1) Reading Plans - Adobe Acrobat Reader

2) Cutting Straight

3) Sanding and Prep Work

4) Finishing

5) Making Cushions

1)  Reading Plans

We use Adobe Acrobat Reader for all of our published plans.  This program allows the user to read our plans on any computer platform including Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.  This is a free software program that can be installed on any computers as described by Adobe’s website.  Before you are able to open our plans, please download the Acrobat program here.

2)  Cutting Straight

For most of the plans, cutting long lengths across plywood is quite common.  For a jig saw and circular saw, this can be difficult if you haven’t had much experience and are trying to complete the cut free-handed.  Our suggestion is to find or buy a piece of extruded aluminum (like that found for door frames, window sashes, etc.) or use a scrap length of wood with the factory cut edge (like an extra piece of plywood).

Two options are available at this point - either clamp the piece of aluminum or wood to the workpiece (the part you’re going to cut) or screw/nail it into the workpiece realizing that you’ll have to fill in these holes with wood putty, which may mar the finish of your workpiece.  Our suggestion is to clamp the straight piece to the workpiece.

3)  Prep Work

Prep work is one of the more time consuming aspects of a project, but done at the right time in the project will save you lots of time.

The first step in prep work is to to completely read through the plans, then lay out everything that you need.  Our plans include a list of items required for each project, including details such as wood putty, screwdrivers, etc.

The second step of prep work is outlined in the plans, but for the most part includes sanding the pieces of the project before they are assembled. This allows you to make sure that the pieces will look as you expect before gluing, screwing, or nailing the parts together.  Since cutting is involved with all of the projects, many of the cut edges are less than smooth.  Our suggestion is to sand these edges by hand, or by using a pad sander, starting with 80 to 100 grit sand paper and moving in steps up through 150 to 250 depending on the type of finish you would like (the higher the grit number, the finer the finish).

4)  Finishing

The final things to do depends on how and where you are going to use the piece.  If you’re planning on using the table indoors, staining may be an alternative.  Make sure that all of the surfaces are sanded, the sawdust removed with a cloth, and at least two coats of stain are applied.  A polyurethane sealer may be appropriate if you’re planning on using the piece for setting beverages or other items that may be damp or wet.

If you’re using the piece outside, it would be wise to paint the piece in an outdoor latex paint.  Another good idea is to put small feet on the bottom of the piece where it touches the ground.  That will help prevent moisture and dirt from penetrating the wood, allowing for an increase in the possibility of rotting.

5)  Making Cushions

Many of our projects can use cushions to help improve their utility.  One of Plan Canvas’s main wants is for you to have to invest as little as necessary for the project.  To this end, a “cushion on a board” is one of the better methods for creating cushions without the need to know how to sew.

To begin, measure out the size of the cushion that you want (say 24” wide by 18” long).  Now think of how thick you’d like the cushion to be (usually 1” to 2”).  To determine the size of the fabric required, add twice the height of the cushion to the length or width, then add another 2”.  So for the 24” by 18” cushion that is 1” high, the fabric width would be: 24 (width) + 1 (cushion height) + 1 (cushion height) + 2 (extra) = 28”. The fabric length would be: 18 (length) + 1 (cushion height) + 1 (cushion height) + 2 (extra) = 22”.

Now, cut a thin (less than ½” thick) piece of plywood or particle board to the size of your finished cushion (24” by 18” in this case).  Cut a piece of cushion foam (please see our sponsors for suggestions) to fit onto this thin piece of wood and set on top of the wood.  With your 28” by 22” piece of fabric, take a stapler (preferably a staple gun) and tack one edge of the fabric on the back side of the wood (other side than the foam).  Continue “trapping” the foam to the board with the stapler around the edges of the board until complete.  To make the corners look nice, fold the material around the cushion foam, like wrapping a present.

The best method to attach the cushion to your piece of furniture is Velcro, which allows the cushion to be removed and cleaned as necessary.