Something about woodworking always relaxed me. It gives me peace of mind for idea generation and a break from the normal “grind” of day to day work so I can think clearer and more efficiently. Shaping the wood into something that may last for generations is a worthy goal – one worth putting time and energy into completion.
One great thing about the Internet is there seems to be no secrets when it comes to “How to” do something. For instance, I recently undertook a home project to build my son a nice bookcase for his room. Since he had outgrown his prior bookcases which were painted for a younger child, it was time to upgrade to something more mature.
My wife and mother both went out shopping for one and found some interesting ones (One even in the shape of a boat), but at $200 – $300 I basically overruled purchasing one. I knew I could not only build one, but build a better one than what was offered at the furniture stores.
Doing a google search for bookcase plans turned up loads of different bookcase plans – even for the boat bookcase we saw in the store for $250. So we browsed the various bookcases and decided on about 3. We got our son to give his opinion and I paid the $3.00 for the plans. The wood ended up costing $70 or so and some added supplied like new glue and stain upped the price to about $90 or $100
Here are some of the early pictures of the job:
Hmmm…I wonder if this big piece of wood can be a bookcase one day?
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Preparing the wood for “rip cutting” using a circular saw.
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This is a neat trick from the plans. Route out your shelving by lining up both sides and clamping them together. This ensures consistent and even shelf slots.
Technorati Tags: woodworking, DIY, Lifehacks
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I built a sort of desk this weekend myself.
It’s a version of something I saw on Trading Spaces.
Two sheets of 3/4″ ply glued and screwed together, and then Formica layed down on the top and edges. Flush trim with a router, and sit the whole thing on a couple of file cabinets. Use a hole saw for a couple of cable routes, and you have a super, huge, and cheap desk.
I needed something bigger now, and I was so tired of my other one.
Anyhow, I want to see the completed bookshelf.
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Why does it seem that there is a disproportionate number of IT folks that do WW as a hobby?
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B. Isn’t it great to build something useful?
John: Not sure, is there a true connection between IT people and woodworking?
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I don’t know for a fact that it’s true. Just seems that way to me, based on browsing the various ww forums on the internet. But I’m not the only person who has mentioned it.
If it’s even true, maybe it’s simply because IT woodworkers would be more inclined to participate in online forums.
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