Hi there!
I tried out my basic wood-shop-from-Jr. High skills this past weekend. After stumbling upon a few Rae Dunn pieces recently, including these pet dishes, I quickly realized they were worthless without a raised stand to hold them. I need a tall stand because the beast is large, and the bowls need to be displayed so that the wording will show.
I came up dry, so I decided to use some scrap wood and make a trial frame, but it turned out cute enough to keep!
You can see the little sketch I made to try to map out a frame. Now... I am no carpenter...this project is supposed to be rustic and old looking. I could care less that the 45 degrees are misaligned and I even had my little lady child distress all of the pieces for me.
For this project I used:
(this was a scrap of floor joist we had left from the foyer project)
2 -8 foot 1 x 2's
finishing nails
wood glue
stain
white latex paint
poly
table saw
I have a portable table saw which was perfect for this little job. It's easy to use for beginners and lightweight.
I cut the 2 X 9 to accommodate the bowls, leaving an inch between them and an inch around the perimeter. This came out to 16.5" long. I then cut the 1 X 2's to make the border that holds the bowls in place. Next, I cut the four pieces to make the cross legs and had my "helper" distress all of it with a hammer and mallet. I stained it and began to work on assembly.
After wood-gluing the border around the top surface, I lined up the legs to mark where to cut them. I used a nail to hold them together at the center while allowing them to move freely (imagine a pair of scissors). My stand sits approx. 12" high.
The legs are 13" long. After cutting the 45* angle on each leg end, I wood-glued and gently nailed the legs into the bowl base. I let that dry over night.
I decided to white wash it just to soften it up a bit. I used a damp paper towel to smear a little bit of white paint mixed with water into the wood. The last step was to poly it using Varathane Wood Poly.
After wood-gluing the border around the top surface, I lined up the legs to mark where to cut them. I used a nail to hold them together at the center while allowing them to move freely (imagine a pair of scissors). My stand sits approx. 12" high.
The legs are 13" long. After cutting the 45* angle on each leg end, I wood-glued and gently nailed the legs into the bowl base. I let that dry over night.
I decided to white wash it just to soften it up a bit. I used a damp paper towel to smear a little bit of white paint mixed with water into the wood. The last step was to poly it using Varathane Wood Poly.
Not so bad for a first try, my 7th grade wood shop skills are paying off.