Wall Pegs
Natasha Dickins
I needed towel hooks for my new bathroom renovation and came up with this cute idea that combines my favourite fashion label’s trademark logo with my favourite pastime of woodworking.
I don’t need encouragement to acquire more homewares featuring the iconic Unikko poppy design, designed for Finnish lifestyle design company Marimekko in the 1960s.
And why not use chopstick rests for wall pegs?
WHAT YOU NEED
• Chopstick rests
• 3mm plywood
• Pencil
• Jigsaw
• Sandpaper
• Tape measure
• Drill with 6mm and 3mm bits
• 22mm Tasmanian oak dowel
• Handsaw and mitre box
• Quick-grip clamp
• Woodworking adhesive
• 8g x 60mm galvanised screws
• Cloth
• Stain and varnish in Chestnut
• Marine-grade clear varnish
On a small piece of 3mm plywood, trace around the outside of a chopstick rest with a pencil.
Position the plywood over the edge of the workbench to cut around the shape with a jigsaw.
Sand around the edges, checking the plywood template matches the shape of the chopstick rest.
Drill a hole into the centre with a 6mm bit.
Cut 22mm dowel into 25mm lengths using a mitre box with a handsaw.
Clamp the dowel, checking it’s not resting on the workbench. Use a 3mm bit to drill right through the centre.
Apply woodworking adhesive around the top of the dowel.
Position the plywood shape over the dowel and drill a screw through the holes.
Wipe away the excess adhesive with a damp cloth.
Use a clean cloth to apply stain over the laser-cut pattern and wipe away the excess. The stain absorbs into the raw woodgrain to add contrast and make it darker.
Use another small piece of clean cloth to apply marine-grade varnish all over the base and top, leaving to dry.
Use a 3mm bit to drill into a wall stud.
TIP If there is no stud behind the wall sheeting where you intent to locate the peg, install a wall anchor first.
Apply adhesive over the base then position the top, matching the shape. Press and hold them together. If the top begins to slip, wrap painter’s tape around it to hold as it dries.
Make more pegs and stagger them over the wall about 250mm apart to allow for hanging towels, coats or hats.
Has this project inspired you to get stuck into making wall hooks?
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