# Out of the scrap pile and into a gift



## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*Convert random scraps into end grain boards (cut first - design later)*

OK. This blog stuff is new to me. I've got a couple projects going where I am forcing myself to leave the large stock alone and work with material that ends up getting burned after I have too much of it.

I have been using CBdesigner from jayman7. He posted a project on this here. I have searched through blog entries and I think I am using this in a little different way. Another big resource for me has been dewoodwork's blog on how to make an end grain cutting board.

Clearly, a lot of people have been making some great looking end grain boards here. I've looked at several project postings. Originally, I used CBdesigner to come up with interesting board designs. But when I would go to the wood pile, I ended up looking at my boards that were fairly wide. They can be used for lots of projects. I kept looking at my rip cutoffs and wanting to use those. These are the pieces left over after ripping stock. They are usually 4/4 to 6/4 in thickness and anywhere from 1/16" to an inch or so wide.

It took a while to get it through my head that the design process needed to be in two steps. This two step design process is what seems to be a new contribution (if not - oh well, at least I have done my first blog!)

Prior to design, I select a bunch of stock that looks like good cutting board material. For me that is hardwood of a decent length. Also I limited myself to the rip cutoffs.



You notice that I have a piece of hardwood flooring in there as well. Collect the stock into a group of similar lengths.

This is where I make a first pass with CBdesigner. This one is just for sizing purposes and checking for a good balance of different colors. Make a list of which woods you have and estimate their final width. Also determine what the common thickness will be. If you have a mix of 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 stock, it will end up being all around 3/4" thick. Now fire up CBdesigner and verify you have enough wood to create a board of a reasonable size. That is the *only *necessary step at this point! But I end up playing with the colors and sizes to see what I might end up with. I had a mixture of cherry, walnut red oak and white oak. My first board had an initial design that looked like this.



Next step is to get all the stock to a common thickness and trim each piece to a consistent width. I use my thickness planer for this. I set each piece's width to as wide as possible.



Now I carefully measure the thickness of each piece and make another trip to CBdesigner. I use a dial calipers. This time is about getting the order of the strips right. I check for good contrast of the colors and reasonable transitions between the pieces. Here is where I ended up. Notice how the design is very different from the first one.



Once the design is laid out, I make sure to get the order correct for the glue up. Then glue the stips together. Notice how the strips are numbered.



The rest of the process is taken from dewoodworker's blog. I used Behlen's Salad Bowl finish, buffed with 0000 steel wool and coated with mineral oil. Here is what the final board looks like.



Well, that's all for now. I would love to hear any comments. The next post will be for using four thin pieces of cherry that were left over from an earlier project. They have been gathering dust for about 15 years now …

Here is an update, in case some of you have not found it, here is a project posting for this and two other boards.


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## DonDA (Jul 21, 2009)

sras said:


> *Convert random scraps into end grain boards (cut first - design later)*
> 
> OK. This blog stuff is new to me. I've got a couple projects going where I am forcing myself to leave the large stock alone and work with material that ends up getting burned after I have too much of it.
> 
> ...


Very nice! And to think this wood almost went to the fire and was wasted.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *Convert random scraps into end grain boards (cut first - design later)*
> 
> OK. This blog stuff is new to me. I've got a couple projects going where I am forcing myself to leave the large stock alone and work with material that ends up getting burned after I have too much of it.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I have to credit LJ for the save. I never could figure out what to do with those long thin strips!


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## Paul2274 (Nov 17, 2009)

sras said:


> *Convert random scraps into end grain boards (cut first - design later)*
> 
> OK. This blog stuff is new to me. I've got a couple projects going where I am forcing myself to leave the large stock alone and work with material that ends up getting burned after I have too much of it.
> 
> ...


Great project… Love the pattern… and it's a functional way to recycle.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

sras said:


> *Convert random scraps into end grain boards (cut first - design later)*
> 
> OK. This blog stuff is new to me. I've got a couple projects going where I am forcing myself to leave the large stock alone and work with material that ends up getting burned after I have too much of it.
> 
> ...


