Reuse Old Fence Boards!

As fences age, they start to fall apart and generally look pretty decrepit. I found that although the boards are very old (up to 50 years in some cases), if they are made out of cedar, they can be in pretty good shape, have lots of integrity left, and can be reused for many helpful projects. Some of those follow in this instructable.

In this step, an old time hutch unit is built. I didn't even make plans, just figured out what I wanted and started cutting. Some boards were ripped to 2 and 1/2 inches to be used as leg stock. These were cut to 27 inches in length, 3 pieces are screwed together for each leg.

Here I've shown some close-ups of the construction methods I used. In just a few hours of work I was able to make these very useful pieces of furniture. There are, of course, an almost unlimited number of things to be built with this lumber. And it is virtually free! I use various woodworking tools, including: table saw; miter saw; drills; pneumatic nailer, clamps, glue, etc.

In this step, a small table is made to accommodate my router table. Following the same construction steps, this is an easily made table and takes a minimum amount of time.

Here, a bench is made to hold my cutoff or miter saw. This is one of the most used tools I have, and is indispensible for many projects. It is very accurate in cutting angles, and I have used it a lot in framing pictures, making frames for canvas used in art work, and making other, angled cuts for various projects. (See small frame holders, fence gate, etc.)

I made this gate out of reused lumber. The cross braces were cut on the miter saw. Prior to having this saw, this project would have been difficult to make.

These frames were cut from the same cedar boards used for the large projects. Very little goes to waste!

I make these signs out of reused fence boards! Fun!

A few additional, final projects completed using old fence boards. One picture is a display unit of shelves, and the other picture is of a planter.