The world of woodworking is filled with fun projects that leave you feeling proud of what you’ve accomplished. This being said, if you’re new to woodworking, you might not be aware of all the project possibilities that await you. The following aims to remedy that by presenting you with a handful of awesome woodworking projects you can DIY.
Bathtub Tray
For those who love taking leisurely baths (or those who have friends or family members who love long baths), a bathtub tray might be the perfect project. A bath tray can hold a book or an iPad. It can hold a glass of wine and some candles. This nifty item can take any bath into a luxurious occasion, and it’s pretty easy to make too. When combined with essential oils and Epsom salts, you have the recipe for a perfect evening soak.
Start by measuring your bathtub at its widest point. If your tub floats, you’re going to measure from the outside edge; if it’s nestled into the wall, measure from the wall. Next, measure the inside edges of your tub at its widest part. This is going to help you figure out where to put your support beams.
Next, take a 27 cm x 30 cm board and trim it so that it’s the width of your tub (your first measurement). Maple is especially pretty, but you can choose whichever type of wood you prefer. Cut two smaller pieces of wood to serve as the feet. This can be scrap wood or leftovers from your first trim. Using your second measurement, attach the feet to the tub tray using wood glue and one or two nails. When everything is dry, sand her down (splinters don’t mix with baths) and coat with shellac or a coating of your choice.
Midcentury Night Stand
Midcentury modern is all the rage right now, and it’s no wonder. Smooth woods, natural tones, and functionality are all wonderful additions to any home. You’ll need four pieces of plywood or pine board. A nice size would require two 15 x 45 cm pieces and two 45 x 45 cm pieces, but if you want a bigger or smaller nightstand, feel free to use this ratio and make alterations.
Use strong wood glue and some panel pins to secure the pieces into a box shape. Let the glue dry overnight before adding some hairpin legs. Screwing them in place with a screwdriver should keep everything steady. Just be sure that you test the length of your screws against the depth of your wood, so they don’t poke through the other side. Finally, finish off the wood; Obsessed Woodworking has a breakdown of pine and linseed oil which work particularly well with this design. You can also use the varnish of your choice.
Landing Stip Key Holder
Anyone with a busy life will tell you that having a landing strip when you walk in the door is vital to maintaining your sanity. In-home decor, a landing strip is somewhere where you place your mail, keys, and other important items the second you walk in the door. This helps you avoid those dreaded mornings when you’re running around looking for something that you need, stopping every three minutes to look at the clock and calculate how late for work you are.
A DIY wooden key holder is a great project for someone looking to take their first step towards intermediary woodworking. A shiplap style works particularly well. Take a 2.5 x 10 x 20 cm board and cut it into four equal pieces that are about 5 cm in width each. Wood glue the sides together (yes, glue back together with the points that you just cut). This is what gives it the rustic, shiplap feel. Give her a good 30 minutes break while the glue dries.
For the mail-basket portion of the holder, you’re going to want to cut out two little pies and three 2-inch strips. Scrap wood will work. For the pie pieces, miter at 15 degrees. Glue these two pie pieces to the front of your holder, flush with the top (you want the 90-degree angle facing out). Now is a good point to sand and stain.
Once everything is dry, you can glue the mail holder onto the front of your shiplap board. Finally, attach some hooks and hang the whole piece.
The above information should help you grow accustomed to a few simply DIY woodworking projects. Once you begin to see how woodworking elements come together, you’ll quickly begin to think about how daily items are constructed and find more and more project ideas to work on.
