How To DIY Wooden Flower Pot

Every homeowner has some flowers in pots in front of the house, on the patio, balcony or in the backyard and every homeowner wants that their pots match the beauty of their flowers or trees. There are thousand types of flowers pots and they are made from various materials. Flower pots, especially big ones, can cost a lot of money and the quality of craftsmanship and materials are questionable. We always prefer natural materials and therefore we are presenting you this tutorial on how to make DIY wooden flower pot.

For this project you will need 8 lumber boards (1 x 1½ inch) 18 inches long (hardwood if possible), 38 lumber boards (1 x 1½ inch) 13½ inches long (hardwood if possible), 3 lumber boards (1 x 3½ inch) 13½ inch long (hardwood if possible), wood screws (2 inch), wood glue, cordless drill, hammer, nails (2½ inch) and a hand saw or a jigsaw.

First cut all the lumber in proper dimensions using a hand saw or a jigsaw  (if you haven’t already bought wood of wanted size). Take note that the aformentioned dimensions can be changed in scale if you want a bigger or smaller pot.

Take a closer look at the diagram below before you start with your project. It is always better to fully understand the plan and the concept before you start with the project. In that way you will certainly avoids mistakes during assembly.

You must start your assembly with the four corners of your future flower pot. Take two 18 inches long boards and connect them together in “L” shape like in the picture below. First drill four holes with a small bit on each board, put a stripe of wood glue and then connect two boards with wood screws. Always first drill small holes because otherwise the board may crack when you try to screw without holes. Repeat the process for another three corners.

Now take two corner parts which you made in previous step and connect them with 13½ inches boards like in the picture below. Put a stripe of wood glue and nail the boards down. Always leave ½ of inch space on the bottom side. Repeat this procedure in order to get another side panel.

When your two side panels are finished you will connect them on both sides with 13½ inch boards like in the picture below. Also put a stripe of wood glue and nail the boards down.

Now you have complete pot without the bottom. Use two 13½ inches boards and nail them sideways on the bottom part of your pot. Then use three wider boards and nail them from the inside of the pot on the boards which you previously nailed sideways like in the picture below.

Your new flower pot is now finished. As you can see this is the project that anyone with no woodworking experience can finish in a couple of hours.

We advise you to put at least two coats of primer sealer in the inside of the pot if you are putting the soil directly into the pot. If you want your pot to look beautiful for a long time we advise you to paint it with exterior paint on the outside also.

How to DIY Even If You're Terrified Of Power Tools

Maybe you're not terrified of power tools, but they scare you a little, they intimidate you, or you just plain don’t like using them.

So, what do you do when you want to DIY a big project that requires power tools?

How to DIY When You’re Terrified of Power Tools

1. A tool is just that, a tool.

A means to an end. When it comes to tools there is the hard way or the easy way. The hard way is hand tools. They don’t make any noise, other than your grunting. They don’t require a plug or batteries. And they are far less scary. But the sweat equity you have to put in is what makes it the hard way. Then there's the easy way. It costs more upfront, still scares you a teeny bit even after a dozen uses, and the battery dies at the most inconvenient times. But power tools help you get tough jobs done quickly, more precisely, and with a lot less sweat (if we disregard nervous sweating).

2. Safety First

If power tools scare you, the best thing you can do is get comfortable before using them. Knowing how to operate a tool and understanding all of it's safety features will make you feel more at ease.

    *Read the manual cover to cover. I know you want to skip it, because all the warning signs and hazard symbols make you nervous. But those are the parts you should pay special attention to. The manufacturer has to warn you, but it doesn’t do any good if you don't read and understand the manual.
    *Take a free class or demo. Most home improvement stores offer free in-store workshops and demos, so you can learn about and try a new tool with an expert by your side. Seeing a demonstration, which will always include a safety segment, and getting to try a tool out in a low risk environment helps a lot.
    *Have a skilled friend or family member show you how to use a tool. Almost everything in the world is less intimidating if you've seen someone else do it first. Unlike seeing a tool on TV or YouTube, you can see, hear, and feel how the tool operates first hand…without volume control.

3. Don’t Do It Alone

Aren’t most things you are scared of our don't like better when you have someone else there with you? I personally feel a gazillion times safer when I am not alone with power tools.

When you need a break pass the sander to your friend. Give yourself a rest long enough for the sander-holding hand to stop shaking and get sensation back in the finger tips.

A second set of hands can also help you hold larger stock pieces, take over for a while and give you a break, and just be all around emotional and motivational support for the project you’re tackling.

