Since I've been positively itching to actually build something with our new miter saw and Kreg pocket hole jig (oh yes, it has arrived--ringing in the new era of buildin' stuff), I figured I'd start small. So I went over to one of my favorite sites (Ana-White.com) and found some free planter box plans for the Mumz (plural) for Mother's Day.
And I quickly came to the realization that I really do NEED a nail gun--it's not just some whim. Pounding those nails with a hammer brought back some rather haunting birdhouse assembly memories I had completely (and happily) forgotten about. Like, I'm not sure if it was the nails, the hammer, or me, but dude, it did not go well. My garage floor looked like World War III. Luckily this first box (pictured below) only required a couple nails to finish the job that Kreg started, so I think it turned out right-nice. I drilled two holes in each side and knotted some rope handles through them. Then I used a stencil to trace the letters and filled them in with some acrylic paint and an itty-bitty paint brush. And we all know how French always classes shiz right up, so I opted for "Les Fleurs" to increase the Fanciness Factor. The little flourish was free handed, so, heh, you know, don't look too closely.
And then this trapezoidal hog below was a bit more tricky. The box plan didn't call for beveled edges, which would have meant the top and bottom of the finished box wouldn't be flush... And I go out of my way to make sure the dish rag on the oven handle hangs at a 90 degree angle... soooooooo, yeah, I wasn't going to be able to stomach that. So after dusting off a little handy trigonometry (soh cah toa, m'I'right??), I was able to shave off just the right amount to make this puppy flush. I popped some handles on this one, too, and decided to stain it a dark walnut.... because dark walnut is cool.... aaaand maybe it also hides nail gouges from dumb nails...
Anywho, I had way too much fun putting these together (despite those dumb nails), so I think I'm going to tackle a console table and some Adirondack chairs next. So stay tewned, yo.
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