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| by:
Jerry Weber
photos: Roger Yip
illustration: Len Churchill |
HOOKED UP |
| This
coat tree will organize and contain hallway clutter |
Adding attractive details to your projects doesn’t always
require a big shop full of tools, and this coat tree proves
it. By using a ready-made, paint-grade newel post (sold for
stair railings), even beginners can easily and inexpensively
include impressive turned profiles in their work.
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| Antiqued
finishing gives this ready-made newel post relaxed
elegance as a coat tree. It just takes a little
sanding |
|
When
shopping for your newel post, check the stock carefully. Paint-grade
wooden items often vary considerably in quality. Be on the lookout
for cracks, dents or odd-looking laminations. The legs need
to be straight and strong, so choose straight-grained hardwood
free of knots.
Make a Template
Start by preparing a template for the legs. Heavy, non-corrugated
cardboard is a sturdy template material if you’re making
one coat tree. Choose hardboard or MDF if you plan on making
more. Take your time and prepare it as precisely as possible.
Next, trace your template onto
the leg stock, orienting the grain as shown in the plans. This
is important for strength. A bandsaw, jigsaw or a scrollsaw
equipped with a coarse blade are all useful for cutting out
the legs. Be sure to cut with a fluid motion and cut along the
waste side of all layout lines. Ideally you want to see half
a pencil line all around each leg. With accuracy like that,
sanding is a breeze. Cut the upper leg notch as straight and
smoothly as possible to lay the groundwork for a tight joint
later.
Although the legs are curved,
their edges can still be sanded without special equipment because
most of the curves are shallow. I refined a few tight areas
with a chisel and rasp, but a regular random-orbit sander removed
most of the saw marks.
Stack the four cut and sanded
legs on top of your bench and compare each one for uniformity.
It’s OK if the shapes don’t match exactly, but they
must be the same length as measured from the leg bottom to the
notch bottom so that the coat rack doesn’t wobble. As
a finishing touch, I chamfered the outside leg corners with
an orbital sander spinning a 120-grit disc, creating a 1/8"-wide
bevel. Don’t chamfer the corners that mate with the post:
there you need crisp, 90º inside corners.
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| Proper
grain orientation will ensure the coat tree’s
legs are strong and stable |
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Predrill
two holes per leg for #8 2" mounting screws. You’ll
need to bore two holes per screw. The first part of the hole
should be 3/8" in diameter and about 1/4" deep (to
accept the wood button plug), followed by a 1/8" hole all
the way through the wood for the screw’s shank.
Before fastening the legs, slightly
round the square corners of the newel post by hand, using fine
sandpaper. Next, fasten each leg with screws and a small dab
of glue. Don’t use too much: glue squeeze-out is difficult
to remove. Let the glue dry for about an hour, then stand the
coat tree up. If it wobbles, find out if one leg is too long.
A belt sander is an excellent tool for fine-tuning leg length.
When you’re satisfied with the tree’s stability,
predrill holes for the coat hook screws. Position the upper
opposing pair two inches down from the top of the flat area,
and the other opposing pair 1 1/2" up from the bottom.
Drill screw holes, but don’t install the hooks yet—leave
that until after finishing.
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| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE |
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Add Some Colour
Apply one or two coats of latex paint. A single coat of paint
allows more wood grain to show through. I chose one coat of
cranberry-coloured paint for a semitransparent look. I created
an antiqued look by sanding it lightly with 120-grit paper after
it dried, to create worn areas. Add a coat of stain to give
colour to the worn spots, and a final protective layer of polyurethane.
One coat offers sufficient protection, while a second increases
the depth and shine of the finish. Install the hooks, plant
the coat tree inside your front door and smile when you get
compliments on your wood-turning abilities. |
| You
Will Need |
| Part |
Material |
Size |
Qty. |
| Newel
post |
paint'grade
maple |
3"
x 3" x 54" |
1 |
| Coat
hooks |
black,
steel |
5" |
4 |
| Legs |
oak |
3/4"
x 5" x 24" |
4 |
| Wood
screws |
flat-head,
Robertson |
#8
2" |
16 |
| Wood
buttons |
hardwood,
domed head |
3/8"
dia. |
8 |
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