BackYard DIY Builder

Building for the love of it

Pallet Side Table

By: comment

Hello friends today i’m going to share a build tip with you. Before I go on how many times have you built a table, a chair, anything where you have legs and not have them come out even no matter how exact your measurements are or how careful your assembly is..

Without the advantage of a large workshop or assembly tools or tables that you see in garages I stumbled on a simple trick to get your legs even so there is no wobble.

 

So when you cut your legs for what ever project you are working on and your going to be attaching your cross members to set the width of your project.

This first picture is of the two legs with the cross member running along from left to right.

You see the 2×4 standing up.  That is my spacer for the feet.  The 2×4 at the bottom which is flush to the ends of the two legs. THAT is the KEY:-)

I used one screw on each leg and screwed the bottom 2×4 flush to the legs. That will assure a flat sitting table or chair.

Then i attach the cross as i use the one as a spacer. Once the cross member is secured, i remove the 2×4 from the bottom.

Just repeat the process for the next side, and when you build up your chair or table or what ever your project is you will have it sitting flat.

Here is the picture of the two sides done for the side table.  And notice the side are standing on their own 🙂

This photo is showing the two sides are now attached with stringers at the bottom and top.

Still sitting flat with NO rocking because of misaligned leg lengths.

 

This is showing the top of the pallet side table done.  Next is the bottom shelf , lots of sanding and painting.

Ill be updating this post as progress continues.

I’ve finished the bottom shelf with more pallet wood.

The build and all the sanding is complete. I went through several sandpaper grit.

I started with 80 to take off all the stamps, and dirt. Then i went to 120 and finally 220.

 

The client want this table to be painted a turquoise color. I’ll be using my finish max sprayer, and  ordered the Spray Center

Finish Max Sprayer Link (non-affiliate)

https://www.amazon.ca/HomeRight-C800766-Finish-Fine-Sprayer/dp/B003VKFDEO/ref=pd_bxgy_60_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=S1EQMGV2Q8FR218BE8MF

Home Right Spray Center Link (non-affiliate)

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B011L3DVVO/ref=pe_3034960_236394800_TE_dp_1

 

Ill be attaching more info as I spray the table.

 

Slab Coffee Table

By: comment

Hi friends 🙂  Once again i get busy with projects and try to play catch up with my posts.

Today i finally completed a special Live Edge Wood Slab project.  I choose to do a simple project with my first wood slab.

Its a 5.5 foot slab of yellow cedar, that was rough cut. That means a little less expensive to buy as raw wood but more work in sanding.  LOTS OF SANDING!!

 

This is my creation from the inspiration photo that i found from Pintrest.

I’m not entirely happy with the legs that i tried, so i’m going to be changing them soon to the ones that are on the coffee table below.

 

 

This was the inspirational photo i found on Pinterest

 

                                          Sanding down the slab of wood it took 8 belts for my belt sander to get to a point for the orbital sander.

 

After all the sanding i stained the middle area Golden Oak to bring out the grain and the yellow of the cedar.

The edges i used a Kona stain.

I had to sand and re-stain the edges because when i used the Lacquer to finish the stain. The Lacquer bubbled, but I still liked the quality of finish.

So after a couple corrections the finish turned out even better.

 

After some delay in deciding what to use for the legs.

It was either the Iron table legs as shown in the first picture or try something different  🙂

So I went with an idea i saw. 1/2 inch steel pipe and flange .

 

 

Simply screw the flanges onto the pipe and BAM !! Four legs 🙂

 

DIY Pergola

By: comment

Hi there fans !!! Sorry for the long delay in posts but had to finish some out door projects before the Fall weather kicks in.

Just a little history on this project. When we moved into this house there was a canopy on the deck but no cover. And as we all know the designs change quickly. We found a cover that almost worked and with some slight modification we made it work.

Our mistake was to leave it up during fall and winter. A long story short is we got some heavy snow fall and it bent the metal braces for the cover.

We had to trash the cover and remove the roof supports for the canopy.  We were left with just a basic frame.

So rather than take it apart and get something to  replace it, we just decided to incorporate a pergola idea.

 

We began with getting 8 12 foot 1×4’s. And stain them Fruitwood.. Which by the way is getting hard to find in a gel.

Here are the 1×4’s notched 1.5in to fit over the metal cross bar.  I fit each one as i went to make sure the depth was correct.

 

Different angle. But notice i left 12 inches on each side for the overhang as effect.

Here i began to block in between each 1×4, to cover the top metal bar making it look more like a true Pergola. And giving strength to all the boards.

I blocked in on both sides of the outside area.

This is a better view of what i’m doing to the outer perimeter. One it adds strength but also hides the metal from view.

