Bethune Catholic

In Saturday's post I said something about making a shoe rack for our side porch. Never happened. We had another project which took more of the day than I anticipated-but I will share it (sorry no picture). We had bought a crucifix as a gift for our friend's daughter who is heading off to college. It was unclear whether the college dorm would allow a crucifix (or anything else) be nailed to the walls, so we wanted something versatile. We could buy a crucifix on a stand, but we like some of the wall hanging ones better and again versatility was a factor.

So I decided to buy the crucifix we wanted and make a stand so it could be used either way. The crucifix was mahogany, and fortunately I had some scraps of the same in the shop from some years ago projects. Here's what we did (the boys were helping where possible):

1. cut 2 pieces (~3x5") to stack on top of each other.
2. Before stacking, drilled almost 20 1/4 inch holes (depth ~ 1/2 inch) in the base piece.
3. Filled holes with lead shot from our fishing gear. We flattened the shot first so it could be packed tightly. We wanted some weight to the stand.
4. Glued and clamped the two 3 x 5 pieces together, matching grain directions on the ends.
5. We beveled the front of the stand at about 25 degrees.
6. Drilled two 1/2" diameter holes through the center of the base directly (about a 1/4 inch apart) next to each other, and then cleaned out the excess would with a chisel. This is the space the crucifix is placed in.
7. Sand until smooth like glass.
8. Stain (in our case cherry) to match crucifix as closely as possible.
9. Apply final finish. Usually I would use a polyeurothane varnish-apply several coats sanding with 0000 steel wool in between coats, and this is the best way. But I was pressed for time. By this time it was after dinner and the gift needed to be ready for Sunday. Further, varnish may not cure as fast as it should in the weather we were having. So I opted for a clear laquer spray from Minwax. Drys in 30 minutes and doesn't need sanding between coats. However, you pay a bit-it doesn't come out so smooth either.

Good project. Wish I had a picture to share.