The Amazing Stuff

In the age of IKEA furniture, it’s really hard to find an affordable, unique, and DURABLE coffee table to tie your living area together. Well, if you can get your hands on a rough-cut slab of wood, you’re just a few quick steps away from a totally one-of-a-kind piece of furniture!

One man snagged this slab for just $20.

It doesn’t look like much now, but just wait!

Once you find your own, give it a preliminary sanding and remove the bark from the edges.

Then, start planing.

And plane some more (and more, and more, until it’s nice and smooth).

Add some hairpin legs and test it out in the room. Looks good? Cool, now back to work.

Pick the perfect stain for your slab o’ wood.

Apply as many coats as you see fit, then add some wood finish for a little shine.

Spray-paint the legs black for a sleek touch.

And just like that, you’re cooler than all your friends.

“Am I in a Pottery Barn catalog right now?” they’ll ask.

(source Reddit)

You’ll be reminding your guests that, no, they are not in fact inside of a catalog. You made this really cool table with your own two hands! Similar pieces sell for hundreds of dollars, but this one cost a small fraction of that. Amazing what a little initiative and elbow grease can get you!

Reddit user tylergarner didn’t want a mailbox like everyone else’s. Instead of a plain stem stuck in the ground, the handy crafter decided that a more polished approach would be best for his house. What follows is a simple, but very effective way of making a fancier stand for a mailbox.

It all started with some wooden beams.

They were cut to size.

And sanded.

Then, a dark walnut stain was applied.

The house numbers were laid out to make sure of their placement.

And then the assembly began.

The boards were each placed along a support.

The (almost) final product.

The house numbers were attached.

And there it is…the metal mailbox in all its glory!

(source Reddit)

The stand was fixed in the ground using 30-inch spikes, which were picked up from Home Depot. Not only is this a wonderfully sturdy-looking post for a mailbox, it’s also a great way to let visitors know exactly where you live. No more lost friends driving around the block looking for you!