Coffee Table Day 1

Im kind of a big deal.

Belt sander people!

Whoop Whoop!

Almost there... yes it's a real chicken 

Here's day one of my coffee table project. So far what I've done is taken apart one half of a wooden pallet and vigorously sanded the top planks; first with a belt sander to get them looking somewhat decent and then with a palm sander to spiff things up and ensure they're splinter free. 

John just so happened to have a dilapidated old railroad cart (awesome!) sitting in his rubbish pile out back. I decided that this would serve perfectly as a frame for the pallet to sit atop. It was actually in two pieces when I started. First I brushed it off (to be rid of any big black spiders who might be lurking in dark cracks)and then hosed it down to soften the wood in case it wanted to crumble in my hands. The front swivel wheel was still attached to a plank but not to the frame so John helped me secure it with 5 wood screws. 

I got so seriously lucky that the pallet fit over the top of the cart frame. There were some minor adjustments necessary, but it wasn't anything that Tony and his power saw couldn't handle. 

Tomorrow I'll finish sanding and then stain both the pallet top and the cart. Later I'll attach the two pieces and order a custom glass top and voila! Restoration Hardware, eat your heart out! After all was said and done today, I had a little help but did 99% of the work on my own which makes me feel like a real bad-ass. I held and used several man-tools including a: belt sander, palm sander, 9 pound hammer, crowbar and two manual saws. I'm exhausted and I have sawdust in places I ought never have sawdust. Adieu.