Nail Wall

It all started with a trip my daughter Akhalia and I took to the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and later, it's gift shop. If you've ever been to the Exploratorium, you know how awesome it is and how you could easily spend all day there. This was one such day. After spending hours wandering around and showing my daughter my favorite spots she stopped at a large piece. It was a giant version of a pin wall. The kind where you push up the pins with your hands or face or whatever you can get your hands on and the pins form that shape above. The bonus to this large scale one besides using larger parts of your body, is the shimmer it makes while rustling your hand across the bottom side. Its beautiful.

Next stop the gift store. I can never escape the gift store in any establishment. My daughter won't allow such things. When she set her eyes on a miniature version of the pin wall, she declared that she must have it. Being a broke ass mom, I let her in on a secret. We could make one and it would be so much more fun because "we" did it together. She wasn't sold but with some coaxing I was able to convince her that it was better than nothing. In the long run though, it cost more to make one than to purchase it from the gift store because we used nails. Ours is a bit more heavy duty and not quite as detailed but damn does it look cool. I'd love to make a full coffee table like it. Maybe one of you can take that on.

Step 1: What You Will Need

A laser cutter

10"x10"piece of Plexiglass

10"x10" piece of 1/4" wood

One large box and one small box of 10 D 3" nails

4 - 6" (about) Bolts, a little smaller than the corner holes

12 nuts to fit the bolts

4 nuts that cap the bolts

Step 2: Making It

I created the grid of holes in Illustrator. I initially tried to make the holes smaller (pin size) and with many more of them. Since I'm just learning all this stuff, I couldn't figure out what to do when the computer told me that the laser cutter couldn't cut my grid out. That is when I decided to go with fewer and larger holes and to use nails. It more fits my aesthetic anyways.

Step 3: Fill It

Fill in all the holes with nails

Step 4: Clean It

The nails were a bit greasy so I cleaned the tops off with simple green.

Step 5: Putting the Peices Together

If you follow the photo's you shouldn't have any problems

Step 6: Cont.

You will need something strong and with some weight to hold the sides of the wood sheet to continue assembling it.

Using a level or your eye, adjust the nuts up or down to level the plexiglass. Add the securing bolt when leveled.

Finally, secure the feet nuts and you're done .

Step 7: