Man's best friend deserves a nice place to call home.
If you have or are getting a dog that will wind up mainly living outside, you will want to build a nice, cozy place for your furry friend to sleep or just lay down and relax. MDF, or medium density fiberboard, is a hardboard made from fibers glued under heat and pressure that works great for many aspects of woodworking. It's also environment friendly since its fibers come from scrap wood and pieces that would otherwise be dumped in a landfill.
Instructions
1. Put on a respirator and pair of safety glasses before cutting MDF.
2. Cut out the sides, front, back, platform and roof pieces. Use the print plans found online at Mybackyardplans.com and use the circular saw to cut the 4 foot by 8 foot MDF plywood.
3. Use the jigsaw to cut the opening out of the front piece.
4. Build the platform. Cut the 2 inch by 4 inch wood into two 24 inch pieces for the sides, two 19 3/4 inch pieces for the front and back, and four 6 inch pieces for the legs. Attach the front and back pieces to two legs each using the hammer and nails. Then attach the sides, which will overlap the ends of the front and back pieces. All edges should be flush. Place the platform piece from the plywood on the frame and use the wood rasp to sand down any edges that are not flush. Nail the plywood onto the frame.
5. Attach the side walls. Cut a 2 inch by 2 inch piece of wood into four 14 1/8 inch pieces. Attach these with nails to the inside edges of the side plywood pieces. Make sure the top is flush leaving a 4 1/4 inch gap at the bottom. Attach the side walls to the sides of the platform using the nails.
6. Attach the front and back walls. Cut the other 2 inch by 2 inch piece of wood into four 13 1/2 inch pieces. Attach these to the inside sloped edges of the front and back walls. The boards will meet at the top and leave a gap at the bottom. Attach the front and back to the front and back of the platform using the nails.
7. Use this stage to sand down any rough or uneven edges with the wood rasp.
8. Attach the roof. Cut the remaining 2 inch by 2 inch piece of wood into a 22 inch piece. Attach this to one of the roof panels at the top inside edge, leaving a 4 inch gap on each side. Attach this roof panel to the top of the dog house using the nails. The 2 inch by 2 inch piece of wood will lay flush in the corner made by the boards attached to the front and back. Attach the last roof panel on the other side using the nails.
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