Trofast indoor composting worm bin and Ikea blue bags as dirt movers

Materials: 3 Trofast, 1 Trofast lid, 1 placemat, silicone brush, silicone tongs, a strainer, big diameter drill bit

Description: I needed a worm bin to make compost indoors.

It has to be 3 layers: Top is for food, Middle is a catch tank for the droppings and the bottom layer is for all the water from the process. I suppose you can use 2 bins, but I found that I needed a mid layer. The worms like to go down and fall into the lower sections just for fun. There are 4-5 holes, 1/4 inch diameter drilled in top and middle Trofast.

The top bin is where the food, worms and shredded paper go. I do not fill it to the top, the more space there is for air, the better. The 1 hole + about 4 inches of air space is enough for the worms. Lots of DIY sites say you have to drill many holes in your bin for vents, I don't.

I drill holes for drainage, on the bottom. I use the placemat to put the bins down on when they are unstacked. They have worm poop on them. The worm travel down to the mid layer.

The mid layer is worm party central. There is no food here, just worms and castings. I have to empty this out and I do it with a silicone brush- easy to clean and soft like the worms. They get brushed out of there and put back on the top layer.

The bottom catches errant worms and water. This is where the strainer comes in. I pour the wormy water through a strainer into a pitcher. Then I toss the worms back in the bin and water my plants with the water. The tongs are used for turning the compost and mixing in shredded paper.

Plant savers and dirt movers, the Ikea blue bag

Materials: Ikea blue shopping bags

Description: We were having our fence rebuilt and the digging of dirt yielded a huge pile of dirt. To be able to move this dirt I used the Ikea blue bags. It needed to go from backyard to front yard.

During the process, we bought new plants and in order to keep them from drying out, I planted them in the dirt bags until they can go in the ground and they are doing well.

I move plants around a lot and these bags are large enough to fit a small tree and its roots, and keep them from completely drying up and dying.

They are good for yard waste as a heavy duty bag, I can collect things and out them in the waste bin.

Also take a look at my hack for other gardening ideas.

~ Ninjarita, Minneapolis

Lillangen Office Storage

Materials: 3 Lillangen bathroom cabinets, 1 Lilliangen base, mending platesDescription: The Ikea had Lilliangen on clearance, so each cabinet was $50 and the base was $25. This was the perfect size and height for many applications around my house. I used it for a tall cabinet in my office area, I thought it would be perfect for the dining room as a bar or china cabinet too. Using 3 cabinets stacked vertically with mending plates on the inside, I was able to make a light and airy cabinet. The top is a piece of shelf from the discontinued Ikea kitchen series, these were $1 apiece.

The shelves are adjustable. I was thinking of making a pull-out drawer in the middle section because it's perfect for a desk.

There is no backside to the shelf, so light gets in from the wall reflection. I was thinking about using this as a plant cabinet so the cats wouldn't attack my plants, and they could have light. I was also thinking of using this cabinet in my vintage Silver Streak trailer, it's aluminum and the trim matches. The cabinet is very light weight, each might be only 30lbs, so unlike all the other Ikea cabinets, I can carry this by myself. It also is a very small box and can fit into a VW Golf trunk. Here is the cabinet in its normal bathroom application.

~ Ninjarita, Minneapolis

Hack a Tertial lamp into a mic stand

Materials: Tertial Lamp

Description: The first step to making a microphone stand from the Tertial Lamp was to remove the light fixture. I tried to figure out how to remove the light so that I could still use it, but instead I had to cut the cord and pull it out of the boom arm.

I then unscrewed the lamp fixture from the arm and put aside all the hardware.

I removed the microphone and shock mount from the stand it came with and tried to put it onto the boom arm. The plastic spacer from the lamp was too thick to fit the microphone, so I had to file it down so that it was thin enough to fit between the shock mount and the lamp stand.

Once the spacer was thin enough I attached the shock mount to the lamp stand using the bolt and nut that used to hold in the lamp head. I then used cable ties to attach the microphone cable to the stand (not visible in the photos).

The stock hardware that comes with the Tertial lamp isn't strong enough to hold the stand straight when I extend the lamp arm. My next step will be to buy new hardware for the lamp arm so that it can support my microphone and shock mount.

See more of the Tertial mic stand.

~ Bill Hutchison, Canada

Ikea Wall Shelf Turned Console Table

Materials: (1) Ikea Ekby Statlig wall shelf 47 7/8x11", (4) Ikea Vika Moliden legs, (16) screws, Minwax Wood Stain, Minwax Polycrylic, (1) 2" synthetic brush, and a power drill.

Description: Steps:

First, I screwed on the Vika Moliden legs to the long Ekby Statlig shelf using a power drill. I randomly chose a spot to add the legs but made sure it was placed evenly between both ends. I didn't, however, use the screws provided with the legs because the screws where just a little longer than the thickness of the wood; instead, I bought shorter screws (less than an inch) for a couple of bucks at Home Depot.

