Easy DIY Pallet wood Adirondack chairs

Personally I don't think a garden can ever have too much seating, whether it be stone seats hidden away, huge swing chairs in the middle of a lawn or plenty of comfy Adirondack chairs round a firepit.
A couple of years ago I made 2 Adirondack chairs from plans I found on the 'Ana White' website which proved to be very popular at home and fought over the handful of times we decided to sit out in the garden. So popular that I decided I needed to make a couple more this year just so that I don't have to race the kids to them during the next BBQ.
The ones I made 2 years ago are quite angular, I chose the plan because it was exceedingly simple to follow and I had all the encessary sized wood from pallets that I had taken apart.
Before I remind you of those first chairs let me take a second to remind you of the best pallet breaker to ever be designed - I chose the 4 way bar.

This 4 way pallet bar turned this heap of pallets

into this

and the best bit is that I could do it all by myself. Each pallet took literally seconds to break apart and meant that not only did I get all the long lengths of wood but the spacers also - which is where the chunkier wood came from.
This was my first attempt at the Adirondack chair and literally every piece of wood came from a pallet.

Deciding I wanted to add some colour to the garden I chose to paint them in Cuprinols 'Summer Damson' garden shades.

I've now completed 2 more Adirondack chairs with matching footstools but I didn't use the original plans because I wanted a more rounded chair for the second half of the garden. Again it's all pallet wood except for the main bottom rail which is scrap 6x2.

The chairs has since been painted in Cuprinols 'Fresh Rosemary' garden shades but I've yet to take a photo of them finished.
The plans for these second ones are in my head. I didn't want to make it up as I went along but I really couldn't find exactly what I was loking for on the internet so I conjured these up using 3 different online designs with my own bits added. It wasn't until I'd finished them that I realised the footstool doesn't match 100% - the main leg is angular on the end not rounded to match the chair - oops!

DIY Easy pallet wood planter

It's the time of year when I'm looking for new planters for the garden but being the tight fisted so and so that I am I simply refuse to buy them so out came the pallet wood and a bit of ingenuity. I need several planters for Roses that will eventually be going out into the garden ground but for this year they need a home while the garden is finished. The planters had to be exceptionally easy to make (because I get bored easily), use as little wood as possible but still look like more than just a square box.
The first one I made looked ok but I'd cut corners such as not pre drilling so the finished effect wasn't as good as it could have been - I decided that one would be the prototype and set about making another one but took my time to do it properly. The finished planter still only took one day to make so I'll definitely be making several more.

This is the finished look - no painting just a light sand and a coat of outdoor varnish for protection.

There are probably many tutorials online much better than anything I can give but I'll show step by step how I made this and maybe it will encourage someone to give it a go.

Assemble all your wood pieces once you have decided the size you want. This may sound obvious but on the prototype I made each panel up before cutting and making the next one and I ran out of wood the right size half way through. I managed to source some eventually but I would have saved myself so much aggravation just doing it properly from the start.
I decided to make my planter 20" high by whatever width the pallet wood ended up being. As it turned out I used wood that was a little over 3.5".
I cut 16 pieces @ 20" and 4 pieces the width of the boards joined together (I actually need 8 width pieces but we'll come to that later).

First I lay 4 of the pieces down and used the cool set square I attached to my workbench as something to straighten them against, this saved me so much time and effort in trying to hold all the pieces level and together.

Loving my set square as it helps keep it all together.

Next I attached a scrap piece of wood across the middle to hold it all together while I mark out for the arch in the bottom - I forgot to take a photo though.

For the arches at the top and bottom I made a mark 2" in from either end at the bottom and used a plate to mark out a circle from those marks. I repeated this at the top and bottom of all 4 sides.

Marks for arches.

Next I used the Jigsaw to cut out those marks.
TIP: Once you have cut those arches out do not remove the scrap wood from the middle until you have secured one of the fixing battens. I made this mistake and it took me ages to get that arch to look right again because the wood dropped.

