I was casually perusing tools for sale online recently and came across someone selling an entire antique tool chest full of vintage hand planes, saws, and various other tools. Admittedly I don’t know a ton about valuations of antique tools but just from some of the photos I knew a few of the tools alone were worth more than he was asking for the whole chest. Turns out it was an elderly man who ended up with the chest after an auction failed to get the value they were hoping for so he bought it out at the starting bid and passed it on to me for cost! I couldn’t say no to the opportunity to buy the chest with the intention of restoring both the chest itself and the tools within. Today I’m going to walk you through my process of restoring a 100 year old tool chest.

This project contains a paid product integration from Minwax. All opinions are herein are my own. Visit my disclosure page for more information on affiliate and compensation this site accepts. 

Removing Paint

Unfortunately (but expectedly) someone decided to paint this chest at some point in its storied past. It’s pretty common for a wood piece that has seemingly changed hands at least a handful of times to be covered in at least one or two coats of paint or stain. Somewhere along the line someone thought it was easier to just paint over it rather than maintain the wood, or maybe they just liked the look of the paint. Either way, it doesn’t make it any less annoying when you have to remove it.

The problem with removing paint on something like this is that it has a lot of wear and tear on it from years and years of use. That means the paint is down inside those dents, grooves, scratches, and dings. Removing all that paint can be incredibly challenging without removing a lot of material either by sanding, planing, stripping, or a combination of all those things. In this case I used a combination of intense sanding, and stripping to remove as much of the paint (and come to find out stain underneath the paint) as possible and still leave a little bit of the patina.

Restoring without Removing The History

The real challenge in restoring a 100 year old tool chest is finding the line between bringing it back to its somewhat original state without fully removing the history. The character that has accumulated over the years from use and abuse is kind of what makes it unique so to remove all that would be a disservice to the piece itself. My goal with this project was to remove as much of the black (obviously not original) paint and stain while leaving as much character as possible and still make it look good. It’s easier said than done and requires a bit of trial and error. Because of how beat up this chest was, I felt confident that no matter what I did to it, it would still have plenty of character in it in the end.

Fixing & Sanding

Structurally the chest was in pretty decent shape. The red trim pieces on it definitely didn’t seem original. As I started refinishing the piece the wood looked much newer than the rest of the chest. More importantly, they felt out of place and I didn’t like the look of them so I removed them. There were a few areas where the wood was cracked and split but I was able to quickly fix those areas with some wood glue and brad nails.

I spent a lot of time sanding down the surface, eventually getting the pieces down to 220 grit. I focused almost all my effort on the outside of the chest for a few reasons. First of all, removing the interior paint would have been a tremendous amount of additional work. Secondly, the interior has quite a few areas where a name has been stamped into the wood.

Who Is/Was J.R. Lampson?

The name J.R. Lampson is stamped all over the interior of the chest. I’m not sure if he/she is the original owner of the chest, the manufacturer, or just another person like myself who has owned it along its journey and chose to stamp their name all over it. I’m fascinated by tools and pieces that have clear identifiers like this though and really makes me want to know more about who that person is/was. Like it or not, we’re connected through this chest now and I just like to imagine the journey this piece has been on to find its way to me. I even tried to do an ancestry.com lookup on the name but I don’t have enough additional information to come to any real conclusions. If you know someone named Lampson that might have had a relative in the trades (likely carpentry), and you think this chest could’ve belonged to your family, I’d love for you to reach out to me.

Finishing

For this project I want to keep it as close to the original wood finish as possible. I chose to apply 3 coats of Fast-Drying Oil Based Polyurethane by Minwax. The oil base hardens in the wood and provides maximum durability. It also really brings out the natural color of this beautiful chest. I’m not exactly sure what this chest was built with but the color pop really resembles finished Cherry. If you want to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of using Oil based versus water based products for your finish coat, check out this other article that goes into greater detail.

New Hardware

The chest had some cheap hardware store hinges on it with mismatched screws which definitely weren’t original to the chest. However, the handles on the sides of the chest are cast iron and definitely seem original so I chose to purchase some cast iron hardware to try and match. I was able to find some cast iron hinges, and a latch for the front. I had to do a little bit of chisel work to make the hinges fit properly but what better way to restore a hand tool chest than by using some hand tools! There is a hole in the front of chest that must have held some sort of original latching mechanism but as that’s long gone I found something that I liked the look of and installed that in its place. I also added some new leather for the lid support with some vintage looking brass nails.

Finished Product

I’m so happy with the way this chest came out! In fact, it far surpassed my expectations as to what I was going to get when I started this restoration. The Fast-Drying Oil Based Polyurethane was absolutely the right choice for refinishing this piece and hopefully will make it last another 100ish years! I plan to have this piece displayed (and working) in my new workshop once I get it built out along with the restored hand tools that occupied it when I bought it. I’ve still got a lot more work to do to get those tools restored but that’s a project for another day!

