Finish: Polyurethane, Minwax Charcoal Gray stain , wood stain pre-conditioner and white latex paint
Hardware: wheels
I wanted to build a coffee table with lots of storage for kids toys. I started browsing the information super highway and came across Ana White's "20 Sec Tidy Up Coffee Table" and this was exactly what I was looking for. If you want her detailed plans with dimensions and a cut list - visit her website.
Wood type: Pine lumber
Finish: Polyurethane, Minwax Charcoal Gray stain , wood stain pre-conditioner and white latex paint Hardware: wheels
I used a pocket hole jig to build the table top frame, it's not necessary but it quick and easy if you have the tool.
I used glue and pocket holes for the joinery of the table top.
I then attached the breadboard ends with pocket hole screws.
I then screwed the table top to the frame with 2" wood screws.
I then started to work on the two table sides with legs. Once again I used pocket holes for the joinery and I also used glue as well to make it more secure.
The next step was to attach 2x2 legs to the sides. I used glue and pocket screws for this step. I then clamped the ends.
Once the sides were complete, I attached them to table top structure.
The last piece to build was the trundle. To make the handle, I used a square and made some 45 degree angles and then cut it out with a jig saw
I then sanded and and applied Minwax Charcoal grey stain. I wanted a grey weathered finish but I wasn't happy with the look, it was too purple for my taste. I had applied a wood pre-conditioner prior to staining but the colour was not what I desired.
So I decided to modify the finish by doing a white wash with latex paint
Here's the final product, my wife made the numbers using her cricut and painted it black.
Project Complete!
Note: I noticed one small typo with Ana White's cut list, there should be four legs: 4 - 2x2 @15 1/2" (plans said 2 - 2x2 @15 1/2")
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I've seen these growth charts for kids all over Pinterest, Etsy etc...I knew I would make one eventually. I stumbled across one tutorial in a magazine where the person used a router to make grooves for the lines instead of simply painting the lines on the piece of wood. I decided to mimic this idea.
Wood type: Pine board
Finish: Polyurethane, Minwax oak stain and black paint Hardware: n/a
I wanted a rustic look, so I bought an 6' x 1" x 12" rough pine board. I planed the board and then then rounded the edges with some sandpaper. I also distressed it by having a little fun and threw some tools at it to created some imperfections. I then went over it quickly with a palm sander.
I wanted to ensure my height measurements markings were as a accurate as possible so I decided to hang the board on the wall fist and then mark the measurements. I created two keyhole slots on the back to hang the growth chart with my router. Below is a photo the bit I purchased.
I then created two keyhole slots on the back with my router to hang the board up. I wanted it to be secure so that it didn't fall off.
I then affixed the board to the wall on the screws and measure 1ft off the ground and made my initial marking.
I then made a simple jig to ensure the router dado lines were straight and perpendicular. The photo on the left illustrated the use of a stop block to ensure all the lines were the same length. I made 3" wide lines to mark every foot.
I then started working on my other ruler increments. Below is a sample of my progress...
Once all the router line were complete, I did some quick sanding. I then stained the board, and then filled in all the markings with black paint.
My wife has a cricut machine, we made some templates for the numbers and then painted them black. I then put on two coats of polyurethane.
This is the magazine (below) where I got the idea and tips from. As you can see there was only 6 small photos on the right page, so I hope this helps. In their growth chart, they didn't fill the router dado markings with black paint. The choice is yours...
