Cardboard is free!: Breakfast bar - Section 2, step four

Welcome to my cardboard craft blog

Whether you are just plain bored or simply too broke to purchase other materials; cardboard is free! Cardboard is such a versitile craft medium that you can make just about anything from it. All you need is a little knowledge about different construction techniques to ignite your own art passion for cardboard. This blog is intended to show the construction techniques I use in my own cardboard crafts. When you learn the secrets of creating strength with cardboard you can create whatever you desire. From simple items like picture frames to extremely large pieces of usable furniture; it will all be possible. Travel along with me as I show you the secrets hidden within the cardboard. Go green or save a tree or just to keep it out of a landfill.... whatever your choice of phrases.... start creating your own cardboard art. If you find this blog helpful, please recommend it to your friends.

If you are new to this blog it's best to read the numbered labels first. ie: 1 - What do you see? 2 - Tools you need etc.

In those labels you will find the basic information you need to get started making your own cardboard furniture and crafts.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Breakfast bar - Section 2, step four

In step three I showed how I had marked the places where the struts will attach to the top and the back. I now lay the back piece down so I can work with it first.

Marks where struts will attach

I start attaching the struts with a bit of hot glue at the places where I marked them on the back. I am careful to place the struts so all the notches are going in the same direction. The notches are all oriented toward what will be the top of this section. I used a square (angle) ruler to get them fairly straight. There is a little give to the cardboard so after gluing they lean a little.

Struts glued to the back piece

The next step is to add the inside frame. Carefully lower it over the struts and place it into the notches of the struts. This should make all the struts stand straight.

Center piece added to struts

Next, I lay the facing piece on top of the struts. I carefully added a bit of hot glue to the top of each of the struts so it stays put. I did one at a time around the outside then did the inside pieces. I was careful to place this piece so it matched the marks I had made in step three. The piece is fairly square but it will get even more square as the other pieces are added.

Top (front) piece added on top

The next thing is to add a piece of kraft tape to each of the struts where it joins the back. There should be a piece of the tape on both sides.

Kraft tape at joins of all struts

Add kraft tape to the struts joining the front piece too. Even though there was hot glue used to join all the pieces, the kraft tape gives it more strength.

Kraft tape of joins to the top (front) piece

Do not put tape on the center (inner) piece. The struts should float free in this area.

Struts in the center should float free

Here the piece is setting in it's upright position. I've already cut a piece for the bottom and glued it on. I glued only the front and back pieces along the bottom edge, not the struts.