Introduction: Sawhorse Reindeer Yard Art

About: I wanna be ecological. I am here to learn from the very creative people in this world. I will contribute what I can and hope you like the things I attempt.

This is my first instructable, after being a member here for a very long time. I wanted to make a reindeer for our home. My son is 11 and my wife usually does all the decorating. We wanted to make a contribution that counts and it was a fun project to do together. This reindeer is a good foundation as the possibilities are endless. Using this particular sawhorse makes it easy as you can still use it as a sawhorse after you are done.

Step 1: Gather the Stuff You Are Gonna Need!

I used this sawhorse. It is the burro brand from Home Depot. All of these supplies were purchased there. I thought about using a 2 by 4 home built saw horse but the price was about the same. The other part of the decision is the very cool logo. It looks great it person and I love the character that it adds.

SawHorsey

Step 2: Get Some Free Wood.

While comparing sawhorses (they have two sizes for the brand available). I choose the smaller 24 inch brand. That was based on this piece of scrap they had in a rack full of cut offs and free wood. We grabbed this piece and thought it would be the perfect head. I tested it for proportions on the saw horses and thought it was a better fit for the small one. That is how the choice was made. Keep your proportions in mind. Ya don't want a reindeer with a tiny head and huge body!

Step 3: Got Some Antlers Hanging Around.

I got some of this Hanging stuff for another project. I thought I could use it to put the antlers on. It worked great for that. I am surprised at how hard this stuff was to cut. I used my harbor freight multi tool with a metal rated blade and it was tuff to get through. I hope someone has a suggestion on how to get through this stuff. The best tool to use though is the one you have.

Step 4: Don't Let Sand Get in Your Eyes!

I only sanded the head. I only did that because my son needs to start learning to use power tools, oh and so do I. Just a quick once over with 120 to get it to look more uniform

Step 5: CLEARLY This Step Is UP to You.

See what I did there : p I did use this stuff for the whole project I sprayed all sides and even the inside of the burro. I plan on having this guy for the rest of my life, so I wanted him to last. It is very toxic smelling and I had a harbor freight rebreather mask. Even with that I could smell the fumes and enjoyed the wooziness. (kidding)

Step 6: The Bracket Gives Him a Bionic Neck.

Home Depot has a ton of brackets. Just grabbed a nice large one. Don't have a link but you can use any number of options. This was the hardest part of the project.

The Front of the sawhorse is angle out. I attached the bracket to the front of the sawhorse. Then I figured out a good position for the "head" and scribed a line. Then I removed the bracket and attached it to the head. This was just eyeballed but use a speed square if ya don't want your reindeer tilting his head. Then I had to bend the bracket slightly to attach it back to the "body" The I moved it slightly until I got what I thought was the best angle for "Rudy".

Step 7: The Eye Are Beholden to Rudy.

I don't have a close up of the eyes. Just grabbed some at michaels and they were a buck. The are the wiggly googly eyes. I put the blue tape on the back to test fit them The nose was also from michaels. I want to get a a light up nose but couldn't find a good one and hate going to michaels. Maybe I'll look for one online. He has a furry fun nose for now. Finally a pine cone was glued for a tail. (Crocks are optional.... and super ugly)

Step 8: Final Assembly and Order of Construction.

1. Gather stuff.

2. Sand and spray

3. Attach head.

4. Attach brackets and antlers.

5. Attach face and tail.

Step 9: Put in Front Yard.

Step 10: Final Thoughts

The potential for variety is what I am looking forward to. He can have a different face, a light up nose and even different antlers as he grows up. You can add a santa hat or lights or any number of cool things, Maybe an elf to pilot him?

I might use a different finish on another one. Something that is just brushed on. This is good though to practice your spray painting motions. It seems very toxic though and it can not be good for the environment to throw these spent cans away in spite of what the packaging says. Something that I could sponge or brush on might be better.

The antlers were just literally a fallen branch on the side of the house snapped in half. They are held in with "pressure" but zip ties are always good to get the angles right. I may Staple them to the side of his head in the future depending on what branches fall when I drag him out next.

The saw horse was my choice but you can always put your own together. I like the knots in the wood and that logo is amazing. So much bolder in person than when I was looking online.

Let me know what ya think and feed back on my tutorial. I want to make the best tutorials I can so any feedback would be welcomed. I humbly ask that if you like this to vote for him in the home decor contest. Hope ya like Rudy!

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