Thanks for checking out this restoration! If you liked it, here are a few other articles you may enjoy!

How to Refinish Wood Furniture

An Idiot’s Guide to Wood Finishing

Who hasn’t thought about picking up that dated piece of wood furniture and bringing it new life? Is it worth it? In this article I’ll show you how to refinish wood furniture and breathe new life into it. I’ll show you my process for how I go about refinishing wood furniture.

This project contains a paid product integration from Minwax. All opinions are herein are my own. Visit my disclosure page for more information on affiliate and compensation this site accepts. 

Step #1: SAND!

I know what you’re thinking, “I hate sanding!”. I know. Trust me, so do I. However, if you want to have a quality finish when it’s all said and done, you have to do a good job with your prep. Depending on the piece of furniture you’re working with and the finish you are planning to add on top of the current, this could either be fast or incredibly painstaking. If you’re going to be painting over the current finish, a light sand is probably enough. However, if you’re going to be re-staining, it’s best to get down to the raw wood and that takes time and effort.

I always start with 80-grit and remove as much of the old clear coat and stain as possible. Once I’ve got most of the material removed, then I’ll move on to 120-grit before doing another pass at 220-grit. 220-grit is sufficient for most finishes but I’ll occasionally go up to 400-grit on tabletops and desks.

Paint vs Stain

Paint:

• Painting requires less sanding. Often times just scuffing up the existing finish is adequate to prep the surface.
• Always use a quality primer over the existing finish before adding your new paint finish.

Stain:

• Requires more prep work and sanding. Often sanding all surfaces down to 220 grit and removing any existing stain.
• Occasionally you can stain a darker color over a lighter color without as much sanding.

STEP #2: Pre-Condition

With the majority of the sanding out of the way you’re ready for a new finish….almost! Don’t overlook a quality pre-conditioner if you’re going to be using a stain. ESPECIALLY if you’re refinishing a piece of furniture made out of a soft wood (pine, alder, etc). If you’re going to be staining a soft wood (and even some hardwoods), get in the habit of using a pre-conditioner. For this project, I used Minwax Water Based Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. Pre-conditioning helps even out stains so you don’t end up with blotchy spots. Pre-conditioner can also help with spots you may not have been able to fully remove the old finish. It just helps even out the finish and is a great habit to get into using.

Step #3: Choosing a Stain

Choosing the right stain is essential for the success of your finished product. There are a bunch of variables to consider including the final color of the piece. One of the biggest things to consider is:

Oil-Based vs Water-Based:

Oil-Based:

• Pro: Oil based finishes are typically more durable
• Pro: Oil based finishes usually don’t raise grain require additional sanding
• Con: Oil based have longer drying time and heavy odors
• Con: Oil based are less eco-friendly and require solvents/thinners to clean up

Water Based: 

• Pro: Water-based are easy to work with and clean up
• Pro: Water-based stains are UV resistant
• Pro: Water-based stains are more forgiving and easily fixed if a mistake is made
• Pro: Fast dry time and low odor
• Con: Water-based often raises grain in wood projects requiring sanding between coats
• Con: Water-based are not as durable as oil-based

Choosing the proper finish is largely a matter of preference and what is available. Typically water-based is more forgiving for the average DIY because it requires less patience between coats, and is typically easier to work with.

In this case I’m using the new color stains from Minwax, specifically Minwax Semi-Transparent Color Stain in the color Royal Pine. These stains come in both a solid color and semi-transparent color. The solid color is more like a paint in that it doesn’t show as much wood grain. The semi-transparent allows more wood grain to show through the finish color. What’s really unique about these stains is that you can tint them to over 240+ colors!

Step #4: Applying the Stain

Each stain and finish varies a little bit in its suggested application. Make sure you take the time to read the label on your stain or finish to make sure you are applying it correctly. Some stains suggest a foam brush or rag while others recommend a specific type of brush for best application. Check out this other article to dive into the differences between spraying, brushing, and wiping on. Other things to consider are making sure you are in a well ventilated space and making sure you are staining/finishing in the proper temperature window for your finish. Again, this should all be outlined on the packaging of your stain/finish

Step #5: Sealing or Top Coating

Typically when you’re finished staining a piece of furniture, you’ll want to apply a top coat/clear coat for protection and/or shine. Typical finishes for clear coats are Satin, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss. These are just a matter of personal preference for your project. There are a large variety of finishes for your top coat typically in the form of a “urethane”.

