Here is a great way to recycle old boards into great home decor. You can paint anything any theme you want. Either stand it up or you can hang it on wall.
By Sandy from Bluff City, TN
Nothing makes your home look better, than a new porch swing. My husband made mine out of scrap lumber and paint. What a nice place to relax!
I am a senior, with few woodworking skills, but had some work done on my house and have some leftover wood scraps, tongue and groove especially, also some 2x4s and 2x6s. Any ideas for projects? I own some small hand tools ( drill, jigsaw, stapler, etc.)
Also any tips for taming sawdust would be helpful. I can only work outside, can't figure out how to saw inside.
Thank you.
By DeVonn B.
Homemade picture frames
Homemade cutting boards (you can glue pieces together, sand them really well, then polyurethane them).
Birdfeeders, Squirrel feeders
Pencil holders, book ends, door stops, hot pads, remote boxes, look around and see what would make life easier and better, what is always getting misplaced and make a place for it. Have fun.
I suggest doing some wood burning/pyrogrpahy to whatever wood crafts you choose to create. Without actually seeing your wood pile its hard for me to suggest a craft any different then the others posted minus hot pads, not sure what they mean by that. You could search in Google: wood crafts. Some that I found are rather wood consuming projects or really basic and even generic for me.
I love wood and hey if you still want more creative ideas, please feel free to contact me. If you can take pictures of your wood pieces & send them to me, I'd be very happy to look them over and share with you any further creative ideas. But, let me just say: wood burning is an amazing embellishment to any and all wood projects. That's what I typically play with when working with wood. I always add some type of burning free hand design to my pieces. I am serious about helping you further so please feel free to drop me a line.
sparklejunkfewz@gmail.com
Hugs, Mista
PS: Wood burning is not hard. It's actually fun and I'm not some hot shot free hand artist. No, I am more free hand with things like the picture listed, cartoons, things with mostly simple lines, plus I create more abstract stuff as well, blending things you don't often see together. I could also help with suggestions for adding to your creation, helping it "POP" more :) and just remember: "There are no mistakes", so you really cannot go wrong. Enjoy! & Have fun!
I've got a ton of scrap lumber, and I'm looking for some creative uses for it.
By decksbydave from Milton, Ontario
My first thought is bird houses or feeders. Many bird species use houses and if you look up the Audubon Society you can find the right size house for the species you'd like to host along with the right size hole and how high up to drill the hole. It will also tell you where to put your birdhouse for the best results.
Depending on what type or size of lumber you have, creating sets of nicely sanded building blocks for children is one of the nicest ways to use up bits and pieces of wood. My hubby had a custom furniture and cabinet shop, and together we'd cut and sand pieces of 2"x"4"'s, 2"x6" 's and 1"x4"'s
After our grandies grew up, we continued to make those bags of blocks and donated them to children's hospital gift shops. They went very quickly too. So obviously, many children loved the
blocks. They inspire creativity as no other toys do, and if you sand them carefully, then add a coat of wax, they are much prettier than any store-bought blocks. Be sure to include some triangular cut blocks for making rooftops, and lots of pieces that are just plain log type. You are limited by your own imagination only.
Have fun while you're making them too. All the best,
Julia in Boca Raton, FL
My Husband one year at Christmas used scrap 2x4s he had at work to make the word "JOY." We put it out in the front yard and everyone complimented it. We left it natural because it fit the environment better. But you can paint it, stencil it, or even wrap it in twinkle lights.
This is a page about scrap wood birdhouses. Have fun and provide nesting accommodations for song birds by recycling scrap wood into birdhouses.
What can you make out of small pieces of scrap wood? (not tiny pieces - just small pieces.)
By Carol from CO
1. Wooden clip boards - Rockler, a wood craft supply chain, has the clips.
2. Book ends.
3. Book stands - they look sort of like a chair with slanted seat.
4. Wooden hot pats for hot dishes.
5. If you have a table saw, cut the wood very, very thin for wooden book marks.
6. Tall, small containers for kitchen utensils.
7. Hexagon boxes for cooks oils and vinegars.
8. Spice rack for frequently used cooking spices - mine looks like a miniature book case.
9. Small open faced clocks - most craft stores have the numbers, hands, etc.
I have collected 15 boxes of lovely wood such as knotty pine or oak and will use many of them to make birdhouses and craft items like Christmas ornaments or frames. They cost nothing for me.
My son gave me a lot of used laminate wood planks that he thought I may want for either putting down in a small room or to make some craft project out of. They are a blond wood color. I have 147 pieces that are approximately 3 inches x 4 feet and 66 pieces that are approximately 3 inches x 20 inches. I would like to use them for some kind of craft project for my home, not as flooring, but I can't think of anything. Anyone have suggestions?
By Irene
How can I make birdhouses out of scrap wood?
By joyce doerr from Monroe, LA
My ex made and sold birdhouses out of old picket fencing. He just cut it, didn't do anything else to it (didn't paint, etc). He would use old (other kind)wood and make a box frame and then add the pickets on top of that (like paneling to a wall). Since they were rustic looking and we lived in Texas, he made them "western". Painted "Saloon" "Country Church", etc. on them. He added bits of metal, etc. to make windows, etc. He picked up the wood free in alleys, etc and most of the supplies also. They sold well, he got $50 to $100 each for them and even had a bit of a following for a while (word of mouth).
Salvage a piece of scrap wood to create your own patriotic flag yard decoration for your garden or entryway. You will need paint, a brush, painter's tape, and an optional hanger.
