My wife uses a hot glue gun A LOT! She loves to make bows for our daughter, and the hot glue gun is her tool of choice!
The other night, I walked into her craft room, and I saw her using her hot glue gun. And she was resting it on a piece of cardboard...
*faints*
No No NO! Not my wife!
I've seen this simple, yet practical, craft room accessory floating around Pinterest lately. It's a hot glue gun holder! It looked pretty easy to make, and I can make it using the scraps I already have in my workshop! Also, because we are in the process of converting out spare bedroom into a craft space for my wife, I think this particular item may come in handy!
So let's get started!
I started with a piece of scrap backer board about 1/4" thick. This stuff is super thin and will work well as the little storage cup to hold the glue sticks. I cut this strip into (2) 5 inch strips, and then cut those in half the opposite direction; resulting in 4 pieces that were 3" X 5".
I put wood glue on the edges and clamped all 4 sides together, and put it to the side.
Now, to get started on the base!
I used a piece of scrap 3/4" whiteboard, approximately 10" X 3.25" as the base. I sanded down the edges to smooth it out. I found a small piece of whiteboard scrap to use to make the "U" part that actually "holds" the glue gun...
With this part, I actually used my wife's glue gun as a template and kept trimming and trimming with my scroll saw until I got the angle and shape I wanted. After a quick sanding, it was time to assemble to base!
I put the "holder" piece in the center of a 3.25" X 10" plank and used wood glue to secure. However, because this piece is going to be getting a lot of use, I screwed the "holder" piece to the base from the bottom using 1.25" wood screws. That way, the piece is secure and the screws are hidden!
I clamped the base together as well, just for good measure. I let both pieces dry for 24 hours before stressing the joints.
For the next step, I glued the rectangular storage piece to the base using wood glue. I placed a heavy book on top of the storage cup to apply pressure and to make sure it adhered well to the base. Because the backer board is so thin, there wasn't really another way to secure it to the base, or keep it together for that matter! After letting that dry for 24 hours, I gave the whole project a nice sanding to remove any splinters or dust that may have accumulated.
Now, onto the cosmetic features!
I used some wood filler on this project to close up the seams and make it look like it was made from one solid piece of wood. I applied the wood using a putty knife, making sure the joints were as smooth as possible.
After letting it dry overnight, I took some 120-grit sandpaper (palm sander for bigger surfaces, and manually for tight spots) and removed the excess plastic wood.
I gave the piece a wipe down and spray painted it using matte french cream white paint; the same I used for the Ribbon Storage Cabinet (check out the blog entry!).
The final piece to the puzzle on this project is something between the "holder" and the glue stick storage to catch the "drippings" from the glue gun spout. In most of the pins, the common material used was ceramic tile!
I had some scrap pieces in storage that we used on our floors and in the bathroom when we remodeled our house. These pieces were irregular and jagged. So, I just chose one that fit the best and glued it in!
I used liquid nails to glue the tile to the wooden section and let it dry overnight.
And that's it!
As you can see above, I mocked it up with the glue gun, and it works pretty well! In retrospect, I should have left some more space between the glue stick storage and the "holder" to allow for more "drippage." But, we live and we learn! After all, this is just going to be used by my wife in her craft room, so it's okay if it's a little off!
This was another project where I was able to exclusively use scrap wood pieces to make it. I really enjoyed figuring it out and working on it when I had time. There was definitely no rushing on this project! And now, my wife has something she can use in her new craft space all the time!
DIY Dad FTW!
-Kevin
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