Make sure you choose one based on the location of the finished product (indoor/outdoor), and in the sheen you want for your project. Also, you CAN apply an oil-based polyurethane or similar over top of a water based stain. However, this requires that your water-based stain is COMPLETELY dry and cured. I DO NOT recommend applying a water based finish over an oil-based stain. I used Minwax One Coat Polyurethane.

Waxing 

Occasionally I may use a paste wax as the final finish instead of or in addition to a polyurethane finish. The wax also offers protection to the furniture/finish but it doesn’t harden to the consistency of a urethane top coat. You can apply a paste wax over a urethane finish pending you add it in thin layers and buff between each. Keep in mind that the wax may alter the sheen of your urethane finish.

Step #6: Be Patient

Refinishing a piece of furniture is a lot of work and not for the faint of heart. But if it was easy you wouldn’t be able to find these old wooden pieces for free or cheap. It takes time to get the finish you want. After all, they don’t make them like they used to!

If you enjoyed this content, please check out some of these other articles you might enjoy.

An Idiot’s Guide to Wood Finishing

Restoring a Backyard Playset

Download the Free Plans Here to Follow Along 

This project contains affiliate links to the The Home Depot who generously supplied some of the tool(s) I’ll be utilizing in this project. All opinions are herein are my own. Visit my disclosure page for more information on affiliate and compensation this site accepts. 

Tool List:

• DeWalt 20v MAX 7 1/4″ Circular Saw with FLEXVOLT ADVANTAGE
• Table Saw or track saw (Optional)
• DeWalt 20v MAX Drill/ Driver Combo 
• Jigsaw
• Palm Router and 1/4″ round over bit
• Trigger clamps (x2)
• Level / straight edge
• Tape Measure
• 16 or 18 ga. Brad Nailer & 1 1/2″ brad nails (Optional)
• Kreg Pocket hole jig (Optional) 

Material List:

• 4′ x 4′ – 3/4″ plywood
• Titebond II Wood Glue
• 1 1/2″ wood screws, brad nails, or pocket hole screws
  

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Getting Started

The first thing you’ll need to do is break down the plywood. There are a lot of different ways to do this. If you have a table saw, you can use that to cut the piece of plywood into the 14″ strips. You can also use a straight edge or a level and a circular saw or a combination. Follow the cut diagram in the plans to cut the pieces as shown.

Using a combination of the circular saw and a jigsaw, cut the kerf cuts for the drill/ driver locations into the bottom shelf piece and the saw kerf cuts for the middle shelf piece as shown in the plans.

Use a 1/4″ round over bit and a palm router to round over the cut outs for the saw and drill locations if you choose to.

Making a French Cleat

A french cleat is a popular way of hanging shelves/ cabinetry because it gives you some flexibility in being able to easily remove the shelf or cabinet. It involves creating 2 strips of wood mitered at 45° that interlock in place. One piece goes on the wall with the mitered edge facing up and towards the wall. The other piece is mounted to the shelf or cabinet with the mitered edge facing down and in. The shelf can then be easily lifted and set on the cleat giving it plenty of strength, and easily moved by lifting up on the shelf and removing it.

Assembling the Shelf

If you have a Kreg K4 jig, drill pocket holes into the side pieces at the top and bottom so that you can mount them to the top and bottom of the shelf. Also drill holes on the underside of the middle shelf on each end to secure it in place as well.

If you don’t have a pocket hole jig, you’ll just assemble the shelf with screws or brad nails as you choose. Apply a liberal amount of wood glue to one end of each of the side pieces and secure them to the bottom piece with screws. Depending on the screws you’re using, you made need to pre-drill to keep the plywood from splitting. Apply wood glue to the top of the side pieces and set the top shelf in place. Secure it with screws or brad nails.

Measure 9″ from the top of the side pieces on each side. This mark will be the top of the middle shelf. Apply some wood glue to the ends of the shelf and secure it in place with screws or brad nails.

Attach one of the french cleat pieces inside the back of the cabinet at the top. Make sure the miter is facing towards the front and down. Attach the opposite piece to the wall where you’d like to hang the cabinet. Make sure that piece has the miter facing up and towards the wall. Lift the cabinet and set it in place on the cleat.

Load the shelf up with your favorite cordless power tools and you’re good to go! Thanks for following along with this simple shop organization project.

If you liked this project check out some of my other Free plans at the links below!

DIY Budget Friendly Workbench

https://mrfixitdiy.com/product/free-diy-workshop-cabinet-plans/

Disclosure: This video and article contains a paid product integration by ZEP USA. All views and opinions expressed herein are my own.

Cleaning the Chipped Area

This chip is a medium sized chip and is about 6” wide, and about an inch deep.
So the first thing we need to do is clean out the chip of any debris or loose chunks. Start by breaking out the loose chunks with a chisel or other tool like a screwdriver.