Recycle ,save from burner , save from dumster , converting other thing´s in to something useful and even mabey for a present always give a thump op

bye ther way that piece ain´t looking too bad ( read well done ) 
it will keep an reminder to the owner to make good food for the table

Dennis


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*Arched Candle Holder*

I changed the title of this series since this next entry uses wood I don't think I could ever throw away (it used to say "burn bucket" instead of "scrap pile"). I have had these this planks of cherry for a long time. They are about 24"x3.25"x1/8". This is another case where I do not have a design, but I'll figure it out as I go…



I had cut them for a project that didn't work out and they have sat ever since. I decided to make an arched votive candle holder. I have looked at a couple examples at galleries and here on LumberJocks and I liked the idea. At first I thought I would need a form for clamping the strips. Then it occured to me that this was not part of a larger project and I did not need to match an exact curve. Just bending the planks over a piece of wood should do the trick. So I grabbed a peice of scrap about 1.5" thick and played with it.



The cherry bent easily - no heating, soaking or steaming would be needed. The next step was to come up with a clamping method. If I were to do an arch, I would not want to change the shape at the ends. But wait! The cherry bent very easily and a "camel back" arch would look pretty cool. Now I could clamp the ends parallel to the workbench. Time to glue it up and use lots of clamps.



At this point, I'm pretty pleased. I have a unique shape, no fancy forms and I think the final design should be pretty good. After waiting a full day, I took the clamps off. There was no perceptible springback. The shape looks pretty good!



Closer inspection shows some gaps. Rats! I probably needed to use stronger clamps and work out from the center and let the ends slide more. It's not the first time I've done a clamp up like this and I should have done better.



That's enough for now, the next step will be trimming the sides and hoping the gaps get trimmed off. If not I'll have to come up with a plan to hide the gaps. Luckily I have some more thin cherry to work with. All part of designing as you go…


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## zlatanv (Jul 18, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder*
> 
> I changed the title of this series since this next entry uses wood I don't think I could ever throw away (it used to say "burn bucket" instead of "scrap pile"). I have had these this planks of cherry for a long time. They are about 24"x3.25"x1/8". This is another case where I do not have a design, but I'll figure it out as I go…
> 
> ...


I'm a big fan of design as you go, only used a written plan one time, (Norm, adirondack chair), most everything is dictated by wood on hand. Less frustrating if it doesn't come out like the plan. I finally started using up scraps, the collection has been getting to big, saved the hardwoods and started to burn the scraps of pine and a bunch of oak flooring to short to plane. Need the room. Looking forward to the finished product.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder*
> 
> I changed the title of this series since this next entry uses wood I don't think I could ever throw away (it used to say "burn bucket" instead of "scrap pile"). I have had these this planks of cherry for a long time. They are about 24"x3.25"x1/8". This is another case where I do not have a design, but I'll figure it out as I go…
> 
> ...


Thanks Z,

I am little ahead of the blog, so I should be able to get to an update pretty soon. Still have some features to figure out …

Steve


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## OhValleyWoodandWool (Nov 9, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder*
> 
> I changed the title of this series since this next entry uses wood I don't think I could ever throw away (it used to say "burn bucket" instead of "scrap pile"). I have had these this planks of cherry for a long time. They are about 24"x3.25"x1/8". This is another case where I do not have a design, but I'll figure it out as I go…
> 
> ...


Can't wait to see the finished piece


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder*
> 
> I changed the title of this series since this next entry uses wood I don't think I could ever throw away (it used to say "burn bucket" instead of "scrap pile"). I have had these this planks of cherry for a long time. They are about 24"x3.25"x1/8". This is another case where I do not have a design, but I'll figure it out as I go…
> 
> ...


This type of design-as-you-go woodworking is a lot of fun. Enjoying your blog. Looking forward to the next one.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*Arched Candle Holder - It's all about adapting*

Well, trimming up the sides removed the gaps I showed in the previous post. BUT the trimming exposed other gaps! Definitely needed to do a better job of clamping! Time to adapt.



Time to go back to the shrinking scrap pile. As luck would have it, I had two strips of cherry from an even older project. If I remember right, these strips are from the first cherry boards I ever bought (19 years ago). Both strips are long enough and one of them has enough length to cover the ends as well.



The only issue is that the strips are not wide enough to cover the arch. Time to adapt again.



I can remedy that by cutting the (future) waste from the bottom of the arch and transferring it to the top. A pass thorugh the bandsaw, dry fit and then glue & clamp.



After the glue is dry, I clean up the faces. First I use a chisel to remove most of the squeeze out. Then I make a few passes through a thickness sanding jig I made. It is a simple setup. Just clamp the jig to the fence of my Shopsmith and use the disc sander. I move the disc a little closer on each pass until both sides are clean. This same idea can be used with a conventional sander by clamping a fence to the table and using shims to narrow the gap on each pass.



