoutanynailholes.Ifyouthinkyourpieceneedsnailsfromeveryside,youcanalwaysusewoodfillerineachnailholeandrepaintifyou’dlikeacleanerlook.
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coolersurroundTherearen’tmanythingsmorefunthanabackyardbarbecuewithfamilyandfriends.Loungingonawarmsummer’sday,drinkinganice-coldbeverage,andshootingthebreezewithyourfavoritepeople.Addthisrusticcoolersurroundwithabuilt-inbottleopenertothemixandnotonlydoesitmakeyourbeverageseasytoreach,butitalsoaddsalittlestyletothestandardoldcooler.Thistutorialassumesa ⁄ "-thickpalletslatandaStyrofoamcooler
measuring14 ⁄ "long,12"wide,and12"deep.Measurethethicknessofyourslatsandthesizeofyourcoolertodeterminetheexactlengthofnailsandscrewsthatwillworkbestforyourprojectandexactlyhowmanyslatsyouwillneedtocoveryourcooler.Youwillwantyourpalletslats,whenlinedupsidebysidehorizontally,tomeasureatleast3"longerinwidththantheheightofyourcooler.Also,4×4postsareeasytofindatanylumberyard,butIwasabletoreuseouroldpatiopoststhatweupdatedtoathicker,chunkieroption;that’swhyyou’llnoticetheyalreadyhavesomechippywhitepaintonthem.
investment:thereareafewlittlepartsthatneedtobepurchasedforthisproject,andoverallitwillprobablytakeonlyanafternoonofworksupplies
Styrofoamcooler,14 ⁄ "×12"×12"22palletslats, ⁄ "thick:
10palletslats,12"long(thesamelengthasthewidthofyourcooler)—4areusedforeachendofthecoolersurroundand2areusedforadditionalsupportoneachendofthelegs
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1 2
1 2
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10palletslats,16"long(thesamelengthasyourcoolerplus1 ⁄ ")—4areusedforeachsideofthecoolersurroundand2areusedforadditionalsupportoneachsideofthelegs2palletslats,14 ⁄ "long(thesamelengthasyourcooler)—thesesupportthebottomofthecooler
1 ⁄ "screws4(4×4)posts,27"long2"screws4palletslats,12"long(thesamelengthasthewidthofyourcooler—forthelid)woodglue2palletslatsripped1 ⁄ "wide*withmiteredcornersontheedgeside,12"longontheshortside(fortheedgearoundthelid)2palletslatsripped1 ⁄ "wide*withmiteredcornersontheedgeside,14 ⁄ "longontheshortside(fortheedgearoundthelid)1 ⁄ "nailsall-purposeadhesivemedium-gritsandpapersinkdrainscreentubandtileadhesivecaulkdrainplugbottleopener(thekindthatcanbescrewedontosomething)1handlewithhardware
tools
tapemeasuremitersaworhandsawclamppocketholejig
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1 2
1 4
3 4
3 4
1 2
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cordlessdrillcarpenter’ssquaretablesawhammerornailgunpalmsander(optional)serratedknife
1. Removeanyhandlesfromyourcooler.(Theplastickindtendtobreakrightoffwiththejusttheforceofyourownstrength.)
2. Useatapemeasuretomeasurethesizeofyourcooler(wewillworryaboutthelidalittlebitlater),length,width,andheight.Sincewe’renotmiteringthecorners,add1 ⁄ "tothemeasurementofthelongestsideofyourcooler,butmeasuretheendatexactlythecoolermeasurement.Forexample,mycooleris14 ⁄ "long,soIcuttheslatsforthosesides16"long,andmycooleris12"wide,soIcuttheslatsforthosesides12"long.
3. Makeallofthepalletslatcutsforthesurroundwithyourmiterorhandsaw.
4. Lineupthe4slatsforeachsideofthesurroundsidebysidehorizontallywithwhatwillendupfacingtheoutsideofthecoolersurroundfacingdown(seeimage1).Markwheretodrillyourpocketholes,3holesperslatshoulddo.Includeafewmarksateachendtoattacheachsidepaneltogethertocreatetherectangleshape.
IMAGE1
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5. Useaclamptosecureeachslattoaworksurfaceandyourpocketholejiganddrillpocketholesonyourmarkswithyourcordlessdrill.
6. Useacordlessdrilland1 ⁄ "screwstoattachtheslatsthroughthepocketholes(seeimage2).
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7. Attachthe4sidepanelswith1 ⁄ "screws,creatinganemptyrectangle(seeimage3).
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8. Prayyourcoolerfitsinside—kidding!9. Putyourcoolerinsideyoursurroundandlineupthetopofthe
coolerwiththetopofthesurround.Thebottomrowofpalletslatswillextendbelowyourcooler(seeimage4).
IMAGE4
10. Flipitoversothetopofthecoolerisrestingontheground,andlet’saddourbottomsupports.
11. Drill2pocketholesineachendofthepalletslatsthatarecutthesamelengthasthelengthofyourcooler.
12. Usingyourcordlessdrilland1 ⁄ "screws,attachthebottomsupportsinsidethebottomofthesurroundthroughthepocketholesandintothesurround(seeimage5).
IMAGE5
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13. Setthecoolerandsurroundasideandmeasureandcutthe4×4postswithyourmitersaw.
14. Laythe4×4postsonthegroundinsetsof2sidebysideand12"apartfromoutsidetooutside.
15. Laythe12"legsupportslatsperpendicularacrosseachpairof4×4posts.Thebottomofthepalletslatwillmeasure7"fromthebottomofthe4×4posts,andtheendofeachslatwilllineupwiththeedgeofeach4×4post(seeimage6).
IMAGE6
16. Use2"screws,2perslatper4×4,toattachtheslatstothe4×4legs.
17. Useacarpenter’ssquarelinedupwiththeedgeandbottomofthepoststocheckforsquare(seeimage7).
IMAGE7
18. Nowrotatethe2setsof4×4postssothe12"slatsthatyoujustattachedrunverticallyupawayfromtheground.Thepairsoflegsshouldbe14 ⁄ "apartfromtheoutsidetooutsideifeachlegandthe12"slatthatisattachedwillbeontheoutsideofeachleg.
19. Lineup1ofthe16"legsupportslatswiththeoutsideedgeofthealreadyattached12"slatandattachwith2"screws,2per4×4(seeimage8).
IMAGE8
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20. Flipeverythingoversothe16"slatyoujustattachedislyingonthegroundandlineupthefinal16"slatwiththealreadyattached12"slats,andattachwith2"screws.
21. Standthelegsupandsetthecoolersurroundoverthelegs.Youcouldattachthesurroundtothelegsherewith2"screws,butIthinkitisnicetohavethepartsremovableforeaseincarryingitandstorage.
22. Now,forthelid.Thispartcanbeabitofachallengedependingonthewidthoftheslatsyouhaveavailable.WithwhatIhad,itworkedbesttoruntheslatsforthelidfromfronttoback.Dependingonyourmeasurements,youmayneedtoripaslatsoit’sthecorrectwidth.
23. MeasurethelengthandwidthatthelongestpointsonthelidthatcamewithyourStyrofoamcoolerandcut4slatsthesamemeasurementasthewidth.
24. Laythe4cutslatssidebysideandmakeanynecessarycutswithyourtablesawsothewidthofthe4slatstogetherequalsthelengthofyourStyrofoamlid.
25. Withthe4slatssidebyside,andwhatwillbethetopofyourlidfacingdown,markyourpocketholes.
26. Useaclamptosecureeachslattoaworksurfaceandyourpocketholejiganddrillyourpocketholesonyourmarkswithyourcordlessdrill.
27. Runabeadofwoodgluebetweeneachslatandthenattachwith1 ⁄ "screwsthroughyourpocketholes.
28. WiththeStyrofoamcoolerinthewoodensurround,placetheStyrofoamlidontheStyrofoamcooler.LaytheattachedlidslatsontopoftheStyrofoamlidandmeasuretheheightfromthetopofthecoolertothetopofthelidslats(seeimage9).
IMAGE9
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29. Withyourtablesaw,ripyouredgepiecestothemeasurementfromthepreviousstep.
30. Usethelid’smeasurementsandmiterthecornersoftheedgepiecesontheedgeside.Minewerecut14 ⁄ "and12"ontheshortsideofthemitercuts,equaltothemeasurementsofmycoolerlid.
31. Layyourlidslatsonthegroundwithyourpocketholesvisible.Runabeadofgluearoundeachedgeanduseahammerornailguntoattachthemiterededgepieceswith1 ⁄ "nails(seeimage10).
IMAGE10
32. Runbeadsofall-purposeadhesiveontheundersideofthelid,wherethepocketholesare,andadheretheStyrofoamlid.
33. Nowuseyourpalmsandertosandyourentirecoolersurroundandlidwithmedium-gritsandpaperandreadonifyou’dliketoaddafewfinishingtouches.