Project Complete! So we we're expecting and we started to look at cribs. We wanted a 2-1 crib that will turn into a twin. My brother in law gave us the side pieces (rails) to his old crib, so I needed to build a headboard and footboard that would go with what he gave us. My wife started to browse online for cribs that she liked and she asked for something that would resemble the "Natart Rustico Moderno Crib". So I tried my best... Wood type: knotty pine, donated side rails were Maple (which I painted white) Finish: White semi-gloss paint with a shellac finish Hardware: Bolts Below is the stuff that was kindly donated to us. The first thing I tackled was painting the side rails white. I'm "frugal" aka cheap and bought knotty pine for the headboard and footboard. I bought some good quality prime which is supposed to help with the knots bleeding through the white paint. So I put extra coats of primer on the knots. I then started working on the footboard. I didn't have a plan to follow so I base my measurements on the side rails that were given to me. I had never done spindles before but it ended up working out. I used 2x2 out of pine for my spindles and I made a template for drilling into the top and base of my footboard which were 2x4's. I also looked up the safety regulations and ensure that the spacing between spindles was safe and within regulation. Once the spindles were assembled and glued to the top and bottom 2x4's. I attached the 2x6" legs to the footboard. The crib that my wife wanted me to replicate had some simple decorative notches in the headboard and footboard. So I decided to copy and I pulled out my router. I planned out the headboard on a scrap piece of paper and then got to work. I used pocket holes to join all the boards. I then drilled holes and attached everything and ensured everything lined up correctly. Once I had everything assembled correctly. I continued working on the headboard. I used some 1/4" birch veneer which I painted grey to complete the headboard. I glued these 3 pieces to the back of the headboard. I used some random objects in the messy basement as weights. I then worked on the finish, we was a few more coats of white paint. I then did some research for a baby safe clear coat. I chose shellac. This was the first time I used shellac and it dries quite quickly. I applied it too thick and too slowly so I ended up sanding parts of it off and restarting because there was yellow tint. It worked out in the long run but there was some trial and error. Below is a photo (left) of the yellowish overlap on my first attempt. Project Complete! My Dad made a beautiful jewelry box recently. The idea an plans came from an old magazine (American Woodworker - October 1996). The dimensions are 8" x 8" x 14". Wood type: Flame birch and walnut (pulls and corners). Finish: Polyurethane Hardware: n/a Inspiration: Old magazine Contributor: Pete Browse through the slide show to view the "waterfall" effect of the grain. I've made another record cabinet, this time with a nice walnut stain. To see more details, click here to view my original blog post for making a vinyl record cabinet. Many people have requested blueprints, for more information on detailed plans view the Products section.
I had a client contact me to build a record cabinet similar to the one I posted previously (Click Here for original detailed post). However, this person wanted more drawers so I ended up making two units. He also wanted them painted black. I picked up a few tricks and tips when building a second unit so I thought I'd share...
Wood type: 3/4" birch plywood, 1/4" Baltic Birch plywood, Pine, Poplar and birch edge banding
Finish: Black Flat Matte paint Hardware: Wooden legs from Home Depot and drawer rails
I haven't worked with edge banding a lot but in the past I've just removed the excess with an x-acto knife and then sanded. I know there are trimmer tools but I decided to test out my router to do the trimming and it worked quite well. I will definitely use this technique in the future. I used a flush trim router bit.
The client wanted record cabinet feet that be black, so I picked up some wooded legs and plates from Home Depot. I would of preferred to use leveling feet but it was difficult to find ones at a reasonable price. Yes I do realize they are quite phallic looking ha ha
The customer wasn't going to put the storage unit against a wall so I bought 1/4" Baltic birch plywood for the backs. I roughly cut it and then glued it to the back. This is what I used instead of clamps or weights :)
Here's the two units, 12 drawers in all - that's a lot of records!
Project Complete!
Many people have requested blueprints, for more information on detailed plans view the Products section.
I decided to make longboards as birthday gifts for some of my other nephews. I had made a regular skateboard prior (click here for details), but I decided to try longboards this time and I'll probably make one for myself down the road since I'm a bit of a child myself.
Wood type: 7 plys of 1/16" Maple
Finish: Polyurethane (Stain and Paint is optional) Hardware: Skateboard trucks, wheels, bearings and grip tape.
For my first longboard, I decided to go for a hybrid type of design. A more traditional pointed nose with no curve but I wanted to do a tail for stopping and possibly tricks.
I had to adjust my foam mold since it had no tail, so I shaved a a piece of foam for the tail. Note: I did remove the piece you see below with the green tape for the wheel wells. Rear wheel wells were not needed with this design.
Most forums suggest to used between 7-9 plys of 1/16 (1.5mm) of maple. I live in Canada, so maple is quite common in my area but a lot of people suggest birch as an alternative. I went with 7 plys since it was for kids.
I did a trial run to refresh myself with the vacuum bag which I purchased online.
After it was pressed for 24 hrs, I traced my design using a template and drilled the truck holes. I then cut the template with a jig saw and started the sanding process.
I'm not much of an artist, but decided to apply a stain (grey - blue). I like the look of real wood, but I knew the nephews would prefer some colour so I used some painting tape and added some lines and a logos.
One of the veneers I used was a died blue which I purchased online. I did some online research because I wanted to do it myself but it was difficult to find any DIYers that had success.
Project Complete!
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