Now the pieces are mitered to length. I glued up one piece of side trim and then glued the next 3 pieces on.



Now I need to trim the waste. My plan is to use a flush trim bit on my router table. I know from past experience that this works best if there is only a small amount of waste to remove. So I first remove most of the waste with the bandsaw. I leave around 1/8" to clean up with the router. Any time I use the router, I try to think through the process. It only takes a small slip up to create a lot of damage. I can see there are areas where I need to be careful as the grain is not going in a favorable direction. I need to make several light passes - even though I only need to trim off 1/8". Well, APARRENTLY I wasn't careful enough. There was one nasty spot where the router grabbed the wood and split it. This happened at the same spot on each side! The first time a chunk of wood was torn out. I managed to find the piece. Time to adapt again…



After the glue dried, I hand filed the edges flush. After a little sanding to smooth everything out, I think I have an arched form that will work.



I'll finish this post off with a closeup on my repair job. This is a classic example of where I can see the glue line from 5 feet away and no one else will ever see it.



Next I need to cut the pockets for the candles and add some type of foot to raise it up…


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## OhValleyWoodandWool (Nov 9, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - It's all about adapting*
> 
> Well, trimming up the sides removed the gaps I showed in the previous post. BUT the trimming exposed other gaps! Definitely needed to do a better job of clamping! Time to adapt.
> 
> ...


That is going to be a very nice candle holder


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - It's all about adapting*
> 
> Well, trimming up the sides removed the gaps I showed in the previous post. BUT the trimming exposed other gaps! Definitely needed to do a better job of clamping! Time to adapt.
> 
> ...


This is a pretty interesting blog. You have detailed the "repair" well enough for even me to understand what is going on. 

And you are right about the glue line. I always have this trouble with cherry when I laminate pieces together. But I can't see the glue line in the last pictures. I know it is there but it blends in well with the grain. And thanks for showing how to fix the gaps in the laminations as well. I have some pieces sitting in my shop right now that I decided not to use because of gaps when I needed some 8/4 cherry for a project. I couldn't bear to get rid of them but could not use them because of the gaps. Now I see the fix.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - It's all about adapting*
> 
> Well, trimming up the sides removed the gaps I showed in the previous post. BUT the trimming exposed other gaps! Definitely needed to do a better job of clamping! Time to adapt.
> 
> ...


I love the way you work and how you take into stride the mishaps that plague all of us. I loved your fix-up too. I had to make a similar one on one of my breadbaskets and like you say I am very aware of it, but it's really not noticeable unless you are drawn to it like a magnet, as in my case. I also want to thank you for showing the sanding jig. I recently bought a 12" disk sander and wondered how I could do thickness sanding with it and not just end grain work. I imagined some kind of fence arrangement, but I didn't think about using a single point fence which I think is simpler and more importantly much safer. Now I'm looking forward to the next installment of your great blog. Thanks for posting!


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - It's all about adapting*
> 
> Well, trimming up the sides removed the gaps I showed in the previous post. BUT the trimming exposed other gaps! Definitely needed to do a better job of clamping! Time to adapt.
> 
> ...


OhVlyArtisan - Thanks! I'm getting interested to see how it turns out. I might have to make another

Scott - Glad this helped you out. I am going to resist the temptation to show you the glue line in any more detail. I am always tempted to make sure everyone sees every "defect" in a piece and there is just no reason to do that!

Mike - Thanks for the compliment. I have been using the thickness sanding trick for several years now. A couple of things to watch for: It is easy to start and finish a strip with a taper if you angle the strip at the beginning or end. Don't let the strip rub the edge of the disc or you will need to make the strip thinner! It is a balancing act to feed the strip as straight as possible. I have been thinking about posting a separate blog on this…


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - It's all about adapting*
> 
> Well, trimming up the sides removed the gaps I showed in the previous post. BUT the trimming exposed other gaps! Definitely needed to do a better job of clamping! Time to adapt.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips sras. A blog on this would be good.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*Arched Candle Holder - gettin' jiggy*

Now, it's time to cut the recesses for the candles. I had originally thought of using a Forstner bit, but it does not leave a smooth flat bottom to the recess. Instead, I used the Forstner bit to cut a pattern for use with my router. I plan to use a pattern bit with a bearing. Looks like it is time to build a jig! Since I am only building one of these, I'll build a temporary jig. The same elements can be used to create a smaller, but permanent jig.