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34. Timetoaddadrain.Youcanfindagreatselectionofsinkdrainscreensandplugsatanybig-boxhomeimprovementstore.Tracearoundthescreenontothebottomofthecooleranduseaserratedknifetocutoutthecircle.Runabeadoftubandtileadhesiveunderthelipofthesinkscreenandinsertthescreenintotheholesotheadhesivesealsanygapstopreventleaking.Insertthedrainplug(seeimages11–14).
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35. Ontothebottleopener!What’sacoolerwithoutawaytoopenthebeveragesinside?Permanentlymountedbottleopenerscanbefoundatavarietyofonlineandspecialtystores,andtheyonlyrequireacoupleofscrewstoattach.Placeyourswhereyouwantitandattach.
36. Finally,thehandle!Foreaseofopening,asinglehandleattachedtothecenterofthetopoftheliddoesthetrick.Youcouldalsoaddacoupleofhingestopermanentlyattachthelidtothesurroundifyou’dlike.Usethehardwarethatcamewithyourhandleandattachit.
37. Now,who’sthirsty?
Tip!!! Mostofthebig-boxhomeimprovementstoreswillmakecutsforyou;itmightbeeasiertotransportyour4×4postshomeiftheyarealreadycuttolengthatthestore.
*the1 ⁄ "widthisthedistancefromthetopofthealreadyassembledcoolersurroundtothetopoftheStyrofoamlidplusthethicknessofthepalletslatsyouareusingforthelid;double-checkthemeasurementofyourcoolerlidandpalletslatsbeforemakingthesecuts
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chapter6
furniture
Chunky,rusticwoodfurnitureprovidesjusttherightamountofvarietythroughoutyourdecor,nomatterwhatstyle.Inthischapter,youwillfindawiderangeoffurniturepieces—somebuiltfromscratchusingonlywoodfoundonapallet,topiecesbuiltwithacombinationofstore-boughtwoodandpallets,toideasforwaystoupdateyourexistingfurnituretogiveitthatrustic,weatheredwoodtexture.Usetheseideasasastartingpointforyourownprojects.WhereI’vecoveredourold,wickernightstandwithpallets,maybeyourpressed-woodcoffeetableistheperfectcandidateforanupgrade.Or,whereI’vebuiltabenchmaybeyouwanttomakethelegsalittletallerandturnherintoasofatable.Haveatit,andthensendmesomepicturessoIcanseeyourawesomecreations.
headboardThisheadboardprojectcameaboutwhenIdiscoveredtheperfectpiecesofoldbeadboardinthemostunlikelyofspots—thecrawlspaceunderourhouse.Thewoodwasmostlikelyusedassomekindofhurricaneshutterinapreviouslife,butdon’tletwhatsomethingusedtobepreventyoufromtransformingitintosomethingnewandimproved.Hereiswhatshelookedlikestraightoutofthecrawlspace.Thosearejustthinstripsofawoodbeadboardattachedhorizontallyto
threethinpiecesofwoodrunningverticallyuptheback;youcanseethethreerowsofnails.(Weusedthesametechniquetomakethebasefor
theAmericanFlaginChapter4.)Thislookcaneasilybereplicatedwithpalletwoodinsteadofbeadboard.Andyoucouldevenrunthepalletwoodverticallyandtheboardsalongthebackhorizontally.Ifyouneedtopurchasethem,1×2sor1×4swouldworkwellfortheboardsalongtheback.ButyouknowI’dencourageyoutoscroungearoundforsomepalletsupportboardsorotherreclaimedwoodtouse.Whybuywhenyoucanfindforfree?Hopefullythisprojecthelpsgiveyouideasforyourveryown
headboardandwaystouseoldwoodevenifyoudon’tendupusingpalletwoodspecifically.Onceyoustartkeepinganeyeoutforreclaimedwoodofallkinds,you’llbeamazedatwhereyoufinditandwhatyouendupusingitfor.
before
Investment:acouplehoursandafewdollarsifyoudecidetoaddthelettering
lettering
supplies
palletslats,cuttopreferredlengthofheadboardsupportboards,cuttopreferredheightofheadboard1 ⁄ "screwsfoamstickerletters(optional)paint(optional)medium-gritsandpaperdarkwax(optional)
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawcordlessdrillpaintbrushpalmsander(optional)natural-fiberbrush(optional—toapplythewax)
1. Useamiterorhandsawtocutthepalletslatsandsupportboardstothedesiredmeasurements.
2. Laythepalletslatssidebysidehorizontallyoverthesupportboardsthatarelaidverticallyanduseyourcordlessdrilltoattachwithscrews.
3. Tocreatethe“sweetdreams”lettering,simplyusefoamstickerlettersthatcanbepurchasedatanartsandcraftssupplystoreforafewdollars(ifdesired).Useavarietyofneutral-coloredpaintsandpaintrightoverthestickerstocreateaunifiedyetstillunevenandimperfectpaintfinish.Usingadry-brushpainttechnique—
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wherethereisonlyalittlebitofpaintontheverytipofyourbrush,inavarietyofcolors—willgiveyouthisunevenfinish.
4. Removethefoamletters(seeimage1),andlightlysandthepaintfinishwithmedium-gritsandpaper.
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5. Applyacoatofdarkwax(seeimage2)tofurtheragethelookofthepaintfinishandblendintheverysubtlewordingdetailifdesired.
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6. Ifyou’relookingformoreintricatedetailoryouwantaframedheadboard,youcaneasilyimplementafewoftheothertechniqueswe’vetalkedaboutinothertutorialsinthisbook.Forexample:
1. foradetailedcut-outdesign,refertohowwemadetheCut-OutSilhouetteinChapter2andusethatprocesstotransferadesignyoulikeontoyourheadboardtocutout
2. ifyou’dlikeapalletheadboardwithaframearoundit,youcoulduseasingleframelikewedoontheHerringboneCoffeeTableinChapter6oradoubleframesimilartotheGeometricWallArtinChapter2andtheBarnwoodPictureFrameinChapter2;ifyoudidn’twanttousesupportboardsalongtheback,youcouldattachallofthepalletslatswithintheframetogetherusingpocketholesdrilledinthebackofthemwithapocketholejig,similartohowwemadetheWelcomeMatinChapter5
3. or,howfunwoulditbetopaintalargeAmericanflagonyourheadboardinapatrioticorvintage-stylebedroom?(youcanfollowthesamestepstocreatetheflagimageonyourheadboardthatweusedinChapter4)
7. Tohangtheheadboard,besureyouscrewitdirectlyintowallstudstosupporttheweight.Studfinderscanbefoundatmosthomeimprovementsstores.
largedogbedOurpupsareinthe50–60-poundrangeandfitnicelyinthiswonderfulbed,butthemeasurementsforthebedcanbeeasilyadjustedtosuityourdog’ssize—whetheryouhaveanadorable8-poundpuppyoranevenlargerdogthanours!Perhapsthebestpartofthisprojectishoweasyitistomake.Notablesawsorpocketholesrequired.(Iwillsay,foranylargepieceoffurniture,drillingpocketholessoyourboardsareconnectedthroughthecenterpoint,creatingthemaximumstrengthateachjoint,isthepreferredwaytogo.Butit’suptoyou.Thisprojectwillworkwithoutthem.)Thistutorialassumesyouareusingatleasta ⁄ "-thickpalletslat—youmayneedtoadjustthelengthofthescrewsyouuseifyourpalletslatsareadifferentthickness.
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investment:justanafternoondedicatedtomakingsomethingforadogthatyoulove
supplies
11palletslats,1atleast43"long,4atleast40"longand6atleast30"longforthedimensionsofthisbed1(1×2),8'longwoodglue1 ⁄ "screwsmedium-gritsandpaper2"screws
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawcordlessdrillpalmsander(optional)⁄ "drillbit
1. Useyourmiterorhandsawtocutyourpalletslatsand1×2stosize:
1. 4palletslats,cut40"long(fortheback)2. 1palletslat,cut43"long(forthefront;Iusedawiderslat,
butyoucouldalsouse2thinnerslats)3. 6palletslats,cut30"long(3foreachside)4. 2(1×2)woodpieces,cut14 ⁄ "long(thewidthof4slatslaid
sidebyside)5. 4(1×2)woodpieces,cut10 ⁄ "long(thewidthof3slatslaid
sidebyside)
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2. Lay2ofthe1×2scut10 ⁄ "ontheirflatside30"apartandrunbeadsofgluealongthem(seeimage1).
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3. Lay3ofthepalletslatscut30"sidebysideontopofthe1×2switheachendofthepalletslatslinedupwiththeoutsideedgesofthe1×2s(laythepalletswiththesideyouwantfacingtheoutsideofthedogbedfacingdown).
4. Useyourcordlessdrilltoattachthepalletslatstothe1×2swith1 ⁄ "screws,2perslatateachend(seeimage2).
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5. Repeatsteps2–4toassembletheothersideandtheback.Fortheback,thesideofthepalletslatsfacingdownwillendupfacingintothedogbed.