Once you have any loose chunks removed, use a wire brush to loosen up any debris and dirt that have built up over time. Getting the surface of the chipped out area clean is the most important part of this project. You need to make sure your new patch can firmly adhere to the old concrete.

Once you have the loose material removed from the chip, you’ll need to use a concrete cleaning product like Zep’s Driveway and Concrete Pressure Wash Concentrate.

This Concrete and Driveway cleaner is perfect for this application because it is a concentrated concrete cleaner that easily removes tire marks, dirt, grease, and oil from any concrete, brick, or asphalt surfaces. For a small chip, you can apply a small amount of the concentrated cleaner to a container of water at the mixture indicated on the bottle. Or you can do what I did and take the opportunity to add a diluted mixture to a pressure washer and just clean your whole driveway. Pay careful attention to the chipped out areas and make sure you thoroughly clean them.

Apply Concrete Patching

Once the chipped out area has had some time to dry, next you’ll need to get a small
amount of a concrete vinyl patching compound like this one. These are available off the shelf at your local big box store and are super easy to use. Simply add a small
amount of water to the powdered mixture. Then mix it up until you have a peanut
butter like consistency, and apply it to the chipped out area with a masonry or
disposable trowel.

You can feather out the surrounding area to match the existing
concrete. For corner chips or areas next to expansion joints, you may have to take a little extra time to form the patch to follow the existing contours. Once the compound has set up for about 20 minutes, use a grouting sponge and some water to clean any excess patching compound from around the patched area and create a seamless patch. For deep or large chips, you may have to apply several coats of the patching
compound to fill the void. And if the area around your chip is heaved, you may need
to do some additional steps of flattening that area using an angle grinder and a diamond grinding wheel.

So that’s it for this episode of Home School’d. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope
you learned something. If you’re interested in purchasing any of the products I used
in this video, links to all the tools and materials can be found in the description
below. I also have tips on how to fix a crack in concrete, so check that out here.

Thank you guys so much for checking out this post. For more outdoor projects, click on some of the links below.

DIY Paver Walkway Install

Find the Right Pressure Washer for you!

https://pressurewashr.com/

As with many projects, I started with a design in Sketchup. It is a simple design, so anyone can make it, and it uses simple fencing materials that can be found at your local big box store. If you want to follow along, check out the free downloadable plans on my website! While you are there, be sure to check out some of the other projects and plans I have as well.

#1: Building the Base

I’m using redwood for this project because it is naturally rot and insect resistant. Because I’m going to be planting vegetables, I also did not want to use pressure or chemically treated lumber that could affect the soil. Redwood is easy to get in California where I live, but if you don’t have access to it, another rot-resistant wood like cedar is a good alternative.

I cut a couple of redwood 2 by 4’s and spaced them out using redwood balusters. Then I screwed them together with exterior decking screws. Next I added some 2″ swiveling casters to the base, because I want to be able to move this garden around. I’m not sure where I want it to live long term. Being able to move it around is important to me, and the wheels make it unique.

Once it is all put together, you won’t be able to see the wheels easily either.

#2: Creating the Box

With the base complete, I added the balusters that will act as the uprights in the corners. Before adding the fence pickets, I also added some wire mesh to the base to help support the soil and protect it from critters.

I began adding the picket fencing to the sides. I cut each one at 4′ long and used the remaining piece on the sides. Using my carpenter’s pencil, I ensured there was a 1/4″ space between each. The lowest course should fall 3/4″ off the ground which will help obscure the wheels. This is also enough space to push the box along an uneven hard surface.

Once all 4 courses were installed, I cut off the excess uprights.

#3: The Finishing Touches

I added some weed fabric to the bottom to ensure water doesn’t rot the inside of the box. It is water permeable, but I poked some holes in the bottom to add better drainage at the bottom. You could also use thick plastic if you wanted. The redwood is naturally rot resistant, so I don’t mind having it weather naturally.

Next I added some additional fence pickets to dress up the corners of the box. I simply butted two pieces together and screwed them together at 90 degree angles. Then I attached those to the corners. To finish off, I’m going to add a mitered frame to the top.

For this frame, I added a 2 1/2″ lip around the outside which give a nice work surface. This adds a nice work surface without intruding on the planting area too much. Finally, I just need to add my vegetables, and this project is complete.

I’m really happy with how this planter box turned out. It’s pretty big and heavy, but being able to move it is really cool. The only thing I might add next time is a cage over the top to protect it from animals, but I’ll tackle that down the road if I need to.

I hope you all liked this project. Again, if you want more detailed measurements and step-by-step instructions, please check out the free downloadable plans on my website. Please feel free to leave a comment to let me know what you thought or if you have ideas for some other projects I could do!

Thank you guys so much, and I’ll see you next time!

If you enjoyed this project, here are a few other projects you might enjoy.

