New Wheels, New You!



If someone bottled the “Old Wood” smell in a perfume bottle, I’d buy it. Do you know the smell? It sends me on a trip to my granddaddy’s barn every time. Old wood that has lived a life full of seasons and adventure, long after its death as a tree. I’ve been known to date things by their smell. Open a drawer of an old chest. Check for spiders. (DO NOT skip that step.) Insert face into the drawer and inhale deeply. Oooooh yeah. It doesn’t get much better than that. 

So my bff, Cady, and I were on a Saturday morning adventure a few weeks ago. I think she secretly came along for three reasons. 1. She wanted to witness my “junkin’ and not messin’ around” face in person. 2. The mimosa sampler at Mimi’s Café at brunch afterwards. 3. Coming with me meant that she didn’t have to stay home and clean house. I don’t blame her. In fact, I’m happy that I could help her out on all three accounts! That’s what a bff is for.

At garage sale #246 of the day (Not really, but gooood lawdy, could it please get easier to find good junk?!) I found a box. Well, the bottom half of a box, anyway. I could tell right away that it was old. And, true enough, the smell test confirmed it. It was full of some basic, rusty tools that I wasn’t much interested in. The lady at the sale told me it was an old tool box, and she didn’t want to separate the box and the tools. So, needless to say, I picked up a box full of tools when all I really wanted was the box. And, also needless to say, I spent more on it than I wanted to.

 If you aren't up for playing the garage sale lottery, and you want to find some crates to do this project with, these are a great set to get you started: Imax Corporation 29128-3 Midway Wood Crates- Set of 3 (Google Affiliate Ad).

I’ve set the tools aside until I’m ready to do something with them. (i.e. Sell them and get rid of them!) But the box, oh I had plans for that box. And I can’t wait to take you on that adventure with me. Here we go!

Meet THE BOX:
The handles. The hinges. The split boards. THE SMELL. What's not to love about this gentleman? Not much, but I think I can make life on his creaky old joints a little easier. I'm putting this bad boy on wheels!



Here are my materials that I *think* I'm going to start with: A drill, castor wheels, wood screws
Why is it that I "think" I'm using these? Because once I start working, I realize that 1. A drill is going to be much too hard on this box. Since I don't want to split the wood and ruin the box, I switch to a simple screw driver. The wood is old and soft, so there isn't much trouble getting the screws in. 2. I decide that the wheels I originally purchased are too small. They are not a good scale for the box and they look puny.

See that? See how we can roll with the punches? Go with the flow, folks. No rules here. If one thing doesn't work, well don't do that thing then.

See? Bigger is better in this case:
I purchased these castor wheels from Home Depot. They come in all kinds of sizes. They swivel. I likey. The price ranges depending on what size you buy. The wheel I ended up going with is a 2 inch rubber wheel. But if you are doing a similar project, you pick the wheels that *you* like. Can't go wrong, as long as you like it.

A new guy comes to the party, and his name is WASHER:
The more the merrier, right? Okay, so remember how we are rolling with the punches? The screws were a smidge, and I mean SMIDGE too long. (A girl at Home Depot in an orange apron can help you find the right screws.) The tips of their teeny, tiny points came through on the other side of the wood. Solution? Washer man! Er, washer, man! The washer helped add a little bit of space so that when the screw was all of the way in, it didn't poke through. I'd hate for someone to buy this beautiful piece from me, fill it with throw blankets, and then have the blankets snag on the screw. See, I do care!

Finished:
 The possibilities are endless of what you could do with this guy! Here's just one idea:
Now here's to hoping that I can double my money on him. Let me know what you think!
XOXO,
Abby







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