Good form... great function
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Nothing says "rustic" like logs and antlers
Combining the two items is a popular practice by many
rustic craftsmen. We often see antlers used for drawer pulls,
lamp finials and even used as cross members in chairs, headboards and
such.
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Locate a couple of deer sheds (these
antlers were actually purchased on eBay) and you have the
makings of an authentic rustic accent piece.
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No formal plans are necessary. This
coat rack was mitered to fit an inside corner, but a straight wall will do
just fine. The corner joint was fastened using "Gorilla
Glue", a very powerful wood glue. For added
strength, the angle was doweled using the
Miller dowel
method, possibly the easiest doweling system
available.
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Take one 3-5 inch diameter log and cut it in two
lengthwise using a band saw (See
an inexpensive bench-top band saw, click here ).
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You can peel the bark from the tree using a "clean
peel or skip peel" method
produced with a drawknife. A clean peeled log is clean shaven
(like this example) and skip-peeled log has portions of bark
remaining.
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Space the antlers so they function as needed leaving
sufficient space to hang coats or hats.
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Construction details
As mentioned, the log base plate can be mitered to
fit a corner or run horizontally on a straight wall. If corner
mounted, you will want to round off the 90 degree (outside) corner angle to
accommodate a rounded plaster wall inside corner. The ends of
our logs were
mitered to a 45 degree angle, but a 90 degree cutoff will work
equally well. (The author chose to add one
wood tenon peg
to his rack to hold insulated winter coveralls that can get quite
heavy when wet and soaked with snow.)
 To secure the rack to the wall, the author drilled
two 1/2" holes approximately half way down each log face to recess the
mounting screws. The screw holes were covered with
hole plug
button covers after
installation. (You can buy an assortment of button hole covers
online,
click here to learn more).
As with all rustic furniture, many stains and
finishes can be used. This shows a natural sealer stain with
two coats of clear lacquer.
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So how do you guarantee that the antler (clothes
hooks) will remain seated firmly in the wood?
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Mounting the antlers
In this case, the
author used 1/4" threaded rod (1) and drilled holes of the same
diameter about 1" in the antler. After measuring the length
required (thickness of the log backing), he mixed an
epoxy and coated
the threads and corresponding hole with the epoxy glue.
This formed a
solid anchor to hold the rod. To add additional strength (and
keep the antler from turning under a load) an additional 1/16"
hole was drilled and a nail (2) was inserted (with epoxy)
protruding approximately 1/4" above the base. |
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Recessed mounting hole
The 1/4" threaded rod securing
the antlers is fastened by a flat washer, lock washer and nut.
You will need to drill a recess hole (3) in the back of the
plate to accommodate the hardware. Note: Make sure the threaded
rod does not protrude past the wood plate as this will mar your wall. |
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Alternate wall mounting
To hang the rack on the wall and ensure it will support
bulky jackets and coats, heavy-duty wall anchors were used in this
example, which were drilled through the face of each log. As an
alternative, you can use a "keyhole
fitting" to hang the rack on a wall.
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