6. Useyourpalmsandertosandeachpanelwithmedium-gritsandpapertoremoveanysplinters.
7. Lineupeachsidepanelateitherendofthebackpanelandmarkontheinsideedgeofthe1×2attachedtoeachendofthebackpanelwheretodrill3pilotholestoattachthebackpaneltoeachsidepanel.Besurethesenewholeswon’thitanyexistingscrews(seeimage3).(Ifyou’dprefer,youcouldeasilyjustscreweachsidepanelintothebackpanel,butthefirstmethodwillminimizetheamountofscrewsyouseeinyourfinishedproject.Feelfreetopickyourpersonalpreferenceandgowithit.)
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markwheretodrillpilotholes,makingsuretheywon’thitanyexistingscrews
8. Drillyourpilotholesthroughyourmarkswithan ⁄ "drillbit.9. Beforelininganythingbackup,itiseasiertogeteachofyour2"
screwsstartedintoeachpilotholewhilethebackpanelislyingontheground.
10. Lay1sidepanelonthegroundwiththe1×2sfacingdownandlineuptheedgeofthebackpanelwiththeedgeofthatsidepanel.Attachwiththe2"screwsthroughyourpilotholes.
11. Attachtheothersidepaneltothebackinthesamemanner.12. Attachtheslattothefrontstraightthroughtheslatwith2(1 ⁄ ")
screwsateitherend.(Andforabitofreality,Icutmyfrontpiece1 ⁄ "tooshort—there’sjustsomethingaboutmeandthattapemeasurethatdon’talwaysseeeyetoeye.But,Ididn’thaveanotherpalletslatonhandsoIusedtheoneIhadandonlyoverlappeditonthefrontby ⁄ "oneachsidepanel.Youwon’t
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everfindmeclaimingthatmyprojectsalwaysworkoutperfectonthefirsttry.)
13. Nope,Ididn’tevenaddabottom.Ijustdidn’tseetheneedconsideringalargepillowwasgoinginthereanyway,andmorewoodwouldjustaddtotheweight.
14. Nowfortherealtest.
Wehaveawinner.OristhatatreatI’mholdinginmyhandthatshe’sstaringdownwhilewaitingpatientlyforthephoto?Iwillnevertell,butyoumaynoticeasliverofablondearniceandclose,possiblysittingpatientlymostlyoutofcameraviewwaitingforsaidtreat.
Tip!!! Youwillhavemoreleveragewhenyouscrewinascrewifyouhavesomethingprovidingresistance.Layingtheside
panelonthegroundtoscrewintoitwillletthegroundserveasthatresistance.
tabletopIgrabbedthissadlittlerollingcartoffofthesideoftheroadoneday(withmyhusbandshakinghisheadindisbeliefafterIaskedhimtopullovertocheckitout)andknewshewouldlooksomuchbetterwitharusticwoodtop.Afteraquickinspectiontomakesuretherewasn’tanythingstructurallywrongwithher,Ibroughtherhomewithme.She’sonwheelsandthelockingleverevenstillworks,soit’seasytomovearoundto
andthelockingleverevenstillworks,soit’seasytomovearoundtodifferentspotsinourhome.She’stherightheightforasidetableornightstandandwouldevenmakeafunbarcartinourdiningroomoronthebackporchwhenwehavefriendsoverforabarbecue.Butevenifyoudon’thavearollingcartcastaway,thistutorialisdesignedtohelpyoumakeatabletopofanysizetosuityourownneeds.Hereiswhatthecartlookedliketobeginwith.
Thistabletopmeasures16"×13 ⁄ ",sothemeasurementsinthistutorialworkforthatsizebutthisistheperfectprojectforaddingsomecharmtoanyoldtablebaseorpieceoffurnitureyouhavethatcouldusesomereviving.
investment:acouplehoursorlessandthecostofthebolts,nuts,andwashers
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supplies
medium-gritsandpaper(ifnecessarytopreparetablebase)painter’stape(ifnecessarytopreparetablebase)sprayprimerandpaint(ifnecessarytopreparetablebase)5palletsslats(minemeasured32"longand18"widelinedupsidebyside)2(1×2)woodpieces,cutthetotalwidthofyourtabletop,thesewillbeusedastrimaroundthebottomedgeofyourtabletop(minewas18")2(1×2)woodpieces,cutthetotallengthofyourtabletop,minus1 ⁄ ",alsofortrimaroundthetabletop(minewas30 ⁄ ")woodglue1 ⁄ "nailspaintorstain(optional)4(2")boltswithnutsandwashers
tools
palmsander(optional)tapemeasuremiterorhandsawhammerornailgunpaintbrush(optional)adjustablewrench
1. Removetheoldtabletopfromthebase.Minewassecuredwithafewscrews(seeimage1).
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2. Takethetablebaseoutsideanduseyourpalmsanderwithmedium-gritsandpapertosandtheentirebasetoremoveanyrust(ifyou’reusingametaltabletoo)andscuffitupforbetterprimerandpaintadhesion.
3. Cleanthetableandwipeitdrytoremoveanyloosedirt,paint,anddebris.
4. Usepainter’stapetocoveranyareasyoudon’twantpainted(seeimage2).
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5. Primewithsprayprimer.Letdryaccordingtotheproductdirections.6. Paintthetablebase.Texturedpainthelpshideanyimperfectionsinold
pieces.Youcanfindtexturedpaintinmoststoresthatsellregularspraypaint.
7. Withalloftheprepworkdoneonthebase,it’stimetomakethenewpalletslattabletop.Thissamedesigncanbemadeforanynumberofbases,sokeepyoureyespeeledforanycute-leggedtablesatthriftstores.(Orevenonthesideoftheroad—oftentimespeopletossoutaperfectlygoodtablebasebecausethetopofthetablehasbeendamaged.Theirtrashcanbecomeyourpallettabletoptreasure.)
8. Layoutyourpalletslatsanduseatapemeasureandmiterorhandsawtocutthemtoyourdesiredmeasurements.
9. Cutyour1×2piecestobeusedastrimaroundthebottomedgeofyourtabletop.Youwant2theexactwidthofyourtabletopand2thelengthminus1 ⁄ ".Thereasonforcuttingthe1×2piecesequaltothewidthand1 2
1 ⁄ "shorterthanthelengthistoallowforoverlapatthecorners.Ifyoucutallofthesetrimpiecestheexactdimensionsasyourtabletop,theywon’tlineupproperlywiththeedgeofyourtabletop.Ifthiskindofmathmakesyouwanttotakeabreak,Itotallyunderstand—we’reinthesameboat.
10. Arrangethe1×2piecestogetherintheshapeofyourrectangletabletopwitheachendofthelongerpiecesbuttinguptothesideoftheendpieces,edge-sidedown,andrunabeadofwoodgluealongthetopedge(seeimage3).
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theshorterpiecesare18"(theactualwidthofthefinishedtabletop)andthelongerpiecesare30 ⁄ "(thelengthofthefinishedtabletopminus1 ⁄ "toaccountfortheoverlap
atthecorners
11. Layyourpalletslatsontopofthe1×2sanduseahammerornailguntoattachwith1 ⁄ "nails,3or4perslatateachendandevery3–4"alongtheside)(seeimage4).
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12. Wipeoffexcessgluewithawetrag.13. Paintorstainandcustomizethetabletopifdesired.14. Setyourtabletoponyourbaseanduseanadjustablewrenchtoattach
fromtheundersidewithnutsandboltsformaximumstability.Youcouldalsousesimplescrewsifthat’seasier,dependingonthesizeandshapeofyourbase.
15. Nowshe’sallassembledandreadyforaparty.Ithinkthejuxtapositionoftheindustrialcartbasewiththerusticwoodtopisfun.Andwhodoesn’tneedalittleturquoiseintheirlife?Nowpicturemewheelingheraroundfromroomtoroomtryingtodecidewhereshebelongs.
Tip!!! Fortwopiecesyouneedtocutexactlythesamelength,cutthemtogetherwithyourmiterorhandsaw.Startbycuttingasliverofftheendsofnewlyboughtwoodtoensurestraight
ends,thenlinethoseendsupandmakethecutatyourdesiredmeasurement.Mydadtaughtmethat.Thanks,Dad!
Adirondack-likechair
Thischairistheperfectadditiontoanywhimsicaloutdoorspaceorrusticlivingarea.Believeitornot,youdon’tevenneedtodismantleallofthepalletstomakeit.Whenyou’repickinguppalletsforthisproject,lookforonesthatdon’thavewidegapsbetweentheslats.Ifneedbe,youcanalsoattachadditionalslatsbetweenanyextra-widegapsonceyougetthemhome(seeimage1).Wewouldn’twantanyonefallingthroughtheirchair.Takeextracarewhensandingsinceyou’llbesittinginandloungingon
herwhenshe’sdone.Youmightnotfindthewoodalonethemostcomfortablespottosit,butthat’snothinganicethickcushioncan’tremedy.Besuretobuypillowsmadetostanduptotheelementsifyouplantoleavethemoutside.Themeasurementsinthistutorialarespecifictothemeasurementsofthefullpalletsused;double-checkyourmeasurementsasyougo.Ifyouwantaframeofreference,measuretoseehowhighyoursofaistodetermineagoodheightforthisseat.
