| Project by Mark D. | posted 1931 days ago | 1046 views | 0 times favorited | 13 comments |  |
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Hi All, My girlfriends dad gave me one of those little combo sets of powertools from Craftsman for Christmas. As this is my first set of tools(that doesn’t include screw drivers, wire strippers, and RJ45 crimpers) I knew it was time to start building something. My girlfriend and I had been looking for a shelf to hold some knick knacks for quite some time, but it seemed everything we found looked too mass produced or was way out of the realm of what I would spend on a horizontal board stuck to the wall… That’s when it hit me…. why not just build it?!
So, I went up to the big box and started looking at their lumber section and decided on a nice stick of poplar I saw… It had a great grain pattern and it was straight as an arrow, and, the price was low enough for me to feel comfortable cutting it in bits with the possibility of needing to double the cost to finish the shelf :-)
The whole shelf is constructed of 1×8 poplar, with a 3/4 square lip around the top edge, no fancy joinery was used, just some countersunk brass screws. The design for the bottom was free-handed on a scrap of carboard from a package of one of my son’s toys(drew half the design and flipped it in the middle.) The finish is Minwax – “Golden Oak” applied in two coats followed by three coats of hand rubbed paste wax. This baby’s smooooooth…
So what did I learn from this project? Handheld powertools ultimately made this project more difficult. With the time it took to get everything set-up, aligned, get the makeshift fence in place, etc I probably could have crosscut the boards, used a coping saw to cut the details, aligned, drilled, and assembled the shelf… But, lesson learned.
-- Looking for free wood working plans? Visit us at www.AwlFreePlans.com
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13 comments so far
Scott Bryan
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27262 posts in 1989 days
#1 posted 1931 days ago
This is a nice project. This is a fine start to your woodworking journey. Lacking the big tools would have been an easy excuse to procrastinate on starting the project. Instead you built a nice piece of furniture with only basic hand tools.
I like the design on the bottom.
Thanks for the post. Now that you are on a roll what is next on your list?
-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine
Mark D.
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155 posts in 1935 days
#2 posted 1931 days ago
Next is a workbench… Another determination I made from this project is that two sawhorses and thin plywood make a horrible workbench…. I will be posting another project page with photos and details…
-- Looking for free wood working plans? Visit us at www.AwlFreePlans.com
GaryK
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10263 posts in 2155 days
#3 posted 1931 days ago
Workbench is the thing!
-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX
MsDebbieP
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#4 posted 1931 days ago
you did a great job!!
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
CharlieM1958
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#5 posted 1931 days ago
Great job!
Now for the bad news:
Since you have most likely been bitten by the woodworking bug, this little shelf is going to end up costing you thousands of dollars over the next few years as you will continuously discover tools you just cannot live without. :-)
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Grumpy
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17839 posts in 2018 days
#6 posted 1931 days ago
Theres always a good excuse to buy new tools Mark, the more you get the more you want (works for me anyway). But at the end of the day its best to keep things simple as simplicity shines through. welcome to Lumberjocks.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
gene
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#7 posted 1931 days ago
Yep!! Hooked another one. Nice job Mark.
God bless
-- Gene, a Christian in Virginia
shawnseanderson
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25 posts in 1931 days
#8 posted 1931 days ago
Well, the projects that the wife needs done require the correct tools. Don’t they? that got me the drill press and a jointer.
;-)
-- Shawn, Washington, No really, its a work in progress.
Mark D.
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155 posts in 1935 days
#9 posted 1931 days ago
Yeah, I told her I need a 10” cabinet saw to build the toy box and changing table she’s begging for… Her first words were “How much are those?” To which I responded “eh, just over a grand… maybe I could buy it when I get my tax return?” That sealed the deal… she agreed it would be a good purchase… now… about that jointer, thickness planer and arsenal of lie nielsen planes I want to buy… oh and did I mention those Japanese bench chisels? and maybe we could expand the garage! and… and… :-)
-- Looking for free wood working plans? Visit us at www.AwlFreePlans.com
rikkor
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#10 posted 1931 days ago
Oh yeah! We got you!
clieb91
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#11 posted 1931 days ago
LOL… Welcome aboard Mark. The shelf looks great.
Just remember along with all of those tools come more items on the to build list. I need to build something just keep track of mine.
CtL
-- Chris L. "Don't Dream it, Be it."
Beginningwoodworker
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#12 posted 1648 days ago
Looks for your first project!
-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker
ChuckC
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#13 posted 947 days ago
Great looking shelf!
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