I have two hole sizes so I can figure out which to use. I'm going with the 1 7/8" size. Now I need a way to position the pattern in an accurate, consistent and rigid manner. My plan is to use a fixed position jig and move the arched piece. I need to start with a reference edge. I found a fairly large piece of MDF in my sheet stock inventory (that's fancy talk for a pile of plywood and stuff).



To this I added a reference to keep the pattern perpendicular to the reference edge.



The next step is to add blocking to set the pattern at the right height. Then add a stop block to center the pattern over the arched piece.



You can also see I have blocks against the sides of the arch to hold the piece against the reference edge and at each end.

You can see a piece of oak under the block that holds the pattern up at the near end. There is another one under the other end of the pattern. As I get near the end of the arch, I need to lower the pattern to get my router bit to reach. I'll remove these pieces of oak when that time comes.

I need to figure out a resonable number of candles and a spacing. I know I want one candle at the center so that means an odd number. After playing with numbers for a while, I take a detour into the house and fire up Excel. A couple of equations and I come up with 9 candles and a center-to-center spacing of 3.18" (a little less than 3 3/16")



I cut a spacing block to this dimension. After I cut the center pocket, I release the right hand end block. Then I slide the arch to the right and put the spacer block in.



I then push the arch against the block and re-clamp the right end block. Next I pull out the spacing block and reposition the left end block and the side blocks. After I cut the next pocket, I flip the piece end for end to cut the same pocekt on the opposite end.

Here is the end result. Nine evenly spaced pockets with smooth flat bottoms!



That's all for now. Next up is making some feet to raise it up a bit…


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - gettin' jiggy*
> 
> Now, it's time to cut the recesses for the candles. I had originally thought of using a Forstner bit, but it does not leave a smooth flat bottom to the recess. Instead, I used the Forstner bit to cut a pattern for use with my router. I plan to use a pattern bit with a bearing. Looks like it is time to build a jig! Since I am only building one of these, I'll build a temporary jig. The same elements can be used to create a smaller, but permanent jig.
> 
> ...


Great blog and a solution applicable to a lot of different types of tasks. This was great. Thanks


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - gettin' jiggy*
> 
> Now, it's time to cut the recesses for the candles. I had originally thought of using a Forstner bit, but it does not leave a smooth flat bottom to the recess. Instead, I used the Forstner bit to cut a pattern for use with my router. I plan to use a pattern bit with a bearing. Looks like it is time to build a jig! Since I am only building one of these, I'll build a temporary jig. The same elements can be used to create a smaller, but permanent jig.
> 
> ...


Thank you for all of this very helpful information : )


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - gettin' jiggy*
> 
> Now, it's time to cut the recesses for the candles. I had originally thought of using a Forstner bit, but it does not leave a smooth flat bottom to the recess. Instead, I used the Forstner bit to cut a pattern for use with my router. I plan to use a pattern bit with a bearing. Looks like it is time to build a jig! Since I am only building one of these, I'll build a temporary jig. The same elements can be used to create a smaller, but permanent jig.
> 
> ...


sweet pics of a very nice project


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## cabinetmaster (Aug 28, 2008)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - gettin' jiggy*
> 
> Now, it's time to cut the recesses for the candles. I had originally thought of using a Forstner bit, but it does not leave a smooth flat bottom to the recess. Instead, I used the Forstner bit to cut a pattern for use with my router. I plan to use a pattern bit with a bearing. Looks like it is time to build a jig! Since I am only building one of these, I'll build a temporary jig. The same elements can be used to create a smaller, but permanent jig.
> 
> ...


Looking good. Can't wait to see the final results.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - gettin' jiggy*
> 
> Now, it's time to cut the recesses for the candles. I had originally thought of using a Forstner bit, but it does not leave a smooth flat bottom to the recess. Instead, I used the Forstner bit to cut a pattern for use with my router. I plan to use a pattern bit with a bearing. Looks like it is time to build a jig! Since I am only building one of these, I'll build a temporary jig. The same elements can be used to create a smaller, but permanent jig.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments guys! I am managing to keep the blog up to date. Slows the woodworking down a bit, but it's fun!


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*Arched Candle Holder - On to New Heights*

It seems like the arched form needs to be lifted off the table by some amount. I'm not sure by how much. My technique in situations like this is choose from a range. Start with too little and keep adding until it seems like too much. Somehwere in between "too little" and "too much" there should be a "just right" or at least a "close enough"!
In this case I start adding spacers underneath each end. Here is the range of heights.



