First I went to Home Depot and bought a 2 ft. X 2 ft. sheet of plywood. I cut it down to 24" X 14", and cut that in half.
Next, I took some boards I salvaged from an old flower planter that didn't survive the move, and cut pieces to form sides for each of the two pieces of plywood.
Once I had my two pieces of plywood and the boards to form the sides, I began assembling the project. I used brass escutchion nails and wood glue to fasten the boards.
The plan was to hinge the two sides together, so that when closed they would form a box to contain the football players. Because the boards from the planter were only a quarter inch thick, I had to fortify the hinge side of each box with a strip of plywood.
Once each side of the box was assembled, I marked the locations of the hinges, and chiseled out a place for them. I removed a little too much material, but it worked out pretty well. All holes were pre-drilled to avoid splitting the wood.
Once the hinges were in place, the project really started to take shape.
We had to have a way to latch the box shut when it was closed. My solution? I went to Hobby Lobby and paid $1.99 for a little pine box from China, just for the latch.
It was just the right size for this project, and closes the box tight.
Time to paint. Kristyn pretty much took over at this point. She painted the playing surface green, using paint left over from painting Gavin's bedroom. She painted the sides with blue paint, also from Gavin's room. The inside, she lined with brown felt, white lettering, cheerleaders, and footballs. This way, the paint on the football players doesn't get chipped.
I also made field goal posts, using some square dowel, and smaller round dowel. I cut the square dowel to length for the uprights, crossbar and support, then drilled a hole in the bottom of the support to seat the round dowel with glue. I assembled the goalposts, and drilled holes in the playing surface so the goal posts can be inserted.
Once the hinges were in place, the project really started to take shape.
We had to have a way to latch the box shut when it was closed. My solution? I went to Hobby Lobby and paid $1.99 for a little pine box from China, just for the latch.
It was just the right size for this project, and closes the box tight.
Time to paint. Kristyn pretty much took over at this point. She painted the playing surface green, using paint left over from painting Gavin's bedroom. She painted the sides with blue paint, also from Gavin's room. The inside, she lined with brown felt, white lettering, cheerleaders, and footballs. This way, the paint on the football players doesn't get chipped.
I also made field goal posts, using some square dowel, and smaller round dowel. I cut the square dowel to length for the uprights, crossbar and support, then drilled a hole in the bottom of the support to seat the round dowel with glue. I assembled the goalposts, and drilled holes in the playing surface so the goal posts can be inserted.
Next, I taped the playing surface so Kristyn could paint on the yardlines and sidelines.
Finally, Kristyn painted numbers on the yardlines, and placed Dallas Cowboy markings at midfield and in the endzone. I think the finished product turned out great!
Finally, Kristyn painted numbers on the yardlines, and placed Dallas Cowboy markings at midfield and in the endzone. I think the finished product turned out great!
This project was a lot of fun. It is a great feeling to know that Gavin is going to receive a gift that Kristyn and I worked together to make, not just something bought at the store. This was cheap. I used scrap wood, a $7 piece of plywood, $2 for the latch, $2 for the hinges, $2 for the nails, paint that was left over from painting Gavin's room, and whatever Kristyn paid for the dowels, felt, and Cowboys decals. But even though we didn't spend much on it, I know Gavin will love it and it really is a gift Kristyn and I worked together to create.
That is impressive, it looks great!
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