|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coat tree
|
 |
|
This coat tree will organize and contain hallway clutter
|
|
|
By Jerry Weber, photos by Roger Yip, illustration by Len Churchill
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Antiqued finishing gives this ready-made newel post relaxed elegance as a coat tree. It just takes a little sanding
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adding attractive details to your projects doesn't always require a big shop full of tools, and this coat tree proves it. By using a ready-made, paint-grade newel post (sold for stair railings), even beginners can easily and inexpensively include impressive turned profiles in their work.
When shopping for your newel post, check the stock carefully. Paint-grade wooden items often vary considerably in quality. Be on the lookout for cracks, dents or odd-looking laminations. The legs need to be straight and strong, so choose straight-grained hardwood free of knots.
Make a Template
Start by preparing a template for the legs. Heavy, non-corrugated cardboard is a sturdy template material if you're making one coat tree. Choose hardboard or MDF if you plan on making more. Take your time and prepare it as precisely as possible.
Next, trace your template onto the leg stock, orienting the grain as shown in the plans. This is important for strength. A bandsaw, jigsaw or a scrollsaw equipped with a coarse blade are all useful for cutting out the legs. Be sure to cut with a fluid motion and cut along the waste side of all layout lines. Ideally you want to see half a pencil line all around each leg. With accuracy like that, sanding is a breeze. Cut the upper leg notch as straight and smoothly as possible to lay the groundwork for a tight joint later.
Although the legs are curved, their edges can still be sanded without special equipment because most of the curves are shallow. I refined a few tight areas with a chisel and rasp, but a regular random-orbit sander removed most of the saw marks.
Stack the four cut and sanded legs on top of your bench and compare each one for uniformity. It's OK if the shapes don't match exactly, but they must be the same length as measured from the leg bottom to the notch bottom so that the coat rack doesn't wobble. As a finishing touch, I chamfered the outside leg corners with an orbital sander spinning a 120-grit disc, creating a 1/8"-wide bevel. Don't chamfer the corners that mate with the post: there you need crisp, 90º inside corners.
Predrill two holes per leg for #8 2" mounting screws. You'll need to bore two holes per screw. The first part of the hole should be 3/8" in diameter and about 1/4" deep (to accept the wood button plug), followed by a 1/8" hole all the way through the wood for the screw's shank.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
