Introduction: Make a Zen Garden Rake for Your Ashtray

By Daniel

This is how to make miniature Zen Garden Rake for use wherever. I was planning on raking some public ashtrays and leaving them for others to rake it.
If you wanted you could also use these in your own tiny Zen garden or bring them with you for a quick Zen fix anywhere that has sand.

Step 1: What You Need

1/2 in. dowel
1/4 in. dowel
1/8 in. dowel
Wood Glue
Pencil
Measuring tape
Sandpaper

Step 2: Measure Two Times, Cut Seven

So there are 3 parts of the Rake: The handle, the teeth, and the part that holds the teeth(mouth?).

The teeth are 1 inch segments of the 1/8 inch dowel. You will need 5 teeth.
The mouth(?) is a 2 1/2 in. segment of the 1/2 in. dowel.
The handle is a 7 in. segment of the 1/4 in. dowel.

. . . . Cut those pieces

NOTE: I HIGHLY recommend wearing protective glasses while cutting because. . .well, personally I like being able to see.

Step 3: Drilling the Teeth

First, draw a straight line across the mouth(?). I accomplished this by laying both the pencil and mouth down on a flat surface and pulling the pencil across its face.

Then, put 5 marks on the mouth that are 1/2 in. apart but start 1/4 in. away from either edge (see picture).

Use a 1/8 in. drill bit and (using a drill press if possible) drill the 5 holes at each intersection that you drew on the mouth.

Try to be consistent - If the holes are crooked or some are deeper than others, your rake might not look to pretty.

Step 4: Drilling the Handle

Measure half way (1 1/4 in.) across the mouth piece and mark it.
Get a 1/4 in. drill bit and again drill 1/8 in. into the mouth at the halfway point you marked earlier.

NOTE: I didn't bother drawing a line along the length of the mouth because I let it rest on the teeth while I drilled (see picture 2).

Step 5: Sanding

This is pretty simple. Get a fairly fine sand paper and sand down the edges of each piece so that they look nice and feel nice.

I used 220 grit sandpaper which is probably too fine for what I needed but make sure not to use anything to grainy or it will leave visible scratches in your wood. Just use your best judgment.

Step 6: Glue It All Up!

Get some newspaper or aluminum foil that will keep your floor (or table) clean. Make a small puddle of wood glue, dip each tooth into the glue, and then jam it in one of the teeth holes. Have a damp paper towel or rag on hand to wipe up any extra glue that squeezes out.

Repeat with the handle and then wait for a while (maybe prepare your Zen Garden or Ashtray).

Step 7: DONE!

Now enjoy your new Zen Garden Rakes or let others enjoy them!

Some ideas I had in mind for the rakes:
-Zen Gardens everywhere!
-Ashtray Zen Gardens
-maybe bring some sand, lay it out on the sidewalk somewhere and rake it.
-The beach, though you would probably need a bigger rake.
-The park while your kids play in the sand.

If you have any ideas I'd love to hear them. Also I'll put up photos of what I do with my rakes shortly.