Wood Working

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How to Build a Vanity – Pottery Barn Hack

We set out looking for the perfect vanity for our daughter’s room makeover. There were plenty of options online, but none of them quite fit the space. Nichole found some inspiration in a Pottery Barn vanity (retails for around $300) but it was to small for the space. For about $120 in materials, we set out to design and build our own version. Overall our finished project was 32w x 17.5d x 29h. Here’s the Pottery Barn Chelsea Kids Vanity...

6 Steps to Build Wooden Butterfly Slat Art

In the process of updating our daughters room we decided to build a custom wooden slat picture frame with butterflies. This unique piece was easy and fun to make. Here is our design and build process. Project Design Considerations: With each project, even the simple ones, there are design considerations I go over trying to implement Nichole’s vision. To help prime your creative process, here are some design considerations. #01: Size of Wood Slats and Space Between. We opted for...

How to Make a Floating Picture Frame – Rabbet Edition

Nearly two months ago we set about creating a floating picture frame (see it here) and I wanted to spruce it up a wee bit. I invested in a proper “thumb friendly” router (like this one) and a rabbet bit set (this one). The design was to create a picture frame with no visible nails or the need to fill nail holes. Here’s the adventure and my first experience creating a double rabbet joint. PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS #01: Measurements You’ll...

Build a Learning Tower

Learning towers are a fantastic way to have your kids help and provide a stable platform that can be adjusted to their height. It’s a pretty fantastic thing when you’re getting ready to do something in the kitchen and here comes your toddler pushing their learning tower. I highly recommend the felt pads and depending on where you store it, some side pads won’t hurt – it tends to get bounced off walls a wee bit. We built a learning...

How to Make a Floating Picture Frame

We’ve been updating our wall art over the past few months. One way we’re updating our art is by swapping out smaller art pieces for large form art. We’ve found a great way to save money by creating canvas wrapped frames from downloadable art, which you can read about How to Create Wrapped Canvas Art for under $100 here. With all the large form art now, we wanted to frame them. We opted for a floating frame style. This post...

How to Avoid Common Wood Project Finishing Errors

There are a number of wood preparation and finishing errors on the project below. At some point, I’ve made them all and learned my lessons the hard way. I can tell you that prior to staining, boards always felt smooth and looked ready to turn a beautiful shade of whatever stain I was going to apply. Problem #01: Improper edge treatment and not enough glue. For your glue project, having straight and crisp edges will make your joins look flawless....

Office desk with real wood top

IKEA Hemnes Desk Hack – How To Build a new Desk

We needed some extra office space and I’m always up for another project. We decided to convert our guest room into some much needed office space. We found some inspiration from the ether for building a desk that used IKEA Hemnes dressers. Maybe it was all the previous oil staining projects, but when Nichole asked if I could make a custom wood desk top, I said sure. Turns out an 11-foot wooden desk top and carefully attaching it is a...

Make a Contemporary Parsons Kid Desk with this DIY Desk Hack

Recently we’ve converted two full size tables into desks for the kids (the littles). It’s a brilliant way to make a fantastic solid wood desk for much less than buying new or buying wood and a leg-kit. With a few carefully measured cuts and some wood refinishing you can achieve fantastic results. Student Desk from a Large Console Table Nichole found a plain amber stained table on Facebook marketplace that was listed for $20 – likely from IKEA at one...

IKEA Kallax Bookcase Hack – How To Wrap Your Bookcase

For our children’s playroom, we were looking for a practical and stylish way of storing toys and devices. This simple DIY hack turns a simple white IKEA bookcase / shelf unit into a stylish piece of furniture. It elevated the design and style of a traditional bookcase while adding some warmth and character. We had two IKEA Kallax shelf units – smaller one at 30 3/8 x 30 3/8 and a larger unit at 30 3/8 x 57 7/8 –...

wood glue bench configuration with clamps and braces

How to Glue Your Wood Together – Setting up your Glue Station

Your equipment doesn’t need to be fancy to work! Gluing wood together can be fun and makes an incredibly strong join. Here are some of the tools and tips I’ve picked-up along the way to make your glue project go smooth. The following example photos here are from a recent glue-up for a nearly 10-foot long desk as we were needing more work space in our office. Tools I Use: Gorilla or Titebond wood glues work! Clamps I use (Irwin...