Scarf Hangers for Christmas

Saw similar projects here on Jocks and thought they looked cool and relatively stress-free to make so I decided that 5 of my cousins and nieces would get these as a $10 family gift exchange item.
Started with a piece of 1×12x36” oak and went from there. Planed down to about 1/2 inch thick. 1-3/4” Forstner bit holes spaced apart…..cut angles at the top and clipped the bottom corners to more resemble a hanger rather than a square chunk. Bought a 5 pack of surprisingly cheap wood hangers from Home Depot (less than $4.00) and broke them apart just for the metal hook. (http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Natural-Finish-Wooden-Hangers-5-Pack-HKF-1402/204399745) Seemed like a waste but I got over it quickly. Drilled hole in top and epoxied the hook into place. Ran a round-over-bit around the sides and around each hole front & back followed by lots of painful sanding. The holes have to be completely smooth or the scarfs will snag!!!!!! Several coats of high gloss lacquer sprayed on with my HVLP gun for smooth shiny finish. About $45 in wood and $4.00 to access the metal hooks, sandpaper, lacquer and I am really close to budget per piece. Add in my time and I am over budget by $200 or more. Still a fun, useful project that pulled me away from the TV a few nights in a row. Still time to get some done before Christmas. One tip if you decide to make one, make sure you use a backer board when drilling out the holes. Any blow-out just adds to the sanding later. Early Merry Christmas to all who view this.

-- "Fine Woodworking" is the name given to a project that takes 3 times longer than normal to finish because you used hand tools instead of power tools. ----Mike, Waukesha, WI