Global Forest Productions

Put Your Old Wooden Items To Good Use

Off cuts and old wooden items such as frames and logs can be put to good use.

Make wooden coasters out of wooden logs – these are works of art for your table.

You need:
• Wooden log
• Pictures that you like
• Artist’s charcoal
• Black ballpoint pen
• Sealant
• Tracing paper

1. Ask someone to cut thin discs from the log.
2. Find interesting pictures that have good outlines, such as flowers.
3. Cover the picture with the tracing paper and trace the outline with the black pen.
4. Go over the outline with the artist’s charcoal on the wrong side of the paper.
5. Then turn the picture over once again so that the charcoal side is facing down – go over the outline once again with the black pen so that the charcoal is transferred onto the wooden disc.
6. Once the picture is transferred to the wood, seal it with a wood sealant, and voila! You now have lovely wooden coasters.

Make a table with round logs:

You need:
• Wooden logs
• Round glass table top
• Rope
• Strong glue
• Paint scraper

1. Select straight logs for this project, and then ask someone to help saw off the ends neatly for you (your hardware store would be willing to help).
2. Glue the logs together.
3. Wrap the rope around the logs.
4. Fill the spaces of the logs with the glue.
5. Remove any excess glue with the paint scraper.
6. Position the round glass table top on the logs and there you have a super duper table to use either inside or outside the home.

There are so many things you can do that are quite simple, transforming your house into a home; all you need is a little bit of imagine and a couple of items that you can revamp into something quite fantastic!

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How to Make a Bird Box

Making a bird box is simply and the best way to attract birds to your garden. This project uses a single piece o wood that is cut into 6 sections.

What you will need:

·    1.5m x 15cm x 1.25cm piece of untreated, sawn timber
·    20cm x 2.5cm nails, 3cm x 2.5cm self-tapping screws
·    Drill and 25mm, 28mm or 32mm wood drill bit (see Step 6)
·    Wood saw, sandpaper, hammer screw driver, tape measure and pencil

What to do:

Step 1: cut the timber for the bird box into six sections.

Back panel: 45cm x 15 cm
Base: 11cm x 15cm
Front: 20cm x 1cm
Roof: 21cm x 15cm
And two side panels cut for a sloping roof of 25cm high on the back x 20 cm high at the front.

Step 2: cut the wood along the pencil lines using a wood saw. Sand down any rough edges.

Step 3: nail one of the sides to the base of the bird box, and then nail them both to the back section. Hammer gently so that you don’t split the wood.

Step 4: turn the nesting box on to the fixed side and nail the other side into position. Three nails for each join should be enough.

Step 5: before fixing the front panel to the sides make an entrance hole for the birds by using a wide drill bit. Sand the edges.

Step 6: place the box on its back and nail the front to the sides. The pieces should all fit together without any gaps.

Step 7: to fix the top to the sides and the front use self aping screws. This will allow you to remove the top to clean the bird box out.

Step 8: drill a hole in the op of the bird box and attach it to a tree using a screw.

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How to Make a Straight Cut

To make a straight cut take a square and a pencil and mark the wood.

Let’s say you want to cut a 600mm length off a 150mm wide plank. Hold the wooden handle of the square hard against the work piece and run a pencil line against the edge of the steel blade.

Repeat on all faces and edges of the plank so the line encircles the wood.

Clamp the work piece in a work bench, take a cross cut saw and place the teeth to the waste side of the drawn line.

Perform a few short dragging strokes and then use the full length of the saw to make the cut.

At the end of the cut use your free hand to support the waste making lighter strokes until the wood is sawn through.

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How to Make Angled Cuts

To make an angled cut you can use a crosscut saw or an electric compound mitre saw.

Let’s imagine that you want to cut an angle across a picket.

If you are going to use a hand saw take a bevel gauge and set the angle to suit your needs. Hold the handle hard up against the edge of the wood and draw a line against the steel blade.

Set the work piece in the work bench and use the crosscut saw to make the cut.

To use the compound mitre saw first set the blade of the saw to the desired angle and lock it into position.

Hold the work piece hard against the fence. Repeatedly lower the blade and nudge the wood until the blade is just to the waste side of the drawn line. Raise the blade, switch on the power, lower the blade and make the cut.

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How to Cut Curved Shapes

There are two ways to draw curved shapes.

To draw curved shapes that are made of circles or part circles a compass can be used. For symmetrical cyma curves, draw half of the shape freehand and cut it out. You then use this as a template to draw the other half. This helps to make sure that the shape is symmetrical.

