New Old Shed Decoration

We were the recipients of these two vintage (antique?) tools.  

Rebecca had the idea to hang them on the side of our shed

...so last night I climbed the ladder and fastened them.  (Thanks, Rick!)

The scythe still has some "life" in it.

Not exactly sure what the other one is.

Just found out!  A Hay Knife. The tool has two wooden handles, one for each hand. The right hand stays stationary 'loosely' to allow a swiveling action.

"The design for this style of hay knife was patented by George Weymouth of Dresden, Maine on March 7, 1871. The patent was reissued in 1882 and 1886 and both of those patents were assigned to Hiram Holt. His company, the Hiram Holt Company of East Wilton, Maine, sold them using the name Lightning Hay Knife. The cost for a Lightning Hay Knife was 50 cents in the 1897 Sears and Roebuck catalog."

Outdoor Projects

Never mind that the bumper of the car needs repair!

I tightened up the four backyard chairs before applying a protective coat.

Out they'll go again to maybe last another season or two.

 If I have any poly left, I'll coat this decorative birdhouse.

I re-roofed it with a piece of scrap metal.

(Re)Born on the 4th of July

Sanded and did some wood fill repair on a couple of spots before painting this $2 garage sale find.

It cured over night and stands "in place" in our kitchen/dining area to hold cookbooks and other treasures.

I didn't notice the irregularities at first.  And only after moving it into the house did I see one!  (See the bottom, right-hand corner & the left vertical line...)

Done

See previous post for prior condition.

A Project for our Daughter

 Our daughter brought this damaged, small chest for me to repair.

 I've put a bottom in the broken drawer and primed the chest for painting...

 Tomorrow I'll apply the final coat of paint 
and try a couple of styles of pulls.

Cabinet 3 Complete

Prime Time

 Sanded and ready for primer.

Primed.

This Will Be Next

 Found for $2 at a garage sale on Friday.

 It's got a few rough spots.

Bench Stress

 I replaced old boards on the bench above with some other old boards.  

I sanded the top lightly trying to keep as much white paint as possible...

then put a coat of seal on it.

 

This stressed bench is about 1 1/2" shorter after I had to cut some rot off the bottom.

(It has set on the ground for about 2 years--all seasons.)

The End

 Inside - one coat of poly...

Outside - two coats poly.

Hardware attached.

The end.

Tack Box Two

Stenciled.  Sealing begun...

Tack Box

 A friend built this tack box for his daughter.

He asked me if I would stain and seal it.

 So, after sanding it, I am applying the stain he selected.

Before sealing it, I'm going to stencil the owner's name on it

and maybe a couple of horseshoes, too!

Tonight was a beautiful evening to work on this project...

garage door open, natural light, etc.

Completed and Sold

After a couple of hours in front of our house (and on a busy road), the chest of drawers sold.

It really DID turn out "handsomely" (as my wife says).

Mid-May Projects

I've put a few hours into this curbside treasure.  

There were holes to fill and drawers to repair/remake...

It's now primed and ready to be painted.

 In between rains and lawn-mowing, 

I also got this "tree-bed" (as my wife has dubbed it) finished.

Bug Box

My grandson loves looking at and learning about bugs.  The last time we were together I told him I would make him a bug cage.  I had not remembered until he came for Easter.  He reminded me that the next time I saw him I would have a bug cage.  Part of Saturday we made this bug cage.  I used some scrap wood I had.  Got some aluminum screen from the hardware store.  This was scrap they just gave me.  I stapled the screen to some plywood.  I covered the staples with small pieced of wood.  Made a circular door and fixed a square piece of thin plywood that hinges on a screw.  Then I took an old scrap strap that I took off the old high chair we found on our trip south and used it for the handle.  I forgot to take a picture so I had my daughter send me one after they returned home.  I noticed my grandson has written on it already.  He helped me do the hammering of the nails.  Not bad for a five year old.

A Little Modification....

I painted the top of this table a few months ago.  We moved it into our dining room while I was repairing a drop leaf table.  THIS table was quite large for our space.  When it came time to move it out, my wife suggested taking it apart and making a desk (or half-table) out of it.

This is the result.  I used the set of legs from the center of the original table in the back of this "half-table".  It serves our purposes well!  I may make a second "desk", paint a chair white, and see if we can sell the pair at a garage sale in a few weeks.

Look What Came in from the Rain!

I found this on a curbside today.
Warped & wet from the rain, it needs some work,
but it's a good, sturdy chest of drawers.

 The pulls are quite large & would have been worth stopping for (if nothing else)!

 It's not real clear, but there is an eagle in the center of the pull with 3 stars over it.

Watch for the finished project!

Finishing Touches

Yes!  I think this will work just fine.

Vacation-Induced Projects

This chair was lying in pieces along the road as we were heading south for our vacation.  

I've begun gluing it. 

My wife found the little footstool in a thrift store for $1.
I've taken it apart.

She'll select some fabric
and we'll decide what to do with the wooden sides...

A Vacation Project

 The slope required some unique maneuvers to apply stain to all surfaces of the trellis!

 Above:  Kiwi vine beginning to leaf out...

Vacation project.  North Carolina.