We could use your creative ideas
 

we scored some treasures at the farm auction this weekend. I bought a commercial-grade bandsaw (Foley-Belsaw) for $150 and we also purchased about 1500 board feet of rough-sawn lumber (oak and birch) for $75. We are thinking about making wall-coat racks, shelves and bucket benches to sell at the craft shows around here. It seems that these items sell well if item is made from lumber that still shows the circle-saw marks....it's the rustic mystic, I guess.

Any other ideas of what one could make from rough-sawn lumber...I'm not a furniture maker and don't have a planer, so any "fancy" items are out of the question. WIHH is a master artist, so how could we combine rustic with paint...signs or wall hangings maybe?

But on your creative thinking caps and come up with some ideas for us. We would appreciate any input.

This is an example of a rustic coat rack I have made:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...shineshelf.jpg

And this is a so-so example of WIHH painting ability:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/100_1217.jpg

Give us some new ideas...PLEASE!!!!!

bird houses, the more rustic the better

WOW! Congrats on the great finds!

BooBoo

Birdhouse replicas of famous houses and buildings in your area. In our area they are "See Rock City" birdhouses that look like the signs that used to be painted on red barns all over tn.

A pieces of wood with welcome type sayings painted on and a curly wire to hang it with.

Go to the woodworking sticky in the links library, messmen site. More ideas there than you will find time to ever complete.

Picture frames in standard sizes, with custom sizes available for much more money. People snap up all the barn wood they can find to make frames with around here.

Hat racks, shadow boxes of various shapes. If you have any desire to whittle or do a little woodworking, with a dremel, you could take a flat piece of wood, make some cuts to make it look like a critter, paint or not paint and make them wall hangings. Make bread baskets to set on the table at mealtime with bread or biscuits in them.

My father-in-law built this last weekend with some old barnwood. In each of the three spaces they put a small clay pot with flowers and hung the whole thing up on the side of the house. It looks very cool!


http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...s/100_1654.jpg

How about an old time bench for the porch.
small table
vertical coat rack
welcome signs
garden signs
flower boxs

if theres enough lumber,a table for a cabin or a small hutch/computer desk.

How about some mortised leg benches... They sell well in this area..

CF Thanks for the CD,it came today.I will watch it with my friends here when we get a chance, It should be a pleasure to watch. I will send it back with your postage later, Thanks again, Jesse

garden furniture
dog house to match the barn or cabin

I made some birdhouses and painted them for Christmas presents one year.
They were pretty hoaky, and customized for each recipient. Very well received.

You could build em and WIHH could paint them, and then switch for fun also.

Children's toys is another good one. Endless possibilities there.
You can do a lot with hand tools. You don't need power tools.

You could also make planters and containers and even raised beds and compost bins.
I'm not sure how you would paint them, or what paint you would use on rough sawn lumber,
but I think a little bit of paint can be fun and goes a long way in selling stuff.

Cabin: Consider that you can resaw the thick wood with your new bandsaw giving you another thickness to work with. You may need a wider saw blade to make the job go well. Enjoy your finds...Glen

I liked the bench that Melissa's husband, Cale, built. There was a picture of it on Chuck's thread about pictures from Melissa's house:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rangerh...7594097873785/

How about birdhouses suitable for bluebirds? I know people snatch up cutesy birdhouses, but I'd like servicable ones.

picnic tables or workbenches ???

How about small chairs/benches so kids can sit on the porch too?

I know a local retired plumber that took up an interest to make small wood craft items that he sells at craft shows:
Bread boxes
Deacon's bench
toilet paper holders
vertical paper towel holders
napkin holders
letter and key holders
footstools
potato and onion veggie bins

stuff like that

Thanks for all the ideas! Jermgen, those bird houses are great! I'd trade all this rough-sawn lumber for a fourth as much old barnwood. Besides the bandsaw, I have a table saw, industrial jigsaw (on a stand) and a radial armsaw.

Of course if you ever needed an excuse to go buy a planer.......... Or you could try your hand at barrel making if you wanted a challenge.

You can make a message center, key holder for an entryway or kitchen. Caulkboard paint can be bought at the big box stores, something like this......
http://www.cabinandlodge.com/mduchandkeyh.html Also look around the site for other ideas.

Mirrors are always needed, two sites with some neat mirror ideas...............
http://stewartscreativewood.com/shop...Framed+Mirrors

http://www.yellowstonefurniture.com/logmirrors.html

Plus your wall coatrack idea can also be a coffee mug holder for the kitchen.

Those things that look like "condos" of "cat trees" for cats to climb up and down on...there are usually at least three levels with a little shelf sticking out on each level....I saw a man selling these at a craft show near here and i wanted one but had no money...he had put carpet scraps on some of the little shelves...

Ya'll could paint birds or other things that would interest "cat" people on some of them as well!!!

Oh---and I forgot, for the cat tree thingies, they can be made of fairly rough lumber because the cats like to scratch on them as well.

I like deacons benches, hall trees, blanket chests and free standing pantry hutches made with rough hewn lumber.

Take a look at this blanket chest or trunk: http://www.country-gallery.com/paint...unk0430-1a.jpg

Look around that website for ideas that you can recreate.

I have several early 20th century Finnish made homestead furniture pieces. They are very rustic, primitive, sturdy, beautiful and practical. One large kitchen hutch is assembled with hand whittled dowels and pins and it's solid as a rock.

Cabin if you were closer there is a whole barn across the road from our house that fell down. I know the gal would love for it to be cleaned up. I had my dad make some picture frames for some counted cross stitch projects I did & I know the frame was a big selling point. My brother made a bunch of stuff last year & I took it to a craft show I set up at. The things that went well were the coat racks, bird houses, & he made some step stools. Nothing fancy, but he put a hole in the part that you step on just for a place to grab it & they went really well. Wish I had some pictures of the stuff.
Anyway, if anyone is in SE Indiana & would like some old barn wood or even some big barn beams, let me know & I can see what, if anything, the owner would like for them.

Something you seldom see anymore, but is really useful in the country, is boot jacks. I wish I had one (will have to make one, I guess!).

Kathleen

Lots of good ideas from others, but you might consider porch swings too...with wide arm rests. Usually you see them made with plained lumber, but rough lumber with a polyurethane sealer finish would look great (and protect the "sitter" from splinters). Good luck and best wishes with whatever you choose.

Instead of putting varathane on wood, rub the raw wood with deer antler. It closes the pores in the wood and gives it that hand rubbed sheen. It doesn't take much more time than brushing something on.