The wife and I talked it over and we felt like the third one from the left was close enough. That was just under 3/4". I had done some sketches earlier and we had settled on a truncated pyramid shape for the support. I pulled a couple pieces of MDF out of the scrap bucket to play with. Since my chop saw has a stop at 15 degrees, I started there. I found a support that was as long as it was wide did not look right. The arch lifted up too much. I ended up with a block that was about 3" wide and about 2" along the length of the arch.



I found a couple pieces of lacewood that I wanted to use for the support. They were about 1/8" thick so I trimmed 1/4" off the width and length of the MDF block.



I thought I could rip these down the length and have enough to cover all 4 sides. No good, the lacewood was too narrow to cover the block. The pieces were not long enough to cover all 4 sides. However, the length WAS sufficient to cover one long and two short sides. I ripped the lacewood at about 2/3rds width. I then cut the narrow piece in half to make a piece that could cover the second long side. I hope that makes sense  The next picture shows the glue up to get a piece to cover the 4th side.



While the glue dried I worked on figuring the compound angles to miter the ends of the lacewood. I have never had good luck with this if I try to figure out the angles ahead of time. I get better results by testing the angles with a piece of scrap. It took about 4 tries to get a miter that looked good.



I then cut the compound miters. I had to be very careful as I had no extra material to spare. [Warning: these are small pieces. Make sure you have a means of cutting that keeps you safe. I am not going to share what I did here. Anyone cutting small pieces needs to do so in a way that is safe for them.] Anyway here are the 4 sides ready to glue up. Can you tell which one was glued up from 2 pieces?



After the lacewood was glued on, I sanded the edges flush with the top and bottom of the MDF. I had a thin (about 1/16") piece of walnut that looked like a good way to trim out the bottom. I decided that I wanted a little inset between the support and the arch. I had a piece of thin mahogany that was just wide enough to cover the MDF on the top. I set the length to just cover the MDF as well. I now have all 6 faces of the MDF covered. When I went to test fit the arch on top, I found that the arch was not flush with the top.



I angled the top face with the disc sander until it matched the arch. Here is the final support.



All that's left is sanding, assembly and finishing. I'll sand the pieces using this progression of grits: 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, 320 and 400. Not sure about finish yet. Stay tuned for the project posting…


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## ellen35 (Jan 1, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - On to New Heights*
> 
> It seems like the arched form needs to be lifted off the table by some amount. I'm not sure by how much. My technique in situations like this is choose from a range. Start with too little and keep adding until it seems like too much. Somehwere in between "too little" and "too much" there should be a "just right" or at least a "close enough"!
> In this case I start adding spacers underneath each end. Here is the range of heights.
> ...


I have been following this post with great interest.
You have a wonderful design and have executed it well.
What is more… you have explained it in a way only a teacher could!
This is easy to follow…. I look forward to the next "episode".
Thanks,
Ellen


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - On to New Heights*
> 
> It seems like the arched form needs to be lifted off the table by some amount. I'm not sure by how much. My technique in situations like this is choose from a range. Start with too little and keep adding until it seems like too much. Somehwere in between "too little" and "too much" there should be a "just right" or at least a "close enough"!
> In this case I start adding spacers underneath each end. Here is the range of heights.
> ...


I'm lovin it. Waiting for the next one. It is the little details that make projects like this very special.


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## dustbunny (May 18, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - On to New Heights*
> 
> It seems like the arched form needs to be lifted off the table by some amount. I'm not sure by how much. My technique in situations like this is choose from a range. Start with too little and keep adding until it seems like too much. Somehwere in between "too little" and "too much" there should be a "just right" or at least a "close enough"!
> In this case I start adding spacers underneath each end. Here is the range of heights.
> ...


I haven't tried compound angles, yours came out perfect. 
I'm sure mine would have a finger chopped in with it.
Also waiting for the next one.
Fine work !!

Lisa


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*Arched Candle Holder - Wrap up*

I fell behind on this a bit with the holidays (plus a bit of a headcold). I guess I'll start out with a follow up detail from the last entry. Lisa (aka dustbunny) complemented me on the compound miters (Thanks Lisa!). I have to confess that they did not turn out that way right after glueing up. After I smoothed the rough edges, a few of the corners were not lined up right.



In addition to the mis match, you can also see there is a slight chip in the lacewood at the bottom. Luckily, the fix for both of these is the same. What I did was take the piece to the disc sander and adjust the surface until the corner is lined up. This means that the sides are not perfectly square, but since the piece does not reference to anything else it is hard to notice - and I like the lined up corners better!