On this over view you can see that i staggered the blocks in the middle of the  Pergola, strengthening the whole build.

And i began to attach the top using a 1×2 as a spacer for the 1×4’s as the top.

A couple of different angles of the finished project.

 

 

Custom Side Table

By: comment

SORRY that i haven’t been around lately but I’ve been busy recovering a deck , and a new customer CUSTOM order. 🙂

 

When the client contacted me she wanted a X frame side entry table made as seen in the picture she sent to me below.

She supplied me with the specific measurements she wanted for her table.

4 ft long

the top to be 16 inches wide, 2×4 legs, and 1×4’s for the bottom shelf. And of course the X from 2×2’s

the height was requested as 34 inches.

So I stared with the top, and got a nice 2×8 at 8 feet.  Once i cut it to the 4 feet lengths i used my Kreg Jig to join the tow boards together.

Shown in the picture above i used the Kreg Jig and marked where the pocket holes were to be made on each board.

As you can see the holes are staggered. I used a speed square to line up where the holes were to go on each board.

The recommended space between each pocket hole is 6 inches.

When the holes were all prepared i put the two boards on the ground to have a flush surface as i assemble the top.

I ran a line of glue down the middle and pressed the boards together. Then proceeded to join the boards using the pocket holes.

 

As a side note, i haven’t had much experience in joining wood together in this manner. There are many options out there, like pocket holes, biscuit, and dowels just to name a few.

Each has their own advantage but they also disadvantage such as specialty tools.  I’ll get into my experience with each in later posts.

As of right now I’m using pocket holes and the Kreg Jig. Mainly because its fast and fairly reliable. There is a learning curve as with anything, so have some fun experimenting first.

I like the pocket holes becasue you dont have to be exact with your alignment as you do with the others. And if your just starting out its a good way I find to start so you don’t get frustrated right from the start.

Here is the result of the two joined boards. Looks good 🙂

Just some sanding to do.

Here is the final product.  As you can see i didn’t include the X on the side because during assembly with the requested measurements from the client it was not going to be possible.

I didn’t get pictures of all the steps this time because of the adjustments i had to make, but I’ll go into detail of the build a little later.

One lesson when you’re making custom products, sometimes you have to adjust your plan for your client but sometimes their requests are not possible and you have to be upfront with them right away and say why.

I had to say that the X for their table wasn’t possible because the space between the legs was not far enough apart for the X to be put in and look good.

I described the problem and my recommendation, they agreed and were very happy with the final result.

There was no X in it, but it was build to their requested measurements and it worked for them.

 

Another HAPPY CLIENT !! 🙂

 

 

Custom Entertainment

By: comment

Hello all friends !!  Once again the building orders have taken me away from keeping regular posts. But be assured that I always try to make ever post worth your time:-)

I just recently I made another custom build.  This time it was an entertainment unit.. My client wanted a unit and all he gave me was a picture, measurements and a slight modification.

Instead of four storage spots he wanted six… And of course I say NO PROBLEM !! 🙂

I Think I’m getting use to building things with less information.  After a few trials and errors on my own stuff, I’ve figured out how to overcome certain challenges which makes my next project easier.

This was the clients picture of the style and color he wanted, with the addition of 6 storage spots instead of 4.

 

Here is the final product, with a little of my style but a little more finer finish.

 

I’ll be adding on the build process to this post soon. Another client has requested a X style entry table. So here i go again.

Stay Tuned !!  🙂

 

 

 

Router Signs Beach Life

By: comment

Hello friends

I know I haven’t been on blogging because I’ve been building 🙂  Today’s latest DIY creation is

Router signs.  This is my 3rd sign using a router pentograph.

The set up is what takes the time. You have to make sure your letter are situated in the middle of your board you are carving into. You have to make sure your board is secure , and your router is level with the router surface. Then you can place your letters in the right spot where it will be carved into the center of your work .

This is the router and the Pantograph.

 

With this sort of carving where you deal with one letter at a time and you also router in reverse order!!  So If your word is Beach Life

You start with the last letter. In this case its the H.C.A.E.B

Here is the BEACH all carved out.

 

Its a little out of focus … Sorry.  But as you can see I carved both words out and I cut the wood between the two words. I could have left it as one long sign, but i decided to do something different.  I wanted to split them up and this is the result.

And here is the final result.

I burned the letters rather than painting them, and did the chalk paint white wash look.

 

 

Building a Patio Deck

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PATIO DECK COVER 

My 90% Completed Deck Re-Cover Project

I’m back again, and today I started another home project. This time we are going to resurface our patio deck.

Right now it has one of those rubber like surfaces and the color is fading because it gets all the direct sun and no awning available. So i’m starting to build a new surface from 1×4’s.

