Hey, #mindyourmelon, right? |
Didn't think so, m'kay, bye! ;P
Now that I have your attention and slavering hope that there might be a useful post ahead -- those of you who follow us on Teh Facebooks and Twitland saw the exciting results of my spurt of inspiration (thanks, Erica!) on Friday.
A better description for this project may be "why dumpster diving pays off," but who doesn't love working out some aggression with a Skilsaw anyway?? LET'S GET READY TO...REDNECK SOME SHIT! (Note: I must include thanks, growing up with a genius mechanical engineer dad who just about rebuilt our entire house taught me many useful skills!)
Preface from the Safety Nazi: Dude. Tools are awesome, but don't mess around. Wear your safety glasses, close-toed shoes, ear protection when necessary, and pay attention. Horsewomen (don't feel left out, boys) are badasses, but the good kind work smarter, not harder. You can do anything you set your mind to, but make sure you have been properly instructed, know your equipment, and always plan ahead.
What I Used (but there are lots of options I'll try to cover)
Photobombing level. |
- Skilsaw (optional)
- Drill loaded w/ drill bit (optional)
- Impact Driver loaded w/ screwdriver bit (my new love plus I hate changing bits -- that goes for horses and drills ha, but also optional & you can use a screwdriver bit in your drill or a hand screwdriver)
- Measuring Tape (optional)
- Pencil (or Sharpie, crayon, paint pen of your choice, optional, feeling easy yet?)
- Wood Screws (w/ good sharp ones you don't HAVE to drill anything)
Lumber: (2) 2" x 4" scraps (dimensions optional)
(1) 1" x 6" scrap (dimensions optional)
Other Materials: Yer flowerz & a camera so you can share your masterpiece. And a phone in case you have to dial 911. Hey, "proactive, not reactive" doesn't just apply to riding.
Dang. Click to read labels. |
I dug my three pieces of wood out of my scrap lumber pile (collected from house construction dumpster; I didn't use a level, it was just in the bag). They were all around 26" (I didn't care, just wanted it small enough to move easily), I just cut the end off one to match the shorter one (optional). One also has a diagonal cut on end. Don't care.
In the photo above, the yellow box is drill bits and the cardboard box is leftover screws from my HorseGuard fence insulators. Real pencils work better than mechanical pencils for wood, but I was too lazy to walk to house. The drill & driver came as a set when my trusty Black & Decker finally died after over 10 years of very hard work in 2013. Since I had to replace it and was moving to the farm, I made the switch last year to lithium batteries. Worth. It. As I learned from my dad, buy a good tool and you only have to buy it once. And these really are a phenomenal deal if you do your own work, I use them every single day. I didn't even know what an impact driver was but it came with the drill...and now I don't know how I ever lived without it. Never strip a screw again!
Step 2: (sorry, forgot a picture) Lay your 1x6 flat on the ground. Set your 2x4's where you want them on top (now your box should be assembled upside down). Mark the inside edges of the 2x4's with a pencil on your 1x6. Now you have an area on each side of your 1x6 to drill pilot holes so you don't end up shooting them through the edges of your 2x4's (ah, experience...)
Step 3: Uh-oh, I spy a slight problem (aside from crappy phone camera depth of field fail). My screws will be a bit short for a secure grip on the 2x4's. I am too lazy to walk to the house (errr, theme...) to dig through scrap hardware box. Solution: I will drill pilot holes with appropriate sized bit for screw (you want to choose one just a tiny bit smaller than your screw diameter [I very scientifically hold them next to each other and eyeball it] so the screw can still bite into the wood). Then I will use a larger drill bit to countersink the screws so I can drive them deeper without totally splitting my 1x6 to bits.
Sounds complicated. Not. In the drill bit picture, I used the 2nd bit from the right to drill the pilot holes through the 1x6. Note: I ONLY drilled through the 1x6, with it sitting on the grass because (1) I'm an idiot and would totally drill through my stall mats and (2) I don't want to drill into the 2x4 because I want the screw to have its best grip there.
Then, I loaded fatty bit (seen in drill, I think it's 1/4") and on the top side of the pilot holes, drilled a larger opening just as deep as the head of the screw so the top of the screw will be flush with or slightly below the surface of the wood. Now the screw will reach farther into my 2x4. Woot!
Step 3: My holes are drilled in my 1x6 so I line it up on top of my 2x4's and install screws. Tips: (1) Put a foot, weight, or a knee on the assembled box so it doesn't move during drilling. (2) I put in corner screws first so they will hold the boards aligned so the rest of the screws are easy. (3) This is where the impact driver is handy-the screws will be tougher to turn when they hit the 2x4 but the driver just laughs and does its thing. (4) I used 4 screws on each side. 3 would have been plenty. I have a problem with over-engineering. Because I am now kicking myself for not running a bead of wood glue in each seam before the screws. Since plastic flowers are SO HEAVY.
WTF level??! |
Finit!! Arrange, enjoy, and be creative! |
Just Jump It!!! |