When it comes to doing a project like a fence, deck, or hardwood floor, many folks will suggest buying anywhere between 10-20% extra material. This can be great, if you’ve miscalculated the amount of wood you’ll need or if some of your materials are unusable for some reason, you won’t be stuck waiting for new supplies. On the other hand, it can leave an experienced builder with a lot of scrap wood to use up. So what do you do when you’ve got a garage full of wood? More projects of course! We’d suggest starting off by building a shed to store all that extra wood, but it’s already October so here’s a couple quick and easy projects to finish over winter. For our more experienced audience, these might be fun projects to get the kids interested in the skill.
DIY Recycled Leather & Wood Shelf. This project by Kate Pruitt is an excellent example of minimalist beauty and a great way to use up a couple spare boards. If you have a lot of spare wood, you can always make three or four shelves and give them away as presents over the holidays. For this project, Kate uses thrift store belts and the project should be easy enough for even the most amateur woodworker. If you’re interested in making a leather and wood shelf yourself, you can read Kate’s how-to over at Design Sponge.
DIY Wood Wine Rack. Another quick and easy wood shelf project for over the winter, this minimalist rack is gorgeous in its simplicity. (Also it holds wine which we tend to think of as bonus.) The project calls for a drill press, but it also offers a work around for those who don’t have easy access to one. We encourage you to check out Claire’s plans at Camille Styles. Between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, this rack will likely see a lot of use.
DIY Little Wood Houses. More on the cute side than the practical one, this little wooden house project provides an opportunity to get creative. Instead of just pointy-roofed cottages, a DIYer could choose to build schools, trees, skyscrapers, and all sorts of other additions to their little village. These wood houses can be created in a variety of size and colours, and they have the potential to be used for decor, as a toy for a younger child, or even as a heartfelt house warming present. If you want to create your own little wood houses, Rachael’s instructions are clear and easy to follow.
Wood is an extremely versatile material. It’s used to build everything from houses to wedding rings. While these project may be on the simple side for some, we hope that our readers still have fun creating them, and we’d love to see some pictures shared to the TimberTown Facebook page!
