Odin's Toy Factory

## Add rustic elegance to any home with the Handmade Rustic Fretwork Cross , a unique piece crafted with care using traditional woodworking tools and techniques. This blog post delves into the charm and craftsmanship of this eco-friendly decorative item, ideal for those seeking a blend of faith-inspired design and sustainable beauty.   Craftsmanship That Stands Out The Handmade Rustic Fretwork Cross features an intricate fretwork design. Each piece is visually striking. Created with reclaimed hardwood flooring samples, this cross showcases the natural grain and color of the wood, ensuring no two pieces are identical. The absence of additional finishes highlights the wood's authentic texture, offering a raw, organic aesthetic that complements rustic or minimalist decor styles.   Each cross measures approximately 10 inches in height, 8 inches in width, and 0.5 inches in thickness, making it an ideal size for wall or door decoration. Due to the use of reclaimed tongue-and-groove...

  Discover the charm of the Handmade Rustic Fretwork Cross , a stunning piece that brings rustic elegance to any living space. Crafted with traditional woodworking tools, this cross features a one-of-a-kind design with intricate fretwork that adds eye-catching detail to walls or doors. For those seeking unique home decor, this piece offers timeless beauty and craftsmanship.   Eco-Friendly Craftsmanship with Reclaimed Materials This rustic wooden cross is made from recycled hardwood flooring samples, making it an environmentally conscious choice. The natural beauty of the wood shines through without additional finishes, showcasing authentic grain patterns and colors. Each cross is unique, with slight variations that enhance its character. Small seams from the tongue-and-groove flooring may be visible on the back but remain discreet from the front, ensuring a polished appearance.   For eco-conscious shoppers searching for sustainable home decor, this cross combines style wi...

  For those seeking a distinctive piece of Christian wall art, this Handmade Rustic Filigree Cross offers a blend of rustic elegance and spiritual significance. Crafted in my Tallahassee, Florida, woodshop, this cross is made from new reclaimed hardwood flooring. Its unique design and eco-friendly construction make it an ideal addition to any home decor. Explore why this wooden cross stands out as a timeless wall or door decoration.   Craftsmanship That Tells a Story Each Handmade Rustic Filigree Cross is meticulously created using traditional woodworking tools. The intricate fretwork design adds a striking detail and enhances the aesthetic of any room. Made from reclaimed hardwood flooring samples, every cross carries a story of sustainability. These materials, originally destined for disposal, are transformed into unique Christian wall hangings. Due to the nature of reclaimed wood, no two crosses are identical, ensuring an exclusive piece for every buyer. The cross measures...

  Filigree Fretwork Cross On a Baking Sheet After seeing someone else using baking sheets in their shop, I picked up a few at my local dollar store to see if they would work for me. One of the uses I came up with was id removing patterns from a complicated scroll saw cutting. In this example, I put the cross on the baking sheet and wet it with mineral spirits. The backing sheet catches any excess mineral spirits, and the pattern will lift off in one piece. The baking sheets are proving to be quite handy and only cost one dollar.

  I have tried every method I can find for attaching patterns. My favorite is to glue the pattern directly to the wood with a spray adhesive like 3M77. Removing the pattern is easy. You wet the pattern with some mineral spirits and let it sit for a short time, and the whole pattern will release in one piece. You may need to clean off some adhesive residue by wiping it with a piece of paper towel wet with mineral spirits. The downside, and there always is a downside, is now you have wood or other material wet with mineral spirits. The mineral spirits will evaporate, but you can hurry things with a fan. These crosses were wet on both sides. One is laminated hardwood flooring, and the other is hardboard. The hardboard soaks up mineral spirits like a sponge. The first ones I propped up so air could circulate, and it took a couple of days for the smell to dissipate. Hanging them on a fan will eliminate the mineral spirits in a couple of hours.  

  Filigree Fretwork Cross Made From Laminated Harwood Flooring Samples After making two of these, I needed to devise a way to package them for shipping. I got many good suggestions for several people experienced at shipping this type of item. I combined the suggestions with my own experience and packaging materials and settled on the following. The heavest cross so far is 3oz. Packing them and getting them under the USPS 16oz First Class Package limit should be no problem. I can make boxes if needed.  My customers had never chosen high-cost priority mail shipping when they did not have to because of the weight. Going to USPS priority mail more than doubles the shipping cost. Keeping the weight below 16oz is a goal. I like using air pillows for padding. I wrap my item in air pillows that are taped together tightly. If there is room in the box, I fill it with more air pillows or some other lightweight material I have. The item itself is also wrapped with stretch wrap. Most of wh...

  Filigree Fretwork Cross Made From Laminated Harwood Flooring Samples   I recently acquired some laminated hardwood flooring samples. With the price of the wood so high, I was eager to see what I could make with it. I did a lot of reading on the internet and found no consensus. Flooring seems so variable that you must try it and see if it will work. I decided that some cross patterns would be perfect for this. Initially, the patterns were for Christmas ornaments. Using Inkscape and Gimp, I created SVG files and enlarged them to eight inches wide. Enlarging made the crosses large enough to use as wall art and more suited to the thickness of the flooring. The flooring samples are mounted on a hardboard backing. I thought they were glued on but soon discovered this was not the case. They were held together with tiny steel pins. When cutting the first cross, I had to add tape to hold everything in place, and when cutting my second cross, I hit one of the steel pins w...