Crafting | Making a wooden arrow from a picture frame
Things are looking up around here. At least in my upstairs hallway.
As I was hanging artwork there recently (you can read about it here), I decided I needed one more piece to stretch across the top of the wall. Maybe a sign of some kind, I was thinking. I checked the stash of projects stored in my basement to see if I had anything that was the right size and shape.
What I found was an old barnwood frame. It wasn’t exactly the dimensions I was looking for, but I loved the rustic wood and the mitered corners gave me an idea. Why not make an arrow out of it?
I cut off one of the long sides first, thinking I would use that as the shaft of the arrow.
Then I grabbed a yardstick and marked off six chevron-style stripes, starting at one of the corners that had already been mitered to a 45-degree angle. The stripes would become the feathers on the arrow.
I cut the feathers with a jig saw.
For the point of the arrow, I chopped off one of the frame’s intact corners.
Then I started putting the pieces together.
I liked the look of the arrow, but I wanted it to be a little bit longer…
… so I scrounged around for another piece of scrap wood to use as the shaft. (The scrap wood is actually part of an old Christmas decoration that was in my “project pile.”)
I glued the feather and point pieces to the new, longer shaft with wood glue and let them dry overnight.
The next next morning, I flipped the arrow over, drilled pilot holes and nailed the pieces together to make sure they were secure.
Perfect…
… except that when I took the finished arrow upstairs to hang it, I realized it didn’t really tie in with the rest of the pieces on the wall.
So I took it back down and put a quick, chippy coat of white chalk paint on it.
Much better. 🙂
And the best part is I used up two of the projects from the stash in my basement in making the arrow. Unfortunately I keep finding great junk at thrift stores and garage sales, so my Subterranean Cache of Things to Transform will never get used up; but it makes me feel good to know it is getting pared down a little.
