DIY Project – Page 4 – Sista Girl with Skills

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April 23, 2020April 23, 2020

Say Hello To My Little Friend

I love using my framing nailer. I’ve never fired a real gun and have no desire to do so, but I would have to think the sensation is about the same. The end result of using a nail gun is much more rewarding than what comes out of most hand gun use.

My goal was to have the shed under roof before the rain forecasted for end of week. Thanks to Covid-19 I’m tackling this project solo. I ordered most of my materials from Lowe’s and paid for their delivery. It took 10 days to get it and even though they sent me an email stating it would be delivered on Monday, April 20 between 8a-8p if I had not called to get a shorter window I would not have gotten the items at all. Apparently there was a breakdown between the online order system and delivering store, Ridge Avenue Lowe’s. They got that fixed and gave me a window between 11a and 3p. They arrived close to 3 and failed to deliver the full order. Missing were all the trim pieces, so at least that didn’t stop me from getting underway. I’ve had the worst luck with the Ridge Avenue home improvement stores (Lowe’s and Home Depot). I asked for a refund on the missing items and will pick up from Home Depot Western Hills where I’ve had great experiences.

I decided to use pressure treated 2x4x8s for the floor joist. This was not spelled out in the plans, but I thought given they are located near ground that would extend life of shed floor. I actually picked these up over the weekend from Home Depot, along with the 4’x8′ OSB board needed for the roof, which I had them cut to size. I knew I would struggle cutting a board that size by myself and it wouldn’t fit in my car uncut.

The floor called for seven boards 45″. I set the fence on my miter table to that length, which allowed me to measure once to cut .

I don’t remember what I was working on, but I shot a 16 gauge nail into my knuckle (not deep, fortunately) while holding two pieces of wood to form a corner. To prevent that from happening again I bought two Bessey angle clamps. I hadn’t used them in over a year, but they were very handy for this project. Making sure my floor is square is key and I was spot on, corner to corner, an early victory.

I also decided to strap the floor with pressure treated 2x6s (3), so that I could set the shed on three, pressure treated 4x4s beams. I ordered a 12′ and cut it to size. This was a complete departure from the plans, but I did that to aid in my ability to move it. I nailed the 2x6s to the 2×4 frame, but used SDS Heavy-Duty Connector screws, 1/4 x 3″, that I had leftover from when the City made me strap floor joist that had been cut for the original cast iron pipes to bolt the beams to the floor, nine total. I also departed from the plans and doubled up the floor panel, only because for two years I’ve had this piece of 4×8, 1/2″ OSB board that my cousin Terry gave me, but never could put to use. I wanted it gone, so doubled the floor. All of this work was done in about four hours, floor done day 1.

Day 2 was all about the walls. Definitely probably a two-person job, but thanks to some clamps I was able to get them up by myself.

Side Wall

Back Wall

Back Wall Standing

Side Walls Standing

Front Wall Standing

Front and Side Walls with Top/Overhang Plate

This was the easy part. Next on tap are the roof rafters, which means mastering the bird’s mouth cut, something I’ve never done. I don’t have a tool to measure degrees, although degree markings are on a carpenter’s square which I do have. I just don’t know how to do it. At this point the plans are working well, easy to follow, but they could have taken a lesson out of the Marion Kent How To Create a Material’s List text book. When my father gave me my material list for our framing projects in the house I had to get various lengths. He maximized cuts from boards, so material waste was minimal. Plans Design listed all 8′ lengths for the 2x4s. Massive waste is occurring. I actually plan to return my roof joist 8’ers and buy 10’ers for the as I could get two from one board. Home Depot would cut them in half for me, need 57″, so easy to get home.

April 22, 2020April 22, 2020

4 x 8 Storage Shed Build

I finally sold my mother’s china cabinet, the last item forcing me to keep a storage locker. I had hoped the garage would have been built by now, so since it is still several months from completion I’m building a lean shed that can hold my lawn mower, snow thrower, and garden tools. I found the plans on Ebay from a company called Plans Design.

I’d really like to have chickens one day, so this particular design is similar to a chicken coup plan they also have. I’m hoping I can convert this when the need for storage is over. I’ll have about $500 in materials (what I spent moving dirt unnecessarily), but plastic sheds in this size at Home Depot or Lowe’s run about that much. Wood construction sheds, like I’ll be doing, are upwards of $1000. I do fantasize about building a tiny house, so this is my first dip of my big toe in that water. Wish me luck!

