So, I tried really hard to come up with something awesome for my Mother-in-Law for Christmas this past year. She loves reclaimed wood; I actually bought some of the reclaimed wood when I was with her. She would ask "what's that for?" and I always told her I didn't know. But, I had this in mind for a while.
To begin, I divided the design into quarters. I used poster board to provide a template. I decided to go with 2" wide reclaimed wood, giving me a 20" X 20" final design. Using this board as a reference was my best idea on this projects, because I got to see how the pieces fit together and verify they were the right size before moving on. On to cutting wood!
I cut 2" wide strips from the reclaimed wood strips I had. The pieces that make up the star were a little wider (approx 2.25"), so I went ahead and cut those. I made sure to keep these separate to avoid headaches later on!
Then, it was a matter of piecing everything together; like a giant puzzle! The only angles I had to cut were 45 degree angles, so that made it easy. After all the pieces were mocked up and fitted together, it was time to make the frame.
The frame was made from reclaimed barnwood I got for $2 a plank! I cut one plank into 3" wide strips. I cut them to size with 20" long inner lengths with 45 degree angles on the ends. To secure the joints, I used wood glue and "L" brackets on the reverse side. I cut a 1/8" piece of plywood for the backing to 22" X 22" and screwed it to the back of the frame. Now, it was time to assemble the puzzle inside the frame.
I used wood glue on the plywood backing as I went along with putting the pieces into the frame. Some of the pieces were difficult to piece in there and needed some elbow grease, but they did all eventually fit.
I gave it a couple days to dry with a weighted board on top to ensure good adhesion. I flipped it over just to test, and none of the pieces came out, so that's good! I attached some 100lb grade picture hangers on the back, and that's all she wrote.
When my Mother-in-Law opened this gift, she was AMAZED! She's currently looking for a spot to put it in her house right now!
FYI; I was looking at prices for these reclaimed wood squares, and they were all a couple hundred dollars on Etsy! This project cost me about $50 when it was all said and done, so definitely a big savings! DIY Dad strikes again!
-Kevin
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