How to Build a DIY Giant Toy Box

DIY Budget Friendly Workbench

DIY Giant Toy Box

If you have kids, you know how quickly toys can pile up and completely make a mess of your home. Having a toy box for them and keeping them organized is a huge part of keeping your sanity.

Today I’m going to show you how I built this toy box utilizing the new lineup of Craftsman V20 tools. Craftsman is the official sponsor of this project so thank you to Craftsman for making this project possible. So without further ado, let’s dive into the project!

Disclosure: This video and article contains paid and product promotion by Craftsman. Check out their new line of V20 tools here: https://bit.ly/2DoDfAD

#1: Plan Out Your Design

This toy box is huge! It’s 90” long by 42” tall and serves a multitude of functions. Obviously it holds a lot of toys, but it also acts as a complete entertainment center

I made my plans in Sketchup, and if you’d like to follow along with this project step-by-step, there are free downloadable plans for it on my website. While you’re at it, check out some of the links to some of the other free project plans I have too!

#2: Create a Template

First, I created a template for the uprights of the toy box. This project is basically the same shape repeated over and over, so I needed a good template. I used a piece of MDF to measure and layout the shape I wanted. Then, I cut the shape out using the Craftsman V20 jigsaw. I used a straight edge as a guide to keep the lines nice and clean.

Taking a piece of ¾” paint grade plywood, I cut a similar shape slightly larger with the jigsaw. I used a flush trim router bit on my Craftsman router, following the template to create 1 finished panel. Then I just had to repeat this process 6 more times. It takes a little while but the template makes it easily repeatable.

#3: Interlocking the Pieces

Once all 6 were cut out, I ripped a piece of plywood to serve as the top and bottom. From there, it was all about dados. And I mean a lot of dados. I chose to use dados because it gives a lot of strength to the build, because each piece interlocks and supports the whole. It adds quite a bit to the workload, but if kids are going to be climbing on it or playing near it, it needs to be sturdy. If I did this project again, I would probably use 1/2″ plywood instead of ¾” because it got to be pretty heavy by the end.

Once the pieces were all in place, I took it apart bit by bit and glued it up and shot it together with the 16 gauge Craftsman V20 brad nailer.

#4: Assembly

Once I finally had the whole carcass put together, I could put the front face frames on. The design is laid out so that each piece can be mitered at 45 degrees to make it easy and repeatable on the table saw. I glued and fastened these in place with brad nails. Once that was finished I added some iron on edge banding to cover up the exposed edges of the plywood. This helps clean up the edges and make it easy for the paint to look uniform without having to add a bunch of coats. Then I could patch the brad holes with some wood filler and prep it for paint.

I also added some adjustable leveling feet to the bottom of the toy box. I glued some 2” wood blocks in the corners and added a threaded insert. Then I used my angle grinder to slice a line in the end of a carriage bolt. This allows you to use a flathead screwdriver to raise or lower the toy box to make it level.

Lastly, I sprayed several coats of wood sealing primer with my paint sprayer before spraying a couple coats of exterior semi-gloss white to finish it off. I chose exterior because I figured it’d be a little more durable than interior. I also added a thin piece of ¼” plywood on the back to finish off the piece.

I’m really happy with the way this toy box came out. Hopefully you enjoyed this project, and if you’d like more detailed measurements and step-by-step instructions on how to build your own, be sure to download the free plans on my website.

I want to say thank you to Craftsman for sponsoring this project and providing the V20 lineup of tools I used in this video. And as always I encourage you to leave me a comment down below and let me know what you thought of the project and what type of project you’d like to see me tackle next.

Thanks so much for checking out this project. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did like it, you might also enjoy some of these other free downloadable project plans. 

Basic DIY Workbench Plans

DIY Sliding Barn Door Plans

Workshop Base Cabinet Plans

In this DIY tool restoration project I’ll show you how to restore old hand planes as I take some of my Grandfather’s old hand planes and give them a new life in my workshop.

My Mom came out to visit a few months back and she brought me a couple old hand planes that belonged to my grandfather (A Stanley #78 and a Stanley #60 1/2). My grandfather was a carpenter, but he passed away long before I got really interested in woodworking. I don’t do a ton of hand tool work, but I still felt the desire to restore them and give them new life. I’ve become accustom to using hand tools a bit more over the last couple years so I’m excited to restore them and incorporate them in some of my future projects. Watch the video above to follow along to see how I did it.

Disclosure: This post contains a paid product placement by The WD40 Company. All views and opinions are my own. 

Disassembling the Planes

The hand planes have been sitting in my uncle’s toolbox for years, and they’re covered with rust, grime, and the general wear and tear of all those years in the woodshop. I started by taking them apart. Some areas were in worse shape than others a couple of the knobs and screws were a little lodged in with rust, so I used some WD40 Specialist Rust Release Penetrant Spray to loosen them.

