October 12, 2021

Transformation Tuesday #46


Yikes--it's Tuesday already! I've been dreading my weigh-in tomorrow (it's not going to be good) but I'll write about that tomorrow. Today, let's talk about transformations...!

First, I'll share one of my own that I've been working on all week. I've written a couple of times about the dining table and chairs I bought via Facebook Marketplace--6 chairs and a table with a leaf, all made of solid oak--for $25! Nice, right?

I was excited to refinish it, but after I started working on it, I realized it was going to entail WAY more work than I'd thought. I had no experience with spindles or legs on chairs and after watching some YouTube videos, I learned that there is way more to it than dabbing some wood glue in the loose ends. (Basically, the whole chair needs to be disassembled, all the joints cleaned and repaired if needed, then reassembled.) Totally not worth my time or the wear and tear on my body, even if it only cost $25.

It seemed a shame to get rid of all that nice oak, though. So, I spent some time taking everything apart.


I started with all of the chair seats (which I forgot to take a picture of) and then moved on to the table and leaf itself. I ran them through the planer to shave off a thin layer of wood on the top and the bottom surfaces (it also made them an even 0.75" thickness all the way through), and I used the jointer and the table saw to square up the edges. (I still have a raw edge where the curved pieces were, but I'll cut that once I figure out what I'm going to do with the boards.

When all was said and done, I now have six smaller rectangles from the seats, four large panels and two medium panels from the table. (I also have several smaller strips that I can use for jigs or when I need random pieces of hardwood here and there.) This would cost a small fortune if I was buying it as it is now. I'm excited to build something with it! I haven't decided what to build yet, though.



This was before and after running it through the planer:



I would like to think of something to do with the table stand (in the top right of the first picture). But I'm at a total loss, so if you have any ideas, please share.



Okay, here are a couple of readers' transformations this week:

This is the box of fabric I ordered online. Then the quilt I made from it. It's a jelly roll quilt with ample borders. It's for the river island cabin, hence the water lilies. The back is all moons and trees, water. It kinda makes me feel artistic.

- Karen


Karen, I'm so impressed! I always wondered what people did with those rolls of fabric (some of the color combinations are so pretty and I'm tempted to buy them, but I'd have no idea what to do with them). You did a great job! I especially love the fabric on the border. - Katie



Here is a before and after of my front porch and landscaping. It isn’t a huge change but I swapped out my summer decor for fall. More importantly but hard to see in the photos, I cleaned up the porch and washed/sprayed the front of the house. It used to be so gross and dirty and just hosing it down made a huge difference. And finally, we cleaned all of the weeds out of our landscaping rocks. I think it makes a huge difference in how well-kept the house looks!

- Beth, Minnesota


Beth, these landscaping photos people keep sharing are making me so jealous! I really love the landscaping rocks. And of course, I love the pop of orange on the porch ;)  (I know what you mean about hosing down the sides of the house--it's amazing what a difference that can make. And you don't even realize just how bad it was until you start spraying!) You did an amazing job--it looks so welcoming :)  - Katie



Well, that is all I have for this week. Thank you for inspiring us with your transformations, Karen and Beth! As always, please keep sending in the transformations so I can keep posting this series. To submit a transformation, just send a before photo and an after photo to me at: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. Be sure to include your name and a description of the transformation!

6 comments:

  1. Just a thought - the bottom of the table looks like a tree trunk, sorta to me anyway. What about some sort of planter?

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  2. I love that you didn't just say Fuck it and throw it all out (i would have) I cant wait to see what you make!

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  3. Totally not related to transformations, but have you checked out the "Fear Street: trilogy of movies on Netflix? They are really well done and seem to be right up your alley!

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  4. How about turning the table stand into some kind of cat tree for your kitties to climb?

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  5. For the table base, how about looking for something to make a round table top for it and leaving in your garage hang out area to play cards on?

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  6. I seen this idea for the table base on another blog and thought I would share:

    https://debanddanelle.com/trashed-tuesday-what-to-do-with-a-pedestal-table-base/

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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