My dh asked his dad to make me an ironing board cover like the tutorial I found here on the board. He had the instructions and pictures to go by with a little help from my hubby. (His father tinkers with woodcrafts and is only a basic lite hobby craftsman and my dh doesn't know the difference between a flathead and a phillips ----they try.) Anyway I got the board back from my father in lae and it is 4 times thicker then it should be and 12 inches too long. It is so heavy I can barely move it by myself and it was bending the old regular ironing board legs. I grew up in a home with men (thank God) and on a farm and took wood shop, so after being upset and knowing that they tried.....I came to the conclusion that if I saw off the 12 inches and put in on top of a sturdy small bookshelf I own and bolt in down that I can make it work.

I am truly thankful it will work and that they tried. But when will they learn to follow directions. Ugh!

The key point is they tried and YOU fixed it! Sorry they didn't do it right the first time. I learned before I got married that my husband could not even screw in a lightbulb without stripping the thing I am not kidding I found that if I do it myself it works best for all :)

lol...glad it all worked out. I've got the same problem. If I want anything done right, I gotta do it myself.

Amen

Bless their hearts for trying :D:D:D

Yep, they try. ;) I was married to a general contractor for 20 years and I know from experience that some men can't just do something by the directions, or even just the simple (and best) way. They have to make it much more complicated than it needs to be... for some reason.

how much you wanna bet they thought they were making improvements?

if you have the space, don't hack off the extra 12".

for one thing, they'll notice and might be offended. for another, it will come in really handy.

Your big board can never be too big (depending upon the available space, of course!) and if you can, get a cutting mat for it. I have one that DOES go over my ironing board. So I can press blocks, etc., I use medium sized cutting board and padded ironing surface thingys on one end of the board so I don't mess up the cutting mat with bubbles. It is great to have such a large, long cutting area, like 55 inches I think it is. Enjoy!

never learn -thats why women are so adaptive they have to be

Sounds like they were making it to last.They tried......

That reminds me of the bat house incident.
Man I wish I took a picture of that bat house... My husband tried.. he really did... but he should not be allowed near tools...


I'm glad you figured a way to make it work. :)

Sounds like my husband too.Makes or fixes everthing to hold up in a tornado after he modifies of course so I would have a big ironing board bolted to the floor.....( :

See now, my FIL would want to make it thicker and heavier to "make it better/stronger/whatever". My husband...ha, he would stand back and watch me fix it, possibly offering help in lifting the heavy object. He knows the difference between screw drivers...but he doesn't know how to use them! hahaha

Anyway, glad you got it fixed up...sorry you had to in the first place!!

I have occasionally asked God if brains were originally attached to ribs. :?

Jan in VA

Same problem here... I just ask my FIL. There is nothing he can't do!

:lol: :lol:

oh, now THAT just made me curious

LOL! I'm going to have to remember that one!

I can see your issue! They certainly meant well. My DH built a big board ironing board for me. It is a beauty! Of course, he made it deluxe in every way! A bit wider too! Very nice indeed! Envy of my sewing group, they all want one! He won't do theirs, I feel special that he would do that for me! You should feel special too! It sure beats not having one!

I am one of the lucky ones, he can build anything! It can withstand hurriance winds too!

May I suggest not bolting it down. I have a large board my husband made me to use as a cutting table, I keep it on 2 bookcases but when I want more floor space I can take it off and lean it against the wall (its about 3 X 6 feet). Large enough for a really big cutting mat which I keep in place with double sided adhesive tape. It's heavy enough that the only time it moves is if someone leans against the edge.

Also if it's not bolted in place it's easier to rearrange the room if I want to.

Longarm

LOL, love your story!

Aw, they were nice for trying.And hey, that ironing board will sure be STURDY!!!!!!!

It's kinda of a male trait that if it's bigger and stronger it will be better. Glad you can work it out, my DH made me one this summer and sure is wonderful to have all the space.

It's a male thing that everything has to be bigger!

hey, didn't you know? Men never read directions!! good for you in figuring out how to make it work.

Maybe you can get them to build sawhorse type supports/legs for it - then it would be movable and you can use it as an extra table. The only problem might be - they might try to borrow it back for THEIR projects.

What about putting it on two saw horses, and make a skirt for it, and you can hide all kinds of things under there and still use the board. At least they tried.

I'm glad you fixed it to suit your needs, good for you. At least they tried.

Why must they always come up with a "better way"????

My husband is not very handy, and also a big procrastinator. Every time I have asked him to do something, he thinks he has a better way to do it, and he makes it so complicated and it becomes impossible for him to finish. I have come to rely on the guys at the hardware store for my cutting. I am still waiting after six months for him to cut a spot on my sewing cabinet so I can use my knee lift. The worst part is when he catches me doing it, he says, "I told you I was going to do that". He gets upset when I tell him the statute of limitations has run out on him doing it. :-D

Yep, Know exactly what you mean. I installed a bathroom sink, new pipes, faucet and the whole works while he was having coffee with friends. no leaks either, hehe. I was so proud of myself.

I have been asking that question for years! (But love that they try.)

You mean men are capable of doing it right the FIRST time? I can explain something 100 times to my DH, think he actually is listening and what the finished product is, well it's anyones guess

Cute story. Maybe??? it will work out better after trying it out some????

To quote my daughter in law "at least they're cute"!!!

I'd never cut off the other 12 inches. Should come in handy unless it is simply a space problem.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I Agree!!!

Gee, am I ever fortunate. My DH is fairly quick to do my bidding, (and I his,) and we work well as a team. I can anticipate his need, handing him the correct tool before he asks. We're like a surgeon and scrub nurse. If he sees a possible modification, he runs it by me, the wheels turn, consider, and approve or disapprove. Then we go to the hardware store together. On those rare occasions when I have to remind him of something, I only mention it three times be fore doing it myself. After that, I would consider it nagging. Guess that's why we've been married 37 years.

My DH can fix anything and has made me a design wall and large ironing board. We did wood crafts together for 15 years, he cut wood and I painted it. But he does try to complicate things instead of keeping it simple like I want. He wants it bigger, stronger. But I can't complain, he's great. (We have been married almost 47 years and the first 20 he was in the Navy).