Once the table was assembled, I stained the wood with Minwax Wood Stain in English Chestnut using a 3" synthetic brush. I didn't sand or prep the wood beforehand with the exception of quick clean with a wet cloth to make sure no dust or other particles were on it. I only did one coat but if you want to add more coats, it's probably a good idea to allow it to dry for an hour between coats.

After staining the wood, I cleaned the brush thoroughly to later use for adding polycrylic. If you want to reuse the brush, it is best to clean it soon after using to avoid the brush from drying up clumpy.

I let it dry over night then added only one coat of Minwax Polycrylic because I didn't want the table to be too shiny. Several hours later it was dry and ready to go.

See more of the console table.

~ Astrid

Thrifted Ikea Ivar Transformed into Reclaimed Industrial Knock-out

Materials: Ivar Utility Shelf, Pine 2x6x8 board, jigsaw, dark mahogany stain, silver spray paint, sandpaper (120 grit)

Description: I fell in love with an industrial metal and reclaimed wood shelf on the Hudson Good's website but I couldn't like the price (over $1000). When I saw a pair of Ikea Ivar shelves on craigslist for $30, I thought it was a good time to get my hack on and create a low budget knock-off. Here's what I did:

1) Use a damp cloth to wipe down the thrifted shelf because it had all kinds of cobwebs on it!

2)Use 120 grit sandpaper to do a light sanding of the boards. (It probably would have been easier to take it apart to sand, but I didn't because I'm lazy.)

3) Wipe it down with a damp rag to remove all the grit from the sandpaper and let it dry for an hour or so.

4) Spray it with a silver metallic spray paint. I originally used a galvanized steel spray paint I found at Home Depot, but I didn't like the final color, so I ended up brushing on a metallic silver craft paint over the top to get the color just right.

5) Let the shelf dry overnight. This is a good time to work on the boards.

6) Measure the shelves and cut the pine board to size. My handy husband did this part using a jig-saw. Remember to measure twice BEFORE you cut. (Hubby didn't do this and one of the boards was a little off but that was okay cause we hid it on top!)

7) Lightly sand the cut boards until the edges and all sides are smooth. Wipe with a damp towel to remove the grit. Allow the board to dry before starting the stain. (I waited about 10 minutes because I'm impatient!)

8) Read the instructions on the stain (or wing it, which is what I did!) and then apply. I used a wipe on poly stain that had a sealant built in because (again), I'm lazy. Dipped my rag into the stain and wiped on to the board as though I were painting. You will need to do little sections at a time to get an even application.

9) Leave the stain on for a few minutes and then wipe using a fresh rag. Wipe a little corner at first to see if it's as dark as you want. I wanted mine very dark, so I let it stay on for five minutes and then reapplied to each board a second time.

10) Keep going until all of your boards are finished on on the top and the four sides. Let it dry for 20 minutes or so and then flip the board to also stain the bottom. (You could probably skip this part but I'm anal and didn't want raw wood showing through the slats on the Ivar shelves.)

11) When the boards are dry, position them on your shelves and then secure in place. Hubby used nails but you could use wood glue. If you do use wood glue, make sure you clamp each shelf to get a strong bond while it's drying.

Total cost for this knock-off was $40!

See more of the Ivar Reclaimed Industrial Knock-out.

~ Shauntelle @ A Beautiful Abode, Atlanta, Georgia

Previously on Ikeahackers: 29 May - 4 June 2007

• Cyril computer cabinet for the iMac: It's a pity the Cyril is discontinued. It is such a good looking compact work station. Here's one modified to fit the iMac's rather large monitor.
• Vintage mirrored luxe Lack coffee table: Mirror, mirror on my coffee table. Glam up your living room with this mirror table.
• Billy doors room divider: Need a room divider? Here's a simple solution using Billy doors with free frosted glass thrown in.

Lack Library and Gallery Hack

Materials: Lack 43" and 74" Shelves

Description: I wanted an open library to house a lot of books and have room for art exhibition as well so I started researching LACK shelves. Reviews were mixed as to amount of weight they can handle so I determined I had to attach to minimum of two studs. US studs are 16" apart and on the 74" shelves, there are NO multiples of 16" from any other holes so I
1) confirmed stud location on the wall (and distance between)
2) measured and marked future holes on the rails which I then drilled.
3) Attached rails to studs.

For most cases I was able to hit 3 studs on both lengths of shelves. I'm really satisfied with the results though I might have to add the occasional L-Bracket for some of the shorter shelves that want to dip downwards somewhat. I'm still picking paintings and statuary for the open spaces in the design.

~ Amy S, Portland, OR USA