More fun work

[SeaCat]

Okay so the wife and I are unhappy with the book case in the living room. It's too small and too dark for our tastes. So now I have decided it's time to replace it. Of course I'm going to make us a new one.

We measured the spot and found we could replace the 7 foot tall 30 inch wide book case with a 7 foot tall and 40 inch wide one. I decided on Aspen for it's light color and visible striations. (Not to mention it's weight and price.)

With that decided I thought about it and started to make it into a usual Cat project. In other words overly complicated and labor intensive.

I could whip up a book case in a day using screw in rails and plain boards. Where's the fun in that? Besides I don't have enough tools and I have a Router that hasn't been used yet.

Tomorrow morning I'll be pulling some one inch thick scrap out of the pile and playing with the router on it.

Tomorrow afternoon I'll start cutting the real wood.

Once the side boards are cut to length they will be hit with the router. I'll be cutting squared 3/4" by 1/4 inch deep channels into them with the router. Into these channels the shelves will be fit. The shelves will be held into place by 2 inch long pieces of dowel pounded into drilled holes.

All shelves will of course have railings just to make it look nice.

Of course this will mean I end up finally picking up a portable Drill Press. (I don't have one yet.) It will be a lot of work, sweat and maybe even some blood. A lot more work than is truly needed for a book case.

On the other hand if it turns out like I expect it to it will be damn near a work of art.

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

Well I pulled the Router out and sat down with the instruction book. It didn't take me long to figure out how to put in the Bits and adjust the depth of the cuts. A little bit more work than my ancient planes but what the hell.

I went out back and grabbed the Saw Horses and the plywood I use for a work bench. I also grabbed a four foot long section of 2x8 scrap wood. It was time to play with my new toy.

Well holy shit if this thing wasn't cutting grooves in the board in record times. I cut a 1/4 inch wide 1/4 inch deep groove all the way across the board in about two seconds. A couple of twists of the adjustment knob and I went through the cut again and it was half an inch deep. Shitski. With my plane it would take me about an hour to cut the same notch.

I did notice a tendancy for the router to wander a bit though. It wanted to take off on it's own. I thought about it and went out back again. I picked up some more scrap wood and put it in place after drawing some lines on the board.

It took a little measurement but I put these two pieces of scrap wood in place as fences for the Router. They wouldn't allow the router to move outside of either side of the wanted cut. (This cut was a one inch wide cut being done with a 1/4 inch Bit.) I clamped everything down and tried this one.

Oh man did this work nice. I could now keep the router inside the lines without effort. Back and forth I went cutting away the wood in the area I wanted. After an adjustment for depth I went over it again.

OKay now things were looking up.

Tomorrow morning I'll go out and pick up the lumber.

The only thing I have to get is a portable drill press.

Cat

 

[jomar]

I don't get the dowels if the shelves are held on place and supported by the routed grooves. Unless your talking about support from the back facing.

At any rate, why not run the router in two vertical strips up the inside of the side panels and put in those metal inserts that allow you to adjust the shelves with those clips. More complication and more trips to the store. Win-win!

 

[SeaCat]

I don't get the dowels if the shelves are held on place and supported by the routed grooves. Unless your talking about support from the back facing.

At any rate, why not run the router in two vertical strips up the inside of the side panels and put in those metal inserts that allow you to adjust the shelves with those clips. More complication and more trips to the store. Win-win!

Jomar,

The grooves are going to be 1/4 inch deep. Not quite deep enough by my reckoning to support the weight of the books on a forty inch long shelf. Because of this I will be tapping holes through the outer walls and into the shelves themselves. Into these holes I'll be driving two inch long dowels to help support everything.

Oh did I mention the entire thing will be made without the use of glue, screws or nails?

Cat

 

[Handley_Page]

Jomar,

The grooves are going to be 1/4 inch deep. Not quite deep enough by my reckoning to support the weight of the books on a forty inch long shelf. Because of this I will be tapping holes through the outer walls and into the shelves themselves. Into these holes I'll be driving two inch long dowels to help support everything.

Oh did I mention the entire thing will be made without the use of glue, screws or nails?

Cat

You been talking to Bear again ?

 

[SeaCat]

You been talking to Bear again ?

Nope, should I ask why?

I'm the kind who enjoys this kind of thing for relaxation. Although I must admit it would be a much easier job to do if I had a little thing called a work shop and didn't do this work in front of the trailer on the walkway.

Cat

 

[jomar]

Jomar,

The grooves are going to be 1/4 inch deep. Not quite deep enough by my reckoning to support the weight of the books on a forty inch long shelf. Because of this I will be tapping holes through the outer walls and into the shelves themselves. Into these holes I'll be driving two inch long dowels to help support everything.

Oh did I mention the entire thing will be made without the use of glue, screws or nails?

Cat

You're right, it wouldn't hold. I assume by outer walls you also mean the back. Sounds like a fun project.

 

[SeaCat]

You're right, it wouldn't hold. I assume by outer walls you also mean the back. Sounds like a fun project.

Yep, sides and back.

I am also thinking about but haven't yet decided on creating a support down the length of each of the middle shelves. (I'm thinking cutting a half inch wide by 1/4 inch deep notch down the length of each of the center shelves and nesting in a 1x1. Just to give each shelf a little more strength. Books even Paperbacks get heavy when they add up.)

Oh, each of the center three shelves will have a railing on it. The same type of railing I put on the last bookcase I made. (You can see it in this picture.)

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj79/Seacat_01/Picture090.jpg

Cat

 

[SeaCat]

I'm thinking of making myself a Table Saw instead of spending the money to buy one.

I'm thinking a couple of 4x4 sheets of one inch thickness should do to make the top of it. Bolt the two sheets together after cutting in a hole for the saw in the bottom sheet then use flat head bolts to hold my SkilSaw in place.

I'll be able to set up Rails as needed.

Naturally it won't have all of the bells and whistles of a store bought one like adjustable blade depth and slots for the protractor but it also won't cost me over $100.00.

Cat