# Barn Wood



## DanBarnes (May 21, 2009)

I need some help with determining what kind of woodworking projects to make with barn wood. It is long leaf pine I believe. I just recieved a load of barn wood that ranges from 1×2- 1×12 rangeing from 6-10 ft long. It is in fairly good shape. I would like some info, ideas, comments on some projects that I can make from it. I thought of shelves and picture frames. I have never worked with it either so any help will be accepted. I look forward to making some nice old barn wood projects from this. Thank you all for the advice and comments. Feel free to share your views or lessons learned.


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## Built2Last (Nov 17, 2008)

How about a cabinet or hutch or coffee table or or or well I went blank. I'm sure you will figure it out and it will be great!!!!!!! Best of luck and make sure you let us see, when your finished!!!! By the way, if I do get a chance to come up your way I will bring you a little of the cedar like I posted today.


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Dan, I went up to Oklahoma and took down my granddad's old barn. I brought the wood home and put most of it on the wall in my game room. The rest I made frames and such out of. I even brought one of the old side doors home and hung it. Also made a que rack for the pool sticks. Somewhere I saw a chemical that turns the new cut gray so it matches the old patina. Can't remember where I saw it but I've been looking.


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## Abbott (May 10, 2009)

*Somewhere I saw a chemical that turns the new cut gray so it matches the old patina. Can't remember where I saw it but I've been looking.*

Steel wool and vinegar. http://www.wood-alley.com/2008/09/ebonizing-steel-wool-and-vinegar.html


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

The people who bught my folks farm tore down an old barn, took the siding in and paneled one of the bedrooms. ;-)


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## rgmcinnis (Jul 5, 2009)

http://www.woodworkinghistory.com/jigs_for_creating_picture_frames.htm

this is my page on constructing picture frames out of weathered barn wood. it is my good fortune to live in the pnw, where many old barns exist made of old growth douglas fir.

after many years of pondering and experiment i devised a system of creating frames with a 30 degree "cant" or angle, to give weathered frames a little more class.

further, the "raw" edge that sawing exposes can be covered up by "beveling", ie, cutting a beveled edge of 45 degrees on the side of a workpiece that you want as one of the frame's edges, cutting a second beveled "strip"-with a "weathered" edge the same thickness as the frame edge to be doctored, and by "reversing" the second strip, and gluing it to the frame's edge, where-if well done-, only a very discerning eye can detect the fakery.

i am writing this post from on my son's laptop,under great difficulty, in seattle, and won't be home for a while bck to my own computer, but if anyone is interested in seeing photos of this technique, let me know and i will post some examples later in the week.

for xmas gifts this year, for my wife's family, i intend to make several frames of weathered barnwood to frame a nice portrait of my wife's parents. the barn wood comes from a 1920s barn on her parent's farm, from my view, a fitting memorial.

let me say one more thing: every photo for posting on the web that i have taken of the several weathered barnwood frames that i have created


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## Mauritius (Jul 27, 2009)

I highly recommend making a 12' x 8' birdhouse


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## cranbrook2 (May 28, 2006)

Great idea Mauritius !!


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## SawDustnSplinters (Jan 18, 2008)

Make a bed, end tables, farm table …Just my opinion…If it was me I would put it to the best possible use I could and respect it's heritage, each board will have it's own character and patina, you sometimes have to lightly plane it on the back side to take out any cupping and to fit into a dado slot, just lightly sand it to alleviate any snags or splinters, it finishes well and shows the natural colors with a water-base PolyAcrylic.

....


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## raymcinnis (Aug 13, 2009)

frank, much bettter than a birdhouse! i'd really like to see that bed up close, but-alas-i'm in WA state and it looks like you're in texas.


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