GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Tag: DIY project

  • Simple DIY Chalkboard With A Pallet Wood Frame – GF Video

    Simple DIY Chalkboard With A Pallet Wood Frame – GF Video

    Really nice DIY Chalkboard you can make in less than an hour. We use chalkboard film and pallet wood to simplify the project. Watch the video below, then read through the instructions and photos:

    DIY Chalkboard Parts List

    Chalkboard Film, aka contact paper 24″ wide

    Flat Black Spray Paint

    1″ drywall screws

    Picture Hanging Wire

    24″ x 24″ MDF or smooth plywood (avail at local home center)

    Flip Bit Drill & Screw Driver

    Cordless Drill

    DIY Chalkboard Pallet Project

    Cut your pallet wood to size, the top piece of wood will be 24″ wide. Depending on the width of the pallet wood you are using, the sides and bottom lengths will have to be measured. Note how there are no angle cuts in this frame layour. This is the same layout used for all of the windows in our house, which I love because its simple and it works.

    Spray paint the edges of the MDF or plwyood, and the front and sides of the pallet wood frame pieces. They will dry quickly if you use flat paint. You can also stain this wood, or use a poly-stain. Poly stains are a tinted polyurethane. Saves some time in the process with that product.

    DIY Chalkboard Pallet Frame

    The film I used is 24″ wide, so its a perfect fit for the MDF. Pull back about an inch of the backing paper of the chalkboard film, and align it with one edge of the MDF/plywood. Smooth down that edge from the center to the outside corners. Then pull the backing paper off slowly, laying down the chalkboard film as you pull. Keep the film aligned with the edges of the MDF, and do your best to pull out the wrinkles in the film.

    After you lay down the film, put the backing paper over the front of the film, and smooth out the wrinkles from the center outward with a flat edged tool. A dough scraper from your kitchen works well.

    DIY Chalkboard

    Dry fit the pallet wood frame over the top of the chalkboard film. Use a flip bit to drill pilot holes through the pallet wood that frames your DIY chalkboard. This keeps the wood from splitting when you screw into it.

    DIY Chalkboard

    We added picture frame wire on the back of the DIY chalkboard to make it easy to hang.

    DIY Chalkboard Pallet Project

    Picture hanging wire has this neat trick when you wrap it back on itself. The wire grabs onto itself, no knots needed.

    DIY Chalkboard Pallet Project

    How cool is that! What fun. Let me know suggestions below, thanks!

    Easy Flower Box You Can Make

  • Easy Flower Box You Can Make

    Easy Flower Box You Can Make

    Here’s an easy flower box you can put together in an afternoon. All you need is some stock lumber and spray paint. I built the planter box for my friend Bill, and he cut out a stencil and decorated it.

    Easy Flower Box

    I made this out of pressure treated pine 1″x6″ lumber. Worried about pressure treated lumber, watch this. And screwed it together with painted deck screws, they will last longer than drywall screws. I set the ends in slightly for a decorative look, a little less boxy, I think.

    Easy Flower Box

    I made this box a little narrow by cutting down the 6″lumber to 4″ wide. You can do this on a table saw, or maybe your neighbor’s table saw. Or don’t cut the lumber down, its all good. Use what you got. Wear eye, ear, and dust protection when cutting wood.

    I did screw into the end grain of the side walls, which isn’t the best carpentry, but i also glued it with a waterproof wood glue.

    I drilled a few drain holes in the bottom board. Depending on where you place this planter, you might want to drill them on the bottom of the side walls. This planter will last much longer if it is not sitting where water can collect underneath it. The photo above is an example of a less than great placement. To fix this, slide some thin wood shims underneath this, or flat rocks, or whatever you have. If you keep the wood of the planter dry, it will go a long way toward a long life for the box.

    Easy Flower Box

    Bill painted the easy flower box with white outdoor spray paint. He then downloaded a stencil design of a fern leaf, printed it out on regular paper, and cut out the leaves with a sharp utility knife. Two different cans of green spray paint work well for the green leaves, I think.

    Here’s a video I did about a fun window box: watch build a window box video

    Easy Flower Box

  • Homemade Leaf Mulcher Bagger

    Homemade Leaf Mulcher Bagger

    Check out this homemade leaf mulcher bagger that Greg built! Using a free wood crate and an electric leaf mulcher, Greg made a rig for almost free that would cost big bucks at the store. How cool is that?

    Homemade leaf bagger mulcher

     

    Here’s the how to make the Homemade Leaf Mulcher Bagger

    From Greg’s email:

    I love the show.

    You show the world that it’s (usually) pretty easy to do a lot of useful things. You let everyone know that it’s okay if you don’t get everything perfect on your first try. The fact that the dogs continually pester you to play make your projects that much more realistic to me. Because that’s how it works at my house.

