Another Rotating Bookcase

After trying BritBoxmaker’s method for making boxes and also using it to make a sewing tray http://lumberjocks.com/projects/72202, I realised that his system was ideal for making the central square columns of a rotary bookcase like the two I had made previously (http://lumberjocks.com/projects/38579 and http://lumberjocks.com/projects/55423 ).

I used the last remain pieces of the 1/4 inch veneered MDF for the two columns, and they came out beautifully square and with ‘perfect’ corner joints. I had been putting off making another bookcase because my original attempt needed some additional decorative (?) strips to hide the poor joints on the columns. This time it was a doddle, even though I accidentally set the fence incorrectly and had to scrap the first attempt as the middle 45 degree groove wasn’t in the middle, and I didn’t notice until after cutting the others.

I had some 3/4 inch thick veneered MDF left over from making some bookcases for my son http://lumberjocks.com/projects/58321 which I used for the shelves, and rather than the ‘basket-weave’ design for the top that took so much effort the last time, I inserted some sapele banding just to make the top a little more interesting. Again, sapele (from the ends left over from stock I cut to length and rounded for a friend repairing a garden seat) was used for the top and bottom edging.

I had to purchase a 12 inch lazy susan, and some oak to make the vertical strips and edge banding of the shelves, but that only came to about £30 in total, so the bookcase didn’t cost me much in the end – the circle of 14 inch ply on which it stands even came from the packing used on a bench drill!

Despite previously getting excellent finishes I had been having some problems with poor end results when using Danish Oil on some recent items, so I researched the topic to see where I had been going wrong. It turned out that I had been forgetting the ‘wiping off’ stage that should follow each application. It seems counter-intuitive that removing finish should give a more ‘glossy’ end result, but it certainly does!

Some Renaissance wax was used on the top.

I made the bookcase to display at a Christmas market being organised in our village by my wife, and it will accompany three of the sewing trays mentioned above, a small coffee table in process of construction, a couple of the BritBoxmaker boxes, and some reindeer to be made following Matthias Wandel’s design at http://woodgears.ca/reindeer – they were very popular last year.

-- Don, Somerset UK, http://www.donjohnson24.co.uk