In particular, the brass adjustment wheel on the front of the 60 1/2 was pretty seized up. I didn’t want to damage it, so I took an old work glove that was ready to be thrown away and cut a couple of the fingers off. Then I slipped those over the pliers to protect the brass while I broke it loose. This protected the knob, and in addition to the spray worked really wheel to loosening the wheel.

Cleaning & Honing

Next, I took all the loose parts and set them in a plastic tub and poured some WD40 Specialist Rust Remover Soak for a couple hours. This helped loosen the surface rust on the tools. Then I pulled each piece and scrubbed them down with a wire brush and some 000 steel wool. The parts were already looking really good.

With the rust removed, it was time to hone the plane bodies. The soles of the planes needed to be flattened out, so I took a Sharpie and made some reference lines across the soles of each plane. Then, I used some spray adhesive to secure three separate sandpapers to a microflat stone I have (120, 220, 320 grit) You could use any flat surface to do this, I just happen to have a microflat stone that was left at my house when I moved in. So I worked the plane bodies across the various grits until I was able to flatten them. The sharpie lines give you reference for your progress.

Once the bodies were honed, I considered spray painting them. But after speaking to a friend about it, he said it took my grandfather like 30 years to get them that way. So I decided that I liked the character that the used look gave them and left them as is. I care about the function of the tool, not necessarily if it looks brand new.

Sharpening the Irons

Luckily the irons were in pretty decent shape, save for a couple chips here and there. I admit, I’m no expert on sharpening blades. So I had to do a lot of research and I found some great tutorials by the likes of Paul Sellers and Ron Hock (“The Perfect Edge”) which really helped me. I went to Rockler and picked up a few Japanese combination water stones. I also bought a honing guide and went to town sharpening the irons. Starting on the low side of the first stone (250 grit) I worked to take off the chips. Then I worked my way up to the 6000 grit stone. I used the Ron Hock ruler trick to flatten the backs of the irons. To finish off the sharpening, I ran the irons against a piece of leather to remove the final burr.

I managed to get them in really good shape and nice and sharp. This is actually my first time sharpening irons so I’m confident if I can do it, so can you.

Reassembly & Finished Planes!

I put them back together with a screwdriver and messed around setting the blade depths on the cutting irons.

Then I tested them out on a scrap piece of cherry, and I’m happy to report that they work great! It’s pretty cool to have my grandfather’s tools as a part of my shop. I’m still trying to track down a few little missing parts to round out the planes but they work as is for now. I look forward to incorporating them in future projects!

If you liked this project, check out some of the other cool stuff I’ve worked on!

Restoring an Old Wheelbarrow

Wooden Banksy Wall Art

And of course, thank you for checking out this tutorial. I hope to see you guys next time!

In this DIY woodworking project tutorial, I’ll show you how to build a beautiful wooden memorial flag display case for an American flag to honor a fallen hero.

My Grandfather served in the Army during World War II and passed away several years ago, and to honor his memory and service I decided to build this Memorial Flag Display Case as a gift to give to my Dad for Father’s Day.

For this project, I’ll be basing this case off of plans I found online with some modifications. To check out those plans, click here.

Milling Up the Lumber

For this project I’ll be using some beautiful 3/4 Walnut with some nice figure on it. To get started, I’m ripping the walnut into 3″ strips on my table saw. Next I can cut the angles on the pieces to create the mitered triangle shape. To do that, I have to make a quick tenoning jig for my table saw because I can’t create that angle with my existing tools.

Tenoning Jig

The tenoning jig is made of a few pieces of plywood so that the pieces can stand vertically as they pass through the saw, which allows you to cut more acute angles than are usually possible on a table saw. If you’d like more info on how to build a tenoning jig, you can find out how to build your own here.

Cutting the Rabbets

Before I glue up the mitered pieces, I’m using my dado stack to cut a 1/8″ deep by 1/4″ wide rabbet into each piece so I can inset the back panel into the case later. Once that is cut, I can glue up the main body.

Building the Face Frame

I’m modifying from the plans I made above because I want to have a hinged face frame for this case. I rip some 1.5″ strips on the tablesaw and then cut the miters into them to create the triangle shape. Then I use the dado stack to cut a rabbet onto the inside edge of each piece so that I can inset a piece of tempered glass into the case later on.

Next I used my trim router to cut a profile into the inner edge of each piece. This would be a good job for a router table if you have one. Then I can glue up the face frame.

From there I can lay out and mark where the hinges are going to attach on the face frame and main case body. I found these little brass hinges in the hardware section at Home Depot. I trace out the hinges on the body and then chisel out the mortises so they sit flush with the case.

