Hello there! My name is Eva Stephen (owner: www.homedecorbyeva.blogspot.com) I am
absolutely honored to be writing a contribution as a guest for Tales of a
Trophy wife. Sharing my thoughts to Tara’s readers is indeed a pleasure. I hope
you will enjoy my handy yet crafty DIY woodworking. Here it goes, T!
-x
Eva
DIY Woodworking: Making a Nightstand
Wood is the most pervasive
building material around. It’s used to
make buildings, for art, and for the most functional things in our lives from
shelves to doors to tables. The material
is beautiful, sturdy and can be very simple to work with. Wood also reminds us of the living breathing
thing it used to be, and daily inspires creation of something it’s never been before. Today we are going to make a nightstand because
it’s a simple project to start with, yet you can get really creative in the
design and execution. This project is
designed to help you get started with wood working and make it clear just how
easy it can be when inspiration strikes!
Materials:
Wood
Wood nails (if you don’t have
than visit Wickes
to see a great collection)
Sand paper – both fine and for
raw wood
Hammer (or Hatchet) can be found
at Clas
Ohlson online store.
Need a new mattress or duvet to
go with you fabulous nightstands? Check out the selection at Shop4Furniture.
How To:
The Local Hardware Store or
Lumber Company
1.
To save
money ask a staff person where the broken or unsellable pile of wood is. Hardware stores and lumber companies
inevitably have an area where damaged wood is saved and sold for very
cheap. If it’s a small hardware store
the pile will be smaller, if it’s a lumber company I’ve seen massive amounts of
this damaged wood to choose from. I
chose a beautiful Cedar plank and a painted thinner plank that they charged me
$5 for. This is a normal price for a
damaged piece of wood, you get incredible deals.
2.
Figure out
the dimensions you will need for the different pieces of the nightstand after
settling on a design. Measure this out
on the lumber, and use a pencil to mark the wood with a notch. Ask the lumber staff to cut the wood down for
you. Usually for only a couple pieces
they will waive the charge for cutting.
I had them cut the Cedar into 12 inch pieces for the two shelves, one 26
inch piece for the back, and 26 inches for the legs made from the painted wood. Base your dimensions on how much space you
have around your bed, and what you fancy for a design to be the most functional
for you.
3.
You’ll find
all the other materials you need at the hardware store.
At Home
1.
Always sand raw wood before you start the project.
Use Raw Wood Sandpaper to start with.
Focus on the areas that may have damages and could give splinters. Sand those down really well, and then give
the rest of the raw wood a once over.
Use your Fine Sandpaper to then go over everything again. Always sand with the grain of the wood.
2.
Some of my
wood pieces had some damages on them.
Strategically place these on the underside of the shelves for
example. I also used a piece that had a
really beautiful wood knot for the top shelf to show off the character.
3.
The
following picture is the shape we’re going for.
I find it’s much easier, especially as a beginner, to have someone lend
you a hand for this part. We’re going to
attach the back to the top shelf. Place
one of the 12 inch pieces perpendiculars to the ground. Have your helper hold the back parallel to
the ground with the shelf at the top of the back piece. Set the nail with your thumb and pointer
finger at the base of the nail on the wood.
The most important thing is to drive the nail in straight. If you start off or if the nail goes crooked,
start over right away by pulling the nail out.
Use the hammer to strike the head of the nail firmly, but not so hard
you swing and miss. Safety first! Drive two nails in evenly spaced apart for
the first shelf. Repeat for the lower
shelf.
4.
The back and
shelves should now be firmly attached.
Now we’re going to attach the two side pieces, one on each side. They need to be spaced toward the front
otherwise the nightstand will be off balance.
The more toward the front the planks are, the better balanced the night
stand will be. I thought this struck a
balance between the design I wanted and structural integrity. Drive in two nails per shelf on the side pieces
using the same technique as before.
5.
You can see
that even with the same size pieces there are multiple formations you can
make! This is a his and hers set. The original design is good for me because I
like to have a lamp at the bedside and I have room for books underneath. The other design is great for holding more
books because it’s a little more sturdy, but it can’t hold a lamp unless it’s
tall and skinny. I also added some
neighborhood flowers in old beer bottles and canning jars which is a nice
colorful touch!