Rustic Tree Shelf

I wanted to build something different and with a wood obsessed 7 year old son as a helper it seemed like a fitting project. Since it was -10F outside we bundled up, lit the fire and got to work. This was a fast build that simply can not be done wrong. Whatever you do, however you do it...perfect.

Materials:

I used wood from an old fence we took down but any cheap dimensional lumber would work in the 3/4-1 inch thick range. The glue was regular old Elmer's white (refilled bottle) and the screws were mostly drywall.

Methods:

I edge joined my boards with pocket screws and glue. That was just for speed. A simple butt joint and glue would have worked. You could even leave a space between them and hold it together with the shelving.

The branches were from the firewood stack, mostly maple but one stick of Lilac snuck in too. As long as the bark is more or less the same it works fine.

I didn't show the process of making it but I hung the shelf off of a French cleat.

Dangers:

Well all tools are dangerous and that is on you. This whole project could be done with just hand tools and lets face it accidental amputation with a hand saw takes a bit of devotion on your part. That said a bandsaw works great for sectioning your limbs and a flat belt sander make them... flat. I used the table saw simply because I had it but it was the least vital of the power tools in my mind.