
Plank stupidity – a shelf, fallen from grace (well, the wall)
When the Roman Empire fell, it was replaced, after a fashion, with another one. When the Ottoman Empire fell, it was replaced by DFS*. When our kitchen shelves fell, they were replaced with a superb set of cupboards, with a built-on bookcase.
And what happened to the shelves, you ask. No, you don’t ask do you, because you already know.
I kept them.
Many years later, and the Snail is in need of a new ironing board, but a little one, to iron little things with a little iron. So, armed with an old shelf, a jigsaw** and a lexicon of new and improved swear words, I set about this allegedly very simple task. First, I sliced the shelf to the right size, then removed the bits where the brackets used to fit et voilá! After sanding down and removing both the old bracket fixings (for use as feet in the end product), it was over to the Snail for the softscrappy bit – read about that here – it involves repurposed fabric and upholstery tacks!

Getting jiggysawry with it

Clamping up the action

One made-to-measure mini-ironing board kit, ready for the attention of the Snail
And (I know this will come as a shock) but there was pretty much no swearing! Crikey…
oOo
* Furniture-related joke, but if I have to explain…
** Two pieces only, one of which is quite sharp.
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Keeping old shelves is definitely a Thing. They don’t fit in my Official Stash, but I have about 12 shelves, bits of shelves, offcuts of shelves and even one brand new shelf. I also have a jigsaw of my own, but since I got married, I have not been allowed to use it on the basis that I am far more clumsy and accident-prone than I used to be (sadly true) and the No.2 part (the sharp bit) is hidden in case I should get all headstrong about it. Probably safest, if I’m honest.
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Shelves, when they’re not being shelves, are really useful things to have around “just in case”. Indeed, they could be used to build a just-in-case case to keep “just in case” things in. Now there’s a ScrapHappy for the future…
I don’t really like power tools, but I get on OK with the jigsaw now, now I have figured out how to secure the blade firmly! 🙂
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I’m looking forward to seeing your future in-case-case!
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😉
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I had a huge pile of “sticks” – which when I shifted to this home, I needed them to be camouflaged – I just happened to have some large bags that had once held a large exhibition cloth piece and it had those draw string ties. I put most of the sticks in said bags…and gaily added them to the “removers truck pile”
One of my helpers, asked me “you seem to have a lot of tent stakes/rods, I didn’t know you had a tent?” I walked smartly away so I didn’t have to “defend my collection”
Finally after 2 years, I gave most away to another friend…with “do whatever with them” … but I still have some for when I want to make that “kind of art” ….
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When it comes to ones stashes, I find “never explain” is the best policy! And like my guitars, getting rid of any of it is very very very hard. Go on then, you’re right, impossible. 🙂
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fab post. Hope you don’t guide your jigsaw with your thumb, as is #MrG’s wont.
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Thank you! I am still sufficiently terrified of the jigsaw to keep any sticky-out bits well away from the blade! 🙂
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glad to hear it.
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I had a jigsaw but it had a mind of its own which didn’t extend to straight lines so now I use an old fashioned panel saw which is better trained. Old shelves are far too useful to discard and I am thinking of copying your excellent design for my own sewing space.
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And because I decided it didn’t need feet, they are still available for another project.
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And I bet you didn’t even need to use any of those shiny, new swear words!
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Well, you’d be almost right! 🙂
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Lol!
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