Live Edge Wood and Gas Pipe Shelf
Cleaning the Pipe
The pipes come dirty from the oil used to cut the pipe and create the threads. Add to that sticky price labels and you’ll end up needing the clean the pipes. I used an electric wire wheel brush to remove the sticky labels and then acetone and a rag to clean the pipe. Use plenty of ventilation with acetone and wear gloves.
Tip: I ended up buying some pipes from Home Depot. The pipes from the the big box store were completely wrapped in plastic tape and were a nightmare to remove and clean. The pipes purchased from Ace hardware had small, easily removal labels. If you don’t want to spend eternity removing labels, get your pipe fittings from Ace Hardware.
Sizing the Shelves
The client wanted these two shelf unit, centered over a toilet and spaced approximately 12” apart. She also wanted the shelves the same width of the toilet which measured 22-inches wide. I cut two boards to 22-inches on a miter saw and went to work designing my pipe shelf unit.
Making the Shelves
Once the wood boards were cut I started to remove the bark. A sharp chisel was useful for removing most of the bark. The chisel removed the bulk but some dark brown residue remained and I alternated between the chisel, a cabinet scraper and a utility knife to scrape the bark remnants off. When I was done I used some 80-grit sand paper to remove the last stubborn fragments.