April 12, 2020April 12, 2020

Uncertain Gray, the Perfect Color in Our Uncertain Times

Happy Easter Everyone. Today feels so surreal. Merriam-Webster defines surreal as marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream also : UNBELIEVABLE. I wish these times we are living in were just a dream, but the reality is we are all enduring an event that is disrupting and devastating lives with no signs of discrimination. I do hope all of you that honor me by reading my posts, are doing well, staying positive, and staying safe by embracing social distancing. As a single person, I can tell you its hard, so I guess I’ll give thanks to the City of Cincinnati citation for giving me a project to help occupy my time and give me a reason to get outside.

I’m so glad I tinted the primer to Lullaby, my first and the polls choice, of color for my foundation. I love blue, but Lullaby was too blue or the wrong shade of blue; powder, baby blue. It most certainly didn’t look that blue in the coordinating colors page for Sea Serpent, my eventual house color and the dark patch you see in the pics. With storms in the forecast for Sunday evening and a cold front following for several days after, Saturday was my day to apply the final coat, tinted in Uncertain Gray. On my house it actually looks more like what I thought Lullaby would be.

It took me roughly 8 hours and almost two gallons of Sherwin-Williams Emerald exterior, in flat, paint. The Ridge Ave Sherwin-Williams store is now my store of choice and Greg, their manager, helped me decipher through the different exterior products SW offers. Emerald is towards the top of their line, actually used to restore the famed LA Hollywood sign. I guess since I have confidence in my DIY skills, I don’t mind buying a higher end paint, which was on sale 30% off (BTW I’ve never paid full price for any of Sherwin-Williams paints; always catching a 30% or 40% off sale). I expect my paint job to have the same long-lasting endurance as what a professional paint job would have. I applied this and the primer with a 3/4″ nap, 9″ roller and a 3″ angled synthetic paint brush. I’m ready to move some dirt!

Next up on the citation addressing list is the metal flashing that is on all four sides of house. I will get it scraped, put a rust inhibitor where needed and primed with metal primer. Lots of sweat equity, but should be less than $20 in cost of materials.

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020

Not the Plan, But Necessary

I long time family friend has a concrete business, which I know means he has access to the equipment I need to move dirt from my yard to the area around my porch to raise the soil level. He came out Sunday to access the situation and has agreed to help me. Last year I started digging to to connect my downspouts on the left side of my house to the original drain in the rear of house. The left front drain is on the porch and with the relocation of my downspouts my plan, last year, was to trench along the side of my house and connect the front to the rear drain. I knew I couldn’t do that by hand, so I stopped to find someone that knew how to operate a trencher. I got no showed three times, it turned cold, project stopped. Here’s the blessing in my City citation. It was confirmed, in writing, that I could daylight, allow the gutter water to run into the yard. I had been told differently previously. That meant no trenching for the front downspout. I only needed to re-connect the rear like I had done with the opposite side.

My dirt moving help can come as early as next week, so finishing that connection became priority, otherwise he’d refill a partially dug hole and I’d have even more dirt to move later. Last year I removed an approximate one foot section of pipe. I covered the exposed opening with a large rock to prevent things from falling into the hole. I’ve noticed with some of our recent heavy rains my basement was leaking again, something that hasn’t happened since fixing the gutters. Well it’s because mud seeped in under my rock and that pipe had become completely blocked, so water was just pooling in that area. I was going to remove another section anyway, but now it was absolutely necessary.

Once I got that approximate two foot section out I laid on my stomach and used my hand to dig out as much mud from the pipe as I could. I got down to my elbow and mentally prepared myself for another plumbing bill. If I couldn’t get it cleared I’d have to call in Zins Plumbing. My basement drains were filled with debris when I bought the house and I used my shop vac to clean them out, so I thought I’d give that a try. No pics of this as I was a hot, muddy, mess by now. I had a 8′ section of metal conduit and I used that to stir up the mud created when I filled the hole with water. I sucked up rocks, glass, wood chunks, mud for two hours. The extensions on my shop vac gave me approximately 4′ reach. I had reached my capacity when finally water started flowing through instead of backing up. Plumbing expense SAVED! My reward for that day’s hard labor……..an Epson Bath Soak. I soaked through sunset listening to jazz.

