Maker of the Month – October
Congratulations to October’s “Maker of the Month”, Robert Haines!
“My Maker of the Month entry is a 60-inch wide hall tree with storage under the bench seat. The hall tree is made of 3 doors that I removed from an 1800-era farmhouse. Every piece of wood was reclaimed from old fence boards, moldings, floor planks, porch ceilings, and milled down oak beam parts. When I go into an old building, I look at what’s there and think of what I can make out of it that is unique and usable.”
“I picked doors for this project that had similar panels, but cut them down to make them look like they were originally built for their new purpose. I then cut down old fence boards to make the framework for the bench. Once it was framed and squared, I attached two old cabinet doors for each side of the bench and placed old ceiling boards to the bottom.”
“I then cut up the third door and glued the pieces together to make the front of the bench. The top is from an old oak beam that has been milled down and run through the planer, then glued together. The top side and molding came from a newer construction, demolished house.”
“After some sanding to define the lines and clean up the old paint, I sprayed a primer coat of paint on the doors and finished with almond oil-based paint. The top was stained a dark walnut and clear coated. I finished this project up with four cast iron coat hooks. This was an easy project that others could do at home.”
About Robert
My name is Robert Haines. I am a police officer by trade and love woodworking and salvaging craftsmanship and history. I have restored my 1918 home using what others threw away and enjoyed helping my older sons build and restore theirs. I look forward to going through old barns, sheds and homes pulling lumber, windows, and doors for future projects. If there is good wood lying along the road, or in someone’s backyard I’m going to stop and pick it up or ask about it. I often build projects for people from a picture they found in a magazine. Hall trees, headboards, bars, benches, and shelves are some of my regular builds. I plan on continuing as long as I can. We here love the show and I often borrow an idea from you. We visited over the summer from Pennsylvania and enjoyed Mike’s hospitality.
Thank you for sharing your craftsmanship with us and the rest of the world, Robert. Enjoy your new KEEN Utility boots!