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investment:thisprojectonlytakesacoupleofhoursanddoesn’treallycostathingifyou’reusingallpalletwoodsupplies
2fullpalletsabout30"square(1forthechairseatand1forthechairback)4palletsupportboardsabout12"long(youcanuse2×4sifyoudon’thaveanysupportboardsonhand)2"screws⁄ "drillbit(optional)4palletsupportboardsabout24"long(forthelegs)4"screws3supportboardsabout35 ⁄ "(forthearmsandbacksupport)3"screwsmultiplegritsofsandpaper,rangingfromcoursetofine
tools
tapemeasurereciprocatingsaw(ifyouneedtocutapallettosize)miterorhandsawhammerormalletcordlessdrillcarpenter’ssquarepalmsander(optional)
1. Ifnecessary,measureandcutyourfullpalletstoyourdesiredsizewithyourreciprocatingsaw.Thepalletformyseatmeasures29"square.Icuta32"squarepalletdownto29"widesoitwouldlineupwiththewidthoftheseat(seeimage2),butlefttheheightat32".
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2. Useamiterorhandsawtocutthe4supportboards12".Insertthemintotheopensidesofthepalletslatyouwillusefortheseat,2perside(thesidesaretheedgesofthepalletthatdonothavesupportboardsrunningalongthem).Youmayneedtouseahammerormallettohelpthemintoplace(seeimage3).
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3. Thesesupportsdon’thavetofitperfectly.Thesesidesofthepalletwillbethesidesofthechair(notthefrontandback),soiftheyarealittletooshort,makethemtouchthemiddlesupportboardthatisinthepalletandrunsperpendiculartowhereyouareinsertingthesupportboardpieces.Anygapateitherendwillenduphiddenbehindthelegs(seeimage4).
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thisgapwillenduphiddenbythelegofthechair
4. Useyourcordlessdrilland2"screwstoattachthesenewsupportpieces.Drillthroughthepalletslatsandintoeachnewpiece,2screwsperpiecefromboththetopandthebottomofthepallet.Youcandrillpilotholeswithan ⁄ "drillbitifyouwanttopreventthepalletslatsfromsplitting,butit’snotrequired.
5. Useamiterorhandsawtocutthe4palletsupportboardsforthelegs24"long.
6. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasureandmark15"uptheinsideof2ofyourlegsupportboards.
7. Laythose2legsonthegroundabout30"apartwiththemarksfacingeachotherandlineupthetopofthepalletfortheseatwithyourmarks.Lineupeachsideofthepalletwiththeinsideedgeofeachleg,thencheckforsquarewithyourcarpenter’ssquare(seeimage5).
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8. Usingyourcordlessdrilland4"screws,attachthelegstothesideofthepallet.Drillfromunderthepallet,throughthepiecesyouattachedinstep4andintoyourlegboards(seeimage6).
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9. Repeatsteps6–8toattachtheother2legstotheoppositesideofthepallet.Younowhaveabacklessseat(seeimage7).
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10. Measurethewidthofyourseat,fromtheoutsideof1legtotheoutsideoftheotherleg;minemeasured35 ⁄ ".
11. Cut1palletsupportboardforthebacksupporttothismeasurementwithamiterorhandsaw.
12. Lineupthissupportboardhorizontallyalongthebackofthe2backlegs.Lineupthetopedgeofthesupportboardwiththetopofthelegs.Theflatsideofthesupportboardshouldbefacingintotheseat.Attachthroughthesupportboardintothelegswith2or3(3")screwsateachend(seeimage8).
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13. Measurefromthebackofthejustattachedsupportboardtothefrontofthefrontlegsandaddabout5"tothatlength(ifyouarefollowingthemeasurementsprovided,itshouldbeabout35 ⁄ ").
14. Cutthelast2supportboardstothatlengthwithamiterorhandsaw—theywillbecomethearmsofthechair.
15. Lineupeachofthesesupportboardsoneithersideoftheseat,withoneendliningupwiththebackofthesupportboardthatrunshorizontallyacrossthebackandtheflatsideoftheboardfacingdown;theywilloverhangthelegsinthefront(seeimage9).
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16. Attachwith3"screws,2or3screwsintoeachleg.17. Sandtheentireproject,includingthepalletfortheback(which
isn’tattachedyet).Startwithcourse-gritsandpaperandthenusemediumgrit,maybeevenfinishingwithfine-gritsandpaperonthearms.
18. Restthepalletforthebackatwhateverangleyoudesireupagainstthesupportboardrunningacrosstheback.Itisnotnecessarytoattachit,anditisnicetohavetheflexibilitytoadjusttheangledependingonhow“loungy”you’refeelingonanygivenday.
19. Addcushionsandpillowsasdesired.
benchwithdecorativeanglecutsAbenchisagreatalternativetotraditionalchairsandcanbeusedinanyspace.Youcouldadjustthesedimensionsandmakeareallylongbench,orevenmakethelegslongerandturnitintoasofatable,ormakethelegslongerandwiderapartandyoucouldmakeyourselfawholetable,withmatchingbenches.Forasbeautifulasthisturnedout,theprocessissurprisinglystraightforward.Theuseofthetablesawtomakealloftheripcuts(cuttingaboardalongthelengthofittomakeitnarrower)isn’tabsolutelynecessary;feelfreetoleaveanyofthosepiecesfull-widthifyoudon’thaveaccesstoatablesaw.Theideaofmakingabenchintimidatedmeatfirst,soIdecidedtomakeadesignwithoutaback.Havingabacktoleanonwhileyou’resittingonyourbenchwouldbeanicefeature,butthisisagoodprojecttogetstartedwithfurnituremaking
—andyouneverknow,maybewe’llincludeabenchwithabackinthenextbook.Sincethisisaprojectintendedforregularuseandrequiresstability,I
highlyrecommendusingapocketholejiganddrillingpocketholesattheconnections,butLbracketsarealwaysanalternative.And,um,IhadtolookupwhateachbenchpiecewascalledsoIcouldeasilydescribeitforyouinsteadofreferringtoitas“thepiecethat’skindoffloatinginthemiddleandhelpssecurethelegsinplace.”Aquick“furniture-makingterminology”InternetsearchhelpedmesoundsmarterthanIprobablyam.
investment:thisprojectismadecompletelyofpalletwoodandonlytookafewhourstocomplete;I’mwillingtobetthatwhatevertimeyouloseintheprocesswillbemorethanmadeupforintheamountofhappinessyouwillfeelaboutyournewbenchsupplies
7palletslatsatleast60"long1 ⁄ "screws1 ⁄ "screws1 ⁄ "nailsmedium-andfine-gritsandpaperwoodglue2"nails
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawtablesawclamppocketholejig
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cordlessdrillhammerornailgunpalmsander(optional)
1. Useyourtapemeasureandmiterorhandsawtomeasureandmakethesecutsinyourpalletslats,anduseyourtablesawtomaketheripcuts.
1. 4palletslatscut40"long(forthetop)2. 4palletslatscut16 ⁄ "long(forthelegs)3. 4palletslatscut13"longandrippedinhalf(forthelegs)4. 2palletslatscut11"long(forthesideapron)5. 2palletslatscut11"longandrippedinhalf(forside
stretchers)6. 2palletslatscut32"long(fortheapron)7. 1palletslatcut30 ⁄ "longandrippedinhalf(forthe
stretcher—double-checkyourmeasurements;thisisbasedonpalletslats ⁄ "thick)
8. 2palletslatsatleast19"longandrippedinhalf(forthedecorativeangledcuts)
2. Foreachleg,youwillneed:2pieces16 ⁄ "long;2pieces13"long,rippedinhalf;1piece11"long,calledthesideapron;and1piece11"long,rippedinhalf,calledthesidestretcher(seeimage1).
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3. Usingimage2asaguide,markwheretodrillyourpocketholesandthenuseyourclamptosecureeachwoodpiecetoyourpocketholejigandaworksurfaceanddrillyourpocketholeswithyourcordlessdrill.Youwant3alongonesideofeach13"-longpieceand2ineachendofboththesideapronandthesidestretcher(seeimage2).
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4. Layboth13"-longpiecesvertically,pocketholesfacingup,11"apartfromoutsideedgetooutsideedge.Laythesideapron,pocketholesfacingup,perpendiculartothe13"-longpiecesandalongthetopofthem,soeachendofthesideapronlinesupwiththeoutsideedgesofthe13"-longpiecesandisrightabovethem.
5. Withtheedgesidefacingdown,lineupeach16 ⁄ "longpiecewiththepieceslyingflatandattachthemthroughthepocketholesusing1 ⁄ "screws.Thebottomofthe16 ⁄ "longpiecewilllineupwiththebottomofthe13"longpiece,creatingthebottomoftheleg,andthetopwilllineupwiththetopofthesideapron.
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6. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasure4"upfromthebottom.Lineupthebottomofyoursidestretcherwiththatmarkandattachthesidestretchertothelegsthroughthepocketholeswith1 ⁄ "screws(seeimage3).
