This project goes out to all of my UK friends and relatives! I made a British Phone Booth Lamp and Phone Charger out of a single 8-foot 2x4 for a woodworking contest. Check out the video below!
I made this project for our local Gwinnett Woodworkers Association's 2x4 contest. There were lots of great entries this year. I got 3rd place and won a gift card for Peachtree Woodworking Supply. Below is a picture of the entries. The amazing segmented Lighthouse woodturning won 1st place, and the folding TV Table won 2nd place! It was great to see everyone up their game this year!!!
This phone booth will be easy to make if you are not limited to using a 2x4. It's basically just a box with windows and a door cut out of it. A scroll saw is a must for this project, but you could also make it with a CNC machine. Click here to download my PDF cutting templates.
The LED lights (affiliate link) really make the phone booth look awesome. My initial idea was to make it just a lamp. The phone charging station was kind of an afterthought, but it makes sense considering it does say "Telephone" on it. You should try to make something out of a single 2x4 sometime...it's a fun challenge!
I made a Skateboard out of a standard 8-foot 2x4 for the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association 2x4 contest. Even the wheels are made from the 2x4! Watch my video to see how I did it!
The 2x4 Contest Rules stated that we were allowed to use only an 8-foot 2x4 and fasteners. I ended up using most of the 2x4, two 1/2" bolts 8" long, four washers, and two nylon lock nuts.
I used wooden spacers between the wheels and cut the bolts so that only a small portion of the threads extended past the wheel for the lock nut to fit. This allows the wheels to spin on the smooth part of the bolt which is lubricated with paste wax.
Download my Skateboard Template if you would like to make one of these yourself, although I highly recommend using real skateboard trucks and wheels if you are not restricted by any contest rules. The wooden wheels work ok on a smooth surface, but there is no steering and they probably would not last very long. Use at your own risk!
My Skateboard ended up receiving the Most Functional Award and won me a gift card to Peachtree Woodworking Supply! Awesome! Even though the skateboard is functional, I plan to keep it in my shop for display only. I don't need any broken bones!
When it came time to decide on a project for the 2014 Summers Woodworking 2x4 Contest, I knew immediately what I wanted to try to make, a guitar! I remember reading that if you want to get into guitar building, use inexpensive materials to learn and make mistakes on before trying to use the good stuff.
I copied a set of templates from a friend a few years ago but never used them. If you would like to try to build a guitar, templates are available on the web and you can even find specs for common guitars. Just Google it!
When selecting a 2x4, I looked for one that was straight with very few defects, or at least defects that I could work around. I found one that was very straight and had a clear section that was perfect for the neck.
The 2x4 contest rules allowed for only one 8-foot 2x4 to be used. I knew it would be tough to get a guitar out of a 2x4 without running out of wood, so I had to plan my cuts carefully and conserve as much scrap as possible. I was able to complete the guitar with a small amount of scrap left in my scrap bucket.
It's easy to get bogged down in the specs and details when building a guitar, so I decided to work on a high level and stick to just enough of the basics to make it work. After all, it is just a 2x4! Aspects such as neck tension, truss rods, fingerboard action, durability, comfort, intonation, and tone took a back seat to getting the project completed by the contest deadline.
Overall the process was pretty straight-forward as far as the woodworking goes. Careful measurements and lining everything up parallel and perpendicular was important. Part of the challenge was making parts such as the nut and bridge out of wood, as these parts usually contain plastic or bone materials.
Here is my video of the 2x4 guitar build. Editing the video to be under the 10-minute limit was almost as challenging as building the guitar. Good luck to all who entered. Thank you to the sponsors for providing the prizes. And thanks to Brian at Summers Woodworking for hosting the contest!
Here is a list of the supplies used on this build: 8-foot 2x4, Wood Glue, Epoxy, Screws, 3" Cotter Pins, Paint, Lacquer, CB Gitty Tuning Pegs, Nylon Guitar Strings, Templates, and Specs on the Internet (Google It!).
Once again, I find myself knee deep into a 2x4 project and facing a deadline for the 2x4 competition hosted by Summers Woodworking. This will be my fourth time entering a 2x4 competition. It's 2x4 Contest Season again!
A 2x4 project is such a fun challenge to face in the workshop. You must adapt to being limited to just one 8-foot 2x4 (which is actually only 1.5” x 3.5”) unless your project is small. You have to plan your cuts well and maximize your lumber so that you have enough material to finish the project. This does not allow much room for error, so it’s a good idea to pick out the best 2x4 you can find, then measure twice (or even three times) before you cut. The challenge to me is to not just make something out of a 2x4, but to make the finished project look like there’s no way it could have started from a
2x4.
Whether you are a hand tool person, power tool person, or both, it helps to have a variety of tools you can use to slice up the 2x4 any way you wish. When I design a project for a 2x4 contest, I purposely try to design it so that there are no pieces that maintain the original 1.5”
x 3.5” dimensions. This helps to disguise the fact that you started with a 2x4. To do this, you will most likely need to rip and resaw the board.
Ripping is commonplace in the shop, but resawing can be intimidating and deserves respect as far as safety is concerned. To resaw on the table saw, I raise the blade to about 1/4 of the height of the board and cut from both sides, flipping the board end-over-end. Then I raise the blade to 1/2 height, and cut from both sides which separates the board. It's a good idea to leave a thin piece of wood attached in the middle for safety and then break them apart. A solid fence and a good push stick are required to keep control of the board!
For my current 2x4 project, I needed to resaw a chunk of 2x4 into 5 thin boards using my bandsaw. The bandsaw has a smaller kerf and removes less material than the table saw. I was surprised at how well my old Craftsman bandsaw did, but I had to go slow. I used a 3 tpi blade to help reduce drift and burning. Larger gullets between the teeth help remove sawdust from the cut. This does require some sanding or a pass through a planer to remove the saw marks.
I think creativity and workmanship are the two most important ingredients in a woodworking contest and they go hand in hand. I believe it takes some level of both to create a good contest entry, especially for a 2x4 contest. It’s not easy to make something out of a 2x4 that doesn’t look like it started with a 2x4, but that’s all part of the fun in the first place.
Also, it can’t hurt to spend time on the presentation of your project. Whether the contest requires a photo, video, article, or other type of
submission, a little extra effort here can make a difference. Good luck to everyone who will be entering a 2x4 contest this season! I can’t wait to show you what I've come up with this year!
Get your thinking caps on and start brainstorming ideas for the 2014 Summers Woodworking 2x4 Creative 2x4 Competition! This is your chance to be creative and make something no one has ever seen before...out of a regular 2x4! I believe this is the most fun you can have for $3.00.
Thanks to Summers Woodworking for hosting this contest and working with the contest sponsors below to set up an awesome set of prizes. This is a great opportunity to win something new for your workshop, so go for it! Make people say "I can't believe that was a 2x4!"
I made this Footlong Sub Sandwich for the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association's annual 2x4 contest. All the ingredients were cut from a standard construction grade 2x4, and I used various stains and food coloring to make it look more realistic. I also made the tray it rests on out of the 2x4. It was a fun project and I won an awesome gift card from Peachtree Woodworking Supply. Are you hungry now?
