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)

1 4

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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miteringa45°angleontheedgeside

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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).

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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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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).

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3. Keepingyourdesigninorder,flipeachpieceoversothefrontofyourdesignisfacingdownandmarkwheretodrillpocketholes(seeimage2).Ialsofoundithelpfultoscribbleanumberedguide(witharrowsindicatingifthepiecewasrunninghorizontallyorvertically)startingfromthetopleftcornerandnumberingacrosseach“row,”onthebackofeachpiece.Youwillneed2pocket

holesinoneendofeach3 ⁄ "×7"piecetoconnecteachofyoursquares,andyouwillwantenoughpocketholestoconnecteachsquaretotheothersquarestogivestabilitytothefinishedproduct.

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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.

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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).

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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).

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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).

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5. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandallcutedges(seeimage3).Realigncutpiecestoensuretheimagelinesmatchupfromoneslattothenext.

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6. Useyourtapemeasuretomeasuretheheightofyourartpieceateachend(orskipthetapemeasureandjustlineuptheboardsyou’reusingforthebackingboards)andmarkwheretocut(seeimage4).Alsomeasureanyinnerareasofyoursilhouettethatwillneedadditionalboardsattachingthemfromtheback.

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7. Useamiterorhandsawtocutyourbackingboardpiecestolength.

8. Layeachbackingboardverticallyonitsflatsideandrunabeadofglueontopofit.Placeeachcutpalletslathorizontallyinplacewiththeendslinedupwiththeedgeofthebackingboard(seeimage5).Repeatthisstepwiththeotherbackingboard,placingitattheotherendofthepalletsslats.

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9. Tostrengthentheconnectionofthegluedpieces,use1 ⁄ "nailsandahammerornailguntonaileachindividualslatintothebackingboard.Use2–4nailsineachendofeachslat.

10. Forthemiddlepieces,runabeadofglueontheflatsideofyoursupportpiecethenlineupyourcutpiecesontop(seeimage6).

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11. Toavoidnailholesinthemiddleofyourartpiece,you’llskipusingthemthere.Useclampstoholdyourpiecesinplaceuntilthegluedries,orjustsetaheavyobjectontoptoserveasaclamp(seeimage7).

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thepiecethatyoucanbarelyseeunderthecementblockisgettinggluedtotheartpiece;theshimpieceyouseestickingoutintothesilhouetteisonlytheretoholdthenarrow,cutsectionofthedesigninplacesoitislinedupproperlywiththepalletslataboveit;oncethegluehasdried,thatextrashimwillnotbepartofthefinishedproject

12. Ifthereareanyboardsoutofalignment,nailthemtotheirneighboringslattoholdthemintoplace.Ifyounaildowntowardthebottomofthepiece,oncehungthosenailswillbehiddenfromthenormalrangeofsight(seeimage8).

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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).

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4. A ⁄ "drillbitshouldbetherightsizetodrillpillowholesformosthooks/hardwarescrewsbutdouble-checkthesizeofyourscrewstomakesure.Thesizeofyourpilotholesshouldbeslightlysmallerthanthesizeofyourscrews,sousethescrewsasagaugewhenpickingyourdrillbit.Drillholesthrougheachmark(seeimage2).

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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.

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2. Useyourmiterorhandsawtocut4piecesofthepalletsupportboardstothemeasurementsfromthepreviousstep.

3. Lineupthecutsupportboardsedgesideupperpendicularwitheachendofyoursetsof3slats,anduseyourcordlessdrilltoattachthemwith1 ⁄ "screws.Screwintotheholesleftwhenyouremovedthenailsfromthepalletslatswhendismantlingthemfromthepallet—thiswillpreventadditionalcracking(seeimage2).Oryoucandrillnewpilotholesifyouprefer.

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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.

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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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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).

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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).

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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.

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lineupthecornerofyourspeedsquarewithyourcentermarkandasyoumovethesquareinacirclearoundthecenterpoint,markyourcutlinetheappropriatedistance

insideyourbowledgeline

12. Setyourprojectonapairofsawhorsessoyoudon’tincidentallydrillintosomethingyoulove.Drilla ⁄ "holeanywherealongtheinsideedgeofyourcutlines(seeimage11).

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13. Crossyourfingersandhopethatyourlineisintherightspot—justkidding,kindof.

