First woodwork project - mud Kitchen

[tmitch45]

I've always been into DIY and had a reasonable amount of tools so during lockdown to help me manage stress and my job i started a couple of woodwork projects. The first was am MFT bench which I made from scrap and purchased an MFT insert and I don't really count as my first project. My first actual project was a Mud kitchen which I made for my nephews 2nd Birthday. Its the first time I've done anything like this and I'm pretty happy for a first go. I learnt so much doing this especially new techniques like using a router to cut out for the bowel, joining two boards together to make the work top, scorching the work top to make the grain stand out and making and using plugs to cover screw heads. The frame is made from CLS painted with 2 coats of cuprinol garden shades out door paint and the I've used recycled pine for the shelf and work top which are varnished with exterior varnish. I know these techniques are extremely basic to most but you have to start somewhere. Any constructive comments are welcome particularly if people have ideas for evolving the design or using more robust timber as I'm concerned that even with 2 coats of outdoor paint in may not stand up to the UK weather very well.

 

[Garden Shed Projects]

Looks good, the kids will love it.

what are you going to stand it on? May be worth looking at a way of getting the bottom of the legs off the ground. I a made a toy box last year and cut some squares of plastic chopping board and fixed to the bottom as feet.

 

[tmitch45]

Looks good, the kids will love it.

what are you going to stand it on? May be worth looking at a way of getting the bottom of the legs off the ground. I a made a toy box last year and cut some squares of plastic chopping board and fixed to the bottom as feet.

Thats a good point! I did get some screw in feet but they had some terrible hard plastic bottoms to them so they would slide around on a patio so I didn't fit them. Its a shame as there were adjustable so as child grows up it can grow with them.

 

[Sheptonphil]

Well done

Great item for a first project and looks great. Any child would love to play with that. I do second about raising the legs off the patio, even 1cm will stop the legs standing in water. It will probably need a little TLC every year.

I’m experienced and the mud kitchen I made needs a treatment every year, it gets a light rub down and another coat of Cuprinol garden shades.

Keep your projects coming, it’s great to see what others are up to.