With two or more people, take the Henry Ford approach…assembly line, baby! It won’t work for every project, but when it does work, it makes everything go by a lot faster.

    Set up stations for each of the tools needed for the project. Bonus points if you have a different person to man each station.
    Make all measurements (and double check them first).
    Make all cuts or pre-drill all holes at once.
    Install or assemble all the ready pieces.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice.

I know I made some mistakes early on which made me hate my tools more, because of the costly materials they I ruined. I should have started smaller and cheaper. Don't make your first cut with a saw on a piece of your new hardwood floor. Don't buy the best wood possible to make your first piece of furniture. Don't use a power nailer for the first time in a visible area that can’t be patched.

I love, and should have followed, Ana White's advice on getting starting. She recommends buying the cheapest wood available. She also has a set of “starter projects”.

Practice small to build up your confidence and skills before investing in good materials and tackling more complicated projects.

5. Get someone else to do it.

This is not wimping out. This is being realistic and true to yourself. If you hate power tools or still don't feel comfortable with them, get someone else to do the dirty work for you.

Here's 3 popular options:

    Have the hardware store make all your cuts at the store. Make sure you bring detailed and accurate measurements. Understand the store's cut policy. Some may charge per cut or limit the number of cuts they will make.

    Have a friend or family member do it for you. When I installed the cork floors in my basement, I did everything myself. The entire time I reminisced about installing the bamboo floors in my last house. we set my dad up in the garage with the Electric Saws. We measured and installed, he made every cut. We had another family member running planks up and down the stairs to the garage.

    Hire a handyman to do the work you don’t want to do. By DIYing part of the project and getting expert help on other parts, you can still save money over a completely done-for-you solution. We did this on a large scale in our basement. We opted for a semi-DIY approach to basement finishing. We contracted all plumbing, electrical, framing, and drywall. Leaving the stuff we didn’t mind doing, like installing light fixtures, painting, and installing flooring and trim.

Bottomline, if it's not for you, it's not for you. Just don't do it. Large builds are out for me. After a few failed attempts at building my own furniture from scratch, I am saying no to larger furniture projects, and that's okay. There are plenty of alternatives, starting with the tips above.

Build A Rope Wall

I've been helping out Shelly Leer – aka ModHomeEc – with the design of her brand new upholstery workshop in Indianapolis. Shelly is a fantastic upholster and hosts classes to teach folks the ins and outs of fixing up and reupholstering their old forlorn stuff (a skill I can really appreciate).

With this open warehouse space, one big design issue Shelly needed help with was figuring out how to layout and define areas for various work and private “zones”. She needed areas for tools, areas for storage, an area for a personal office, a waiting area, an area to teach and work with students and so on and so forth. Functionally, this one big room had to be used for many many purposes and still be open, accessible and of course look awesome.

Since cost is always an issue (and this space is a rental), it wasn’t prudent to dump a bunch of cash into building traditional solid walls that would split up the space and make it feel smaller and darker. My solution was to build these vertical jute rope division walls that allowed for defined “zones” but still retained light and visibility throughout the entire space. A plus when using this type of jute rope is the added benefit of bringing in a chunky / graphic / warm texture to an otherwise cold and hard industrial room.

The construction process is pretty simple. Wood boxes were custom built with evenly spaced rope sized holes drilled through the top and bottom. Precut sections of rope were strung through the top and tied off at the bottom, allowing for the interior knot to hold the rope in place and taut. Just screw close the open side of the box and all those ugly knots are hidden away.

With this design the overall costs are kept pretty low for such a big impact. Rope is cheap, especially when bought in bulk, and wood boxes are very low cost to build. The true cost is going to be labor and time – it’s just a tedious and super repetitive process.

Come on. Hotness.

I think the outcome is pretty spectacular. Not that I’m bias or anything.

This roped off area is actually Shelly’s office!

I’m completely thrilled with how these rope walls came together and so happy I didn’t have to lift a finger and do any of the actual labor. There is another wall in the works that I’m pretty excited to see completed as well as other awesome ideas that came from designing Shelly’s new workspace to be affordable, functional and downright ‘effing stylish.

Looking For Cheap Power Tools Sale on www.eastmachinery.com

How to Build a Desk Out of Cabinets

How to Build a Desk Out of Cabinets With kitchen remodels happening all the time, many old cabinets are either thrown away or donated. Instead of tossing them out at the thrift store, repurpose them into a portable desk for your elementary-aged child. This desk provides a large work surface, a chalkboard, a storage compartment for papers and books, as well as holders for all kinds of school supplies.