14. Startwithyourbladeinyournewlydrilledholeandjigsawouttheholesforthebowls(seeimage12).

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15. Checkthefitofthebowlsandmakeadditionalcutsasnecessary.Whilejigsawing,useaclamptoholdyourprojectsteadyifthecutpalletslatsstarttoshake(seeimage13).

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16. Using1 ⁄ "nailsandyourhammeroranailgun,attachthecutslatstotheslatbesideitforadditionalsupport(seeimage14).

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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.

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3. Finally,you’llscrew#5into#3.Here’sacloseupofthegapbetweenslats#3and#5(seeimage7).Ijustusedalittleextrapressureontheslatwithmyfootwhilescrewingitinfromthefront,andtogiveitextrasecurity,Iaddedanadditionalscrewfromthebacksideofthatcorneraswell.Easypeasy,right?!

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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).

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2. Laythe1×2sverticallyontheirflatsidesandrunabeadofwoodglueoneach.

3. Laytheslatshorizontallyontopofthe1×2s(seeimage2).Clamporweighdownwithaheavyobjectandletdryovernight.Ifyoudon’twanttouseglue,useahammerornailguntosecuretogetherwiththenails.

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4. Findandprintimage.5. CutouttheimagewithyourscissorsorX-Actoknife,andthen

traceitontothepalletslats.6. Painttheimageontothepalletslats(seeimage3).

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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.

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2. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosmootheachslatifdesired.

3. Fliptherectangleoverandusetheheightofyourtreatbagsasaguidetomeasurewheretoaddyoureyehooks.Howmanyrowsyoumakewilldependonthelengthofyourpalletslatsandthesizeofyourtreatbags(seeimage2).

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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

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1. Useyourjigsawtocutapalletslatintoyourtreebaseandtrunkpieces.Asmallsquare,roughly3"×3",workswellforabase,andasmallrectangle,roughly1 ⁄ "×3",makesanicetrunk(seeimage1).Youcouldalsochoosetomakethebaseanothershapeifyouprefer.

IMAGE1

thetoppieceisthetrunkandthesquarebelowitisthebasepiece;theotherpalletpieceswillgetmarkedandcuttocreatethetreeshapeinthenextsteps

2. Lay3slatpiecessidebysideanduseaspeedsquareandpenciltomarkanglesoneachslattocreateatreeshape.Thetopofthetreeshouldcometoapoint,thetopofthenextslatshouldstart

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insidethebottomoftheslataboveitbyabout ⁄ ",andthebottomslatshouldalsobeindentedabout ⁄ "(seeimage2).

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3. Useyourjigsawwiththewoodpiecesclampedtoaworksurfaceforadditionalstabilityandcuteachslatalongyourmarks(seeimage3).

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4. Useyourpalmsanderandmedium-gritsandpapertosandeachpiece.

5. Useyourjigsawtocutyour1×2tolength.Youwantittobeabout2"shorterthantheheightofallofyourcuttreesectionstogether.Runabeadofglueontheflatsideof1×2toattacheachofthe3treeslatsandthetrunk.Startwiththebottomofthetrunklinedupwiththebottomonthe1×2(seeimage4).

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6. Letthegluedryovernight.Youcoulduseacinderblockorotherheavyobjectto“clamp”downtheslatswhilethegluedries.Youmayneedtosupportthecornersofthecinderblockwithscrapwoodtopreventtippingover.

7. Toinstallthebase,nailstraightupthroughthebasepieceintothetrunkand1×2support(seeimage5).

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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the1×4boardswillrunperpendiculartoyourpalletslats

2. Sandthe1×4sandthepalletslatsusingapalmsanderwithmedium-gritsandpaper.Paintorstainthe1×4boardsifdesired.Thepainthelpscamouflagethedifferenceinthelookofthe1×4sandthepalletslats.(Andhopefullyitwillhelpdistractattentionfromanypotentialflowermisadventuresthatmayenduphappeninginthisveryplanter).

3. Laythepalletslatssidebysidehorizontallyin4separaterowsof3slatseach.Lineupthe1×4boardsverticallyalongtherightandleftedgeofeachoftherows,andplacethemunderneaththepalletslats.Useyourcordlessdrilltoattachthepalletboardstotheverticalpieceswith1 ⁄ "screws(thesideswithouttheverticalpieceswillbetheinsideofyourplanter)(seeimage3).Whenattachingyourscrewsstay2 ⁄ "fromtheedgetoleaveroomforthemitercutinthenextstep.

