Confession: I am "handy"-capped. When it comes to carpentry, home improvement projects, or merely putting together Ikea furniture, I am at a complete loss. I put panels on backwards, create endless holes in my walls, and cover those aforementioned holes with paintings (which I hang up with thumbtacks).
Sure, I can tell a Phillips from a flathead screwdriver, but that’s where my knowledge ends. So people who are able to create a coffee table out of an unhinged door boggle my mind.
There must be something very satisfying about making something out of wood with your own two hands, like a wine rack out of an old pallet.
That’s why this project by an Instructables user mcraghead was so impressive to me. He took an unwanted cable spool, which a manufacturer wanted to unload and was giving out for free on Craigslist, and made something unbelievable out of it. The best part? The fruit of his labor wasn’t even for himself, but for some very special animal friends.
What was it? You’ve got to see it for yourself — but before we take a gander, here is a quick note from the creator about obtaining a cable spool:
“About spools: I was told that usually a construction company will pay a deposit of $50 USD or more per spool to the cable manufacturer, then return the spool when empty. We were lucky because in our case the manufacturer didn't want their spools back, so they became a nuisance and the foreman put them up on Craigslist for free. But when you see empty ones, never assume they're free and just swipe them, that's weaselly. In many cases you'll find that they are for sale at a reasonable price or for free, but you've got to play nice and ask. Electric companies, phones companies and cable TV providers are all possible sources for spools.” [sic]
Make the effort because what he made is pretty cool. Please SHARE if you agree!
First and foremost, you will need an unwanted cable spool. The one used here is four feet in diameter and 32 inches tall.
You will also need some miscellaneous wood sourced from palettes, galvanized drywall screws, filler, paint, varnish, hinges, handle, and a latch.
Mcraghead noted while tearing apart the spool: “Having never played with them before, I was pleasantly surprised at the elegance of the engineering of these spools. An enormously heavy and rugged apparatus held together by only six bolts!”
The first step is to take the spool apart and remove the bolts. Sit the spool on its wheel, keep the bolt head steady with a vice grips or wrench, and loosen from the other end with your socket wrench.
Next you need move bolt holes from the inner slot to the outer edge. Cut them with a 1-1/2" hole saw then chisel away the wood between the hole until the washer has a comfortable place to sit.
Then drill the hole for the bolt itself.
Replace a couple of slats and loosely fit back in all of the bolts in their new holes.
The original "load-bearing" boards were placed in groups near the big bolts. Mcraghead notes that “when tightened, the bolts ‘pinch’ the boards for a nice strong joint.”
Boards salvaged from the palette filled in the rest of the gaps.
Next, add a door with a handle and latch.
Then give everything a quick sand and an even quicker coat of varnish.
Paint how you like and carve out an arched entrance.
Make a ramp with the remaining pallet wood and park it up against the door.
And voila! You’ve got yourself a house fit for a cat, a dog, or even some ducks!
Please SHARE this if you love creative people who think outside the box!