The story is about done at this point. After sanding, the next step is to glue up the three pieces. After glueing up, all that is left is the finish. Here is a shot prior to finish.



For finish, I used a couple products from General Finishes. I put on 3 coats of GF tung oil sealer. I kept adding coats until I had a bulid up of finish on all surfaces. I then buffed with 00 and 0000 steel wool. Then I added 2 coats of oil/urethane top coat (satin). Here is the final piece.



The glass pieces are from IKEA as are the candles. I'll finish this entry with one last view. The long face of lacewood in this next picture is where I glued two strips together to get a piece wide enough (see the previous entry). Can you find the joint? I have a hard time.



I think the figure in the lacewood helps hide the glue line…

The project posting is here.

This holder ended up not being a gift - it is staying at home. I made a smaller flat one using a similar technique to place the candle recesses. That one was given to my niece for Christmas.


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## hootr (Mar 28, 2009)

sras said:


> *Arched Candle Holder - Wrap up*
> 
> I fell behind on this a bit with the holidays (plus a bit of a headcold). I guess I'll start out with a follow up detail from the last entry. Lisa (aka dustbunny) complemented me on the compound miters (Thanks Lisa!). I have to confess that they did not turn out that way right after glueing up. After I smoothed the rough edges, a few of the corners were not lined up right.
> 
> ...


Great job sras
i had the same gap problem (part 3 i think) with my cypress awnings but i confess i didn't try to fix it cause they were for my house. i'm calling them a "prototype". (lol) 
they're in my project gallery, i don't know how to link that yet. 
you have given me an inspiration for my redwood burl scrap.
thanks for the blog, very well done.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*

I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.

At first I was going to try something like a mobile, but that didn't seem to have the effect I was looking for. Here is what I came up with …

Start out with some utensils (some out of the kitchen drawer some from the Dollar Store for a buck apiece). Strip off the plastic handles. The wood ones can be left alone for now.










Grab a piece of pine out of the lumber pile and make a piece for each utensil. (Can you guess what I am making yet?)










Get a piece of hemlock out of the lumber pile and some 0.1 inch thick oak strips.

Fiddle with the strips until you get a decent amount of deflection.

Set the strip into the hemlock at an angle that lets it bend to be parallel to the top edge.

Create a relief to let the strip deflect further. Round off the bottom edges.










Add some shape to the utensil holders.










How about now? Got an idea where this is headed?

I'll fill in the rest of the details in the next post (Stay tuned


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


And the excitement continues to build…....


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


Thanks Lew - I can tell you the gift was a big hit.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


are you making salad? 

this looks great. looking forward to the next installment


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## MoshupTrail (Aug 11, 2011)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


I am guessing a sort of "swiss army knife" of gadgets. Looks promising.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


Next installment coming soon. I had a lot of fun making this!


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


A kitchen trebuchet? Shown are the objects de'launch.

A kitchen weather vane? Shown are the vanes.

Steve


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


Hmm, a trebuchet - not this time, but that could be fun!


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


A giant swiss army knife is my guess, too. The oak springs are a dead giveaway.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 1)*
> 
> I had the task of creating a light-hearted gift for my niece for Christmas. She is a chef and I wanted to use a theme of kitchen utensils. We use a $20 limit.
> 
> ...


We've got some good guessers here!


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 2)*

I would suggest reading Part 1 first before opening this one…

The next part is some plywood dividers. I had to go buy a half sheet - used about $5 worth …










I ended up needing to move the hole so I could round off the corner some more. This is what happens when there are no plans…

Set the utensils into the holders.










Mount each spring holder onto a plywood divider.










Screw all three panels together and even them up on the disc sander.










Grab another piece of hemlock and glue up for the front and back covers.










Shape to match the dividers and add a border lip to thicken.










I am going to need a pocket on one end…










And an access hole. File in a finger relief too.










I also got an excuse to get a 3/4 inch round over router bit.

That is probably long enough.

A little clearer now? One more post should finish it.


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## JL7 (Apr 13, 2010)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 2)*
> 
> I would suggest reading Part 1 first before opening this one…
> 
> ...


HA! I get it! Your first post really had me scratching my head!! Maybe add a little red paint?

Jeff


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 2)*
> 
> I would suggest reading Part 1 first before opening this one…
> 
> ...