See the scrap wood - don't remove it yet.

Next secure the fixing batten top and bottom - I fixed them 3" up from the bottom and 3" down from the top. Once they are secure it's safe to move the scrap wood from the middle. Then turn the pieces over and screw into the fixing battens to make it super secure - don't forget to pre drill.

Top & bottom arches cut

You need to make 2 exactly like that and then make 2 more but the fixing battens will need to be a different width allowing for the sides you just made to sit snug against the new sides.
I held the two finished sides up to the one I was now making and marked out where the battens sat so I could use that width for the fixing battens for the next 2 sides - does that make sense?
In this photo you can see what I mean. The 2 sides are held against the one I'm making - the pencil shows you the width I'm measuring.

Pencil showing width to measure.

With that done you fix the shorter battens to the next 2 sides and you should have 2 of each of these

Finished pieces ready for joining

Next I simply built the box and screwed the sides in together - pre drilling the holes first and using a screw head sinker like this, the effect is so much more pleasing and prevents splitting of wood.

Drill bit and screw head sinker.

Looking inside this is what the planter looks like screwed together. It's perfectly solid by this point.

Add caption

Next I cut 3 pieces of scrap wood to fix to the bottom making sure the slats had enough gap to allow for water drainage.

Slats fixed to the bottom inside.

Then I needed to lay a liner in it, usually I use some of hubbys thick DPM but I was feeling especially lazy and know the DPM can be a hassle to fix so I literally used a super thick bin liner which fit perfectly and fixed it to the top batten supports with my nail gun.

To hide the plastic and make it look a bit nicer I cut some odds and ends of really thin finishing wood I found and attached it to the top of the plastic using the nail gun again into the batten.

Finishing wood over plastic on left.

Finally, a quick sand down with 60 grit and a quick sand with 240 grit -I usually go all the way from 60, 80, 120 etc but I wanted to keep the rustic look.
One coat of external varnish and it's good to go.

Finished look

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New workshop part 1

My workshop is really starting to take shape now and I'm so excited that I will soon be able to start all my home and garden projects in a space that is of a decent size to move around in - no more shuffling around in a 7x12 shed with small worktops that meant I couldn't build anything bigger than a bird house and had to wait until summer so I could build outside - a complete waste of winter months when I would actually have the time to build and create things.

The new workshop is actually a quarter of my husbands existing workshop (it took me months to convince him to section me the end off) and measures just over 20ftx20ft, a huge improvement not only in actual space but worktops also. Not only has MrCH made me a worktop covering 2 lengths of the walls but I also have a concrete slab area for tall work (the rest of the floor is gravel unfortunately but I'm not complaining - yet) and he even made me a work station that I could access from all sides by boarding out the top of his pool table.
It's not finished yet, I'm moved in and all my tools etc are in there but it's a mess as I try to organise stuff and work out where stuff is going. I'm not one to buy in loads of new wood in order to make lovely fancy racking and matching tool racks so everything I make is made from either old wood or pallet wood, it doesn't look posh or fancy but it does the job.

This is what I started with, 20x20 of hubbys shed. It needed insulating, boarding out and something fixing to the ceiling because the steel sheets tend to condensate in the winter and who needs to be dripped on all day!

More views of where we started. The pool table barely got used but is amazingly heavy so hubby agreed to let me make use of it as a walk around work table. We moved it slightly to the far end so that I could also make use of the concrete slab it sits on.

Insulation is in and we've begun boarding the walls out. The windows look squiffy in these pictures but they're really not, a spirit level was used throughout and the sloping roof give it an optical illusion. In fact I'm quite proud of those windows because I put them in and fixed them myself!
The door is an old one we've had sitting here for years and is now in the opening you see to the right.

These are the views I'm going to have to put up with while I'm working away in there, it's hard but someone has to do it.

Next time I'll post its current progress and the weird and wonderful projects I've made for door handles and shelving etc.

Building with pallets and reclaimed wood.

