I love wood and have even dreamt of practicing carpentry due to my fascination. With most things I am fond of and dream of, I love it but am not the expert.
Take a look at this great post by Ideas Magazine.
I have some old broken surfboards that I will make into a chairs for my house one day and this is a good stir-me-upper to get going with my crafty wood idea!
Offcuts and old wooden items such as trays and window frames can easily be turned into desirable (and useful) objects - all you need is a handful of good ideas. Here are a few to get you started.
Wall hooks
You will be able to use these in just about any area of your home.
You will need
wood offcuts
photos or pictures
long screws
screwdriver
drill and 3mm drill bit
wood glue
jigsaw
double-sided mirror tape
craft knife, cutting mat and metal ruler
To make
1 Saw the offcuts into squares of approximately the same size, but leave them rough and unfinished - don't sand them - to maintain some of the character of the wood.
2 Cut the photos or pictures that you will be using to fit within the edges of the wooden blocks. Use a craft knife, cutting mat and metal ruler to cut them out. Remember to leave space at the bottom for the screws. Glue the photos or pictures onto the wooden blocks with wood glue.
3 Drill 3mm pilot holes before inserting the screws, making sure they are inserted to the same depth.
4 Secure to the wall with double-sided mirror tape.
TIP
You can use these little wall hooks as key holders by choosing appropriate photos or pictures to indicate the right place for each key. For example, the place for the garagedoor key can be marked with a photo of Dad and his car, Gran's flat key can hang underneath a picture of her, and so on. Use the photographic software on a computer to add some creative flair to your photos. For example, get the Polaroid look by brightening or muting some of the colours so that the photo appears to come from a different era.
Wooden coasters
Miniature works of art for your table.
You will need
wooden log
pictures of your choice
artist's charcoal (available from art-supply stores)
black ballpoint pen
tracing paper
sealant
To make
1 Ask a wood merchant to cut thin discs from the log.
2 Search for pictures with interesting outlines, such as leaves. Cover the pictures with a sheet of tracing paper and trace with a ballpoint pen.
3 Turn over the tracing paper and go over the lines with charcoal, pressing quite hard so that there is quite a thick layer of charcoal.
4 Turn over the tracing paper once more and position the picture outline on the wooden disc. Go over the lines again with the ballpoint pen to transfer the motif onto the wood. If the lines are too light, make the charcoal darker and then repeat the transfer.
5 As soon as the motif has been transferred onto the wood, you will need to seal it with a wood sealant such as Krylon Workable Fixatif. Now you can use your miniature works of art as coasters.
Table with round logs
You will always find a purpose for a table like this one.
You will need
wooden logs
round glass table top
natural rope
extra-strong glue
paint scraper
To make
1 When choosing the logs, make sure that they are as straight as possible, then ask the wood merchant to saw off the ends neatly for you, so you have matching lengths.
2 Use extra-strong glue, such as Henkel Sista FT101, and glue the logs together standing them upright in a circular shape. The glue will hold the logs in place while you work.
3 Once all the logs have been glued together, wrap a length of natural rope around them and tie securely. You can remove the rope later, if you prefer, but it can also be left in place as an added decorative element.
4 Now fill the cavities between the logs with glue, but take care to squeeze the glue in neatly, so that you won't be able to see any of it later. Leave to dry.
5 As soon as the glue is completely dry, you can remove any residue with a paint scraper, if necessary.
6 Position the round glass table top on the logs and use as a table.
Window-frame shelf
We used the basic shape of the frame to make a shelf for a girl's room.
You will need
old window frame
6mm Supawood
white vinyl with adhesive
on the back
glass (to fit into some of the openings)
putty (to secure the glass)
wood glue
spray glue
panel pins
hammer
scissors
To make
1 If you don't have a suitable frame, search for one at second-hand stores or auction rooms.
2 Have three pieces of 6mm Supawood cut to cover the back of the frame lengthwise: one on each side and the third in the middle. We made ours 85mm deep. Also have pieces cut to fit across the width at the top and bottom at the back of the frame, between the first three pieces.
3 Ask a glass merchant to cut pieces of glass to fit some of the openings in the frame. Insert the glass into the frame and carefully hammer in a few panel pins to hold the panes in place. Apply putty right around to secure.
4 Turn the frame so that the wrong side is facing you, then use wood glue to secure the pieces of Supawood to the frame.
5 Type out some words on a computer in a suitable font size and type. Print out on plain white paper. Apply spray glue to the back of the paper and stick it to the shiny side of the vinyl. Cut out, then remove the paper and wax layer on the back of the vinyl before affixing it to the glass.
6 Lean the frame against a wall and use it as a display space for trinkets and beautiful objects
Scaffolding shelves
These shelves don't take up much room, but they will provide you with plenty of storage space.
You will need
scaffolding planks
8mm threaded rods
coarse-grit sandpaper
wood oil
metal saw
drill with 8mm masonry and
wood drill bits
hammer
spirit level
pencil
To make
1 Have the planks cut to size and sand them to a smooth finish.
2 Use a metal saw to saw 8mm threaded rods into 150mm lengths. We used four for each scaffolding plank.
3 Use a spirit level to mark the lengths of the scaffolding planks on the wall.
4 Mark the positions of the threaded rods and drill the holes in the wall with an 8mm masonry drill bit. Ensure that you drill at a precise 90°angle to the wall, otherwise the shelves will be skew.
5 Use an 8mm wood drill bit to drill corresponding holes in the scaffolding planks.
6 Insert the threaded rods you cut in step 2 into the wall and carefully push the scaffolding planks into place. Lightly hammer the planks until they are flush with the wall (use a wooden block between the hammer and the shelving).
7 Wipe away any wood dust with a damp cloth, then rub the shelves with wood oil (we used Enviro Touch ProNature Outdoor Clear).
Bead tray
This is a wonderful way to keep all your beading materials together. Use an old wooden tray and paint it in a colour of your choice. Choose a few unused frames (preferably ones with some interesting detail) and arrange them in the tray. We sprayed our tray with a few coats of Plascon Post Office Red. Leave each coat to dry before spraying the next. We sprayed our frames with a very light coat of Plascon Grey Primer - just to give them a little character. Once all the paint has dried completely, glue the frames onto the tray with wood glue and leave to dry before using them to organise your beading items.
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