DIYer Says One Board Can Become Four Projects That Could Pay For Six Months Of Gas About $2,600 With Materials Costing Around $27

Gas prices have a lot of folks pinching pennies, and one woodworking couple says a single board might be the answer. The husband and wife behind Avery Street Design say one easy board project can be turned into four sellable pieces, and that selling enough of them could cover roughly six months of gas, which they put at about $2,600, or about $100 a week.

DIY couple holds a board that can become four projects, beside a woodworker marking lumber

The couple also make clock parts, and they say they are always hunting for the easiest projects with the least work for the biggest profit. They call this one the biggest-profit easy project they have ever done. The product is a broom and mop holder: a wooden board with spring clips that grip the handles.

One board, four holders

The plan is to cut one board into four pieces. They show two versions of the build, two pieces made with power tools and two with hand tools, so that everyone can get involved and everyone can make money. For the cutting they say you can use a handsaw, a jigsaw or a circular saw, or, as they joke, a karate chop if you have strong hands.

The boards are 5 1/2 inches wide. For the layout, they start 2 inches in from each side and then measure every 4 inches. They find the midpoint of the width, at 2 3/4 inches, and draw a line across. Where the lines cross is where each clip will sit, so each intersection becomes a screw location.

Hand tools or power tools

With hand tools, they start each hole with a screwdriver. They say it takes a while without a drill, and that an awl would be better, though they could not find theirs. The holes only need to be started, not driven all the way, because the pieces come apart again for sanding and finishing.

With a drill, life gets a lot easier. They start each screw a little bit, and after sanding and finishing the screws just pop right in. If you do not own a drill, they suggest a small electric drill from Walmart or Amazon, which they describe as fairly cheap. If you plan to do woodworking, they say you need some kind of saw and a drill, though not necessarily an impact driver. They add that you can use a sander or sand by hand, which they warn takes forever. For a fancier look, route the edges.

Their advice to anyone without a drill is to work by hand until you can afford one. Sell a set, then buy yourself a drill. “It’s real life, y’all,” they say.

Finish and hardware

They finish the boards with a golden oak stain followed by a clear coat. They always start with the back, then do the face, and wipe it off. The stain makes the pilot holes easy to spot, so you know exactly where the screws go.

The hangers go on the back before the clips go on the front. They say they get theirs with their clock parts and that they know of none sold off the shelf, so they suggest D-ring hangers, a keyhole slot routed in the back, or keyhole hangers. Pick whatever kind you like and compare prices. The clips are the self-tapping screw type, which they bought on Amazon.

They also share a handy extra. Little coffee cup hooks in the same color can hang along the bottom, in between each clip, to hold a duster or dust pan. The pieces can be stained or painted any color.

The numbers

Here is where the gas money comes in. The couple pointed to a best-selling holder on the market, with four- or five-piece models starting at $75 and going up to $110. They say hardwood versions cost far more and you get less for your money.

From their one board they make four pieces, available with three, four, five or six clips. They did not make the six-clip this time because they did not order enough clips. They charge $10 per clip, so the pieces sell for $30, $40, $50 and, for the six-clip, $60.

Their materials math goes like this:

The board costs $11.
Clips cost 83 cents apiece, which comes to $15.30 for the clips on these four boards.
Finish runs about a dollar for the four of them.
That totals $27.30 in materials.

If you sell all four sizes from one board, they say, that is $180 in sales minus $27.30 in materials, for a profit of $152.70. Spread over six months, they say, the work comes to about $2,600, or about $100 a week toward gas.

Kids and keeping it easy

The couple turned the project into a family affair. Last time they had their 5-year-old doing the job. This time the 5-year-old is the supervisor, and they say the twins are getting ready to start learning. In their view it is good to teach kids to do things young.

The project is as simple as cutting a board, finishing it and adding clips. If you are thinking of selling homemade goods, check what similar items sell for first, add up your materials honestly and remember that your time counts too. Still, a $27.30 investment is a low-risk way to test whether neighbors, friends or craft fair shoppers will pay for a tidy place to hang a broom.

Willow and Hearth