First project: Bookcase #1

It looks great. I like your joinery.

One of my first projects, years ago, was a bookcase – virtually built on the dining room table with hand tools. It’s still in use at my daughter’s house.

Be sure to sign it somewhere, with the date.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"

thanks!

good idea… maybe on the side of the bottom tenon/leg.

yeah, the good thing about bookcases is that they’re always useful!

What kind of “stain” did you use ? You only mentioned the minwax oil and why did you change the application process . Sounds like you made more work for yourself by doing it that way . The whole reason for using the oil is that it soaks into the fibers of the wood and protects it that way instead of just sitting on top of the wood like poly does . The bookcase looks good overall .

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

I think it looks great!

You have pointed out a couple of place where you were dissatisfied with the results. These can be areas to concentrate on the next project. As you gain experience, you will be happier with your results.

Very nice
Like the lines and look
Make sure you sing and date it
remember we are not just building something
we are creating a heirloom

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking

Dusty: thanks. I guess what I was trying to achieve was a super thin film application. Something in between oil and poly. I’d read about wiping on multiple super-thin applications of the minwax antique oil to avoid having the oil pop back up again. It was kind of a lot of work, but compared to the shelves I finished with poly, it was very easy – didn’t have to worry about brush marks, and a lot less about dust and such. But I guess that would be the case with the usual approach as well.

as far as the soaking in goes, different parts of the wood acted differently. The denser and lighter color areas didn’t absorb as much (and formed a somewhat thicker film on top), while the less dense and more figured parts absorbed much more and so that surface has more wood texture.

the “stain” was minwax poly-stain mix. Although the color is nice, I wouldnt use it again. It doesn’t offer any advantage that I can see, and trying to keep the finish film thin also made the stain less dark than I had originally intended.

so in the future: I’ll try the conventional oil-varnish method, “stain only” stains, and possibly just oil finish – something like this won’t be getting too much wear.

I think it looks great…you did a very nice job..I like the look of poplar when the green goes to brown. I’ve seen it stained, haven’t done it myself yet and it looks good.

-- Todd, Oak Ridge, TN, Hello my name is Todd and I'm a Toolholic, I bought my last tool 10 days, no 4 days, oh heck I bought a tool on the way here! †

This looks pretty good to me. Poplar can be a challenge to stain because of its tendency to blotch, similar to pine and the inevitable greenish cast that some of the wood shows. But yours looks real good. I like the contrasting stains as well. This adds to the visual interest of the bookcase.

Nice job.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

oh yeah, the blotching – i read about that and took the precaution of putting a layer of regular finish on before the stain. that could also be what made the stain kind of light.

as far as the coloring of the wood, the part that was stained was probably the most uniform piece of the lot, without any of the green or purple bits to it. just nice straight grain.

That’s really cool. A great first project!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Nice bookcase.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

I love the design. Did you come up with it on your own, or is it from a plan/magazine?

great design! And a job well done. I’m impressed.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Q – the design is from http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/contemporary_bookshelves and the joinery is modified by me.

Aaron: I like yours better

Love your project. I have the plans from popular woodworking sitting on my desk x 2 wks waiting for time to get to the lumber shop for wood and then to build it.
It will be my first “large” project too.
Thanks for including pictures. I was planning the dado modification too.

-- Ellen on Cape Cod

After seeing the original plan for this item , I must say that you’ve really stepped it up for the more experienced woodworker to appreciate . : ) I might go so far as to make stopped dadoes if I can get off of my lazy @$$ and into the shop ! I have a beautiful piece of Black Walnut that I’m thinking about sacrificing for the upright on this project and also some Tiger Maple for the shelves , but I’d have to glue that up first . I would also have to add adjustable feet to the project as my floors are far from level here due to the former owners decision to sand the floors by themselves : ( Have a great day and thanks for the inspiration : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Nice job Aaron. It is hard to make poplar look so good! When I first looked I thought it might have been walnut.

I have a great friend down here in Florida who graduated from WVU. He has his own business and specializes in custom doors. RossWoodworking.com

-- Cuz

thanks. yeah, in the end i’m pleased with the results of the stain. fairly uniform, dark enough for contrast, but it doesnt obscure the grain pattern a bit.