I'm kind of in love with the 'Ana White' web site, so many free plans there's bound to be something for everyone and I love that they're so adaptable, it's my go to website for inspiration.
This Rustic console table from Pottery Barn caught my eye, as it did for many others so I had to have a go at building it myself with my reclaimed pallet wood

Pottery Barn Rustic Console table.

The plans I followed are here

While my interpretation may not be quite as catalogue ready as something from Pottery Barn I'm still quite thrilled with how it turned out, especially considering the pallet wood I used needed a heap of planing and sanding to make it useable.
The perfect place for my 'Charlie Bear' Wosley to sit. The pallet wood 'Welcome' sign, scrap wood 'Home' blocks and the scrap wood lamp were all past projects of mine - click on the links to go to them.

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Rustic console table using scrap pallet wood

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Pallet wood sideboard

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Pallet wood furniture

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Pallet wood sign

I came across this 'Welcome' sign late last year while browsing the tinterweb for inspiration and finally managed to get my own pallet wood version finished just before xmas.

This is my inspiration found on 'Three Mango Seeds' blog

Here's my version of it

It was pretty easy to do, the hardest part getting my 45 degree corners to actually be true, in fact despite my every effort I couldn't then true and so I had to put the brass corners on to help hide the obvious gaps.
I ended up having to do the writing completely free hand because the lettering I had printed out was either way too small or way too big and I was too lazy to trudge all the way back to the house to reprint them.
All of the wood used for this project is pallet wood from the stacks of them we dismantled last year.

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Toaster holder

I don't remember where I first found this idea as it was a day when I was scouring the net for inspiration. I didn't really take much notice of the idea at first but it must have settled itself somewhere in the part of my brain that actually functions and quite literally from nowhere it suddenly made sense to make one.
It's a simple idea for a tray to hold the toaster so that all those annoying crumbs don't settle all over the worktop and inside the cupboard that houses it.
It was so simple to make from scrap wood.

I cut a square of ply measuring 13" x 13" (I measured the base of my toaster first) and gave it a quick sand.

Next I added some 1" x1" scrap wood all round the base - glued and screwed.

Then I added scrapwood to the sides - glued and screwed - and used a Jigsaw to shape two of the edges and add a handle hole to the same two edges.

I gave it a quick sand down and left it at that. It does the job perfectly - no more crumbs.

Handmade Trugs

Apologies for my lack of posting lately, life appears to be getting in the way and I seem to be mainly completing cards rather than any other kind of project.
I figured I would re-post an old post - nothing like a good recycle huh! As it's gardening time of year I figured maybe this trug tutorial would be of use to you.
Enjoy!

Handmade Trug

How many of you are like me I wonder?
Do you have a million and one projects on the go followed by a million more in your head yet to start on and then after spending too much time on craft sites you have a fair few more to add to the mix?
Well that's me too! Problem is I now have so many projects going on and in my head that nothing is getting done at all - I really need to learn to limit myself to a couple of projects until each one is done.
Take this week as an example - I've a trunk ready for painting (haven't a clue where to start), I'm making another scrapwood lamp like 'this one' (just different), I'm in the middle of sorting out my scrap room (which doubles as an office and trebles as a mini gym), I'm trying to make a quilt out of fabric swatches (never going to work as they're upholstery fabrics but I'm determined anyways), I'm trying to get good images with my DSLR so that I can post about about a fabulous Ebook I found and I'm trying to produce 3 wedding cards (which aren't needed until July but with my track record..........).
On top of all that I scan the web and have decided that on top of all the other million things I need to make for our home such as towel hooks, chair reupholster, quirky bathroom signs, blocks to sell .......you get the idea huh...........I now need to make my holiday beach bag (which isn't urgent as we don't go till January) and crochet some slippers!!!!!!!! THAT wouldn't be an issue but I can't even crochet - duh! I can knit pretty well but I can't find a pattern for knitted slippers that I like so I'm going to have to learn to crochet!
Be still my mind!

And..... breeeeeathe!

