Rustic Railroad Spike Coat Rack

Railroad spikes

Old piece of wood

Forstner bits for making holes

Spray paint

Step 1: Railroad

We like to go north of town out into the country and walk along the railroad tracks. The tracks are parallel to a big river, and if the river is low, we can walk out onto these sand dunes and explore. There's evidence of extensive beaver work, lots of deer tracks, some dead animals on the tracks, and just nature in its pure form.

Along the railroad tracks, I can collect as many railroad spikes as I want. They are everywhere. If I wanted to pick up 100 of them in a day, I could easily do that. But they are super heavy. Most of them have come loose from the tracks and later replaced. So they are just sitting there, usually wedged into the dirt or near the tracks.

3 fit nicely in my pocket, so I decided to take them home.

Step 2: Spraypaint

I spraypainted them black. Or they can be left in their natural state.

Step 3: Hammer Them Into a Board

I had an old scrap piece of wood lying around, very rustic, so I drilled 3 holes, a bit smaller than the pointy end of the railroad spikes.

Then I pounded each one in with a hammer.

Step 4: Coat Rack

Voila. Instant coat rack. Or hat rack. Or a place to hang your tools.