Each section i’m making 5×5 feet. Why?? So we can lift each section and wash under it when required.  I’ll be posting more as the work progresses.

This shows the underside of the section. I used a paint stir-stick to use as a spacer between the boards.

I nailed the cross brace every 12 inches. Now i didn’t stain the bottom because i don’t want to use more stain than i needed. Besides i know that burning the wood will seal it and prevent wood rot.

 

In this shot i’m using my new Ryobi Air Strike Nail Gun.

 

So here is my first and second panel on the deck.  the key was to have the first one in place so i could get proper measurements for the second. This will be carried on the length of the deck.

Here is the second section being put into place.  All the 1×4’s are being stained with Weathered Grey Varathane Stain.

 

I spaced the base boards 16 inches apart. And used a simple paint stir stick to create the space between the boards.

I used a 1×2 to create separation between the sections so that each can be lifted  to expose the deck surface for cleaning.

 

 

 

Router Signs

By: comment

Hello fans !!  Sorry its been awhile since my last blog.  When ever I think i have a chance to sit , turns out i need to build. 🙂

A couple months ago i got a Router Pantograph  http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42936,50298&p=67457 

from Lee Valley. No affiliate link here yet.

Anyhow I just had some time between projects and building garden benches and stuff for our local flee market. Trying to spread the word 🙂

After some time to set it up on a separate board which i recommend and its also recommended in the instructions with all the measurements you will need .

Follow the instructions for mounting the router onto the new base. You’ll have to take off your stock one, but keep it and all your parts. It took a little effort to align the router and the new base but it worked.

 

I decided to give it a try. So with a scrap piece of wood i decided to use the included letters, and router our address.

This way if it messes up no big deal. I highly recommend that you also do a few test projects.

The crazy thing is after i posted my first try on my FB page someone liked it so much that they wanted a sign!!!

She wanted a sign for EGGS 🙂  After finding the font that my client liked i used my word-processor to print out the letters i would need.

  • Tip : I followed the instructions included and enlarged the font size to 700, and added a the underline for spacing on the Pantograph.

You have to set the height for the wood you are going to be using.

Find your start and stop points

And make sure there is plenty of room on your work piece for your router. You don’t want to be going off the edge of the work piece.

Here you can see the first letter (E) for EGGS.  The underline showing the start and stop point. And the router setup and ready to go. Once your set all you have to do is carve out each letter following the outline on your template, and you should have no problem.

ALWAYS WATCH YOUR ROUTER!!

 

Then when your done. A little painting the letters. A little sanding the surface and a little chalk paint for the white wash effect and your done !!

This whole process took a little over two hours. But setup was already done for the wood i wanted, so it didn’t take too long.

 

Here is the picture my HAPPY client took of her new sign 🙂 And once again I’ve done something totally new for me but the results are a very happy customer 🙂

 

 

Coffee Table and Side Table Build

By: comment

The first commission build has been completed and delivered !!

It took a total of two weeks for this order. Week one was the coffee table. NO press-board here.

This coffee table is built to last 🙂 And i made the side tables to match.

The first thing my client requested was the bottom shelf on both coffee table and side tables to be solid, as in no spaces between the boards. Like I have done on previous versions. And he wanted a real heavy duty top on the coffee table. So i suggested 2×6 boards. They also requested specific sizes, which is never really a problem since i custom build everything. 🙂

The coffee table was to be 48L x 30W x 18H

The side tables were to be 16×20 and 20H

So there it starts and i would have to make the legs and frame of both coffee table and side tables to accommodate these measurements, And the type of wood i’m using is Spruce. I like the grain effect of this wood when i use the torching technique.

  • Please Note that I will be attempting to insert affiliate links into this post. All opinions about all the tools i use are completely my own. I’m not favoring one item over another.  

The supply list is as follows.

2×6 for the top of the coffee table.

2×4’s for the legs and frame and the bottom support stringers, so i have something to nail the 1×4’s for the shelf.

1×4’s for the bottom shelf

The side tables

2×2’s for the legs and overall frame.

1×4’s for the top

1×2’s for the bottom shelf and trim around the top of the coffee table and side tables.

The trim around the bottom shelf… well that’s a little more tricky, but i’ll explain it a bit later.

 

 

 

Summer Is Here !!!

By: comment

Welcome to the first day of SUMMER !!! And i have finished a garden project.  I could say its a step garden, because i made some raised garden beds on the side hill of the house.

This was the last step for our hill side garden. Just had to add the last of our rock and fill the side with some soil for plants.

Each step i made I learned something new that would make the next step easier to install.

I go through the process soon for you.