I love vintage decor. Everything about it is beautiful. Even the vintage that isn’t my style still holds a place in my heart. They all seem to have a story. A history that wants to be known. It’s the hopeless romantic in me. The part of me that loves old movies, especially Christmas movies. So when I can incorporate something that looks vintage into my decor it makes my heart happy. And when I can’t find something that is truly vintage I do the next best thing and make it. I love how this sled turned out. For me it’s the perfect combination of an vintage and modern. It’s also a quick and easy build, which is my favorite!
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*This is not a real sled. My kids were so disappointed when they found out it was just a decoration and couldn’t be used in the snow,
Level: beginner Time to complete: approximately two hours
Supplies
2- 1×4 pine boards (don’t forget to check out Home Depot’s discounted/cull wood. That’s where I got mine 70% off!)
Paint and stain of your choice – I used a red acrylic paint and Minwax Special Walnut.
Step 1 – Draw your pattern for the sled
The first thing I did was draw a pattern for the sled rails. I wanted a curve at the top to make it look more like an old time sled. You could also use a 1×6 to get a larger curve, but I had 1×4’s on hand that I found in Home Depot’s discounted section. If you don’t know by now, I’m all about using what you already have! You don’t have to add a curve at the top. You could always just cut an angle at the top. It’ll still turn out great! At this point you can also draw your curve for the top of the body of the sled.
Step 2 – Cut and Sand
I used a jigsaw to cut the rail boards. If you want, you could cut one board and then trace that board to make an identical copy. I just free-handed the curves. For the body of the sled I used a scroll saw to cut the curve. You could easily use a jig saw for that too, I just prefer my scroll saw. I also cut two cross boards at 11 1/4″ (11.25″). *As always, be careful when using power tools. After your boards are all cut sand your edges.
Step 3 – Paint and Stain
After sanding I painted my rails red and I stained the main body with Minwax Special Walnut. I put on two coats of paint and two coats of stain.
Step 4 – Assemble the sled
Lay the rails out on a flat surface. Place your cross boards on the sled rails with a little glue and use brad nails to secure them. Then place your main body boards on your cross boards with a little glue and nail them in place too. And done! I wanted to add a wreath, so I used a garland wire to wrap around the middle board and then tied the wreath on.
