Wednesday, May 5, 2010

throw-away wood and an old hand truck

  hubs grew up on a farm and this wooden hand cart was used to haul many a feed bag.
somehow, we inherited it and i always knew i wanted to create a platform cart out of it.

 - check out these cute iron wheels -

i thought of using a weathered wood pallet but this spring i rearranged the wood pile,
sorting it in piles and had a defining moment when i found these pieces,
including a weathered two by two for the legs...

exactly the look i wanted!

thanks to my MIL, i learned how to use a few basic tools.
i started off by giving it legs...
which was a shmatz (PA dutch word for difficult and time-consuming)
as i couldn't get the right cut to fit the slant...
but it got done good enough to pass my inspection!
 i mean, really, whose going to take the time to look at the slant?! :)

after getting its legs,
i arranged the wood pieces on it,
measured it and used a long level to mark the screw lines,
 
then used the skill saw to cut the edges.

i highlighted the knots and cracks...
...and was pleased with the end result.

by this time,
i realized this contraption was really wobbly,
and needed some leg support.
i found another piece of wood that in it's former life
 was part of the now non-existent grape arbor,
and purposely picked one with a hole in it.
...ta-da!

it was now ready to placed in the flower bed...
but...
  alas, the legs were too long -
which made the slant too high,
giving it a tipsy-sliding-off look...
a-n-d 
too many watering cans.
out came the skill saw and cut off several inches...
moocho-betta!

finished!
well  - at least for now!
a discarded bird nest,
a reading i've had for many years,
a few iris...

i'm pleased!


...blessedness!

ox

linking up to Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday

4 comments:

Mimy said...

Nice work! Isn't it fun using power tools?! My hubby had a fit when he got home one night and found out I had used the skill saw. He used to do any cutting I needed!

Anonymous said...

What a peaceful spot you've created! Talented too!

Linda said...

Oh I love this :)

Suzanne@Meridian Road said...

I'd be pleased, too! You did a great job.

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