Projects
I took a venture up to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Artisan and Business Center to get some pointers on turning with Kelly Bresnahan.
So, … my wife and daughter are planning on “re-doing” or redecorating my daughters room. She is going from the little kid room to the pre-teen stage. From stuffed animals and buckets of toys and little girls outfits … to makeup and pictures of boys and pop music. The bright green walls are staying and the pink walls are going to be painted blue. The pink frilly comforter is being traded out for a “more grown up” one. I’m not sure I’m ok with all of this yet, but, regardless, … it’s going to happen.
Her room is no bigger than any ordinary room in a typical ranch house. A little over 12’ x 12’. To fit everything in there, there has to be a few “big” changes. Some of the stuff we need to get in the room, includes a dresser (to fit all the clothes), a new (old refurbished) makeup stand with mirrors, a twin bed, the roll top desk from the office, and some shelves. The room is not that big. To fit everything in, I figured out a way to get the bed, dresser, and shelves to occupy the same space. So, I did some measuring and figured out the heights and widths I would need to use.
I decided to make an elevated bed. That way the dresser and the shelving can fit underneath. The space behind the dresser can serve as storage for winter clothes in the summer and vice versa. We determined that the height needed to be no higher than the bottom of the window it will be next to. We also knew the size of bed that it needed to accommodate.
At first I sketched a few simple things on paper and then used Google SketchUp to draw up some basic plans. I am far from a SkethUp pro. I am actually not all that good with it. In a previous career I had used AutoCAD a lot. It is similar and very different at the same time. But, SketchUp helped to figure out sizes and how to fit things in underneath. The SketchUp drawing is, what I consider rough, but there is a link below.
The materials need not be very “fancy” seeing the bed is going to be painted white. Simple pine construction lumber will suffice for the structural components. I chose the high grade pine from the big box store for the one by material in the bed. The supports for the mattress are going to be hardwood (probably maple but … possibly oak) supporting a sheet of 3/8” plywood. I put together a spreadsheet of materials for the break down and the “shopping list”.
| Bottom Head | 1 | 1 | 3' 8" | 1x8 | Cut to 3/4x7 | 1 - 6' 1x10 | P | SH |
| Bottom Stretcher | 1 | 1 | 6' 3" | 1x4 | 1 - 8' 1x4 | P | L | |
| Cross Supports | 10 | 2 | 3' 4" | 1x8 | Cut into - 10 - 3/4x1-1/2 | 1 - 8' 1x8 | H | S |
| Foot Top | 1 | 1 | 3' 8" | 1x6 | Cut to 3/4x4-1/4 | 1 - 6' 1x6 | P | SF |
| Head Back | 1 | 1 | 3'7" | 1x8 | Cut to 3/4x6 | 1 - 6' 1x8 | P | SH |
| Inside End Supports | 3 | 3 | 3' 4" | 1x6 | 1 - 12' 1x6 | P | S | |
| Ladder Rails | 2 | 2 | 3' 4-1/2" | 2x4 | Cut to 3/4x3 | 1 - 8' 2x4 | P | LA |
| Ladder Steps | 3 | 3 | 1' 0" | 2x4 | Cut to 2x2 | 1 - 8' 2x4 | P | LA |
| Long Rails | 2 | 2 | 6' 9" | 2x6 | 2 - 8' 2x6 | P | L | |
| Outside End Caps | 2 | 2 | 3' 8" | 1x6 | 1 - 8' 1x6 | P | S | |
| Posts | 4 | 8 | 3' 4" | 2x4 | Glued to 2x3 - 4@ 2' 10=1/2" 4@ 3' 4" | 4 - 8' 2x4 | P | B |
| Rail Uprights | 2 | 2 | 0' 8" | 1x4 | Cut to 3/4x3 | 1 - 6' 1x4 | P | R |
| Side Supports | 2 | 2 | 6' 3" | 1x6 | Cut to 3/4x1-1/4 | 1 - 8' 1x4 | H | L |
| Top Head | 1 | 1 | 3' 9" | 1x10 | Cut to 3/4x7-1/2 or 8 | 1 - 6' 1x10 | P | SH |
| Head Sides | 2 | 2 | 0' 6" | 1x6 | Cut to 3/4x5-1/2 or 5 | 0 - 6' 1x6 | P | H |
| Top Rail | 1 | 1 | 3' 6" | 1x4 | Cut to 1/2x2 | 1 - 6' 1x4 | P | R |
|
Shopping List |
|||
|
Quantity |