    I currently work in a machine shop. We get a lot of pallets and shipping crates. They end up throwing them in the dumpster. So, of course, I have to find a use for as much as I can. It is nice that we get a lot of them all the same size and in new condition.

    Attached you can see that I got tired of emptying the bagger. I adapted one of the crates by adding a base with wheels. I had some hinges around, so I hinged the old top back on but to what is now “the front”. I cut a hole and strapped a spare electric leaf blower/vac to the back side. I mounted it as high as I could in order get maximum fill.

    I connected my gas blower/vac to the electric blower/vac via a 4″ hose, This is the the hard plastic kind that you would redirect a downspout with. Well this is the longest one I could find. When I “accordion” out the entire length of it, its about 25 feet long. I’m sure there is something better suited for this task, but this was only for proof of concept.
    A word of warning. When the hose is in it’s expanded state, it is subject to damage from our four-legged playmates.

    Well, I tell ya. The thing works pretty darn well. Well enough to give my Dad a try at it.

    I maintain a few properties and this whole rig fits into the hatch of my car. With a 100 foot extension cordon the base, I don’t need to stop until I run out of gas, I can make a nice batch of leaf mold. I hinged the door in a manner that allows me to dump the contents right into the waiting compost pile.

    Though you might get a kick out of this.

    Greg has sent a few other projects our way, here is his pallet compost bin setup. Again a big thanks to him for taking the time to show us his homemade leaf mulcher bagger. What have you made? Let me know in the comments.

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  • Homemade Pallet Compost Bins By Greg

    Homemade Pallet Compost Bins By Greg

    These easy to make homemade pallet compost bins were made by GF fan Greg, a machinist by day, and weekend DIY guy. Pallets work great for compost.

    I am a new listener/viewer and love your programs. I’m able to listen to the podcast at work, so have really been on a binge. Found your video “Composting 101” while preparing to build my Composting Center, here it is so far.

    Homemade Compost Bins = Good

    Homemade Pallet Compost Bins

    Note how Greg cut down the front door pallets to allow one to add new compost material to the bins. In other words, much smarter than my first go at building compost bins! See more of our pallet compost bin projects here.

    First of all, I love this because Greg took the time to share this with me. Plus he allowed us to post the photos here on the site. A simple design, yet it works great, which works for me. Most of all, I love the barrel composer at the end. You can use this for finishing or doing intensive composting, rolling the barrel every day to aerate the mix.

    Homemade Pallet Compost Bins

    Probably one of the most popular pallet projects, homemade pallet compost bins are good one for most any DIY-er person. Note how Greg elevated the walls of the compost bin up off the ground. This can extend the life of the bins, and most of all, allow air to get into the bottom of the pile. One could also lay PVC drain pipe with vent holes drilled in them, and therefore, get even more air in the bottom of the pile.Watch More Compost Bin VideosGreg adds, “Thanks for including the dogs in so much of your content, Life truly is better with pets.” Here are his two pups.

    A big thanks to Greg, I say. Love the sharing that happens here, if you have a project like these homemade pallet compost bins, or most anything, please send me some photos!

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  • DIY Floor Sanding – Just Say No

    DIY Floor Sanding – Just Say No

    Floor sanding is a thankless DIY project. Avoid it at all costs. I’ve sanded several floors, I’ll never do it again. Here’s why:

    Floor Sanding

    Like many who read GardenFork, my mindset is: I can do this, why pay someone? Well, when it comes to floor sanding, pay a professional. There is much that can go wrong and stuff that can break, that you will probably save money by hiring a floor refinishing company.

    First you have to rent the equipment. A floor sander is a beast with few, if any, safety features. It is a high horsepower motor with a spinning drum of sandpaper that can tear up the power cord, toes and wood. Have a helper wrangle the power cord as you sand the floor. You will buy many pieces of round sandpaper for the drum, as you will hit invisible nails and tear up the sandpaper regularly. Then you have to stop and attach new sandpaper.

    Floor Sanding
    Sanding passes made perpendicular to each other

    To remove paint or finishes from a wood floor you will do several passes perpendicular to each other. Start with rough sandpaper and move down to smooth sandpaper. You will be doing this all day.

    Then you have to sand along the walls with an edger, which is a smaller version of a floor sander. You are on your knees wrestling with a small beast.

    The floor sander has a collection bag, but it doesn’t collect much of the sawdust, it goes into the air. Put a box fan in a nearby window and exhaust it out. Use a wet-dry vacuum frequently to remove the dust.

    Don a high quality respirator that fits your face well, not a cheap dust mask. Good ear protection is a must, you will have a large motor running next to you all day. Knee pads because you are always changing the drum paper and using the edger.

    floor-sanding-1

    Add this all up, and you will be better off, and healthier, if you hire a professional floor sanding company. Yes, it costs money, but you can spend your time doing some other DIY project better suited to your skill set.