The next day I ran to Home Depot to pick up the appropriate PVC plumbing fittings. I needed a flexible coupling, two 45 degree fittings and 3″ PVC pipe. I could see roots at the bottom of the hole, so I added some root kill before I connected the pipes. I used the short section of clay pipe as my vice to hold the PVC pipe while I cut it with my reciprocating saw. I had the connection made in about an hour.

When I finished that project I finished the primer coat on the foundation and windows. The window primer I had tinted Uncertain Gray, so now I am 100% certain that is the right color. I wish I had gone that route with the foundation primer as I’d have a stronger visual of my final house. That will have to wait a few days as rain is in the forecast.

My reward for that day’s labor was a 45 minute steam shower where I did a deep conditioner of my hair with the scent of eucalyptus in the air. I can’t wait for the outside of my house to reach the level of the inside.

March 31, 2020March 31, 2020

Your Opinion Matters

Anyone else going stir crazy? My mind is grappling with this unprecedented event that has shaken the entire world. I still have client work to keep me seated at my desk, but the stay inside order is nerve wracking. Thank goodness the weather is improving, to allow for legitimate outdoor work. I’ve already done my first grass cut and now I’m going to tackle painting the cement foundation that my fantastic handy-man Tom repaired last summer. I was going to pay him to do it last year, but temps dropped before he could get to me. It’s my project now.

As I’ve shared many times over the two year restoration HGTV provided their professional designers for the color scheme of my first floor and exterior. I copied everything, but the front door color (couldn’t do pink) from their 2017 Urban Oasis Giveaway home, my favorite house since I became a HGTV junkie. The exterior of my house will be Sea Serpent with the trim done in Incredible White, both Sherwin William colors. What I love about Sherwin William’s website is they offer coordinating color suggestions, so I have decided to paint the foundation and I’m torn between Uncertain Gray and Lullaby.

Let me know what you think? Voting window closes April 2. Got to catch a no rain window.

March 27, 2020June 25, 2020

All I Needed Was The Right Jig

A jig‘s primary purpose is to provide repeatability, accuracy, and interchangeability in the manufacturing of products. It is a tool used to control the location and/or motion of parts or other tools. My father set up jigs throughout the restoration. We had a jig to cut insulation, I jig for all the wall and outlet switch heights. Having the right jig will make a task easier and faster to complete.

My vision for the top box of my headboard was a waterfall affect, the top corners joined at 45 degree angles. Kendall helped me accomplish the cuts, but he didn’t clearly explain the ramifications of that decision. Given the weight of the wood and the end grain glue up that would be needed, he felt some type of additional anchor support would be needed to hold the two sides together. Glue alone he felt would not be enough. What he didn’t provide was the clear cut method on how that would be done.

If he had explained in advance the difficulty of the waterfall I could have altered my vision and allowed the corner to overlap at 90 degrees and used my Kreg jig to create pocket holes that could have been plugged. I reached out to the Kreg company about this dilemma and they confirmed that their product could not be used. The angle produced by their jig would be too shallow of an angle not leaving enough wood for the threads of the screws to grab. I had to figure something out or start this portion of the project over. I have enough oak to create a new top and the original top could be cut to make the new sides at the lengths that would allow for anchoring at 90 degrees. Covid-19 isolation gives you time to think, so I pulled another MacGyver and developed my own jig.

First step was finding the angle that would allow the screw to enter the thickest part of the angle. That was accomplished with my angle tool. I transferred the angle to my miter saw and cut the block of wood that was my outlet jig. I thought about buying the Kreg micro drill bit, but for practice purpose used my existing 3/8″ Kreg bit. I drilled a small pilot hole, just deep enough for the tip of the Kreg bit to fit in. I took the depth collar off the Kreg bit and laid it flat against the angled side of the piece of wood I cut and carefully drilled a hole through the block of wood. The end result was a “jig” drilled to the angle I needed. From there it was trial and error as to where to place the block on the board being drilled and where to set the collar on the Kreg bit so that only the tip broke through the top piece of wood. I realized quickly I needed to clamp my jig in place, so I flattened out the top on my miter saw. Once I got a combination that worked I took a piece of 3/8″ oak dowel rod and practiced plugging the hole. That worked like a charm. The large Kreg bit also worked fine, so I decided to forgo buying the micro bit.

