Baby Steps

Our family coat rack has been broken for a long time.  Many times the kids have tossed their backpacks at it and caused it to topple over.  

It has a distinctive tilt to it now.   Also the pegs used to hold the coats have been broken and re-glued several times. 

This one was in so many splinters that clear tape was the only thing holding it together.  It was time for a new coat rack.  

Since I am not supposed to do any lifting or big projects because of my recent back surgery,  I figured a new coat rack was a small enough project to be ok.  

Here is the footboard that I had cut the feet off for my last bench,  it was in very rough shape.   There were some pretty big chunks out of the middle beam.  I decided to try out the new saw and remove the mid-piece and just use the posts. 

The new larger saw made it simple to cut both posts at the same time to be the se size,  it was great!  My old saw couldn't handle doing both posts,  it struggled with one at a time.  I was dying to try it out and I definitely was not disappointed. 

I cut a 1x6 to be the mid-piece and the top and then I routed the edges. 

I drilled pocket screws to attach the board between the posts and I used my finish nailer to attach the top. 

When it was all assembled I filled the holes with wood filler and gave it a good sanding. 

I painted a base coat with a brush and found that my patience was running out and my pain level was rising.  I was also not getting the finish I desired so I broke out the sprayer.  I wish I would have just done that to begin with,  it was much easier.  

I always worry about the clean up but it is simple.  Pour the excess paint back in the can and rince in the sink with warm water and then I took it outside to spray out the rest of the clean warm water just to make sure all the paint was completely gone. 

When it was dry,  I put on the hardware and hung it really low.  Now my 5 year old won't have to aim high and throw.  It also makes a good little shelf for the pet leashes. 

I still need to paint the screws and clear coat the paint but I am generally satisfied with the piece.  I wanted to get something done just to get my creative juices flowing again,  I think it turned out pretty cute and I feel like I am taking those baby steps back to full recovery.