Quickie Work Bench : A table from six scraps

Last year I pulled these six scrap boards from of a dumpster behind an old Ingles. They're pretty badly cupped but otherwise solid, hard yellow pine 2x12s.

 

It's amazing what people get rid of during a tear-out.

I squared up the boards and made some rips.

All of the wood for this project is stacked on the left. The only scraps are on the right.

You may have noticed that for way too long I have worked without a bench. Cuts were made out on the deck and most pieces were assembled on the floor.

So this is long overdue. 

 It's a simple design from scrap lumber and it went together quickly. If every project could be like this...

 I won't be making any more cuts out here.

This helper really digs it.

 He also helped me install additional bracing from the leftover cutoffs.

Little known fact about furniture biology: tables asexually reproduce more tables. It's a fascinating life cycle.
] j [

Prototype Revealed: Tiny Legs for Tiny Legs

My daughter has been asking for a step stool to reach the sink, and now I have finally gotten to it!

Here are five members from my old pile of 2x4 cutoffs, arranged as three legs attached to two planks.

The feet are attached with deep-sunk wood screws.

The pre-drilled holes on each side are given a healthy bubble of wood glue and six dowels are inserted 3" deep into one plank.

With a hammer, the two sides are tapped gently together. If much force needs to be applied, it is best to use another block of wood as a beater to avoid marring the edges of the finished piece.

In a few hours the two sides of the doweled step stool will be firmly fixed in place.

Full curing time depends on the wood glue used, but usually takes 24 - 48 hours. I like the results: a simple sturdy child's step stool or comfy adult bench. If I can work out some of the kinks, a prettified version should be on sale soon -you know where - Hip Thrift.


And in completely unrelated news, this mess blessed me in front of my house in the morning . . .

What madness can I contrive from a broken exercise bike? The future remains unknown, though I certainly had a good time disassembling it!

Back to Familiar Territory

Well a week on St. Thomas was just what the doctor ordered - thanks Mom!  We had some epic long-snorkels and adventures every day on land as well.  If there is enough interest I could post a detailed log of our days and hopefully get the pictures uploaded from Mom's camera . . .

Great New Development: I have linked up with Amy of Hip Thrift in West Asheville to create reclaimed furniture on sale for consignment!  My first piece, a simple bookshelf, is on the floor now.  If it doesn't sell soon, Amy will apply her trademark painting flair.  More furniture is on the way . . .

Amy and I went down by the river to collect discarded wood. We had to pass up plenty of boards that were just too old to use.  By far the biggest catch was a ravaged fence that clearly was not getting back up before becoming music for earthworms.  It's perfect as a backing material, which stabilizes shelving and keeps things from falling down between a bookshelf and the wall.

I found this old shelf stock in the basement. I never asked from whence it came but I suspect it was installed somewhere in the shop before Amy launched her amazing Hip Thrift.  Odd detail: 1-1/2" x 1/4" flats nailed as nosing on 1x12 dimensional lumber.  I decided to flip that nosing onto the back of each shelf.

Now this is where it's at!  A 6-1/2 foot tall bi-fold closet door with slats will be used as stiles to support the shelves.  First I stripped all of the hardware, saving it for future projects of course.

I cut down the shelves to a uniform length, 30".

Out of the thick bottom rails of the closet doors I used a jigsaw to create legs.

(The fencing required no cuts, always a good feeling)

The final piece measures approximately 32"w x 79"h x 12"d.

Come to Hip Thrift to check out more by me and some very talented local artists and artisans.

201 Haywood Rd

Asheville, NC 28806

828.423.0853

(see more simple handmade wood projects here)