Rough Assembly

With the mortises cut, I can use the small screws to attach the face frame to the case body. And then I can rough sand the whole case with some 120 grit sandpaper, before working my way up to 220 by hand.

To latch the case closed, I decided to add a rare earth magnet into the case body and face frame that would be hidden in a 3/8″ recess into the case. I drilled this

hole out and then epoxied the magnets in place so that when the case it closed there is no visible latch from the outside.

Finishing the Case

I want a really clean finish on this case so I’m using a Tung Oil finish which hardens inside the wood. I ap

ply the first coat, then lightly sand with 500 grit. Then I add the second coat of Tung Oil before sanding once again to 600 grit. Then lastly apply a third finish coat of Tung Oil.

For the backing of the case I cut a piece of hardboard to fit in the triangle shaped rabbet in the back of the case and then I had a piece of tempered glass cut to fit the face frame at a local glass place. It only cost me $7. To attach the glass, I used a thin bead of clear silicone and a couple window glazing retaining clips.

Finished Case

That’s it for this project! I hope you enjoyed it. This project made a wonderful gift for my Dad and I’m happy that I could help honor my Grandfather’s memory and service to the country.

If you liked this project, you may like some of my other woodworking projects that you can check out here:

DIY Walnut Bath Caddy

Wooden Kitchen Utensils with the Shaper Origin

In this DIY project tutorial I’ll show you how to build a simple DIY industrial black pipe bookshelf using black pipe and basic lumber you can pick up from the hardware store. Watch the video to follow along step-by-step.

Materials

To start, let’s go over some of the materials we’ll need to tackle this project. All in all, these piping should cost you about $75 at Home Depot or a similar home improvement store.

• (8) 3/4″ x 12″ black pipe
• (4) 3/4″ flanges
• (12) 3/4″ couplings
• (4) 3/4″ x 4″ pipe
• (4) 3 1/2″ pipe
• (4) 3/4″ caps

For the shelves, I found a piece of laminated pine at a local lumber store for about $20. Once constructed, the shelf stands about 36″ tall.

Preparing the Pieces

The first thing we need to do is rip the wood to the width we want, then cross cut the lengths of the shelf. The overall dimensions of each shelf are 12″ deep by 24″ wide.

Next I’m clamping the 3 shelves together so I can measure and drill the holes that the pipe is going to pass through. Make sure to double check while measuring before drilling or else you risk the shelves being unstable or unaligned.

The diameter of my pipe is about 1 1/16″, and I drilled the holes with a 1 1/8″ bit. If I were doing the project again, I would likely drill using a 1″ bit and then ream out the hole with some sandpaper. That way, the pipes would fit more tightly. The tighter the pipes fit, the more rigid and sturdy the completed shelf will be.

Mock Up and Refinement

Now we can put the pieces together. This is just to make sure everything fits well and was properly constructed.

After this, disassemble everything and finish work on the shelves. I sanded over each shelf to give them a nice rounded edge, and then applied a dark walnut stain. Once the stain has dried, I added a couple coats of matte polyurethane.

The 12″ black pipes themselves had a protective coating on them, which I tried to sand off with sandpaper and acetone. Unfortunately, this created an uneven look across all the pipes. To fix this, I’ve cleaned off all the pipes, then spray painted everything flat black. Then I just sealed it with a spray polyurethane.

Final Assembly

The last thing to do is reassemble everything and measure it to make sure everything is level. Then, find a good place in your home to display it!

And that’s it! Thanks for checking out this project. I think this simple shelf can add a lot of personality to any room, and it’s relatively cheap to do as well! If you enjoyed this project, please check out some of the other industrial projects I’ve been working on!

DIY Industrial Pipe Lamp

DIY Industrial Black Pipe Shelf

I hope you learned something from this project, and maybe it inspired you to create something of your own. Thanks again for checking it out, and I’ll see you next time!

In this project tutorial I’ll show you how to restore a wheelbarrow by taking an old pile of rusting wheelbarrow parts and transforming it into a fully functional wheelbarrow that’s as good as new!

Disclosure: This post contains a paid product placement by The WD40 Company. All views and opinions are my own. 

When I moved into this house I found a bunch of old wheelbarrow parts rusting away in the backyard. Rather than tossing them in the dumpster, I knew I wanted to restore it somewhere down the line so I’ve been holding onto it for a few years until I could get around to it. Most of the wheelbarrow parts are actually in pretty good shape with the majority just being surface rust. Sure I could just buy a new wheelbarrow if I wanted to, but where’s the fun in that? You know the old saying, one man’s trash is another man’s wheelbarrow!