Now it was time to go live. Kendall felt that I only needed screws in the front because the insert for the back of the box would support the back angle. However now that I’m working solo I’m not building the box in the same order we did the dry run. The insert will be the last piece I install as I will do it as part of the final assembly in my bedroom. I need to keep the pieces as light as possible if I have any hope of carrying them upstairs by myself. For that reason I drilled four evenly dispersed holes on each side. Everything was working as practiced until I got to the last hole and the collar on the Kreg bit loosened and I drilled completely through the board, which meant there wouldn’t be a shelf for screw head to rest on. Not to be deterred I moved my jig over a bit, re-tightened the collar and drilled another hole.

Now I was ready to glue and screw the angles together. When I was trying to find an example on how to attach mitered corners I stumbled across a video from the Woodworkers Guild of America that showed how to make strong mitered corners by using a process called sizing. I followed the video precisely, diluting my Titebond III glue 50/50 with water. I brushed it on, let it dry 2-3 minutes as instructed.

Once dried enough I applied the full strength glue and inserted my biscuits, which were there just to help with alignment. Months ago I had bought Bessey angle clamps. I used one to hold the top corner together and then proceeded to put in the screws working my way up from the bottom. I used 3/4″ Kreg screws for hardwood. I was going to call it a day, let that side dry before tackling the opposite end, but it went so well that I did the other side immediately.

Once I had let it set a bit, I smeared glue in the holes, put more at the end of the piece of dowell and inserted them in each hole. I came back about an hour later and cut off the excess.

At that point I should have called it a day and let the glue up set over night, but I was on a roll and the bright light at the end of this project tunnel was starting to creep in so I decided to insert the bottom shelf. During the dry run, Kendall had me connect the bottom to the sides first, followed by the back, and then the top. It went in easily, so easily I forgot to snap a pic. I was going to let it go for the day, but at about 10 pm I returned to the basement and proceeded to sand and stain it. I am elated with how this is turning out. Having the box completed made me realize that I like the look of the polycrylic bottom shelf better than the sides and underside of the top that I treated with Danish oil, so I’ll now apply the polycrylic to the entire piece. I’m being optimistic that I can actually have the piece finished by the end of the weekend.

March 25, 2020

Helping a Friend

A very good friend of mine had a few floor tiles missing in their kitchen that their landlord had not gotten to, so they decided to make the repair themselves. I was oh so eager to lend a helping hand. They purchased this really cool tile. This project was done in two evenings, after she got home from work.

Step one was removing the tile and smoothing out the subfloor. For that I used a rasp, an attachment for my JobMax tool that I had never used. I actually didn’t know what it was and had to Google to make sure it was the appropriate device. 10 tiles were missing and I removed 6 more to accomplish the pattern. Years past someone repaired that same area, but they used an adhesive that obviously did not adhere to the tile, since they came up, but firmly attached to the subfloor. What I thought would take a couple of hours to lay the tile took about four because the areas with adhesive put up a strong fight. We actually had to send her nephew and son to Lowe’s to buy a second one. In the area where I removed tile the rasp worked great as thinset was used in that area. It was like grinding cement. DIYer lesson number one: use the right product. If you’re not sure, ask. I had thinset left from my master bath tile project, so I was happy to make it available.

Once we got the area relatively flat and cleaned up all the dust we laid the tile. I troweled the floor and my friend back buttered the tile. Honestly I don’t know if back buttering your tile is necessary, but all the shows I watch do it. I like to let my tile flop to the floor (I lay one side and let it drop). I believe that motion and the back buttering creates a strong suction. I think press the tile with my float to try and make sure their even. The floor had huge grout lines, so we eye balled the alignment instead of using spacers.

Tonight I went back and showed her how to apply the grout. I also had black grout left over from my 1st floor bath tile project. Black is a very messy grout, which I’d be reluctant to use on any future projects, so I was happy get it cleared out of my basement. I had just enough for them to use on theirs. This was done in less than two hours and I believe any other color grout, for an area that small, would have taken even less time. There is a lot of extra wiping involved with black. This little project didn’t involve cuts, so truly an easy DIY project. I was happy to lend a hand and share my little knowledge on the subject. Now they have a pretty area to stand while washing dishes.

March 23, 2020May 27, 2020

Covid-19 Is Rocking Everyone’s World

No, I have not been infected nor am I paranoid to the extent that I’m wearing mask in public. However it did make me to remember to use my mask when I’m sanding, something I generally forget to do. I haven’t made a post in awhile, so this will be an update on the two projects I’ve been working on, my dining room table and headboard.

Filling the holes/cracks in my walnut boards of my dining room table is my new skill set. The first step was taping the underside anywhere epoxy to could seep through.

