grumpy
Well-known member
A week or so ago, my middle son Brandon backed his truck into the barn.
He had an old, beat-up set of shelves, someone had given him.
He asked me if I could "fix" them for him. He wanted a book shelf for his room.
I looked them over pretty good. Man, oh man, they were junk! I told him.
"Son, those aren't worth the effort. They need to go to the burn pile."
I could see the disappointment on his face. Then, I offered. "If you'll give
me a few days, I'll make you a decent set of shelves."
His smile lit up his face. "Yes Sir! That'd be great Dad! Thanks so much."
I had an idea in the back of my mind on the materials I was going to use.
True.....If someone took a look at what I had to use, they'd figure that
stuff should go right alongside that junk Brandon had in the back of his truck.
Myself, I've never looked at "What is." I've always tried to see, "What might be."
One pile of scrap OSB gathered from a construction site. It makes good
nest boxes and stuff for the rabbitry. But, it could be more....with work.
Another pile of cast off lumber called "Dunnage" meaning it is of little value
beyond its original use. UGLY!!! On the outside. I could "see" what was inside.
Out of these two piles of "Ugly!", I began a labor of love to make something
"Pretty" for a son that is always there for me when I need a helping hand.
I cut the two sides exactly the same. Then laid out them out and marked
them to receive the three solid shelves.
The basic shelf frame is complete. I used braces to keep the unit square.
Next came the trim-stock I'd need to finish the book-shelf. I knew what the
Dunnage lumber could be if someone took the time and worked with it to
reveal what was underneath all of that "Ugly" exterior.
One 97" long piece of Dunnage. It was very rough, but relatively free of
knots. It was over 4" wide and 1 1/8th" thick.
Next came the reductions in length and widths. I'd need assorted sizes to
finish the book-shelves the way I had them figured in my mind.
A quick pass through the jointer to give me one good finished edge.
Next came equalizing the widths of both pieces of lumber to 4".
"Re-Sawing" is a bit tricky and more than a little dangerous. One slip and
you can say "good-bye" to at least one finger. Possibly two or more.
You can see the "pretty" under the "ugly" when you open the lumber up.
Getting that last piece exactly the same width as the previous gets, "Spooky"
But........in the end, it's all worth the effort. It's been quite a while since I've
taken the time to build a piece this precise. My son's got a book shelf that
will last him the rest of his life if he takes care of it.
I've still got to put the finish on it. Plus, I've got an idea for a decorative
piece to go on both sides. I'll post the finished product after it dries.
BTW: The four shelves are adjustable on 2" increments.
Thanks for looking. Hope you enjoyed it.
Grumpy.
He had an old, beat-up set of shelves, someone had given him.
He asked me if I could "fix" them for him. He wanted a book shelf for his room.
I looked them over pretty good. Man, oh man, they were junk! I told him.
"Son, those aren't worth the effort. They need to go to the burn pile."
I could see the disappointment on his face. Then, I offered. "If you'll give
me a few days, I'll make you a decent set of shelves."
His smile lit up his face. "Yes Sir! That'd be great Dad! Thanks so much."
I had an idea in the back of my mind on the materials I was going to use.
True.....If someone took a look at what I had to use, they'd figure that
stuff should go right alongside that junk Brandon had in the back of his truck.
Myself, I've never looked at "What is." I've always tried to see, "What might be."
One pile of scrap OSB gathered from a construction site. It makes good
nest boxes and stuff for the rabbitry. But, it could be more....with work.
Another pile of cast off lumber called "Dunnage" meaning it is of little value
beyond its original use. UGLY!!! On the outside. I could "see" what was inside.
Out of these two piles of "Ugly!", I began a labor of love to make something
"Pretty" for a son that is always there for me when I need a helping hand.
I cut the two sides exactly the same. Then laid out them out and marked
them to receive the three solid shelves.
The basic shelf frame is complete. I used braces to keep the unit square.
Next came the trim-stock I'd need to finish the book-shelf. I knew what the
Dunnage lumber could be if someone took the time and worked with it to
reveal what was underneath all of that "Ugly" exterior.
One 97" long piece of Dunnage. It was very rough, but relatively free of
knots. It was over 4" wide and 1 1/8th" thick.
Next came the reductions in length and widths. I'd need assorted sizes to
finish the book-shelves the way I had them figured in my mind.
A quick pass through the jointer to give me one good finished edge.
Next came equalizing the widths of both pieces of lumber to 4".
"Re-Sawing" is a bit tricky and more than a little dangerous. One slip and
you can say "good-bye" to at least one finger. Possibly two or more.
You can see the "pretty" under the "ugly" when you open the lumber up.
Getting that last piece exactly the same width as the previous gets, "Spooky"
But........in the end, it's all worth the effort. It's been quite a while since I've
taken the time to build a piece this precise. My son's got a book shelf that
will last him the rest of his life if he takes care of it.
I've still got to put the finish on it. Plus, I've got an idea for a decorative
piece to go on both sides. I'll post the finished product after it dries.
BTW: The four shelves are adjustable on 2" increments.
Thanks for looking. Hope you enjoyed it.
Grumpy.
