Tree House Wins Reclaimed Contest

A Wisconsin father’s tree house won Grand Prize in the Reclaimed Contest on instructables.com. Woodcraft.com provided prizes for the contest that attracted 366 entries from Oct. 2 through Nov. 27. 

Base of the tree house nestled in between walnut trees on the property
Side view of the tree house after cedar siding went on

Andy Smith’s fond memories of his childhood tree house inspired him to build a special tree house for his son and daughter. He chose three trees in his yard that are located in a triangle for the “Our Reclaimed TreeHouse” location. He built the outside frame from new treated wood for safety, but used wood from an old deck and other reclaimed materials for most of the tree house structure. Learn more about his project by reading his contest narrative at http://www.instructables.com/id/TreeHouse-1/.

As Grand Prize winner, Andy will receive a Rikon Wolverine Sharpening Kit, a 14" JET Band Saw with Open Stand, a Bosch Colt PR20EVSK 1 HP VS Palm Grip Router, a Rikon 1" x 42" Belt x 8" Disc Sander and an Instructables prize pack including a robot t-shirt.

Other Prize Winners

The other 18 prize winners created a diverse collection of projects, from pallet furniture to a handbag made from plastic bottles and a giant wooden head.

Note: When winners’ names were not available, the name used for posting on Instructables.com has been included in the following lists of winners.

FIRST PRIZE WINNERS (3) 

First Prize Winners include: ucn of Singapore, “Pallet Wood Expandable Table;” E. Walsh of Ireland, “Turn an Old Bath Tub into a Chair;” and R. Samad of Pakistan, DIY Classic Hour Glass.” They will each receive a Bessey 30" F- Style Clamp, a Rikon 1" x 42" Belt x 8" Disc Sander, a Rikon Wolverine Sharpening Kit and an Instructables prize pack including a robot t-shirt. 

by R. Samad of Pakistan

by E. Walsh of Ireland

SECOND PRIZE WINNERS (5)

Second Prize Winners are: MarlenaT of Texas, “Dog Kennel Console Table (Reclaimed Materials); jmarrufo of Missouri, “Reclaimed Lift-Top Coffee Table;” Ollaris of Hungary, “Make a Modern Pallet Stool/Coffee Table;” S. Bossuyt of Belgium, “Treasure Chest From Reclaimed Mystery Wood (Hand Tools Only);” and manuelmasc of Italia, HDPE Blocks From Plastic Bottles.”  They will each receive a Bosch Colt PR20EVSK 1 HP VS Palm Grip Router, a Porter-Cable 382 5" Random Orbital Sander and an Instructables prize pack including a robot t-shirt.

Dog Kennel Console Table by MarlenaT of Texas
Reclaimed Lift-Top Coffee Table by jmarrufo of Missouri

THIRD PLACE WINNERS (10)

Third Prize Winners are: K. Eichlerova of the United Kingdom, “Plastic Bottles Into Handbag;”  S. Van Hook of Boston, “Giant Wooden Head;” J. Rea of Connecticut, “Reclaimed Librarian’s Table;” B. Wentworth of Washington, “Solar Hothouse;” E. Seidlitz of Virginia, “Step Stool From Reclaimed Bed Pallet;” P. Jackman of Washington, D.C., “Building a Reclaimed Wood Door From Scratch (Mission Style);” ThomasVDD of Belgium, “Hard Drive Speaker;” Budgiecake of England, “Spark Plug X-wing Fighter;” C. Rose of the United Kingdom, “Iron Man Cabinet Upcycled From a Chest of Drawers;” and J. Mena of Mississippi, “Knife Out of a Sawzall Blade (no HT).” They will each receive a Bessey 30" F- Style Clamp and an Instructables prize pack including a robot t-shirt.

Handbag from Plastic Bottles by K. Eichlerova of the UK
Giant Wooden Head by S. Van Hook of Boston

Reclaimed Librarian's Table by J. Rea of Connecticut 

To learn more about the Reclaimed Contest winners and all the other entries, visit http://www.instructables.com/contest/reclaimed2017/.

Contest Process and Instructables

Once entered, each woodworking project was featured on Instructables.com, and members could vote for their favorites. After the contest closed, a panel of judges, including Instructables staff members and members of the Instructables community, rated the finalists. The averages of the ratings determined the winners.

Described as the World’s Biggest Show and Tell, Instructables.com attracts 30 million plus viewers each month to its web-based documentation platform that allows passionate creators to share what they do and how they do it, as well as learn from and collaborate with others. Besides offering a place to showcase and store new projects, Instructables also sponsors ongoing competitions.

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