20200301_141537 I used TotalBoat 5:1 Epoxy Resin, Slow Hardener. This was a very easy product to use. I bought the quart size that came with metered pumps. One pump of resin dispensed the five parts to the one pump of hardener, 1 part. Mix for at least two minutes and then you have about 20 minutes to work with it. I was amazed how much epoxy went into small cracks or holes. I made three trips to the Manufactory before all the holes were filled. I definitely will have some clean up to do as I applied too much in some areas. I’ll do better on my next project.

The only other thing I accomplished on the table was rejoining a set of the boards I split when I first started this project. The center of the table will be the board I bought from Urban Edge Wood Works, but I wanted a wide board to rest on each side of it. Only one of my boards was left uncut, so I needed to rejoin at least one. I chose the one on the left.

No pics of the glue up process, but it didn’t come out very well. The board is barely over an inch thick and I’ll have to plane it more as the seam didn’t line up through the entire length. I’m hoping I won’t lose the board altogether as my target width of 38″ is dependent upon using it. The joined board has the tape measure next to it in the picture on the left. Shown there is approximately 50″ in width of boards. I don’t want sap (white of boards) in the center of the table, so once that is cut away I have about 42″ in width. The picture on the right were the worst of all my boards and still in their original state. Hopefully they will make the skirt for the table.

The Governor of Ohio has locked down the state, so today was the last day until further notice to work at the Manufactory. Just as well as it relates to the table as according to Kendall I’ve taken it as far as I can with him and the Manufactory’s equipment. I’ve brought my boards home where they will stay in my living room until Covid-19 has passed, I find a shop to complete it myself or pay someone to do it.

Most of the headboard project has been in my basement waiting for me to do the staining, so with the dining room table on hiatus the headboard has my full focus. My workbench was my first 100% solo build and it will be the perfect surface to assemble the top of the headboard. The Manufactory let me borrow their biscuit joiner, the only piece of equipment I didn’t have at home, but needed to complete the project.

With my slots made I turned to sanding the inside of all the pieces, so I could finally tackle the stain, hence the mask. I applied the same custom stain I used on the side shelves. The color looks perfect against my beadboard section.

I’ve decided to apply polycrylic to the bottom of the top shelf since it will be a surface that items will set on it, three coats.

The rest of the oak pieces will have Danish oil. I’ll let it rest overnight and the tomorrow I’ll tackle building the box, which brings me closer to the finish line of this project.

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020

No Sweets for this Sweetheart

I didn’t come close to finishing my headboard, so I thought I’d share the progress reached by the end of the Valentine’s Day Weekend. I got the side boxes stained and coated. I had planned to use Zar Early American stain, as I did on the upstairs moulding, but Sherwin Williams no longer carries it. After trying Minwax’s Early American and General Finish Mahagony, neither were even close on the Aspen wood, I returned to Sherwin Williams to have them match the color of the doors I’ve converted to pull out tables. They are now selling Minwax Performance Series Tintable Stain.

Per the can’s directions I sanded my surfaces with 120 grit sandpaper and applied one coat of stain, which I let sit for about 10 minutes per the clerks recommendation to get a darker finish. I let it dry overnight and then applied three coats of Minwax Polycrylic. I really like the ease of use for this product. I sanded, lightly by hand, between each coat with 220 grit paper.

After one coat of poly:

After two coats of poly:

After the final coat of poly and letting them sit overnight, I returned with my parts to the Manufactory to put them back together:

With the side boxes finished it was time to tackle the oak top shelve. I started by taking the pieces for the side to the WoodShop to use their joiner and biscuit cutter. I brought the pieces back home to glue and clamp. This was my first glue up and it was spot on! Several guys at the Manufactory complimented me as the seam of the two pieces is barely noticeable.

Now it was time to tackle the top and bottom. This headboard is going to be heavy. The oak wood is dense and in hindsight I should have detoured from the original plans sooner and used 1/2″ plywood instead of 3/4″. I can bet the designer didn’t think someone would use old wood, which weighs much more than the modern 2×4. Anyway, to try and reduce a smidgen of the weight the bottom shelve is only 12″ deep. Once the back piece is in place I’ll have a 10″ deep shelve, perfect for my bible. The top has to be the same width as the sides, so it’s 17″ deep. To reach the depth I needed I had to join two slabs together. My boards weren’t the same thickness, so I had to run them through a planer.

The bottom, per Kendall’s suggestion I routed out a 1/2 groove, because I wanted the sides to cover the top of the side boxes.