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7. Repeatsteps2–6tomaketheotherleg.8. Drill2pocketholesineachendofbothsideapronpieces.Besure
thenewholeswillclearanyscrewsalreadyinplace.9. Use1 ⁄ "screwstoattacheachsideapronwiththetopedgelined
upwiththetopofeachleg.10. Centerthe30 ⁄ "-longpiece(thestretcher)betweentheside
stretchersandattachwith2(1 ⁄ ")screwsthrougheachend(seeimage4).
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11. Useamitersawtocutboth19"-longdecorativepiecesata35°angleatoneendontheflatsideandata55°angleontheflatsideattheotherend.Theslatwillendup19"longonthelongedgeand15 ⁄ "longontheshortedge(seeimage5).Thedecorativeangledcutsareoptionalsofeelfreetoleavethemoutifyouprefer.
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12. Attachtheanglepieces(withthelongeredgefacingup)withafew1 ⁄ "nailsineachend;the35°cutattachestothecenterofthesideapronandthe55°cutattachestothetopofthestretcherwherethe2decorativepiecesmeetinthemiddle.
13. Sandeverything—includingthe4boardsforthetopofthebenchthatarenotyetattached—withamedium-gritsandpaperandthenafine-gritforaverysmoothfinish.
14. Paintorstainifdesired.ThisbenchhasafinishofAnnieSloanChalkPaintinOldWhiteoneverythingbuttheseat.ThestainontheseatisZARbrandinthecolorModernWalnut.Ifyouwanttohidethepocketholes,youcouldfillthemwithwoodfillerbeforeyoupaint.
15. Centertheboardsfortheseatacrossthetopoftheassembledlegsandaprons,anduseyourtapemeasuretocheckforanequaloverhangoneachendandside.Glueandattachwith2"nails,3perboardperend(seeimage6).
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Tip!!! Ifyoudon’thaveatablesawtoripyourpalletslatsinhalf,youcanalwaysbuy1×2sforthosepiecesofwood.Ifyourpalletslatsare ⁄ "thick,theywillbethesamethicknessasa1×2.
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herringbonecoffeetable
Thisisoneofthoseprojectsbestmadewithpalletslatsofthesamethicknessforanice,eventabletop.Withthatsaid,IdidnotfollowthatadviceandIstilllovethelookandthelittleimperfections.(Wejustneedtobeextracarefulwithourwineglasses.)Anotherideawouldbetomakethispatternandattachtheframearoundtheedgeswitha ⁄ "lipandhaveapieceof ⁄ "-thickglasscuttofit.Thatwayyoucouldlaytheglassoverthedesigntocreateasmoothsurfaceandstillenjoythedesignunderneath.Don’tbeintimidatedbythedesignofthistable.Iwouldfilethisproject
inthe“nothard,buttime-consuming”category.Getyoursawinghandsreadyandsettlein;Ithinkthisoneisdefinitelyworththeeffort.Iknowitlookslikealotofintricatecuts,butdon’tletanyfearofgettingthingsperfectstopyoufromattemptingthiscoffeetable.Wereallofmycutsperfectsoeachpiecefittogetherlikeadesignerpuzzle?Nope.Theuniquewayitallwenttogetherjustaddstotheone-of-a-kindfeel,saysthegirlwhosecoffeetablehasafewgapshereandthere.Itjustgoestoprovethatitdoesn’thavetobeperfecttobesomethingyoulove.Ifyoudon’thaveamitersaw,youmightseriouslyconsiderbuyingone
now,withthefinalprojectincludingabout150differentpiecesofwood.Makingthosecutswithahandsawwouldprovetobequitethearmworkout,butwithamitersawyoucouldbustthemalloutandhavethisprojectcompleteinaboutaday.Adjustmymeasurementsasneededtofityourspace.Youcaneven
makethesmallpiecesforyourherringbonepatternalargerscaleifyouprefer.Ifyoudecidetomakealargercoffeetable,youmightwanttoconsideraddingathirdrectangularlegunderneaththemiddletopreventsaggingovertime.Youcanalsopaint,stain,orvarnishthispieceforamorefinishedlook,butI’mlovingthesimplicityofthebarewood,sothisoneisstayingasis.Fornow.
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investment:itwilltakeaboutadaytomakethistable,butthelegsandtheplywoodbasearetheonlypurchasesrequiredsupplies
10palletslatsatleast2 ⁄ "wide,allofthesamethicknessideally1piece ⁄ "-thickMDF,cut36"×24"(youcouldhaveitcutforyouatmosthomeimprovementstores)woodglue8pieces1 ⁄ "×1 ⁄ "poplar(forthetablelegs):
1. 4pieces17 ⁄ "long2. 4pieces21"long
2 ⁄ "screws1 ⁄ "screws2palletslats(forthetableedge)1 ⁄ "nailsmedium-andfine-gritsandpaper
tools
tapemeasuretablesawmitersawpalmsander(optional)carpenter’ssquareclamppocketholejigcordlessdrill1small-and1medium-sizedrillbit;onebitneedstobeslightlylargerthantheheadofyourscrews,theotherbitshouldbeslightlysmallerthanthethreadsofyourscrews
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hammerornailgun
1. Cutallofthepiecesforyourherringbonepatternfromthe10palletslats.Mineare5"×1 ⁄ ",andyou’llneedabout150pieces.ThemajorityoftheslatsIusedforthisprojectwere2 ⁄ "wide,so2(1 ⁄ ")stripscouldberippedonthetablesawoutofeachslat,thenthosestripswerecutinto5"lengthswiththemitersaw.
2. Layoutyourherringbonepatternontheground,otherwiseknownasachevronorzigzagpattern.Createthepatternwiththerectangularpiecesoverlappingateachendand“zigzagging”backandforthtocreate90°angles.Someedgesmightneedtobesandeddownheresoeachpiecefitstogethersnugly(seeimage1).This“dryfitting”stepwillletyouseehowitallfitstogether.Somepiecesmightworkbetternexttoeachother,andsomecutscouldhavebeenjustalittleoff.Adjustasnecessaryatthisstage.
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3. Usesmallscrappiecestofillinaroundtheedgesandcompletethedesignformingarectangle(seeimage2).
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4. Runabeadofwoodgluealongthebackofeach5"×1 ⁄ "pieceandattachyourdesign,asyou’velaiditout,ontoyourpieceofMDF.AslongasyourMDFbaseiscutatarightangle(ifyou’remakingyourcoffeetableroundoroval,youwillwanttostartbydrawingguidelinesdirectlyontoyourMDFtofollowandkeepyouherringbonepatternrunningstraight),lineupthefirstrowofyour
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herringbonepatternsoitisevenwithonesideandoneendandcontinuefromthere(seeimages3and4).
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5. Letitdryovernight.6. Usingyourmitersaw,cutyourlegpiecestosize:cut4pieces
17 ⁄ "longand4pieces21"long(seeimage5).
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theselegsare1 ⁄ "×1 ⁄ "piecesofpoplar,whichhasasimilarlooktothecolorofthepalletwood;theycanbefoundinmanyhomeimprovementcentersnearthelattice(you
couldalsousepineboardsinstead)
7. Oneatatimesecureeachpoplarwoodpiecethatis21"longtoyourpocketholejigandaworksurfaceanddrill2pocketholesateachend(seeimage6).
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8. Create2rectangleswithyour8piecesofpoplarwoodwiththepocketholesyoujustdrilledfacingoutfromtherectangle.Usewoodglueateachconnectionand2 ⁄ "screwsineachpocketholetosecuretherectangletogether(seeimages7and8).
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pocketholesarefacingoutoftherectangle
9. Drill3pilotholesthroughoneofthe21"longpiecesineachrectangle,startingfromtheoppositesideofthewoodasthepocketholes.Thispiecewillbethetopofyourrectangle-shapedlegandwillgetsecuredintothebaseofyourcoffeetable.Tocountersinkyourscrews,firstdrill ⁄ "deepwithabitthatisslightlylargerthantheheadofyourscrewandthenfinishtheholewithabitthatisslightlysmallerthanthethreadsofyourscrews.Foranyholeyoudrillthatyoudon’twanttogoallofthewaythroughthewood,useapieceofpainter’stapewrappedaroundthedrillbittoindicatewhentostopdrilling(seeimages9and10).
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propthepieceyou’redrillingintoonapieceofscrapwoodtopreventdullingyourbitbydrillingintotheconcreteifyouhappentobeworkingonyourpatio,too.
10. RunabeadofgluealongtheundersideofeachendofyourMDFwhereyouwillbeattachingthelegsandsecureeachlegtothecoffeetablewith1 ⁄ "screws,throughyourpilotholesandintotheMDF(seeimage11).
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11. Nowwe’llattachafewpiecesthatwillcreateaframedlookandasmoothedgetohidetheMDFfromview.Ifyouwanttoaddaglasstoptoyourcoffeetable,hereiswhereyouwouldattachtheframesoitrisesabovethetopofyourherringbonepatternthesamethicknessastheglassyouwouldliketoadd.