Red paint coming up! See next post …


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 2)*
> 
> I would suggest reading Part 1 first before opening this one…
> 
> ...


And a Swiss cross!

Really Cool, Steve!


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 2)*
> 
> I would suggest reading Part 1 first before opening this one…
> 
> ...


I'm slow today. Can't figure this out. But since it goes in the kitchen, it's made me hungry


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 2)*
> 
> I would suggest reading Part 1 first before opening this one…
> 
> ...


At this point I know what it is, but I'm dying to know what's going in the "toothpick" slot.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 2)*
> 
> I would suggest reading Part 1 first before opening this one…
> 
> ...


^You'll soon know, lol!


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 2)*
> 
> I would suggest reading Part 1 first before opening this one…
> 
> ...


You're right Al! The next post shows it all.

Kind of fun to let people speculate though…


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*

Here is the final post for this build.

Got a chance to use up a couple partial cans of primer.










I originally had screw holes on the front cover. I later realized they were not necessary. Cut a couple grooves and laid filler strips in.










I had done some body repair on my truck. I bought the wrong shade of red. This was a perfect chance to use it.










I did have to buy a can of silver paint. That got me to the $20 limit.










Mount the first panel to the front.










Put dowels in. Add a couple gadgets.










Add the rest of the layers. You can see here how the springs needed to bend flush with the bottom of each tool holder.










I used some paste wax to get the parts to slide on the springs smoothly.

My niece likes to make soups (and they are really good!). I thought I need a soup logo on the front. Made a design on the computer and masked it on.










Finally, a set of tongs pulls out the side!










I posted a project with finished views. The springs worked out really well to keep the pieces in place (both open and closed).

The gift was a big hit and greatly appreciated.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


I like that even better than the cross!!

So Cool! I expect to see this in the Food Channel Magazine, Steve!!

Lew


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


That is so incredibly awesome!


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


"Tweezers"! Should have known!


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


Thanks Lew! My Niece's fiance (also a chef - they work together) says he want to get it in a food magazine by this spring. We'll see what happens.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


Thanks Al - It was a hoot to build.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


Yep JJ - had to have the tweezers!!


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## Shanem (Aug 25, 2011)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


haha awesome.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


thanks for a very good picturebook toturial serie 

take care
Dennis


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


Thanks Dennis. This was one of those times where I took enough pictures. Sometimes I just forget about the camera.

It has been fun to put this blog section together.


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

sras said:


> *The Ultimate Kitchen Gadget (Part 3)*
> 
> Here is the final post for this build.
> 
> ...


Way old post but glad I found it so nicely done.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*

I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.

The fun thing about this project is that it requires very little materials.

There are three blanks cut from bird's eye maple. I ended up cutting the middle one a little thin so I added a veneer of mahogany to each side. The caps have recesses formed by a 1" core box bit in a drill press.










The caps are cut to length.










Next caps are glued to ONE side.










Add dried beans to each cavity. I made a note on each blank so I didn't forget! Notice the marks to create the handle. You can see that the recesses are cut undersized to allow for mismatch (both in glue up and turning).










Lop off the corners and cut the handle out.










Put each one on the lathe. Check the location and size of the large diameter - you don't want to cut through. On the other hand, thinner walls allows for better sound.










Final shapes.










Now, on to the box. Again, this box is based on the palm box design by Andy. The box is sized to fit the rattles. This first image shows the pieces that fit under the lid. A careful observer will notice that I added a shaped floor to make the box more of a custom fit. I should have cut the channels into the floor at this step.










Checking the fit.










Adding the lid.










And then the sides. The sides have already been sanded to match the front half (after glue up).










The top is sanded to fit and taped in place for final shaping. No pictures of that - sorry.










Brass rod is cut to create the hinge pins and the back of the lid is shaped to allow it to open.

Final shape.










Here is a shot of my "photo booth" setup.










Here is a copy of the drawing I used. I turned the large diameters at least 1/4" larger than the holes (1/8" per side).


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


Neat!

Thanks,
Steve


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Steve.

I think I have that same photo booth!


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys -

*Lew *- First time I've taken the trouble to set one up. Was pretty easy and the pictures are much better!


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


Nice project and HowTo!
Now what's going to happen if the seeds get wet? LOL
Will you plant the rattle or rattle the plant?


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## lizardhead (Aug 15, 2010)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


Looks like a fun project


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## JimInNM (Jan 26, 2015)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


thanks much for the drawing and pics


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


how did I miss these beautiful rattles WOW and come in a wonderful box also … GREAT JOB :<))


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments!


