Reclaimed Wood Projects

Last year the co-conspirator and I did some major refurbishing of our deck to fix a design flaw that has bugged me for twenty years. In the process, we ended up replacing most of the decking boards. The old boards were still mostly in decent condition except for rotten ends. Except for that and the old screw holes, we had a good pile of acceptable wood that we had once paid a decent amount of money for. I decided to salvage what I could for a few little projects to enhance our outdoor living space on the deck.

 

Since someone won’t let me have a table saw I used a guide on our circular saw to rip the deck boards into 1” and 2” strips. I used a CAD program to design the different pieces so I knew ahead of time that everything would line up and work the way I intended. The boards are an even inch thick so dimensioning the different components was simple. To make thicker boards for table legs I glued together two boards with waterproof carpenter’s glue.

The first project was a pair of narrow tables to hold the different potted herbs and ornamental plants I like to grow each year. The taller one is shown here with a pot stand.  The other one is six inches shorter so the plants are displayed better. As you can see growing a banana tree has attracted apes but they’re not much of a problem…yet.

I followed those up with a couple of low pot stands. The second one I did (not pictured) I just used a single 1”x2” for the legs instead of doubling them up and they seem sturdy enough.

After years of making do with a board over the wheelbarrow for potting things up I made a work table at a comfortable height to stand next to the compost bins. The large pots and tubs fit under it. I need to get something under the legs so they don’t start rotting away.

 

The last project I’ve made so far was the most complicated. Every year I fight a battle with the squirrels and chipmunks to keep them from digging up the pots of tubers and seeds I’m starting and from ripping out my vegetable plants when I bring them out for hardening off. I constructed a cage of the salvaged cedar and chicken wire to protect up to four flats of pots. The whole thing is two feet high and the door is held shut with hook-and-eye closures. I’ve placed it up on cinder blocks in the garden work area. I think I’ll get a couple more blocks so it’s higher.

There is still a decent amount of wood left. The only other project I’d like to attempt is a planter box with a very tall trellis. There is a large space  on the back of the house right where we have our deck chairs. I dream of get morning glory and moonflower vines growing there next year.

Have you ever built something new from old materials? I’d like to hear about your projects if you have. They may give me some ideas of what to do with the wood I have left!