Making My First Chair!

 My friends, I have a new obsession: woodmaking!

After having my eye on the Elementary table from Land of Nod for more than a year, I accidently came across the plans for how to build it at Ana White Knock Off Wood.  Actually, that one plan is just one of hundreds (if not thousands!) of plans on her site!

I'm not very experienced in the art of woodmaking.  I've made three things to be exact: this Subway art, our raised vegetable garden bed (does that even count?), and a somewhat defective train table for Merrick when he was just a tot.  This chair is the first official piece of actual furniture that I made.  And, yes, by "I", I mean "my husband and me".  And, yes, by "my husband and me," I probably mean, "mostly my husband."

I chose to make the chair before making the table because it seemed simple and a good place to start.  It's also called the "$4 Stackable Chair" so I thought that if something went wrong, I'd only be out $4.  Little did I know, it actually cost me $34 to build.  The $4 only applied to the wood itself.  I also had to buy screws, a square, a right angle clamp, more screws, and top coat spray paint.

By the time I started in on the first step, I had to run to my hubby for help.  I had already completely stripped a screw and was about to just toss the beginnings of my chair in the trash.  He had to help me each step of the way.  Half way through, one of our neighbors popped into the garage and said, "I have a Pottery Barn table and chairs we no longer use that I can sell you."  I was about to jump on it, but Marcos shooed her out saying that he was confident in my mad skills with a drill.  He's lucky I didn't have a hammer in my hand at the time.

Although, despite how challenging it was to put even the simplest chair together, and despite the fact that it cost pretty much the same as if I had bought one at the store, and despite the fact that it is a bit crooked and rough in some areas, I loved the time that Marcos and I spent together building it.  It was great bonding time.  And, I love how my children have a chair their size that they can use every day...and Marcos and I made it with our own two hands (and heart).

Scoutie Girl loves the chair.  I about jumped out of my skin with excitement the first time the kids sat on it...and it didn't break.  

Now that the paint has dried and I'm no longer having hallucinations from the top coat fumes, it is on to making chair #2.  Then, if we survive that, on to the elementary trestle table.  Wish us luck!