    Most professionals now use a dustless floor sander, they are nice. GF Radio co-host Rick had his maple floors refinished and the dustless floor sander did great.

    So there you go, my take on outsourcing floor refinishing. Your take? Let me know below.

    floor sanding pin
  • Homemade Maple Syrup Evaporator Plans

    Homemade Maple Syrup Evaporator Plans

    This is a homemade maple syrup evaporator made out of a metal filing cabinet. It is brilliant and works really well for how simple it is. Using free or almost free stuff, you can make a DIY evaporator. Most of the items I had around the garage or shop.

    Couple of things first:
    • Use this information at your own risk.
    • Wear the proper eye, hand, mouth, ear protection when using power tools and assembling any DIY project.

    home made maple syrup evaporator

    If you haven’t already, watch the two videos we made about the file cabinet evaporator. One is a time lapse of the evaporator build, the other is a walk through of how to use the DIy evaporator to make maple syrup. Then go through the photos and info below.

    Tools you will need:

    Cordless drill, having a flip bit is real handy.

    Right angle grinder with a metal cutting blade. Have several spares on hand.

    New metal cutting drill bits slightly smaller than the screws you are using.

    Self tapping screws #8 x 3/4

    Angle Iron or a metal bed frame you can cut up.

    2 hinges – almost anything will work, I recycled some I had laying around.

    Metal hasp for fire door

    4″ vent pipe  4′ – 6′ long

    4″ to heat vent metal duct to connect chimney to cabinet

    4″ metal vent elbow

    Full size steam table trays

    Zip screws for sheet metal

    Terra Cotta garden pots or firebrick or some other heat resistant objects

    Steel grate the width and length of the cabinet. This one is 12″ x 48″

    homemade maple syrup evaporator

    homemade maple syrup evaporator

    homemade maple syrup evaporator

    homemade maple syrup evaporator

    After you build this, fill the pans with water and fire it up. Let it burn for an hour or however long it takes for the paint to blister. I scraped the blistered paint off and put it in the trash.

    Some paint will remain, as you can see in the photos.

    I tried different lengths of pipe for the chimney. It helps if the chimney is higher than your head, so you get less smoke in your eyes.

    The steam table trays need the angle iron to suspend them over the fire. Do a dry fit with all the angle iron and pans in place before screwing them in.

    In the video, I attached a bathroom fan to the evaporator. I discovered I did not need to use the fan, as I was burning scrap lumber, which burns hot and fast. If you are burning firewood, you may want to attach one. Its better if you attach the fan to the front of the evaporator rather than the side like I did.

    I did not have an adjustable air intake, I found if I kept the door slightly open, that worked very well.

    I used terra cotta pots and steel grating to raise the fire up closer to the pans. I found this worked well for me. I did not line the evaporator with firebrick. Though I could see lining it would make it easier to stand next to the rig and carry the heat better. If the fire died down, the boil did too. Firebrick may have helped that.

    For Version 2.0 of this homemade maple syrup evaporator, I will move the pans closer to the chimney, and have that extra space that I filled in with a piece of drawer right above the firebox door. The area right near the front door was not nearly as hot as the rear of the box.

    This design is based on one by Mike Bell of the Hinkel Garton Farmstead, I learned of it by listening to Annie Corrigan on Earth Eats, a WFIU radio show and podcast. Here is a set of photos on their Flickr page

    Check out how I improved the original design in this video:

    make maple syrup
    Watch all our Maple Syrup How To Videos here.

  • Homemade Wood Stove Floor Protector

    Homemade Wood Stove Floor Protector

    You just bought a wood stove, now you need a wood stove floor protector. Here’s how to build your own wood stove floor pad and save money. A DIY friend of mine has fixed up a cabin up in the Catskills, and built this wood stove floor mat for his wood stove.
    (Also see the neat outdoor shower they have, link at end of this post)

    A wood stove floor protector does just what it says, it keeps the floor from getting damaged by the wood stove. Wood stoves put out a lot of heat, and a floor pad shields the floor from that heat, it also makes it easier to clean up ashes and coals. And, a DIY floor pad looks great, as it matches your home.

     

    He collected tiles from a few tile stores, with a blue color scheme for the one pictured.

    a mix of tiles works great here

    My friend built this out of a piece of tile backer board, a popular brand is Durock, but there are others. You have to use the heavyweight tile board, not the lightweight stuff. Below the tile backer board, he used a piece of plywood to add strength to the floor protector.

    Tile backer board and plywood support the tile
    a DIY wood stove floor protector that looks great.

     

    Standard tile installation practices were used to make the floor protector, choose the tile and color combination, build the plywood / tile backer base, apply the tile adhesive, lay the tile, grout the spaces between tiles. If you know of anyone looking for wood stove floor protector ideas, here you go.

    Note: this floor protector is a DIY project. Use this information at your own risk. Check local building and fire codes in your area.

     

    Check out the Outdoor Shower they have as well!