Do you have a Saturday with nothing to do? Grab the kids and head over to the garage to do something cool!
Before you start, it’s important to be sure. Make sure everyone has shoes for one thing, preferably with closed toes, that way if something falls, no one has a broken toe. You also need some safety glasses, an apron to cover your clothing, and maybe some gloves to protect yourself from splinters. Once you’ve got all of that covered, remember that power tools should only be used by adults and saws of any kind should not be used without adult supervision. Security First!
Once you’ve gathered everything you’ll need, it’s time to decide which project to work on. What to build on this cloudy Saturday morning? I have some suggestions for you.
bird house
Building a birdhouse is a great idea for a woodworking project. There are many websites that give you plans for what size to cut the wood, how much glue to use, etc. You can even specify what kind of bird you are building the house for, it could be for a blue bird or a purple plane, or just a general birdhouse that will attract sparrows and wrens. Once the actual birdhouse is built you can paint it with colorful colors, toll paint designs or just leave it in its natural state, I’m sure the birds won’t mind no matter what you decide. This project will make a great gift, you can create several, paint them in colorful colors and give them for Christmas. Everyone loves a do-it-yourself gift and the cost will be minimal.
planter
This is a home improvement project! Planters beautify the exterior of your house, fill them with beautiful flowers and hang them on the window in front of your house and suddenly you have made your house more beautiful. You can paint the box to match your home or use a great contrasting color to make it stand out. It can be painted with toll or decoupage for some interest. This project would make a great gift, or you can make enough to put a window box in every window in your house.
storage box
This is a hands-on woodworking project. Who doesn’t need something nice to store things? You can store books, record discs, use it in the kitchen for potatoes, use it in the bathroom for your towels. There are too many uses for a storage box to mention. You can paint it, paint it, decoupage it, the possibilities are endless. It’s a four sided and bottom project and it would be fun to surprise someone with one of these boxes as a gift, it could be personalized for the person, and it would make a wonderful gift.
single table
This is a great project, we all could use an extra table. On the patio or terrace, by the bed or in the study, who couldn’t use a neat table with crossed or straight legs. This one can be painted (be sure to use weather resistant paint if you’re using it outdoors), paint this one to make it beautiful, and use it around the house. It will be a topic of conversation!
shelves
A bit more complicated, still a great project. Shelves are useful in virtually every room in your home. Who couldn’t use some shelves? If you’re more of a contemporary style, they could just be a straight shelf, but if you want to be extravagant, this can be really stylish. Use your miter saw and put some molding on the mantel and that will decorate it for more colonial tastes. Finish with stain and polyurethane, or paint in beautiful colors, it will be beautiful or help beautify your home. All kinds of things can be displayed on the shelves depending on the room it is in. Bathrooms are great places for shelves. Books, special trinkets, pictures and much more can be displayed.
Working with wood is a fun and interesting way to spend a Saturday or any day. You can get your kids involved or you can set up your shop to make gifts for Christmas or any other time you need a gift. Just think about the need to give someone a gift and just go out to your garage to pick out one that you made yourself. That would be a good situation.
