Completing the Bookcase: Friday Update
Here is what you have waited a week for. Final bookcase pictures!
I finished the bookcase last weekend after deciding to go without a base. I think it was the right decision after seeing the case all together in it’s final destination.
A view from behind showing off the sliding dovetails.
In place, with books, ready for use.
I put it in Ellie’s room on Monday, giving it a day to air out in the garage after finish. Ellie doesn’t nap, but she does take quiet time after lunch in which she usually plays in either her room, the play room, or a combination of both. The first day with her bookcase she stayed in her room, sat in her chair next to her new bookcase and read books for the entire quiet time. Needless to say, she loves it.
I don’t have many updates on the case. I didn’t have to do much after last week’s assembly other than some light sanding and cleanup. The one detail I did add was a little engraving to the bottom of the case, which I did pre-finish.
Finish
I had half a can of Osmo thin laying around, so I used that. The jury is still out on the type of wood. I was told it was Oregon ash, but it looks an awfully lot like red oak. I did research and found out that Oregon ash can have pink undertones, just like red oak, and that it’s pore structure is similar. I don’t know exactly what type of wood this is, but I did test an offcut with a little Osmo and I liked how it looked so I went with it.
The Osmo thin is easy to apply. Osmo is a hard wax oil which means it goes on like an oil finish but provides a more durable top coat, hence the wax, but all done in a single product. The thin stuff can be applied just like an oil, with a simple rag. I just rub the product on, let it sit for 30 minutes, and wipe off the excess with a clean rag. After letting it dry overnight I came back the next day and applied a second coat the exact same way.
Stool
The base was not all for not, I ended up making a top for it out of some scrap pieces of red oak I had laying around to turn it into a little stool for Ellie and Beckett to wash their hands. Beckett began potty training this weekend, making the stool a perfect gift for my two kids.
I decided to spray the stool with a water based polyurethane, which I prefer to do outdoors. While I was outside, Monday was a nice day so I brought out the fire pit to enjoy while I waited for coats to dry. Plus, the end of a project means I didn’t need to hold on to the small scrap pieces anymore, allowing me to empty my scrap wood bucket and my plane shaving bucket.
Video
With this project complete I could finally finish the video. Unfortunately, since I edit as I go, I had the old base edited into the video. You already know the outcome, I made the base into the stool and left the shelf on the ground, but let me know if you liked the original base, if you agree with the decision to not use it, or if you have a different idea all together. It’s not too late to add a base or legs.
This video took me a while to edit. Partially because I kept cutting it shorter and shorter. My first cut was 25 minutes, that’s out of probably 5 - 6 hours of footage. Then I cut it to 22, then to 19, then I added voiceover and graphics which I like to do after I have the video completely cut because it’s harder to move everything around. But I felt it was still a little long so I cut it to 18, then 17 and a half. Each cut requires a lot of adjusting and I probably could keep cutting, but I was tired of editing so I said I’ll stick with it and learn from this video to make the next one even better.
Hope you enjoyed this project! With the end of a project starts the beginning of another.
Stocking Trees
This week I start an easier build, stocking trees. If you don’t know what that is, I didn’t either, but my client described them as a garden obelisk, like I’ve already made, with hooks to hang stockings.
I am going to change the design for these. I wasn’t a fan of the top on my original design anyway. Rather than topping with a finial I will bring the four side boards together, cut at an angle so they terminate together and chamfer the top on all four sides.
The rest will remain the same, but be stained dark with a gel stain as I’m making these out of Douglas fir which, like many softwoods, does not take stain well.
Unfortunately, I do not have any process pictures for you yet. I ran into some problems with the wood I purchased. Nothing I can’t overcome, I needed to test first before sharing with you how I was able to fix this specific issue. I’ll end this week’s update on a cliff hanger, so tune in next week, same bat time and same bat place.