On to better stuff - I've entered a 10k run with my daughter so we're running together - yay!
4 miler round the forest today - double yay!
Mind you it was a walk / run as I have to build my fitness back up (my daughter appears to be uber fit already. Working with horses does that!)

But who cares bout all that. You wanna see something - anything that you can have a go at making yourselves don't you?
Well it's not finished yet - those pictures will follow soon - but I made this:

Here's the thing! Haven't a clue why I made it or what i'll use it as - that's probably why it's not finished.
I thought maybe I could put 3 small herb pots in it for the kitchen window sill after it had some kind of finish to it but the sides are too tall really.
I need an egg collector................ but not this.
Maybe a trug for my garden tools?

Who knows. Anyway here's how I made it and what you'll need:

• Scrap wood - I used old fence panels.
• Old broom handle.
• Jigsaw - or handsaw.
• Sander if the wood is a bit dodgy looking.
• Hole cutter - I used one to fit my battery drill.
• Battery drill.
• Nails

My wooden fence panels were pretty grotty looking:

I just gave them a good sand with my electric sander.
Next I decided on the width I wanted and cut 2 pieces exactly the same.
Then to make the two end pieces I made a template of the style I wanted on paper, traced this to the scrap wood and cut it out using a Jigsaw.
Then use this wood as a template to make a matching piece for the other end.
I cut a base that was slightly shorter than the side pieces because the side pieces were going to be nailed to the outside edge of the end pieces but the bottom would sit inside the rectangle created by the sides and ends. (hmmmmm, that makes no sense even to me but I don't know how else to explain it).

For the holes for the broom I marked the centre of each end piece and used a hole borer attached to my drill

Once the broom was cut to size it was a simple case of putting the whole thing together with nails and hammer.
It will need some kind of wood treatment and maybe some stencilling of some kind but voila! A trug that costs nothing if you have scrap wood.

Have you made any of these? If so I'd love to see em.


 


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Beach pebble table re-do

Beach pebble table re-do.

One of the first projects I ever completed for our new house was this coffee table made from an old fish tank, some beach pebbles and some scrap wood.
Over the past year the wood table top has gradually shrunk and separated and has gotten to the stage where it looks horrendous!
This was one of my first ever wood projects and so I never really understood the need to completely dry the wood out before using it, I figured storing it in my husbands shed would be sufficient for drying purposes but in hind sight I can see just how much moisture is in the air in there and with no real sunlight from windows, the wood wasn't as dry as I had thought.
So this is what has happened to every corner and even to the in fills:

See how much the wood has separated? The tip of the corners have stayed pretty tight but that's due to the screws I used there.

So I finally decided to get a new top made with wood that has been stored in my polytunnel where it has completely dried out.
The top is made from 5" x 2" wood that I have plenty of thanks to hubby saving it for me from a building he demolished.
I never work from plans because I'm pretty good at memorising what I want and as long as I can visualise the finished effect then I'm happy to just go with it - besides, a table top is hardly complicated to do.
Basically I cut the wood to the length I wanted the table to be, glued the edges, butted the sides together and clamped the whole thing together for a couple of days - I omitted the clamping last time which I would never do again.
A couple of days later I sanded the top down with various paper grits and using first a circular sander and then a detail sander - this wood needed alot of sanding! (The last top was sanded entirely by hand - Eek!).
Once it was sanded I gave it a couple of coats of Wickes wood dye in a Medium Oak colour and left it for a further 2 days.
Once this was dry it was evident just how different the wood dye tone was on the old top compared to the new top despite using the same tin of dye on both:

Next I gave it a couple of coats of Satin wood varnish.
Once it was dry I simply transferred the base plate from the old top and screwed it to the underside of the new top - this holds the whole thing together and secures it inside the fish tank:

Then it was simply a case of slotting that on to this:

If you look close you should be able to see the lip just inside the top of the fishtank running the length of each side - this is what the wooden battens on the base of the top will sit on, creating this:

Much better!