Things You'll Need

*Phillips screwdriver
*Needle-nose pliers
*Measuring tape
*Circular saw
*Cabinet with one door and one drawer
*Mallet or hammer
*One-by-three pine board, 100 inches or enough for perimeter of cabinet face
*Cordless drill/driver
*Pocket hole joinery system
*Wood glue
*1 1/4-inch pocket hole screws
*1/4-inch plywood, cut to dimensions of cabinet face
*1/2-inch long nails (if using nail gun, use 18 gauge)
*Pneumatic or electric nail gun (optional)
*Pencil
*Small plastic cups, 4
*Self-feed drill bit, 1-inch diameter
*Jigsaw
*Wood clamp
*Wood filler
*Sandpaper, 150 and 220 grit
*Orbital sander (optional)
*Router with router table (optional)
*1/2-inch core-box or round nose router bit (optional)
*Cabinet knob, 1 (optional)
*Table leg straight top mounting plate, 2 1/2 inches wide, 4
*Wooden furniture feet, 4 inches tall, 4 (can use taller feet, depending on preference)
*2-inch paintbrush
*Paint + primer latex paint, white, semi-gloss
*3-inch foam roller brush
*Chalkboard paint
*Small tin buckets, 4
View or buy these items on Eastmachinery.com

Step 1: Disassemble the Cabinet

Using a mallet or hammer, remove the back of the cabinet from the cabinet face. If drawer slides are attached to the cabinet face inside the cabinet, remove them with a Phillips screwdriver. Use the mallet to loosen the sides and bottom of the cabinet from the cabinet face, as well as the drawer sides and bottom from the drawer face. Needle-nose pliers may be used to remove any staples. Remove pulls or knobs with a screwdriver.

Step 2: Build the Desk Base

Measure the length and width of the cabinet face. Using a circular saw, cut a one-by-three pine board into two long pieces that are equivalent to the length of the cabinet face and two short pieces that are 1 1/2 inches shorter than the width of the cabinet face. For example, the cabinet face used in this tutorial is 31 inches long and 21 inches wide. Two boards were cut at 31 inches and two boards were cut at 19 inches. Adjust these measurements depending on the size of your cabinet face.

Drill 3/4-inch pocket holes along the long pieces of wood, spaced about 4 to 5 inches apart. Drill 3/4-inch pocket holes along the long side of the short pieces of wood, and then two pocket holes on either end. Use wood glue and 1 1/4-inch pocket hole screws to screw the short boards to the inside of the long boards so that a box is formed.

  
Step 3: Attach Desk Base to the Cabinet Face

Using 1 1/4 inch-pocket hole screws and wood glue, attach the desk base to the underside of the cabinet face. Work slowly and do not drive the pocket hole screws too deep so they poke out the other side. Then cut a piece of 1/4-inch plywood to the same dimensions as the cabinet face and attach it to the underside of the desk base with wood glue, 1/2-inch nails and a hammer, spacing nails every 3 inches along the perimeter. An optional alternative to the hammer and nails would be to use a pneumatic or electric nail gun and 18 gauge 1/2-inch nails.

Step 4: Make Holes in the Drawer Face

Using cups or small tin buckets as a template, trace four evenly-spaced circles on the drawer face. If tracing from the base of the cup or bucket, draw the circle about 1/2 inch larger than the actual diameter. Drill holes along the edge of the diameter of the circles with a 1-inch self-feed drill bit, and then use a jigsaw to slowly cut along the perimeter of the circle. Repeat for the remaining three circles.

Tip
While drilling holes and cutting circles in the drawer face, a large (3 inch or thicker) piece of polystyrene can be used to work on top of. The polystyrene will not affect performance of the jigsaw and is sturdy and hard enough to provide adequate support to the drawer face while making the cuts.

Step 5: Attach Drawer Face to the Cabinet Face

Place glue along the underside edges of the drawer face and carefully position it on top of the cabinet face over the drawer opening. Use a measuring tape if necessary to make sure placement is even on all sides. Clamp the drawer face to the cabinet face and let it dry overnight.

Step 6: Attach Knob to Cabinet Door or Route the Edge

If the cabinet door sits flush with the cabinet face when closed, a knob will need to be attached to easily open the desk. Measure, mark and drill a hole in the center long edge of the cabinet door (the unhinged side) so that it will not interfere with left- or right-handed children. Attach the knob.