I had my mind fixed on a mitered seam at the top and that posed a challenge because my top and sides were too wide for the miter saw. After setting the back in place, I was able to mark my lines to locate the miter cut and use the table saw to cut the miter in the side panels. I used my Kreg jig kit to make pocket holes for attaching the back to the bottom, sides, and top

The top was too long for the table saw, so my only option was a circular saw. I should have called it a day and returned with my own circular saw, which has a much nicer blade, but with Kendall’s help I carried on and got the cuts made. I’ll need to do a little sanding to smooth out the edges. I made the first cut, but let Kendall make the second as there was only about an inch of waste. I beat myself up too much when I fail and I wanted to end the Valentin’e weekend on a high note. Kendall went for gold and cut right on the line to make it one and done.

The challenge now is how to screw the mitered edges together. Glue may not be enough to hold the seams perfectly aligned. In retrospect I should have routed out a groove like I did on the bottom. A normal beginner woodworker would have taken that easier road. But like Nicole Curtis from Rehab Addict says, I’m not normal.

February 2, 2020June 5, 2020

You Can’t Replicate It, So Save It

My featured image is the undeniable proof as to why you salvage old wood. The top piece is a side view of a piece I cut from a shelf that was in the original upstairs closet; I’m using it for the headboard shelves. Look at how tight those rings are. The tree that produced that was probably 75+ years old. That’s quality slow growth pine. Conversely the piece at the bottom is a modern pine 2 x 6 that was probably injected with steroids to speed its growth and cut before hitting the legal age of 21. Kendall took another piece of scrap from my shelve and used a bookend cut it to create this awesome cool pattern. He’s making heirloom quality wood boxes and can incorporate it into the lid. More proof for salvaging old lumber. Look at the natural chevron pattern the rings created.

I turned my focus onto my headboard this week. I think having the table and headboard completed by Valentine’s Day is a pipe dream given I can’t work on it full-time. The table alone would be ambitious. The headboard, given the back is already complete is doable, so I started building the boxes this week with Kendall’s assistance at the Manufactory. Boxes are simple and in my mind I had all the steps laid out, but Kendall had me slow my roll, which was a good thing. He’s a numbers to paper guy, I’m a image in my mind gal. Images waste wood and that is something I can’t afford to do when it comes to the reclaimed wood I’m using on this project. It can’t be replicated if I run out or mess it up.

Scotti from the Wood Shop gave me the idea to add the side boxes when I told him how I wanted to modify the design I had purchased from Jen Woodhouse. I don’t like a lot of furniture, so I wanted to add a shelf above the headboard. Since that shelf would push the bed from the wall, creating dead space, he suggested filling it with side shelves also. Here is a sketch he did to help me visualize what he was talking about. Love it, but it meant buying more wood.

I could have purchased birch plywood sheet for the shelve boxes, but I didn’t have a way to haul a full sheet. Instead I went to Menards and bought, pre-cut Aspen boards in 4′ and 6′ lengths and 12″ and 16″ widths to reduce cuts. Slightly more expensive, but time savings was worth it. I took the four pine floor joist I had been given to the Manufactory to get them planed down because I decided I wanted my headboard to be primarily reclaimed wood. If you remember from my post “From Toilet Surround to Headboard” I had bought oak boards for this project. The look of the pine aligned with the vision I had for the project, unlike the oak. I wish my blog had smellavision, so you could enjoy the aroma of pine I smelled as we ran the boards through the planer.

At the end of that same post I made this statement “So what to do. Use the oak I purchased or create a fully salvaged headboard and use the pine. You’ll have to keep checking my blog to see how this project is going to end. Anyone want to lay bets?” Betting window is now closed. It’s going to be the Paxton oak. Those pine boards are too beautiful to waste on my headboard. They are true 2x12s and I would need to plane almost half the board to get it to the width I need. It would break my heart to waste such beauty, so they will sit until I think of another project for them.

Kendall worked with me to build the first box and left me on my own accord to build the second. I tweaked Scotti’s idea a bit further by adding a pull-out shelf at a height equivalent to a night stand. There was half of a dutch door that separated the kitchen from the hall in my house when I bought it. I held onto not knowing what it could be used for. Now I know, the pull out shelves. The boxes are just screwed together, my dry run, to make sure everything functions. I’ll take them home, take them apart, and stain them. I’m feeling like the headboard will be complete by next weekend.