Rust Removal

Before I could do much with this wheelbarrow, I had to start by taking off all that surface rust which was a pretty big task in and of itself. I started by soaking all the smaller components in WD-40 Specialist Industrial-Strength Cleaner & Degreaser and used some WD-40 Specialist Rust Release Penetrant Spray to loosen up the old rusted bolts on some of the hardware. I had to do a little persuading with the old parts to get them apart which involved me just smashing the old wood with a hammer, but once they were all apart I could let them soak for a little while. 

In addition to the legendary blue and yellow can, WD-40 Company has a full range of high performance products for maintenance, repair, cleaning, and industrial applications for all manner of enthusiasts, professionals, DIYers, and homeowners. To see the full range of their products, check out their website at www.wd40.com.

Next I could focus on the tub itself. This would’ve been a great task for a sandblaster but since I don’t have one I used a flap disc on my angle grinder for the majority of the removal. I also used some low grit sandpaper on my orbital sander, and a wire brush attachment on my drill. It took a while to get down to the bare metal on the whole tub.

And then once the tub was done, I had to do the same thing to all the smaller hardware components!  

Priming & Painting

Finally, after a whole bunch of grinding and sanding, I had all the pieces brought back down to the bare metal and ready for primer. I sprayed the whole thing with a few coats of rust sealing metal primer with my Graco Paint Sprayer.

Originally this wheelbarrow was blue, which I didn’t know until I started sanding it down but since I’m redoing it, I decided to make it a little more “On Brand” this time around and painted the tub a bright orange. I couldn’t find the orange color for my sprayer so I got stuck spraying the whole thing with the trusty old rattle can method. For the hardware components, I decided to make those all black so I sprayed them with a few coats as well and then sealed the whole thing with a few coats of high gloss clear coat.

Making the Handles

While all that set up, I started in on the new handles and wedges for the wheelbarrow. I started by milling down some hard maple that I had lying around into long rectangles for the handles. Normally I probably wouldn’t use maple for this because it’s a pretty nice hardwood for a wheelbarrow that’s gonna get some abuse outside but I wasn’t about to go buy something else. And yes, I could’ve bought pre-made handles too but again, Where’s the fun in that? It’ll just be the nicest handled wheelbarrow around when it’s done. The handles ended up being about 61″ long by 1.5″ thick. 

Shaping the Handles

When it came time to shape the handles I wasn’t really sure how I was gonna do it but I decided to try and just use the angle grinder and the flap disc since I used it for just about everything else and it worked out great. I was able to rough shape them into something that was pretty ergonomic and then finish them off with some sandpaper. Then I started figuring out where the hardware was going to line up on the handles and drilled some holes in them.

Rough Assembly & Making Wedges

In hindsight, I should’ve done all the rough assembly first before I primed & painted everything just so I wouldn’t beat up on the paint job so much wrenching on it and moving it around. But I figured if it can’t hold up to being put together and taken apart of bunch of times, then it won’t hold up to much abuse anyway down the line.

Since I didn’t have any old parts to base the wedges off, I didn’t really know what the angle needed to be or how long they needed to be so I rough assembled the wheelbarrow to try and get a sense of how it was going to be so I could figure out how to make them and also where the wheel was going to fall. The old wheel was pretty dry rot so I did end up spending money on a new one and decided to go with a solid rubber tire. I also bought new glavanized nuts and bolts to hopefully stop the rust from happening again down the line.

Once I had an idea of what to do for the wedges, I cut them on the table saw and then used the drill press to mortise out some holes so that I could have an area to adjust them if I needed to which ended up working out pretty good. The finished wedges ended up being 19″ long by 1.5″ wide and tapered from 1 3/4″ to 1″. I didn’t do the math on the angle. 

Finishing the Handles

Before I did the final reassembly of everything, I wiped down all the maple with a couple coats of Danish oil (I said Tung Oil in the video but I actually used Danish Oil) finish to help it withstand the outdoor elements. I’ll have to reapply down the line but for now a couple coats should be fine.

Final Assembly

I’m pretty sure there was an easier way to get this thing back together than the way I did it, but after a bunch of messing around, I finally got it all put back together and tightened down.

I added one last thing to this wheelbarrow and that is this wheelbarrow liner insert to try and keep the paint job on the inside of the tub intact for a little while and hopefully protect it for a little while. These are manufactured by a local company and one was sent over to me to test out so I figured I’d give it a shot and see how it works out.

Well that is it for this project! I hope you guys enjoyed it. I know I had a ton of fun bringing this old wheelbarrow back to life. It’s not something I do very often so it was a fun little restoration challenge and I’d definitely like to do some more of it down the line. I want to say a quick thank you to WD-40 for making this project possible and I encourage you guys to check out some of their new line of products for your DIY and home improvement projects at http://www.wd40.com/. 

If you liked this project, consider checking out some of these other outdoor DIY Projects!

DIY Paver Walkway Install

DIY Vertical Pallet Garden