Author Archives: Stephen

Headboard From an Old Door

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My daughter saw a post on the web about making a headboard out of an old door.
http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2011/09/door-headboard-roadkill-rescue.html
Here is how it turned out, after a LOT of work.



She started by applying a chemical stripper to remove the old layers of paint off the door. I insisted she use a less toxic Citri-based product even though it requires more applications. Read the cautionary warnings on the products and decide for yourself. She counted about 5 different colors on top of the original base coat.



We found that after the stripper loosened the old paint, we could quickly remove several layers at a time by using a paint scrapper. I sharpened the blade frequently as it would quickly dull.



As old as the door was, we had to assume that some of the paint layers used lead based paint. We found that the oldest paint layers were very tough and very resistant to the stripper. We used dust masks when sanding, which was about the only way to penetrate the bottom layer of paint. Paint would not build-up on 60 grit sandpaper on the orbital sander unless a lot of pressure was used.



Here we have finally made it down to bare wood on the one side. I made plugs to fill in up the cavities left by deadbolts and the door knobs, etc. Rockhard putty was used to fill in smaller screw holes and cracks at joints. The outer surface of the lowest door panel was buckled from water damage. I removed it by cutting around the edge of the panel trim with a utility knife. I made a new layer by planing down 5mm plywood to the required 3/32 inch thickness.



The most tedious part of the re-finishing process was removing the paint from the grooves in the molding profile around the recessed door panels. Scrapers were too aggressive for the hemlock that the door was made from. We found that the triangular sanding pads on a multi-tool worked well, but the pads had to be replaced often because of paint build-up.



I decided to take the backside of the door down to bare wood instead of sealing it as the internet post suggested. I was concerned about not getting a good bond with a sealer and having it flake off, or not doing a good job of containing the “old wood” smell. Rather than take the time to do the requisite detail sanding on the molding profile, I used my router with a cove bit to quickly cut through the profile into bare wood. I then used a 1/2 straight bit to quickly remove the paint from the panel adjacent to the edges. I clamped straight edge guides to the door for both operations to get a straight smooth cut.



I used the orbital sander with 60 grit sandpaper to quickly (about 10 minutes per panel) remove the paint in the interior spaces of the recessed panels.



All that remained was to use the sanding attachment of the multi-tool to remove the paint from the corners where the 5 inch radius of the orbital sander could not reach.



I had to extend the top side of the door so that the crown molding would not extend over the recessed panels and to balance the width of the visible portions of the top and bottom door rails. I did this by ripping a 2×4 to a width just under that which would be covered by the crown molding, and then planing it to match the door thickness. I ripped the edge of the door to provide a straight and square mating surface for the extension and glued and screwed it into place.



Now all surfaces of the headboard were painted with two coats primer. An oil base primer may work better than latex for blocking odor of the underlying door.



A special fence was made for the miter saw to hold the crown molding upright in its installed orientation – but upside down. This allows 45 degree corners to be cut and safely holds the crown molding while the cut is made. The distance to the raised part of the fence matches the horizontal offset required by the bottom of the crown molding.



I cut one 45 degree angle on the long front section of the crown molding and then another on a short side section, to gauge the amount of overlap needed on the top, which was temporarily clamped to the top side of the headboard.



Now I could cut the length of the 1×6 top of the headboard to match the requirement of the crown molding. A 1×6 was used because the headboard would be mounted to the bed frame with two vertical 2x4s, and I wanted the back edge of top to extend over them, so they would not be visible. The top as glued and screwed to the extension, and Rockhard putty was used to fill the recessed screw holes.

Now the crown molding could be fastened to the top of the head board with crown staples. I clamped small blocks on each end of the headboard at the required distance from the top. This provided a stable surface against which the bottom edge of the crown molding could rest while being fastened. I then used longer staples to secure to top edge of the crown molding to the top of the headboard.


After priming the top and crown molding, the final two coats of paint were applied. A paint conditioner was added to the paint to thin it out to eliminate brush marks. An exterior/interior base was used because it dries harder and should stand up better.



Here is the finished headboard attached to the bed frame.


Sewing Cabinet for Mary

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Finished sewing cabinet is the same height as the work surface which housing the sewing machine. This gives extra counter space when working on big projects.

I started the project by working on the top which I wanted to be 24 inches by 48 inches. I procured a damaged piece of melamine covered particle board and cut out two unblemished chunks a couple inches over the required finished dimension. Placing one on top of the other, I drilled a series of pilot holes for the flat head screws which would hold the two pieces together. I then coated one surface with marine epoxy, and then drove in the screws on the underside to draw the pieces together tight while the epoxy setup overnight,.

After the epoxy setup, I trimmed the top to final dimensions, taking an inch off one side, and then turning the piece 180 deg so I could use the rip fence to keep the opposite side parallel to the first. The table saw miter gauge was then used to get the third side perpendicular to the 2nd. Then the fence was used again to make 4th parallel to the third. I then wrapped the whole top with 3/4 inch oak to keep the fragile melamine edges from being damaged during the rest of the project construction. Rather than use miters on the corners, I used butt joints, doing opposite sides at the same time – and doing the short sides first. After the glue dried I trimmed them to the exact length with my miter saw, and then did the other two sides. I made the height of the trim about 1/4 inch wider than the thickness of the top.

When gluing the trim to the top, I positioned it about 1/16 inch above the top to ensure that it would not drop below the top surface as it was clamped. I then had to plane and scrape it down flush with the top surface. I used painters tape on half of the base of my plane to help keep from gouging the melamine. I used my scraper to the trim flush with the top.

I then constructed the carcase, a center horizontal divider separated the small upper drawer section from the lower larger drawers. Horizontal dividers divided the upper space into three sections, and the lower space in to two sections. All the dividers fit into dados that were cut first undersize on the table saw, and then full size on the router table to provide a tight fit and a flat bottom. After applying glue in the dadoes, the pieces were assembled, clamped together with pipe clamps and then secured with finish nails. The back was set into rabbets on the sides but not secured to ensure that the carcase remained square.

Since the sides were to be painted, I used rockhard putty to fill the finish nail holes, then sanded the putty flush after it tried.

The front plywood edges of the carcase were covered with oak strips cut to a thickness of 3/16 inches, glued and nailed with 23 gauge pins which are invisible after sanding. The next task was to make the drawers and install the slides. The drawer sizes were figured by allowing for a 1/8 inch space between the finished drawer faces, and I wanted the drawer face to extend 1/4 inch above and below the drawer proper. To attach the slides, I used blocks to position the upper most slides in each section first (so they could be pushed flush against the side each drawer section. This can’t be done if the bottom slides are done first.

Drawer faces were cut to allow about 3/16 inch space on all sides. All drawer faces were placed in each section, spaced with popsicle sticks and then tacked to the drawers themselves with 23 gauge nails after gluing. This is a bit of a balancing act and takes patience, but it ensures uniform spacing of the drawer fronts. Clamps were then used to hold the faces to the drawers while the glue dried.

Last construction task was to attach the top. I made plywood blocks that fit into each corner of the carcase. I put the top on top of the carcase, centered it, and then scribed pencil lines on the underside of the top along the outside corners. I then carefully measured the thickness of the carcase walls and determined the placement of each block, which were screwed to the bottom of the top. Quarter inch holes were drilled down thru the top of each corner of the carcase, and then countersunk on the underside to the diameter of the washers to be used with the lag bolts which would be used to attach the top to the carcase.

Oak on the project was stained to match the woodwork in the house. Drawers and sides were primed and painted with the owners color preference, and then her drawer pull hardware was installed.