Woodworking Project – A Pet Run

16 wood strips – all the same height and width (ours were 3′)

Screening for screen doors (amount depends on your project – we needed two rolls of 3′ high screening)

Hinges – 6

Screws for hinges (even if they come with screws – you will see why later)

Nails (depending on how thick your wood strips are – we needed smaller nails)

2. Get out/borrow or purchase the following tools:

Staple Gun & Staples

Saw (if you need to trim wood strips – we didn’t – we had the guy at Menards do it for us 😉

Drill

Small bit for drill

Large heavy hammer

Scissors (to cut screening)

Measuring Tape

3. Lay out wood in square shape. Nail them together on all four sides. TIP: Be sure to use a large heavy hammer – your work will go faster and will be more accurate. TIP#2 – Be sure to hold the hammer correctly – at the end. The trick to hammering quickly and accurately is a heavy hammer and holding it at the end. You can even talk about hammer physics with your older child.

Do this to all 16 panels – you will then have four wood squares.

5. Measure the screening to fit the square exactly

6. Lay the wood squares down and staple the screening to the squares.

7. When you are done with all the squares add the hinges to both sides of one panel.

8. Attach squares to either side of the panel by attaching the other end of the hinges to each panel. Be sure all the panels fold in the same direction as you are attaching the hinges. Use a drill to do this. TIP: Pre-drill each hole before you drill or screw the screws in – it will make the project go faster. TIP #2: Use screws for wood that you purchase separately. The screws that “come with” the hinges are never very good and take about 5 times as long to drill into the wood. Make sure you have good screws! 

9. You willnow have the gates attached on all but two sides. You can attach hooks to these and tie them shut with string,

 you can attach velcro to them or you can just put them against each other or a wall – it depends on how clever your pets are, how hard they will try to nudge their way out and/or how much supervision they will have. We used some eyelet hooks and some string (see picture).