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## AJ1104 (Nov 9, 2013)

sras said:


> *Rattles and custom storage box (drawing included)*
> 
> I just posted my rattles & box project and then I remembered I took enough build pictures for a blog post. So, here it is.
> 
> ...


Steve. These are really great. I love the build and have this on my list for my next grandchild! Great job and thanks for sharing.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

*Bird house from weathered deck wood*

This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.

This started with a pile of boards salvaged from a worn out deck. There were a couple pieces of tight grain fir in the pile that caught my interest. So I grabbed a few pieces. I re-sawed the worn wood away with the idea that the underlying tight grain fir would be of interest.










However, once the weathered wood was cut away, the fir wasn't all that interesting.










The interesting stuff is the pieces of weathered wood.










After some pondering, I chose to build a birdhouse. The basic structure is from the non-weathered part of the deck boards.










The shape was driven by a self imposed restriction to use only the deck boards I had. I sized it to be a bluebird house even though I expect it will remain indoors.

I reinforced the joints with 1/8" dowels (the only part that is not from deck wood).










I cut tapered pieces for the siding. I used my bandsaw with a fence and slightly tilted table.










The siding was glued on one piece at a time. After about 30-45 minutes I could add another piece.










Some of the wood was severely cracked and need repair.










I chose to hide the ends of the siding pieces with trim. The first step was to smooth the stepped siding on each end.










Thin strips of fir were soaked in water and heated in the microwave. Old fir does not bend easily. I had to bend 8 strips to get 4 good ones.










The strips were left on a form overnight.










And then glued in place.










The result was used to create the shape for the front & back trim.










These were glued on as well as trim around the entrance hole.










Then it was time to work on the roof. Thicker strips were used here.










The ends of the roof boards were cut on a curve. The result is the overhang is larger at the peak.










Thin pieces were added to create a front door and a back window.



















Strips were added to the inside to position a removable floor.










One of the strips shifted, but luckily the floor still aligned well.










The house was finished with a spray on poly. My wife did the decorative painting.

The final project is posted here.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

sras said:


> *Bird house from weathered deck wood*
> 
> This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.
> 
> ...


Way Cool, Steve!

I guess that's in the higher rent district :^)


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *Bird house from weathered deck wood*
> 
> This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.
> 
> ...


Thanks Lew!


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

sras said:


> *Bird house from weathered deck wood*
> 
> This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the blog had no idea of all the work you put into it, made me stop and really look at it.
Love it even more knowing all the details.

The trees are blooming here may just have to build a couple a houses. LOL
Been wanting to build something but just not up to a model at this time so a house or two would be great. Hmmmmm!!! ;-]

May I ask the over all dimensions and the hole size, will save my feeble brain some pain?

And was thinking it wouldn't take much to have a matching bird feeder.
Sorry I'll shut up now. LOL
#4


----------



## ralbuck (Mar 12, 2012)

sras said:


> *Bird house from weathered deck wood*
> 
> This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.
> 
> ...


Very nice HOUSE and a great wood rescue too!

A+ A+!


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## Dutchy (Jun 18, 2012)

sras said:


> *Bird house from weathered deck wood*
> 
> This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.
> 
> ...


That is a really nice one. A owl residence I would say.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

sras said:


> *Bird house from weathered deck wood*
> 
> This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.
> 
> ...


Much appreciate all the work photos and descriptions in this blog Steve. For me that is the most fun part. Your attention to detail always impresses me.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

sras said:


> *Bird house from weathered deck wood*
> 
> This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments!

htl - I don't have the birdhouse here, but I can guess at a rough size. It was about 11" tall and maybe 7" wide - 8" at the eaves. Depth was maybe 10". I can't remember the hole size. I would have made it wider if I had more material. I looked up the recommendation for a blue bird house. It gave ideal height width & depth, hole size, and hole to floor distance. This house was a little too narrow. I found it interesting that blue birds don't prefer a perch below the hole.


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

sras said:


> *Bird house from weathered deck wood*
> 
> This project build is from 2015. I gave it away before I took pictures of the completed birdhouse. Last fall I finally took some pictures.
> 
> ...


*"I found it interesting that blue birds don't prefer a perch below the hole."*
I read about that just after reading your post and went a searching for info.

I think the thinness helps give it that gypsy wagon look to me.
Again great project!!!


----------