Length |
Size |
Species |
|
2 |
6′ |
1×10 |
Pine |
|
1 |
8′ |
1×4 |
Pine |
|
2 |
6′ |
1×4 |
Pine |
|
1 |
6′ |
1×6 |
Pine |
|
1 |
12′ |
1×6 |
Pine |
|
1 |
8′ |
1×6 |
Pine |
|
1 |
8′ |
1×4 |
Hard |
|
1 |
6′ |
1×8 |
Pine |
|
1 |
8′ |
1×8 |
Hard |
|
6 |
8′ |
2×4 |
Pine |
|
2 |
8′ |
2×6 |
Pine |
The materials are all purchased and on the lumber rack in the garage. The breakdown of the stock will be happening soon. That way the wood can find its new home and acclimate to the shop. Rabbits, loose tenons, and a few traditional mortise and tenons, will be the main joinery along with some pocket holes used as clamps. The bed will be too large to build in the shop (which is a basement shop) and move up to the bedroom. It will be too big to even get down the hall to the bedroom. So, I will build and dry fit the entire bed in a room downstairs. It will be completely constructed, minus the glue, downstairs. The idea is to then disassemble the bed and paint all the surfaces not involved in a joint and then reassemble the bed in the bedroom.
Soon starts the bed build … I just hope to stay ahead of the rest of the redecorating …
SketchUp Plan
I saw the patterns for these gardens stakes in Creative Woodworks & Crafts last year and thought they would be fun to make. So, this spring I finally decided to make them.
I started by tracing the patterns supplied in the magazine. I fit three to a sheet of tracing paper. Because there were not patterns for peas, beans, or kohlrabi … I had to get creative and make a few of my own. The beans and peas I just sketched from memory. Kohlrabi was another story; I couldn’t remember what they looked like. So … I looked online for cartoon pictures of Kohlrabi.
After I had all the sketches done it was time to prep the wood. I had some Spanish Cedar that was intended to for a humidor, but, some gotten a little water damage because of a leak in the shed. I also picked the cedar for its resistance to rot and the elements. So, I re-sawed the cedar to close to 1/4” inch and then sent it through the drum sander. I made 8” x 11” x 1/4” pieces to match the patterns.
I used spray adhesive to attach the patterns to the wood. Then used the band-saw to separate each stake. I used the scroll saw to cut out the patterns. I ended up having a little help with this part. My wife and daughter both tired their hands at the scroll saw. My daughter decided she don’t care for it much. But, my wife, seemed to like it, and cut out several of the outsides of the stakes. I followed up and cut out the rest and the insides as well.
Once the shapes were set and all the cutting was done I sanded, and sanded, and sanded … and … you get the idea. I used the drum sander to sand down the “pointy end” of the stakes to a better point. I sprayed water on them to raise the grain and then sanded everything smooth again.
After taping off the lower parts of the stakes, I used the airbrush I got for Christmas to paint the main parts of the vegetables. I used brushes to do some detail work and a toothpick to ad fine lines.
After everything dried and I was happy with the look the tape came off and it was time to apply finish. I picked a spar varnish for the way it is supposed to hold up to the weather. I decided to use a spray can for quick coverage and re-coat times. I threw together a simple stand to hang wires form and suspend the stakes from while spraying. I did all the spraying outside on warm, breezy day. After applying 3 coats of finish I let the stakes dry for 48 hours and then my wife placed them in the new home in the garden. Now we know where the different vegetables are planted … if we ever get them to grow … is another story all together.
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