Cool Tool

It was my birthday last weekend and, not to brag (okay maybe brag a little), my boyfriend gave me the best present ever!!!  A planer!!!  Now, you may be tempted to think...really?  A planer?  Not very romantic...  Well, think again, because this is the coolest tool I've ever used!  Plus, it makes my job easier...it shows how well he knows me...and it demonstrates how much he supports me doing what I love.  If that's not romantic, I don't know what is!

So, I got down to work with the planer today...planing barn wood scraps, pallet wood (that's what I'm feeding into the planer in the photo above), pretty much anything with a rough side.  Made a mess of my studio, but had a ton of fun and managed to finish a project at the same time. 

I picked up this old factory cart at Mill City Antiques a few weeks ago.  No top, plywood shelves...definitely needed a face-lift.

Here's what it looks like now, with slatted shelves made from reclaimed pallet wood.  Makes a great little wine/cocktail cart!

 

 

Now for some close-ups...

 

Here's the top.  I love the character in the wood...a few coats of linseed oil will really bring out it's depth and character.

 

I decided to leave a rough edge on the lower shelves.  What do you think?  I like the natural element it brings to the piece.



Can't wait to see this piece with a finish on it!  I'll be including it in the Barn Loft Grand Opening, September 29 and 30.  The Nashua Art Walk is the same weekend, so you can visit Barn Loft as well as Brookline Street Studio and several other artists at the Lake Street Mills.

Thank you, Doug, for inspiring this post, for giving me the coolest tool ever (!!!!), and for being my perfect match:-)

Have a happy day!

Michelle