Construction Update: Desk Toy

Since my last post, I’ve been busy collecting materials and planning how my project will come together. So far, I have almost all the materials I need. The only materials that I’m missing is whatever will makeup my trinket, but that will most likely just consist of paper and string. Below are the materials I do have, and how they will come together to form my final project. These materials were all leftover from different projects that my family had completed around the house.

The first piece is the base. I used an old piece of wood that my dad helped me saw down into a square, and also drill two holes in for the posts.

The next pieces are the posts, which were made from wooden dowels. Each dowel had a slit cut in the top where the wire will rest.

The last piece is the wire. The wire will be bent to hold the trinket, and will lay in the top of the posts.

Overall, my plan is fairly simple in terms of constructing the final project. I will hot glue the posts into the base (the holes were drilled just slightly too big). Then, I can lay the wire into the top of the posts, once it is bent into the proper shape. Then it will be as easy as tying the trinket to the wire. At that point, the project will be complete and I will have a fully functional desk toy!

I plan on leaving the base and posts as is, instead of applying a finish to them or painting them. While using stain or paint would make it look prettier, I actually do like the rough finish that these pieces have.

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3 Comments. Leave new

  • Brooke Shade
    May 3, 2020 5:18 pm

    Hi Mary! I think it was a great idea to adapt your aesthetic given the circumstances. By shooting for a rustic, raw look, you are certainly making the most out of the quarantine!

    If you had to remake this with a different aesthetic (and theoretically had all of the resources needed), what aesthetic would you choose?

    Reply
  • Hailee Pritchard
    April 22, 2020 7:34 pm

    Hey Mary! This is really cool, and seams like an approachable project! Do you have any specific functional goals for the toy? Or aesthetic goals? I think it’d be really cool to choose a bold color palette because the design is more simple. Super cool, can’t wait to see how it turns out!

    Reply
    • My functional goals are for the thing that will be tied to the wire can be moved up and down by rotating the wire. Unfortunately, I hadn’t bent the wire into shape or made the trinket by the time I made this post, so it may be a little difficult to picture. Right now, my aesthetic is just to keep the wood unfinished and raw, as it is. In the future I’d like to either paint/stain this wood, or maybe even start over completely with more polished materials like acrylic.

      Reply

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