12. UseyourtapemeasuretomeasuretheheightfromthebottomoftheMDFbasetothetopoftheslatsinyourherringbonepatternontopandrunyour2palletslatsfortheedgethroughthetablesawandripthemdowntothatmeasurement.
13. Miterthecornersat45°ontheedgeside,makingsurethemeasurementontheshortersideequalsthesizeofyourcoffeetable;mineis24"×36".
14. Attachtheframetotheedgeofthecoffeetablewithwoodglueandthenuseahammerornailguntosecurewith1 ⁄ "nails(seeimage12).
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IMAGE12
15. Useapalmsandertosandeverythingsmooth.Startwithmedium-gritsandpaperandfollowwithafine-gritsandpaper.
Tip!!! Thisisagreatprojectforcrackedorbrokenslats.Sinceyouwillbecuttingtheslatsintoanumberofsmallpieces,manysectionsofacrackedslatwillbeusableandtheothersectionscaneasilybecutaround.
U-shapedsidetableI’mgoingtoconfessthatthisprojectchallengedmybrain.Sometimesitiseasytoovercomplicateaprocessbytryingtoanticipatehowitwillallendupinsteadofjusttakingitasitcomes.Withthatsaid,youcanchoosetofollowthistutorialexactly,withthesamemeasurements,butyoumayalsochoosetodeterminethelengthofyourcutsbasedonthespecificpalletslatsyouhaveavailable.Forexample,ifyouhaveabunchof40"
palletslatsyouhaveavailable.Forexample,ifyouhaveabunchof40"palletslatslyingaround,youmaywanttomakeyourtablebase20"highsoyoucangettwousablepalletslatpiecesoutofeachfullslat.IwasabletousethescrapleftoverfromthecutsImadefortheoutsideofeachsidetolinetheinsideofeachsidebecausetheslatswhereoriginally42"long.Thecutsfortheoutsidewere22"long,sothepiecesleftoverwere20"long—notquitelongenoughtoreachthetopbutlongenoughtobehiddenunderneath.Tryingtothinkaheadwiththesekindsofmeasurementsmaygiveyouaheadachehelpyouminimizetheamountofscrapwoodyouhaveleftoverintheend,butitisdefinitelynotaprojectrequirement.Feelfreetojustcutasyougoandseewhereittakesyou.Iguessthisismywayofsayingthateventhoughmysidetableis
alreadyatthepretty-picturestagedoesn’tmeanIthoughtthisprojectwassimple.Butyoucandoit;wonkypalletslatscan’tstopus.And,asIliketodo,Iusedpalletsupportboardsforthebaseofmyside
tablebecauseIhadthemonhand,andI’dalwaysratherusefreewoodthanpurchasesomethingnew,evenifitproveshardertoworkwith.Youcouldalsouse2×4spurchasednewifyouprefer.Withthistutorialthespecificlengthofthescrewyouusewilldependonthethicknessofthewoodyouuse;justbesuretodouble-checkyourmeasurementsasyougo.
investment:thisprojectgavememoreofatestthanIwasexpecting,butoverthecourseofaweekandafternothavingtobuyanysuppliesIfeltlikeIcameoutontopsupplies
palletsupportboardstocreatetheshapeofyoursidetable:
4boardscut22"long4boardscut10 ⁄ "long1 2
2boardscut17 ⁄ "long2boardscut14"long
1 ⁄ "screwspalletslats:
10slatscut22"long(fortheoutsideofeachside)5slatscut23"long(forthetop)3slatsatleast24"long(willbecuttoexactsizetofinishoffthefrontofthesidetable)
1 ⁄ "nailswoodglue4additionalpalletsupportboards(optional—tolinetheundersideofyourtableifdesired)2"nails10additionalpalletslats(optional—tolinetheundersideofyourtableifdesired)
tools
tapemeasuremiterorhandsawpocketholejigclampcordlessdrillhammerornailgun
1. Measureandcutyoursupportpiecestosizewithamiterorhandsawandlayouttheshapeofeachsideandthetop.Markyourpocketholes(seeimages1and2).
IMAGE1
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onesideofthetable;somepalletslatscomewiththesupportboardsnotchedout—Iusedthattypeforthisproject,butitisnotnecessary
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thetopofthesidetable
2. Useacordlessdrilltodrillyourpocketholeswithyourpocketholejig;useaclamptosecurethejigandwoodinplaceonaworksurface(seeimage3).
IMAGE3
3. Attachthe4supportpieceswith1 ⁄ "screwsthroughyourpocketholestocreatetheshapeofeachsideandthetop(seeimage4).
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4. Drill3pocketholesineachsideofthetoppiece—thisiswhereyouwillconnectthetoptoeachside(seeimage5).
IMAGE5
5. Attachthetoptoeachsidethroughthepocketholeswith1 ⁄ "screws(seeimage6).
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6. FlipyourU-shapeupsidedownandyouaredonewiththebaseofyoursidetable(seeimage7).
IMAGE7
7. Measureandcutyourpalletslatswithamiterorhandsaw.Usingthemeasurementsforthistutorialyouwillneed10pieces22"long(5foreachside)and5pieces23"long(forthetop).
8. Attachthepalletslatsverticallyupeachsidewith1 ⁄ "nails;lineupthefirstslatwiththefrontandtopoftheattachedU-shapedbase(seeimage8).
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9. Glueandclampanyslatsthatneedextrahelplyingflat,thenletdryovernight(seeimage9).
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10. Attachslatsalongthetop,using2or3nailsperslatateachend(seeimage10).
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IranoutofpalletslatsofthesamewidthsoIendeduphavingtousemytablesawtoripthebackslatalongthetoptothecorrectwidthtolineupwiththesizeofthetable
11. Measurealongthetopofthefrontofyoursidetable.Cut1slat(ofthe3thatareatleast24"long)tothatlengthandattachwith1 ⁄ "nails,2or3perendandafewalongthetop(seeimage11).
IMAGE11
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12. Measurefromthebottomofthepieceyoujustattachedtotheground(oneachsidejusttobesure)andcuttheremaining2slatstothatmeasurement;lineitupwiththeouteredgeoftheslatrunningupthesideandattachitwith1 ⁄ "nails(seeimages12and13).
IMAGE12
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IMAGE13
13. Youcoulddefinitelycallitdonehere—Iactuallykindoflikethequatrefoil-ishdetailthenotched-outsupportboardsgivethelookoftheinsideofeachtableleg(seeimage14).Sofeelfreetoskipaheadtoyourfinishingtoucheslikesanding,painting,etc.Or,ifyou’dlikeamorefinishedlook,let’skeepgoing.
IMAGE14
14. Measurethewidthofeachside,fromthefronttothebackofthetable(seeimage15),anduseamiterorhandsawtocut4supportboardstothatlength.Usescrapsifyoucan—minewereabout1"short,buttheywillendupcoveredanyway.
IMAGE15
15. Attach1ofthenewlycutsupportboardshorizontallyalongthebottomoftheinsideand1horizontallyalongthetopoftheinsideofeachsidewith2"nails(seeimage16).
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16. Measuretheheightfromthegrounduptheinsideofeachtablelegtothebottomofthetoppiece.
17. Useamiterorhandsawtocutthe10additionalpalletslatstothatmeasurement.
18. Attachthepalletslatsverticallyuptheinsideofeachsidewith1 ⁄ "nails(seeimage17).
IMAGE17
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19. Paint,sand,stain,and/orsealifdesired(seeimage18).
IMAGE18
nightstandwitharrowdetailIhavetoadmitthatIdebatedevenputtingaprojectlikethisinthebookbecause,really,whatarethechancesthatyouhavetheexactsamenightstandthatIdo?But,eventhoughyoumightnotbeworkingwitha
nightstandthatIdo?But,eventhoughyoumightnotbeworkingwithadarkwicker,three-drawernightstand,theconceptsinthisprojectcanbeusedtoupdatemanydifferentkindsoffurniturepieces.Andaswithanyupgradelikethiswhereyou’reessentiallyliningsomethingwithpalletslats,usepalletslatsthatareallthesamethicknessifyoucantogiveyourfinishedpieceasmoothfinish.Sincewe’renotbuildingapieceoffurniturefromscratch,ifyoudon’t
haveanitemonhandyouwanttoupdate,IKEAisahomegoodsstorethatsellsreallybasic,square-shapeditemsthatwouldworkgreatforthisproject.ThenightstandI’mupdatingwassomethingIboughtonthecheapinCuraçaoandalthoughitisfunctional,itjustisn’tourstyleanymore.Sheseemedliketheperfectcandidateforthistypeofanupgrade,however.Iwouldn’tsuggestpullingoutyourheirloompieceshere.Thatthrifteditemoverthereinthecorneryou’vetriedtocamouflagewithaccessorieswillworkjustperfectly.Afewthingstolookforthatwouldmakeanitemagood—orbad—
choiceforthisproject:
1. aboxy,squareshape—theeasiertofacewithpallets2. flatsurfaces—evenifanitemhasaroundtop,aslongasitisflat,you’re
goodtogo3. notapieceyouthinkyou’lleverwishyouhadback—onceyougopallet
slatyounevergoback,orhoweverthatsayinggoes
Hereiswhatmynightstandlookedlikewhenwestarted.
investment:alittlecreativethinkingandafewafternoons;cuttingallofthelittlepiecesforthearrowdetailisthemosttime-consumingpart,but
thisprojectdoesn’thavetocostapennysupplies
1square/rectanglepieceoffurniturepalletslats(12ormoredependingonthesizeofyourpiece)1 ⁄ "nailswoodglue⁄ "-thickplywood(optional—ifyouneedtocreateanyflatsurfaces)fine-gritsandpaper
tools
straightedge(optional—ifnecessarytopreparethefurniturepiece)jigsaw(optional—ifnecessarytopreparethefurniturepiece)tapemeasuremitersawhammerornailguntablesawclampspalmsander(optional)
1. Cleanyourfurniturepiecethoroughly.2. Removeanyexistinghardware.Ifyourhardwarescrewsinfrom
theinsideofthedrawers,youwillneedtogetlongerscrewsorswitchoutthehardwarealltogether,sincewewillbeaddingmoredepthtoeachdrawerwiththeadditionofthepalletslats.