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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).

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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

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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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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

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3 4

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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.

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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).

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10. Flipitoversothetopofthecoolerisrestingontheground,andlet’saddourbottomsupports.

11. Drill2pocketholesineachendofthepalletslatsthatarecutthesamelengthasthelengthofyourcooler.

12. Usingyourcordlessdrilland1 ⁄ "screws,attachthebottomsupportsinsidethebottomofthesurroundthroughthepocketholesandintothesurround(seeimage5).

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13. Setthecoolerandsurroundasideandmeasureandcutthe4×4postswithyourmitersaw.

14. Laythe4×4postsonthegroundinsetsof2sidebysideand12"apartfromoutsidetooutside.

15. Laythe12"legsupportslatsperpendicularacrosseachpairof4×4posts.Thebottomofthepalletslatwillmeasure7"fromthebottomofthe4×4posts,andtheendofeachslatwilllineupwiththeedgeofeach4×4post(seeimage6).

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16. Use2"screws,2perslatper4×4,toattachtheslatstothe4×4legs.

17. Useacarpenter’ssquarelinedupwiththeedgeandbottomofthepoststocheckforsquare(seeimage7).

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18. Nowrotatethe2setsof4×4postssothe12"slatsthatyoujustattachedrunverticallyupawayfromtheground.Thepairsoflegsshouldbe14 ⁄ "apartfromtheoutsidetooutsideifeachlegandthe12"slatthatisattachedwillbeontheoutsideofeachleg.

19. Lineup1ofthe16"legsupportslatswiththeoutsideedgeofthealreadyattached12"slatandattachwith2"screws,2per4×4(seeimage8).

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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).

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29. Withyourtablesaw,ripyouredgepiecestothemeasurementfromthepreviousstep.

30. Usethelid’smeasurementsandmiterthecornersoftheedgepiecesontheedgeside.Minewerecut14 ⁄ "and12"ontheshortsideofthemitercuts,equaltothemeasurementsofmycoolerlid.

31. Layyourlidslatsonthegroundwithyourpocketholesvisible.Runabeadofgluearoundeachedgeanduseahammerornailguntoattachthemiterededgepieceswith1 ⁄ "nails(seeimage10).

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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).

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3. Attachthe4supportpieceswith1 ⁄ "screwsthroughyourpocketholestocreatetheshapeofeachsideandthetop(seeimage4).

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4. Drill3pocketholesineachsideofthetoppiece—thisiswhereyouwillconnectthetoptoeachside(seeimage5).

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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).

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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.

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15. Attach1ofthenewlycutsupportboardshorizontallyalongthebottomoftheinsideand1horizontallyalongthetopoftheinsideofeachsidewith2"nails(seeimage16).

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16. Measuretheheightfromthegrounduptheinsideofeachtablelegtothebottomofthetoppiece.

17. Useamiterorhandsawtocutthe10additionalpalletslatstothatmeasurement.

18. Attachthepalletslatsverticallyuptheinsideofeachsidewith1 ⁄ "nails(seeimage17).

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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).

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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

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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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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.

www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN10:1-4405-7447-2ISBN13:978-1-4405-7447-4eISBN10:1-4405-7448-0

eISBN13:978-1-4405-7448-1

Manyofthedesignationsusedbymanufacturersandsellerstodistinguishtheirproductareclaimedastrademarks.WherethosedesignationsappearinthisbookandF+WMedia,Inc.wasawareofatrademarkclaim,thedesignationshavebeenprintedwithinitialcapitalletters.

Readersareurgedtotakeallappropriateprecautionsbeforeundertakinganyhow-totask.Alwaysreadandfollowinstructionsandsafetywarningsforalltoolsandmaterials,andcallinaprofessionalifthetaskstretchesyourabilitiestoofar.Althougheveryefforthasbeenmadetoprovidethebestpossibleinformationinthisbook,neitherthepublishernortheauthorareresponsibleforaccidents,injuries,ordamageincurredasaresultoftasksundertakenbyreaders.Thisbookisnotasubstituteforprofessionalservices.

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