My (Way Fun) Summer Project

Hi everyone!!!  It has been a fun summer!  We have had a lot of fun as a family.   Hiking, biking, fishing, and swimming.  We also like to have summer projects.  So, when Rod was over at the neighbor's house one day and saw an old tricycle in their junk/scrap metal heap, he asked if he could have it.  Their kids had grown out of it and since it was rusted, weather-beaten, and in need of a new front tire they were going to throw it away.  We had been on the lookout for one of these trikes since the boys each have one and TeAnna does not.   The boy's trikes were found at DI and in similar condition.  We had a lot of fun fixing those up and painting them.  So, Rod brought it home in this old, busted up wagon that was also in the junk pile.    The trike was fixed up and TeAnna loves it!  (more on that story later).   The minute I saw the wagon I envisioned it all brand new and Sasha pulling it.   How fun would that be?!?!?!?!  PROJECT!!!!!   I was so excited I couldn't wait to get started.

 Here is what it looked like at the beginning:

All of the particle board was so rotten that we could easily break it. The sides were falling in on themselves and the frame was not stable.  The tires were flat, and the handle was about ready to fall off.   I thought it was perfect!!!!!

So, first things first.  Take off all of the particle board and trace the shapes onto a very large piece of wood that Rod had.  (He has everything, as you will see.)  That piece was so heavy I had to recruit a neighbor to help hold it down  while I cut it.  Mom gave Rod this jigsaw for Christmas and it was awesome!  It has a laser to guide the cut along the lines!   I loved it!    Then we got some 2x4's and cut them to size, as well as a long flat board for the front.  (Rod had all these boards, too.)  Yay for the saw (thanks again, Mom) and a circular saw that Rod had! 

                                       

This was the really fun part.  All of the boards were either previously stained or really weathered.  Guess what!!!  Rod had a planer!!!!   Just send the board in one end and it zips out the other end clean as a whistle, sanded, and back down to the original wood!   I had even stained a few pieces darker than I had planned, and Rod was teasing me that I did it on purpose just so I could use the planer again!!!  :)   It was fun seeing the wood go in all dirty and rough and come out all clean and smooth on the other end.  I really could send pieces of wood through that planer all day long.  So gratifying!   :)



Now, everything was all planed and smooth.  I chose "natural" stain because I love the light wood color with the grain peering through.  So pretty.  Also, the frame and wheels of the wagon were rusting and faded, so I raided Rod's never-ending supply of trusty black spray paint and sprayed away!  When everything was all stained and painted, I added a coat of polyurethane to it all.  Then I let dry for a couple days. 



Assembling was fun and crazy.  At first we put the frame on backwards, so we had to take it apart and try again.  Got it right the second time.  :)  We even added a few cross-bars to the bottom for extra stability.  (Yes, Rod had those, too, along with 90% of the screws, bolts, etc.)  The sides and back went on next, and then we added the 2x4's for the bottom and flat pieces for the front.  



Next came the wheels.  Now on ly the hitch was left.  I am still not sure what to call the part that hooks to the dog, so it's a hitch for now.  :)  

The hitch was the last part to go on and probably took the longest to figure out.  We found that the original handle was just the size to accommodate Sasha when turned around.  She has a harness that Rod found at the D.I., and we had to find just the right clips to attach the hitch to it, and for a way to attach the hitch to the wagon.  Rod had U-clamps!  It looked great, and we even discovered that the hitch actually lifts up for storage! (that was an accident, but we decided to say we did it on purpose)  However, since it lifts up, the front of the wagon falls down.  Hard to pull with the front dragging on the ground.  We thought of quite a few ways to keep the hitch stable while being pulled, and finally I got the inspiration one night to hook up a chain from the wagon to the hitch to keep it from going up, and the chain could easily be removed for storage.  The front of the frame and the sides of the hitch even had holes already in them in the precise places they needed to be!   YAY!!!!!   It worked!!!   (as inspiration always does)  All I had left to do was touch-up with a little paint and wood putty. 

Finally, all I needed was a dog!!!  So I got her hooked up and she was ready to go!!!   It took her a few minutes to get used to the bars on each side of her, as up until now I had always hooked her up to a single rope for pulling.  But soon she was hauling away and taking some of the neighborhood kids on rides.  She even got into this strut that said: "I am the coolest doggie ever!"   It was so fun!!!!  (and she is!)

So, thanks to Mom for the gifts of the saws, thanks to Rod for his expertise at building and his amazing stuff-that-you-never-know-when-you-are-going-to-need-it collection, and the neighbors for letting us raid their junk pile.  

A few things I learned and/or realized through this whole process:

 1.  When you are moving and you are seriously considering blowing up the garage and sheds that hold all of this stuff that you don't want to move and think it's all junk.....Don't do it!!!!!   This whole project cost about $15, total,  because of all the materials we didn't have to buy.   (I looked up dog wagons online, and the average cost to buy one was around $300)

2.  Just because something appears broken down and discarded, don't underestimate what a little time and love can create.  

3.  If you don't get the right answer to a problem right away, let it sit for a few days and keep your mind open.  It will come!

This is the first project like this I have done.  It was such a fun and amazing learning experience with a great reward at the end.  I am looking forward to the next one, whatever it may be!