3. Makeanyadjustmentstoyourpiecetomakeitasboxyofashapeaspossible.Iusedajigsawandcutoffthelipwherethetopofthenightstandoverlappedovereachsideandcutoffthelegs(seeimages1and2).
IMAGE1
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IMAGE2
4. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasuretheheightandwidthofeachsideofyourpieceandcutpalletslatstosizewithahandsawor
mitersawtocovereachsidewithoutanyoverlap.5. Liningupthefirstslatwiththefrontandthetopofyourpiece,use
ahammerornailguntoattacheachslatverticallywith3(1 ⁄ ")nailsatthetopandbottomofeachslat.Usewoodglueforextrasupportifdesired.Repeatontheothersideofyourpieceuntilbothsidesarecompletelylined(seeimage3).Youmayneedtoripthelastslatdownwithatablesawtogetitlinedupwiththebackofyourpiece—oryoucouldjustleaveit;what’sa ⁄ "orsoofemptyspacebetweenyournightstandandyourwall?AndsinceI’mnotinthehabitoftakingmyfurniturepiecesawayfromthewalljusttocheckthemoutfromthebackside,Ididn’tevenlinethebackofmynightstandwithslats,butgoforitifyou’dprefer.
IMAGE3
6. Measurethewidthofthetop,includingtheadditionalwidthcreatedwhenyouaddedtheslatstoeachside(seeimage4).Cut
1 2
1 2
palletslatstothatmeasurement,enoughtofullylinethetopwithslats.
IMAGE4
7. Liningupthefirstslatwiththefrontofyourpiece,attacheachslattothetopwith1 ⁄ "nails.Makeanycutsnecessaryonthelastslattomakeitlineupwiththebackoftheslatsoneachside(seeimage5).
IMAGE5
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8. Nowforthetricky,er,funpart—thefront.Itworkswelltomeasureeachexposedpartofyouroriginalfurniturepieceonepieceatatime,cutandattachthatpiece,andmoveontomeasure,cut,andattachthenextpiece(seeimages6,7,and8).
IMAGE6
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IMAGE8
9. Repeatstep8forasmanypiecesofpalletslatyouneedtocompletelycoveryouroriginalpieceoffurniture.
10. Forthedrawers,youcouldveryeasilyfollowthesamemethodyoudidforthetopandmeasurethewidthofeachdrawer,cutslatstofit,andattachthemhorizontallyacrossthefaceofeachdrawer.There’snoharminthesimplicityofthatatall.
11. But,inanefforttogivethispiecealittleextraflairallitsown,Ithoughtafunarrowdetailoneachdrawerwouldkickupthecharacterleveljusttherightamount.IhadthethinstripsofscrappalletslatsleftoverfromtheripcutsImadetomakeallofthepiecesfitonthefront,sohereiswhatIendedupwith(seeimage9).
IMAGE9
12. Let’stalkabouthowtoachievethisarrowlook.Youcoulddefinitelyincorporateitintootherpiecesoffurnitureifyou’renotworkingwithanightstand.Makesureyouareworkingwithaflatsurface.Ihadtoglueapieceof ⁄ "-thickplywoodintothewickerinsetofeachdrawertocreateaflatsurfacetoworkwith(seeimage10).Ifyourpieceisalreadyflat,youwon’tneedtodothis.
IMAGE10
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13. Tocreateaframededgeforeachdrawer,rip4piecesofpalletslatdownto ⁄ "widthwithmiteredcorners.Youwantthemeasurementsofthelongsidestoequalthewidthandlengthofyourdrawer(seeimage11).
IMAGE11
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14. Attachthemiteredframepiecestothefaceofyourdrawer,linedupwiththeouteredgeofeachdrawer,with1 ⁄ "nails.Or,ifyouwouldliketoavoidnailholes,youcanglueandclampeachpieceandletthemdryovernight.
15. Forthearrowdesign,you’llneed12–14equal-sizepiecesperdrawer.Thesepiecesarethesamelengthonbothsidesandthesamelengthatbothends,andbothendsarecutata45°mitercutinthesamedirection.Themitercutiscutontheflatsideofthewood(seeimage12).
IMAGE12
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16. Todeterminewhatsizeyouwillneedeachpiecetobetofityourdrawerface,cut2smallpiecesofpalletslatsabout ⁄ "wide(thewidthofeachofthesepiecesdoesn’thavetobeexact)withmiteredcornersatoneend.Lineupthemiteredcornerssothe2piecesformthepointofthearrowandsetthemonthedrawertomarkwheretocutthemiteredcornerattheotherend.
17. Cutalongyourmarkandusethose2piecesasatemplateforcuttingeachadditionalpiece(seeimage13).
IMAGE13
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18. Continuecuttingpiecesthissizetofillyourdrawerfront.Eachpiecedoesnothavetohavetheexactsamewidth,butthe2piecesineach“row”thatmeetinmiddletocreatethearrowlookdoneedtobethesamewidthforthearrowimagetolineupcorrectly(seeimage14).
IMAGE14
19. Markandcutthesmallpiecestofillinthecornerswherefullpieceswon’tfit.
20. Dryfiteachdrawerfacecompletelywiththepieces.Sometimesit’sjustnicetomakesureeverythingfitstogetherwellwithoutthepressureofpermanency.
21. Removeallofthepieces,runabeadofgluealongthefaceofyourdrawer,insidetheframe,enoughtosecureeachofyourarrowpieces,andreplacethearrowpiecesexactlyhowyouhaddryfitthemontopoftheglue(seeimage15).
IMAGE15
22. Clamporplaceaheavyobjectoneachdrawerfaceandletthegluedryovernight.
23. Sandtheentirepiecethoroughlywithafine-gritsandpaper(seeimage16).
IMAGE16
thetopdrawerhasn’tbeensandedyet;thebottomdrawerhas
24. Replacethedrawerhardwareandaddanyfinishingdetailsyouwouldlike.Ichosetomixwhitepaintwithwater,about50-50,andjustgiveitalightwhitewash.Thistechniqueallowsthewooddetailtoshowthroughandjustmutesdownsomeofthenaturalwoodtones(seeimage17).
IMAGE17
Tip!!! Forthis,andanyprojectwhereyouareliningupslatssidebyside,sandingdowntheedgesofyourpalletslatstoremoveanysplinterywoodpiecesorroughedgeswillhelptheslatslineupclosertogether.
chapter7
thefinishingtouches
Nowforafewfundetailstomakethebeautifulanduniqueart,craft,andfurniturepiecesyou’vemade100percentcustomtoyouandyourhome,orasagiftforsomeoneyouadore.HereareafewideasIlove.Usethesebasicinstructionstotakeanyoftheprojectsinthisbookinyourownuniquedirection.
agingnewwoodSometimesyoujustdon’thaveanyreclaimedwoodtouseoryoudon’thavepiecestherightsize,andyouneedtobuynewwoodforyourproject.Herearesometoolsandtechniquesyoucanusetomakenewwoodlookold.
distressingwithtoolsandequipmentThefollowingitemswillhelpyoudent,ding,rough-up,scratch,andall-
aroundpepperyourwoodwithmarksandgiveitsome“age”:
boththeheadandtheclawofahammeratavarietyofangles(seeimage1)hammerinmarksfromthethreadsofascrew(seeimage2)woodplaner—thesescratchesareperfectforpaintandstaintosinkinto(seeimage3)
afewwhacksofachain,paintcanopener,orscrewdrivercouldalsodothetrick,andhammeringanyoftheseitemsintothewoodwillcreateevendeepergrooves
IMAGE1
IMAGE2
IMAGE3
stainingandwaxingAfteryoutakeyourtoolstoyournewwoodtocreatedipsanddents,giveita
once-overwithsomestainorwax.Thesetwooptionscangiveyouahugerangeoffinishinglooks.Don’tusewaxonprojectsthatwillendupoutsidewithdirectexposuretosunlightsincewaxwillmeltintheheat.Thecombinationofadarkstain,likeawalnutcolor,withagraystain,often
calleddriftwood,giveswoodaniceweatheredlook.Themoreinconsistentlyyouapplyit,themoreauthenticallyageditwilllook.Makesuretogetinallofyournewgroovesandcoverupanyofthat“newwood”look.
yournewgroovesandcoverupanyofthat“newwood”look.
noticehowallofthedipsanddentsaddedtothewoodreallystandoutwithacoatofdarkstain
painting
Whetheryouwanttopaintoverstainorjustpaintanuntreatedproject,youhaveanumberofoptions:
Tip!!! Askatyourhomeimprovementstoreiftheyhaveanymistintedpaintonhand—theywilloftensellittoyouatadeepdiscount.
