Wooden Door Mat/Scraper

This is an easier version of my half-moon door mat. https://www.instructables.com/Easy-Wooden-Doormat/ It is a good project to do with kids just learning to use a few woodworking tools.

MATERIALS

1-treated 8' x 2" x4"

5' of 1/4" nylon rope

1' of 1/2" PVC pipe

TOOLS ETC.

Table saw with fence

Safety glasses

Band saw or a hand saw

Vise, if using a hand saw

Drill press or electric drill

3/8" twist drill bit

Wire Cutters or something to cut the nylon rope

Candle and matches

Tape measure

Pencil

Wood stain or paint (optional)

Cut the 2" x 4" into 16" long pieces. Set the fence on the table saw to rip 3/4" thick slats. Cut 19 slats. Make a fixture for the drill press platform and attach it so you can drill 3/8" holes 4" from each end of each slat, centered. IF NO DRILL PRESS: make a template from paper or a cereal box and punch a centered hole 4" from one end. Use this to mark your slats for drilling with a hand drill.

The PVC pipe can be used as is or stain or paint it. The material takes both very well. I applied a piece of tape to the band saw table 1/2" from the blade. Aligning the end of the pipe for each cut will ensure that each piece is the same length. I cut 18 PVC rings. OTHERWISE: mark the PVC every 1/2", clamp the pipe in a vise, and manually saw the rings.

Start out with a fused end to the nylon rope. I use a wire cutter to cut the rope and then heat fuse the frayed end over a candle. The melted plastic stays hot for a while so avoid a burn by not touching it.

Starting with a slat, feed the rope through one of the holes. Pull a couple feet of rope through and feed it through one of the PVC rings. Continue feeding the rope, alternating slat and ring. When you get to the end, pull enough rope through so you can repeat the feed process on the other end of the slats. When you get to the end, tie a big knot in the rope so it can't slip back through the holes. Pull the rope tight, taking out all of the slack. At the end where you started, with the rope tight, cut the rope, leaving 4-5" to tie a big knot with. Again, fuse the cut ends of the rope. Keep the rope tight as you tie.

Enjoy your mat for years to come. Make another for a friend.