How to Make a Reclaimed Wood Pumpkin

Laura from Finding Home shared these reclaimed wood pumpkins two years ago here on Infarrantly Creative.  They were so popular I decided to show you them again.  I am not ready to bow to fall yet, as I am still hanging tightly to summer but September is right around the corner! Plus I am always a sucker for the word “reclaimed”.

 

Hello sweet readers of Infarrantly Creative, Laura here of Finding Home. I know summer is still holding on, but today I am going to share a fall project with you – reclaimed wood pumpkins.

Do you happen to know what a squash bug is? I do. They are nasty little creatures that we have battled for years and they destroy all of our vine plants in our garden. And if a pumpkin or two manages to survive the onslaught of these buggers, then the rabbits eat them up. So this year, I decided to be ready. If no pumpkins make it, no worries, I am making my own.

I made them out of reclaimed wood. But not just any old wood. Truth be told, I am quite the sentimental girl. All of the wood we used was salvaged from my Grandfather’s house, that he built by hand, piece by piece. It had to be torn down 2 years ago and I salvaged what I could. This project seemed like a perfect way to actually use the wood and get it out of storage.

The process is quite simple, if you are comfortable using a jigsaw, you can do this. I recently completed a similar project using the same basic technique to make a whale.

Materials Needed: –

1/4 Plywood ( we used scrap we had)

Salvaged wood, reclaimed lumber, pallet wood

Wood glue

Small brad nails and screws

Sandpaper

Hanger bolts (double threaded screws)

Small tree branches

Stain, wax and sealer

chop saw or miter box

screw gun

hammer

jigsaw

Step 1: Sketch your pumpkin shape on plywood and cut out the shape with a jigsaw.

Step 2: Using your miter box or chop saw, cut down the salvaged wood in lengths that go about an inch beyond the length of your pumpkin on all sides. Line them up on top of the pumpkin to form the pattern. Our wood happened to be tongue and groove, but that is not necessary.

Place another piece of plywood on top to make a “plywood sandwich” (this does not get attached, it is just there to steady the planks to be flipped over). Now flip everything over. The placed piece of plywood should now be on the bottom and the plywood pumpkin should be on top. Apply wood glue to the front of the plywood pumpkin and place it back down on the back side of the reclaimed wood. Now attach small brad nails through the plywood and into the planks spacing throughout. We also decided to add some small screws to the edge pieces so they held tightly. Just take note of the thickness of your wood so it doesn’t come through the front. Place something heavy on top of the pumpkin and leave overnight or several hours to dry.

Step 3: The plywood pumpkin is now your pattern and guide for cutting the reclaimed wood. Follow the profile with the jigsaw and cut the pumpkin shape into the planks.

Step 4: Sand down all of the rough edges. I used a palm sander and it went very quickly. I also softened down the front edges of the perimeter of the pumpkin.

Step 5: Drill a hole in the top of the pumpkin where you would like the stem to be attached. Make sure the hole is large enough to accommodate your hanger bolt. Drill another hole into a piece of branch for the stem (this can be cut down with your miter box or chop saw). Attach the hanger bolt into the pumpkin first – turning it with a pair of pliers. Attach the stem/branch turning by hand. Depending on the curve of the top of your pumpkin, you may need to sand the bottom of the stem slightly to fit snuggly.

Using scraps from your cuts, or whatever you have available, attach one board at the bottom using wood screws. Drill a small pilot hole for each screw to avoid the risk of splitting the wood.

Step 6: This step is purely optional and up to personal taste. I added a light coat of dark stain to everything and wiped it off really quick. It unified everything a little bit. I also added a coat of clear wax because I love the way it finishes everything off. Because this is going to be outside and needs protection I added a spray clear coat. This also keeps the wax from melting in the heat. And now, I am all ready for fall – at least out front!

If a pumpkin or two happens to make it in the garden (which is highly unlikely), there will be four lovelies waiting for them.

Thanks so much for reading. If you would like to see some other fall projects, you can visit my fall tablescape and…

Last year’s fall front door makeover…

Thanks so much for reading and wishing you a great day. Take care, Laura