A coping saw can be used to cut small, tight curves that are on or near an edge of thin wood. A power jigsaw can be used for broad curves in thick wood.

To use a coping saw, first make sure that the blade is fitted with the teeth pointing away from the handle. Tighten up the blade. In a portable workbench secure the work piece in the jaws. Position the blade to the waste side of the drawn line and work with a steady stroke to make the cut.

To use the power jigsaw, you must first bridge the work piece across a couple of workbenches. Set the bed of he saw on the work piece, switch on the power and slowly advance the tool so that the line of cuts runs slightly o the waste side of the drawn line. You must hold the tool with a firm grip.

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How to Build a Bat Box

Building a bat house is fun, easy and ecological. Bats eat mosquitoes, moths and other insects and can pollinate some flowers.

What you will need:

Scrap cedar or exterior plywood
Wood screws
Caulking
Dark stain or paint
Old pantyhose or netting
Staple gun
Hammer and large nail

What to do:

Step 1: screw together scrap wood pieces to make two walls 24 inches high and 13 inches wide. Screw together two side walls 24 inches high and 3 inches wide.

Step 2: hammer holes in the large walls about 6 inches from the bottom of the house using the large nail.

Step 3: to the wider walls staple pantyhose material. Reinforce about every 2 inches up the sides of the house. The material provides a perch for the bats to hang from.

Step 4: assemble the four sides by screwing them together then caulking. Lay the walls aside whilst you build the roof. Assemble two roof pieces 8 inches by 1 inch. Screw together at a 30 degree angle, then screw and caulk to walls.

Step 5: paint the outside of the house a dark colour. Nail the house 15 to 20 feet from the ground on a tree or pole or house. The opening at the bottom is the door for the bats.

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Building Your Own Wooden Planter

Building a wooden planter can be a great addition to your garden that can house a variety of flowers.

Things you will need:
·    Wood
·    Saw
·    Hammer
·    Nails
·    Wood glue
·    Clamps
·    Stain
·    Paint

Step 1: decide what kind of wood planter you would like to build.
Step 2: measure the dimensions on pieces of wood and cut them out to make the sides of your planter.
Step 3:  cut the wood to the exact dimensions that you need.
Step 4: use wood glue to fit the pieces together. Do one board at a time, take two pieces of wood, and apply glue to parts of the boards that will be in contact with each other. Use glue on the boards that can be seen to avoid seeing nail heads. You don’t need to glue the bottom piece, put that to one side for now.
Step 5: use clamps to hold the boards together whilst the glue dries.
Step 6: nail the bottom board to complete.
Step 7: use any stains or paint that you want on the planter.

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Building Your Own Wooden Bench

This is an easy do it yourself project that even an amateur carpenter can do.

What you will need:
·    1 by 6s, Pre-cut
·    2 by 4s, pre-cut
·    Power Drill
·    Pre-cut Wood Bars
·    Long Wood Screws and #-inch Screws
·    Wood Fence Posts or 4 by 4s, pre-cut
·    Sandpaper
·    Primer
·    Paint

Step 1: you can have the wood pre-cut. This will make it easier as you do not need to measure and cut the wood yourself. The wood needs to be cut to the size of the bench that you want, so decide how big you want the bench first.
Step 2:pay attention to what length they are cutting your 2 by 4s. They should be about 4 inches shorter than the size you want your bench
Step 3:  build the frame in a rectangle and drill in the screws. Once the frame is ready, turn it upside down so you can attach the legs. The legs can be made from 4 by 4s that are pre-cut, wood fence posts or fancy pre bought and ready made legs. Have the screw holes pre drilled through the frame and legs and then insert the screws from the outside.
Step 4: turn the bench on its legs and add the 1 by 6s onto the wooden frame, add the screws through pre-drilled holes. Stabilise the seat with 3-inch screws.
Step 5: use the sand paper and run it over your bench to remove dust, grime and other particles. Apply primer and let it dry completely. Then you can paint it whatever colour you would like.

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What is Timber?

Timber is wood in any stages from felling through to the readiness for use as structural material or wood pulp.

Timber is supplied either rough or finished. Rough timber is used as the raw material for furniture and other items that need additional cutting and shaping. Finished timber is supplied in standard sizes mostly for the construction industry.

Hardwoods are not necessarily harder then soft woods, as in both groups there is an enormous variation in actual wood hardness and a range of densities.

The term softwood is used to describe wood from conifers, whereas hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees.

Hardwoods are used in construction, furniture, flooring, cooking, utensils and more.

Softwood is generally easy to work and is used in furniture, millwork, as a raw material for pulp, the prime material for structural building components and in printmaking.

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