Scrap Wood Projects: 3 Simple Ideas

If you are a woodworker or not, chances are that you have some scrap wood taking up space in your shop or garage. Make use of that would-be trash, and transform it into something useful! This instructable will cover the process of turning scrap 2x4s into: a simple bird house, a useful tool box, and a set of wooden blocks.

Split a short piece of 2x4 lengthwise and plane till they are 1/2 inch thick.

Tape the two boards together and design the front and back of the bird house. This bird house was cut with a band saw and sanded flat with sanding blocks.

Cut a short length off of the remaining boards. Align the sides with the front. Mark the angles to cut the sides to. Cut the middle sections square so that both sides fit together. Assembling the bird house with tape, drill pilot holes for the nails. Glue and nail together.

Using 1/2 inch drill bit, drill the entrance to the bird house. Using a 1/4 inch drill bit, drill a hole for the perch below the entrance. Glue a short length of dowel into the lower hole.

Cut a 1/8 inch veneer off a scrap piece of 2x4. Cut to size, nail and glue in place.

Using the remaining veneer, rip 1/2 inch strips. Cut to varying lengths between 5/8 and 1 inch.

Gluing row by row starting from the bottom of the roof, add shingles moving up the roof. Make sure that the bottom of the next row covers up the top edge of the previous row of shingles. Once one side of the roof is finished, let it dry before staring on the other. Once both sides are finished, glue a 3/4 inch wide veneer on each side using tape to hold it in place.

Create 3 - 7 x 21 x 1/2 inch boards by ripping a length of 2x4 in half, joining, planing, and gluing together.

Cut the boards to 13 inches in length. Using the ends that were cut off, create the ends of the tool box. Cut to size and sand smooth by clamping the ends together and sanding till the ends match.

Lineup the ends and sides and mark how high the sides should be. Rip sides to correct width.

Using a straight router bit, cut a 1/4 inch rabbet a 1/4 inch deep around the bottom piece as well as on the ends of the sides. Mark the height of the sides on the ends, cut the same rabbet to the line.

Cut a 1/4 inch dado across the bottom of the ends and sides.

Using a chisel, cut the rabbet up to the line that was drawn in a previous step.

Drill a 1 inch hole in the top of the ends of the tool box.

Using clamps and glue, assemble the tool box.

Cut a 1 inch dowel to the overall length of the tool box. Glue in place.

Cut and plane a 2x4 till it's 1 x 2 1/4 inches.

Cut out the basic shapes of blocks. Make longer pieces twice as long as the width.

To make wedges, cut diagonally across the rectangles. Make sure to remove saw marks by sanding them away.

Mark semi-circles using a compass with a diameter equal to the width of all the blocks.

Sand blocks smooth breaking and rounding edges and corners.

Using a clean rag, apply multiple coats of butcher block conditioner to the blocks. This will protect the blocks from their inevitable wear and tear as well as ensure that they can be cleaned.