Sawhorse Reindeer How-To


This sawhorse reindeer is a fairly easy Christmas' decoration to make. It's not an original idea, similar ones have been around for years, but it's my take on it. I hope it gives anyone who makes it the amazing instant creative satisfaction feeling I got once done. Ignoring the time painting, was completed in less than an hour.

Materials:
- A wooden sawhorse. I used a Burro Brand one. They are inexpensive and easy to find at most big box hardware places.
- Jigsaw
- Drill/driver
- Sander/ sandpaper
- Pencil
- Ruler/Tape Measure
- Plywood with a nice clean finish. I used 1/2" thick Poplar.
- Paint and colors of choice. I used both latex house paint for base color and craft paint for detail colors.
- 10 - 12 Small "L" brackets. 3/4" x 3/4" ones worked for me.
- Short wood screws for brackets (less than the thickness of your wood)
- Eyes. I used large buttons, but you could paint on if want.
- Exterior grade clear varnish. Anything your comfortable using would work. Spray or brush-on.
- Wood glue (OPTIONAL)  This is designed to be a temporary assembly for the holidays so you can take apart and store easily, plus use sawhorse as really intended later, but you can make a permanent prop just by adding wood glue to any of the steps below.

Step 1 - Print out the templates I drew up ( see below). I grid them out so you upscale onto plywood by drawing a larger grid on. Trace the pattern on the plywood and cut out with jigsaw. Be sure to cut out the notches in the head and on the antler carefully (these are 1/2" thick. if you use thicker or thinner plywood redraw notch that thickness). Sand all the rough edges.

Click on images to enlarge.




Step 2 - Attach head and tail to appropriate ends of your sawhorse using "L" brackets.

Step 3 - Place the antlers on by sliding it's notch onto the head notch.

Step 4 - Paint and decorate the way you want. Have fun, on my first take I added a red ornament for a nose (see below). Clear coat if needed for exterior use.


The Millenium Falcon!


I actually welled up seeing the Falcon fly again. The music, the sound of it's engines, TIE fighters!!!!!

I'm probably gonna ball like a baby when we actually see Han and Chewie at the controls once more, I just know it.



New Set Room Color

We're painting a room on our set a new color. The perfect color wanted did not exist in any paint swatch book. I sent my prop assist Tara to Sherwin Williams to get the wanted perfect color custom made. They created it, but needed a name for the color for their records.

Tara secured her job now and forever officially calling the color "Temple of Doom".




This Old Prop

I'm honored. Someone's website this past month had included one of my old specimen jar prop projects to a list of DIY ideas for creating a Halloween haunted house. Who's website? Oh just legendary home improvement icon Bob Vila's. The full list here.