General Topics #4: Closet Catastrophe

The strangest thing happened to me Tuesday night when I came home from work. Our closet in the loft collapsed… It was nuts.

My second actual project was a simple system of shelves and drawers made of Baltic Birch (Pics coming soon. I know, you’re not official until you post. Working on it.) that i put up in the top part of the closet to increase the storage and organization. The closet is only 5×2 x 7 and the top 20 inches were not really being utilized. So, I whipped this thing out in record time (at least I thought so for a newbie) and used it all winter. I don’t know if it was the weight or just the poorly installed shelf that caused the collapes. Likely both.

When I came home, I proceeded to put away my shoes in one of the drawers and store the lightweight sweater in it’s designated slot. I walked back to the other side of the loft and crash, boom, bang, KT’s clothes were ALL on the floor and the cabinet was wedged in the closet, tipping forward and depositing three of the 5 drawers on the ground.

I couldn’t believe it and then I found that the anchors on one shelf support had just been straightened completely flush with the screw. I was really worried about my cabinet. I have so little of substance to show for my hobby so far and was really bummed. It was really wedged and I was afraid I would have to break it or worse take a sawzall to it to get it out…

I was determined, though, and after moving and working, and more moving and working, and a big hole in the drywall, I got it out unscathed. Actually, for all the wrenching it went through, the cabinet came out GREAT! The drawers (more like boxes with finger pulls; they’re kinda sweedish I guess) that crashed to the floor are completely in tact. A testament to the box joint my friends as they took a 5 foot fall. None of the joints on the cabinet itself broke either.

I was excited as much as I was relieved. I built something that did not and will not fall apart like a cheap piece of particle board, nancy-pants, plastic-veneered, so-called furniture! Thus, I was bolstered into fixing the stupid holes in the drywall right away and have devised a better, stronger, faster design idea which I’m about to work out in SketchUp. I fixed the walls tonight and have the nice Birch plywood on hand too. Can’t wait to get it done. It’s not the Thorsen table but it’s a woodworking project (I refuse to treat it as simple contruction as I will be facing the plywood and trimming the top and bottom of some new supports).

Alas, the cabinet will have a new home somewhere else as the new closet design won’t support it. At least the clothes are out of it and I can take a few photos now for the projects page.

Does drywall dust count as “makin’ dust” when wood is involved later?

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN