Woodworking | Mr. G's Mind

My brother asked me if I could make a tray for his living room ottoman. I said that I probably could, but what do you use it for?

He explained that it can be used as a tray to serve drinks or food, and when not in use, it sits on top of the ottoman to hold magazines or decorative items.

Here is the finished tray:

He provided me with the dimensions, and said to keep it simple. He wanted it to look rustic (I’m good at rustic), so I suggested that it be made from pallet wood. He did not want it stained or with handles.

Fortunately, I had a couple of salvaged pallets, so with hammer and crowbar, I began the disassembly process.

I like working with pallets for the recycling aspect, but often you are only able to get just a few pieces of usable lumber from each pallet. The disassembly takes its toll; so plan accordingly for your pallet projects.

Once I had enough usable lumber, I cut the needed pieces to size, and did some preliminary sanding with my electric sander.

Next, as seen below, I used my biscuit joiner to cut two slots into the edges of each bottom piece, so that a wooden biscuit could be inserted. This can clearly be seen in the first picture. The second picture shows all of the bottom pieces ready to be glued and clamped.

With the bottom all glued up, I added the sides, using biscuits and glue as well.

Once the glue set, I performed a final sanding on the box, using different grits of sandpaper. Pallet wood can be a bit rough and I did not want him to damage the ottoman upholstery.

Once fully sanded, my work was done.

A simple gift for my favorite brother!

A Dahlia is a tuberous plant that produces incredible flowers. They are in the same family as the sunflower, daisy, and chrysanthemum.

Dahlias do like full sun, however, not “hellish-like” sun that we sometimes experience. Last summer we decided to put up a temporary lattice cover over the plants. That really made a difference in the flower’s longevity. In other words, it kept them from ‘spontaneous combustion.’

The lattice worked so well, I thought I’d design a more permanent set up. I came up with this idea using two 4′ x 6″ high poles, with a lattice-hinged top. The hinges allow you to rotate the lattice upward, and out of your way, for work on the dahlias.

I began by cutting the lattice to size and framing it. See my post Privacy Fence Toppers for tips on framing lattice. I learned a lot on that project.

I attached a piece of 2″ x 3″ lumber (the length of the lattice) on the backside. This will sit on top of the two poles, and the hinges will be attached to it as well.

There was already an exiting post on the left side, so I only had to dig one post hole (oh what fun!). The poles will not support much weight, so I dug down 15 inches.

I leveled the post to make sure it was straight, and then secured it. I bought some ‘quick dry’ concrete to set it in position.

Tip: Do not cut your poles to the desired height until set in concrete. Once set, then cut them. Post holes are often dug to different depths. If you precut the poles, and then set them in concrete, you will likely find that your poles are all at different heights. This will make you very unhappy.