Another option is to route the long edge of the cabinet door so a lip is formed for easier opening of the desk. To do this, position the router table guide at 0 inches so half of the round nose bit cuts into the edge of the door. Remove the screws from the hinges on the cabinet door and slide it along the router table, following the manufacturer's instructions. Once the door has run through twice (to ensure an even cut along the entire long edge), sand the cut edges with 220 grit sandpaper to remove splinters.

Step 7: Fill Holes and Sand the Desk

Use wood filler to fill the holes from the cabinet pull, seams and places where the desk base join with the cabinet face. Let it dry for several hours. Sand the pre-finished cabinet door, drawer and base with 150 grit sandpaper by hand, or use an orbital sander to remove the protective finish and make it easier for paint to adhere to the surface. Sand the areas where wood filler was used and all edges with 220 grit sandpaper to ensure there are no sharp corners or splinters.

Step 8: Attach Feet to the Desk

On the four corners under the desk base, mark and pre-drill holes for the table leg straight top mounting plates. Attach the table legs into place using the screws provided with the mounting plates. Be sure to screw in the legs until tight. 

Tip
A hole for the inside corner of the plate does not need to be drilled, as it is not needed for stability and the screw would puncture through the other side of the plywood, making a sharp point coming through the inside of the desk.

Step 9: Paint the Desk

Use a 2-inch paintbrush and white latex paint + primer in semi-gloss finish to paint the entire desk, except the center of the cabinet door. Apply two coats and let dry completely. Use a 3-inch foam roller brush to paint the center of the cabinet door with chalkboard paint. Apply two to three coats and let the desk dry for 24 hours.

Step 10: Place Small Tin Buckets in the Holes

Place small tin buckets or cups in the four holes that were cut out earlier, and fill with crayons, pencils, chalk, scissors or other school supplies.

Tip
To season the chalkboard before use, fill in the entire chalkboard surface with white chalk and then wipe off. This prevents marks from first-time use from remaining visible after being wiped away.

This desk provides great storage for all school supplies, keeping it organized and accessible. The sturdy surface and solid construction will last for years, while the portability means it can be used on the floor, sitting on a couch, or in a bed.

DIY Home Improvement Excuses Are No Longer Going To Hold You Back From Doing Good Work

Some believe a home is always an unfinished project. Some homeowners have the enthusiasm to make the home perfect whereas some rely on excuses to not take up DIY home improvement projects. The fact is people who give excuses are just finding ways to postpone these projects. It is fine to postpone some projects, but there may be a few tasks that need immediate attention. For example, if a nail is sticking out of a cabinet, or a chair has a loose leg or a shelf is drooping on one side or a pipeline is clogged. Such tasks need to be tackled at the earliest and there is no reason to avoid them.

If you still managed to come up with the classic three excuses, we have the answer to all three of them:

“I lack the talent to do justice to the task at hand”

Not having experience at some activity has never stopped you from trying things out in the past.  Be it trying out some new food or learning some new sport. DIY projects are exactly the same. You may not get them right the first time, but there is always room for improvement. You can keep taking up new projects to improve your skills. After all, only practice makes one perfect.

These days, a lot of tutorials are easily available online, all thanks to the latest advancement in technology. Some of them are illustrated through photographs, whereas some even have videos. All you have to do is understand the task and try it on your own. It is really not about the talent. It is more to do with being patient and showing perseverance. As you practice your skills, you get better with experience. If you feel DIY household projects are meant for crafty households, then you are mistaken. It is for everyone and anyone who shows interest.

“Where do I get the time from?”

You don’t get time; instead, you have to make it. We agree, some DIY household projects may take up more time than expected but most projects are small enough to be tackled over the weekend. To save up on time, you can understand the project over the week and watch some tutorial videos as well. Next you can even keep the materials ready so that on the day that you actually undertake the project, you can finish it in the least amount of time. Furthermore, you can always ask your family to help you out. If you get stuck with something, you can go online and ask for help from DIY communities.

“I have a budget constraint”

If you are tight on budget, it even makes even more sense to take up handy, crafty DIY household projects. Rather than calling in a handyman, you can do it yourself and save a few bucks. Also, if you tackle the repairs from an early stage, you can avoid bigger expenses in the future.

Complaining about investing in a lot of tools isn't fair. You can make smart choices by purchasing an oscillating tool that can perform multiple tasks. Multiple usage cheap power tools sale can do all those jobs, which would otherwise require five to seven different tools. Thus, it is all about buying smart tools and borrowing the rest from friends.

So now that all your excuses have been taken care of, you have no reason to actually not take up a good DIY project. Get the gears rolling and plan your next project well in advance so that you have something good to show to everyone around you.