A Headboard Completed
Last weekend, I completed Anne Marie's pallet wood headboard. There were some hiccups in the build process, but I have come to expect that.
Rebecca wanted to help me with this project, and I like it when we work together on things. So, once I cut the plywood backing for the pallet wood to be nailed to, I let her start arranging the pallet wood in rows as she liked, and then to nail to the plywood.
It was not until much later that I realized we made the headboard 10 inches too wide! I ended up having to take off one of the leg posts and cut the Headboard down by the amount we were over. I'm not sure how I mismeasured, but the way it ended up before cutting it down, it would have barely fit in the spot in Anne Marie's room. Now that you look at it, you would never know the difference.
I ripped down a 2x4 into 1 1/2 inch square board, in order to use it as the posts, as well as to frame out the pallet wood part. In the past, I have tried to just make the rough pallet wood projects very rough, and to me, this meant minimilism. However, there are basic principles of woodworking that seem pleasing to the eye, and that's why they have continued as themes for so long. One of those is to give something a frame. By putting a frame around the pallet wood section, it actually draws your eye to the pallet wood even more. And I even made the frame a slightly different color/finish to add to this effect even more.
I used pocket hole screws to attach the plywood back to the side posts. As much as I want to like pocket holes, as they seem to be the cause de jour right now in woodworking, they never work out for me quite as advertized. I always end up with one or more of them just spinning repeatedly, and never grabbing into the wood. Therefore, it does not make a very strong joint. Sure, pocket holes hide the screws (most of the time), but at what cost?
The finish I used is just a water-based polyurethane with a satin sheen. I didn't want this too shiny. I wanted to keep that rough asthetic, but I put two coats of this on the headboard so it would not be quite so harsh on pillows, sheets and skin.
What are your thoughts on pocket holes?
What do you think of the headboard?
