January Projects Finished

[Pete Schupska]

Well I finished off a few projects that I've had planned or started for a while. The ladder shelf is all cherry, and by far the largest piece I've built to date. Certainly learned a lot during its construction, and there are a few points I'm not so happy with, but live and learn.

For example: I need more practice gluing up panels, I also need to be more realistic about complicated joints. Each shelf edge has a rabbet to accept the shelf, and the back corners are mitered. I really struggled to keep those joints tight. If I were to do it again, that would definitely have a redesign. Also, I need more patience in glue ups. As it is now, I caved and set each shelf with screws as I had a hard time keeping the long legs tight across the length, even a slight bow popped the glue joints within a day of curing...

The apothecary drawers are modified from a Popular Woodworking plan for a Shake spice cabinet. I doubled the width of the drawers, and increased the thickness of all the members from 1/2 to 3/4. This was my first stab at drawers, and again I learned a lot. Also my first time using masonite/hardboard for any piece (the back and drawer bottoms). Materials here were soft/sugar maple and walnut for the drawer fronts. The pulls are also maple. I'm not real happy with the color, and I finishing is still a weak point.

Finally the walnut shelf is a variant on a cherry version I made a few months back. This is a gift for my brother and sister in law. This is a nice quick project, and something I'll build again in some variation or another.

Sorry for the rambling, but I've found it helpful to reflect on my struggles from each project I complete as I consider how to improve my skill-set.

Be ruthless, I can take it.

[John Keeton]

Pete, good job on the projects. The ladder shelf and the walnut shelf both came out very nice.

On glueups, the best advice is to break down the project into subassemblies. On the ladder shelf, perhaps glue one side to all the shelves, then glue the other side. A good glue joint should withstand just about any force, and in fact, the wood should fail before the joint.

On the spice cabinet, like you, I don't particularly like the color. Maple and walnut, without stain, are a perfect combination. I think I would have left them natural.

[Pete Schupska]

Completely agree on the colors. I'm still enamored with any combination of maple, walnut or cherry in their natural color state. This was a situation where I was trying to match some existing furniture, but immediately regretted that decision. Oh well, maybe this one is destined for a gift...


I've been looking for a project to justify a small purchase in butternut...

[John Keeton]

I've been looking for a project to justify a small purchase in butternut...

Pete, bad thought process!!! Don't ever look for justification to buy wood! Just do it - the opportunity to use it will always arise in due time! Whenever I find wood at a good price, I always buy and store it. I have never seen it decline in value so long as you are able to maintain the integrity of the wood with proper storage.

[John Thompson]

Good start Pete... mastering joinery is not something you can purchase at Woodcraft on Sale! It comes with hands-on experience. You will learn from trial and experience what works and what doesn't with joinery.. finish.. etc. I could build a house with wood from early errors from 1972 to 1981.. it's just part of the journey IMO.

Keep pushing forward...