Spool Table With Shelves

This table was made with a cable spool, fence boards, palette wood and some old trim given to me by the White Settlement Senior Center (where i volunteer regularly). I made this with only some rudimentary tools, My cat's supervision, quite a few yrs of carpentry experience , and a whole lot of background in the concept of "necessity is the mother of invention". I am well aware that there are dozens of easier ways to do a lot of the steps.. but at this point in time i find myself a bit tool disadvantaged, although my need to create still remains at the same steady hum. Since this was made with salvaged materials, this instructable is meant as a tool to furnish (see what i did there?) other users with creative ideas, and a few tips that someone without a carpentry background might not have.

i have a vice.. well i have a few.. bacon is up there, but collecting random pieces of wood is probably one of the worst ones. luckily we have a large yard even though our house is tiny (700 sq ft for 2 bedrooms). Once my wood pile gets big enough.. I take stock and make something (anything!) before my husband draws a line. lol. I have been fortunate.. he may not always see my vision as it unfolds.. but after a few completed projects.. he now just sits back and waits.. and has faith in me..its an amazing thing..and I consider myself lucky. On the other hand.. my cat.. doesn't possess the same faith.. she feels the need to oversee everything I do..

soo..after a cpl months accruing random wood.. Its time to put it to use. You could spend a lot more time, for a few more inches on ur palettes, but i have found the easiest way to get boards from palettes is to sacrifice the few inches from either side.. and cut a straight line down them .. this leaves only 2 or 3 nails per board to contend with.. (the center ones) you can use a cat's paw , flat bar, or good old fashioned brute strength to free the center nails. I typically use a small sledge.. and then knock the nails out after the board is free. Once you knock the nails throug position a piece of scrap wood under your hammer and "walk" the nails out. Several methods to do this..The choice is yours..
I lay the Wood out after cleaning it, to make sure i have enough.

i knocked the nails and staples through the backside of my wood with a hammer. i used dykes to pull the nails out. I positioned a block of wood underneath the dykes to avoid marring the wood (picture 2). I then laid out the wood I intended to paint on top of crates and gave them a quick sanding to "rough up" the surface to make the paint adhere better. I used a "one coat*" paint that claimed to be suitable for both interior and exterior. I seem to have lost the pictures of the wood after one and two coats.. but it *DID* take two coats, regardless of the claims made on the can.

(* I have never encountered a mid price range paint that truly covers in one coat.. nor one that truly covers the square footage it claims to, account for that)

I intend to use my prepared (ex)trim wood to make the shlelves on my spool.. so after measuring the length .. I prepared to gangcut (meaning: throw all caution to the wind.. do NOT measure twice, cut once.. take into account the fact that a saw blade eats between 1/8 inch and 1/16 inch of wood - depending on the type of blade- and just cut it all!) my trim .. (but I paint it first.. because its simply easier this way) and decide that its smarter to cut it as i need it..because my pieces of trim wood.. are just about exactly what i need after some fast math.(whew.. I am smart sometimes!)

and then using my square (best tool ever!!!) and a tape.. i matched it on the other side with a level.

i measured and marked the lines for my shelves. I used screws for this to add strength. I advise pre-drilling the holes even if i wont bore you with pictures of this.. and i wont lie, this part was tedious... I sunk the screws until they just broke the "skin" of the wood. One shelf.. then another.. then another.. bottom to top.

I laid the wood back out over the face of the spool.I cheated, and 'scribed' the wood from underneath (ie. hold the wood in place while u draw a line from underneath it with a pencil) I then used my skill saw to cut this . If i still had any number of other tools(ie scroll saw, jigsaw etc. this would be not only easier,but safer)I wont go into detail on how to use a skill saw to cut in circular shapes..bcos i dont want anyone inexperienced to hurt themselves. i tacked the first piece down. and at this time decided on a "nailing pattern" for the front of my table. I will continue this through the entire piece. For people who are neurotic , like me, this is key to the visual appeal of any recycled/upcycled pieces. I used a straight edge and a square to mark my nailing pattern.

In the places where a bolt occurred, i used a scrap of wood, laid on top of the board, and hit it with my hammer, making a clear indentation. i used my saw to "scab" out this part . A safer way would be with a chisel. i replaced the board and hit it again.. if an indentation is still visible (as in teh picture) u need to 'scab' out more.

I cut some 2x material out of scraps at 12" lengths.. I found acenter line.. i countersunk the holes in the center. and affixed this at the center line. I then used a level to make sure they were even. and attached with 3 screws per side. to this I attached one piece of wood ( 15x30) and started laying out my top. I used fence boards for the top. I laid them out in an opposite diagonal from the front.. and laid out a nailing pattern in same manner as before (using a straight edge)

If i was really getting fancy i would have bought veneer for the edges of the spool.. but I kind of like the loo,k of the painted edges and feel like it pulled it all together.

i cut my painted trim on 45 degree angles to box out the top. A few words of advice here.. focus on your corners.. if they dont match, your project will look like crap. period. I do intend to seal this wood .. but havent yet decided on a clear coat or a stain.. but i think it looks pretty cool as is.. so we will see.. i will defintely post an update once i decide~!

If you like this project .. please vote for it in the contests ive entered it in *shameless pandering*