Youcanlayeryourpaintoverthestaintocreateadeeper“I’velivedthroughmanydifferentgenerationsofpaintchoices”look.Forthislookuse
3–5differentcolorswithoneparticularlybrightcolorandonewhite.Applyalittlebitofeachcolor,inaninconsistentapplication,usingadry-brushtechnique(withjustalittlebitofpaintrightonthetipofyourbrush,creatinganunevenpaintfinish)sothepaintapplicationissomewhatstreaky.Atanypointwhilepainting,youcantakeascraperandremovesomeofthepaintinbetweencoats.Thiswillgiveitachippedlookandiseasiesttoaccomplishwhenthepaintisbarelydry,sinceitiseasiertoremove.Ifyou’rerunninglowonpaint,youcanalwaysusealittlewatertohelpitspreadfarther.Sincewe’regoingforarustic,distressedlookintheendanyway,anyimperfectionsinthecoveragewilljustaddtothecharacter.
theverybottomboardcontainslayersofpaintandtheboardaboveithasbeenscrapedtoshowlayersunderneath
sandingSandingcanaccomplishmanythings,fromcreatingasuper-smoothfinishto
Sandingcanaccomplishmanythings,fromcreatingasuper-smoothfinishtomeldingtogetherallthestepsaboveinanagedlookandrevealingabitofeachlayerofpaintandstainuntilyouendupwiththeperfectpatinaforyourproject.
thebottomboardhasbeensandedandtheoneaboveithashadanotherlayerofstainaddedaftersandingtocoverupany“newwood”look
otherembellishmentideas
wheels/castersPuttingasidetableorsmallcartonwheelsisafunwaytogiveapiece
additionalpersonalityandversatility.
numbersandlettersandsymbols,ohmy
Addingyourfavoritequotesornumbersisaneasywaytocustomizeanything.
YoucanseehowweusedfoamletterstocreateastencilwhenwemadetheHeadboardinChapter6.Weusedagreatoldsetofbrassstencils(thatIgotfrommymom—thanks,Mom!)tomaketheEclecticDirectionalSigninChapter5andtoaddanameplaquetotheLargeDogBedinChapter6.Ialsolikejustprintingoutblock-stylelettersonourhomeprinterandcuttingthemout,tracingaroundthem,andpaintinginsidethelines.Ifthelettersyouprintoutaretoosmallorintricatetocutout,youcantraceoverthemusingsomeforcesoyoucreateasmallindentationinyourwood,andthenpainttheletteringfromtherelikeIdidwiththiswordartmadefrompalletslats.I’veusedasimpleimage-transfertechniquethatrequiresonlyahomeprinterandsomewhitegluetomakeafewuniqueprojects.Thetutorialformakingthisprojectcanbefoundathttp://thespacebetweenblog.net/2013/06/10/you-are-the.
youdon’tevenneedtocutoutthelettersyouprintonthehomeprinter;tracethemwithenoughforcetoleaveanindentationonyourwoodtoindicatewheretopaint
useonlyyourhomeprinterwithsomewhiteglueandwatertocreatethisimage-transfertechniquethatworksgreatonwood
ropeInadditiontotheropearoundtheRusticWoodClockinChapter2andforthe
HangingBedinChapter5,ropecanaddabitofanauticalflairtoanyoftheprojectsinthisbook.Wrapsomeropearoundtablelegsorputarowofropeinbetweenyourpalletslats,ormaybeevenaddsomeropehandles.Topreventyourropefromfraying,diptheendtiedwithpainter’stapein
whiteglueandletitdryovernight.Thegluewilldryclearandholdyourropetogetherafteryouremovethetape.
thisaccentwallinourguestbedroomwasmadeusingreclaimed1×6sandalternatingonerowofwoodwithonerowof ⁄ "rope.findthefulltutorialat
http://thespacebetweenblog.net/2014/05/12/rope-and-wood-accent-wall-reclaimed-wood/
cutoutsAnyofthewallartorfurniturepiecescanbecustomizedusingshapesor
cutouts.Cutthepalletslatsintoadiamondorevencircleshape,orgiveoneedgesomeflarewithawavycut.
potatostamping
LikethestarswemadefortheAmericanFlaginChapter4,apotatostampisaneasywaytoaddanimagetoanythingyoumake.Justcutyourshapeoutofapotatoandapplyathinlayerofpaint.Useapaper
toweltowipeupanyaccumulationofpaintaroundtheedgestopreventclumping.
34
theend
Hereweare,35tutorials,abunchoftipsandtricks,andahandfulofembellishmentideaslater.Ideasforyoutotaketheseprojectsandcreatebeautiful,functionalpiecesforyourownhome.HereiswhereIhandyouthenailgunreinsandyoutackleyournextgreatcreation.Itfeelslikethelastdayofsummerandwe’restandingonthedivingboardhandinhandandabouttodiveintothedeependofthepoolfortheveryfirsttime,allbyourselves.ButI’mconfidentyoucouldevendoabackflipifyoureallywantedto.Taketheseprojectsandbuildoffthem(nopunintended,seriously!).Makethembiggerandbetterandbadder—badderinagooderway,ofcourse.Andstopineveryonceinawhiletosayhi.Youcanfindallkindsofbehind-the-scenesbookstuffathttp://thespacebetweenblog.net/book.We’retalkingouttakes,whatwasreallygoingonbehindthecamera,blogs,andwebsitesthatinspiremeandonebigol’projectfailthatdefinitelydidnotmakeitintothebook.Ohyeah,andthere’sthatpeskyhouseremodelwe’retacklinginbetween.Sohere,takeit—thenailgun,thatis—andcreatesomethingyouadoreoutof
somethingthatdidn’tcostyouathing.Andmakethemostofit,yourlittle(ormaybebig)spacebetween.
abouttheauthor
Karahistheowner,blogger,andDIYerbehindtheblogthespacebetween,whereshechroniclesheradventurestomakethemostofhereveryspace.Althoughshefindsherselfmovingeveryfewyearsasherhusbandpursueshiscareer,sheispassionateaboutcreatingahometolovethroughupcycling,repurposing,andsomehardcorehomerenovations.She’scurrentlyknee-deepinafullDIYrenovationoftheir1950sconch-stylehouseinKeyWest,Florida.Picturedrywalldusteverywhere,paintinherhair,andpalletscollectingintheyardjustwaitingtobeturnedintoapieceoffurnitureoreclecticstoragesolution.Inadditiontotheblog,Karahcanbefoundonlinehere:
Pinterest:www.pinterest.com/kbundeFacebook:www.facebook.com/TheSpaceBetweenBlog1Twitter:www.twitter.com/karahs_spaceInstagram:www.instagram.com/thespacebetweenblogGoogle+:http://plus.google.com/u/0/+KarahBunde
Cheerstomakingthemostofthespacebetween…youknowtheone,thatlittlespacebetweenwhereyou’vebeenandwhereyou’regoing.
aheartfeltthank-you
toShane,justknowthatIknowthatIhitthejackpot.Inthesiblingdepartment,thatis.Ihaveyettohittheactualjackpot,butIdigress.tomyparentsforbeingsupportiveandencouragingevenwhenIdidn’tknow
Ineededit.toSueformakingmebeyourperson.andveryimportantly,tothereaders,forwithoutyouthisjourneywouldn’tbe
thesame.Yoursupportandencouragementdrivemeforward.Wait,nowyou’rebeginningtosoundlikemyparents.
Copyright©2014byKarahBunde.Allrightsreserved.
Thisbook,orpartsthereof,maynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutpermissionfromthepublisher;exceptionsaremadeforbriefexcerptsusedinpublishedreviews.
PublishedbyAdamsMedia,adivisionofF+WMedia,Inc.57LittlefieldStreet,Avon,MA02322.U.S.A.
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Readersareurgedtotakeallappropriateprecautionsbeforeundertakinganyhow-totask.Alwaysreadandfollowinstructionsandsafetywarningsforalltoolsandmaterials,andcallinaprofessionalifthetaskstretchesyourabilitiestoofar.Althougheveryefforthasbeenmadetoprovidethebestpossibleinformationinthisbook,neitherthepublishernortheauthorareresponsibleforaccidents,injuries,ordamageincurredasaresultoftasksundertakenbyreaders.Thisbookisnotasubstituteforprofessionalservices.
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