Shelf Done - Project #8

   The design was very good, the materials were mostly recycled. When was all said and done, one leg needed a little bit of shimming. I'm actually pretty pleased.  Eva is quite pleased. Her space is much nicer in which to work and the old desk that was there with stuff piled on it can be moved upstairs in front a window.  A win-win situation all around.

  On Tuesday I bought 3/4" plywood so the actual shelves are okay.  The frame is old 2x4 and pretty much worse for wear. ( half hockey stick, half airplane propeller). However, the unit is very sturdy and already getting loaded down with coloured glass and related gear.  The rough guess for weight was the load bearing shelves would have to carry hundreds of pounds once filled so everything is heavily engineered.  Interestingly once the unit was put into the corner and loaded down it works perfectly.

  If you look closely at the construction you will see that all but the top shelf directly supported with wood, not just screwed into place.  Now that the kiln has found it home I will make a support to go underneath the bottom shelf in the middle so there are supporting legs every two feet. 

  There are little touches that I included that I put on any kind of unit like this.  The back of the shelves have a two inch piece of trim so that things can't fall off the back of the shelf if pushed too far. Each shelf has an enclosed ends so that is can be used to the very edge without things falling off. You really don't want bits of glass falling behind the shelves or off the end onto the concrete floor.  The upright dividers are held in place by pocket holes rather than just screwing though the shelf into the end grain of the plywood.(construction grade). 

  The goal was to make a solid, serviceable  storage unit and anticipate the needs and uses so that it will not have to be replaced or repaired any time soon.  The rugged appearance and low cost are just bonuses.

  Two follow up notes:

1. I didn't miss the table saw at all in this project.  I used my sliding mitre saw, jig saw, band saw and circular saw. Maybe it was a little slower to finish this, but not much.  

2. 

  This is the painting that is on the right hand wall.  My Mother's Mother painted it in the 1970's.  It is a landscape with a small camp (cottage) in the forest near Espanola Ontario. I live in the city now but still love the north.

cheers, ianw

Big Project, Stained Glass Shelving Unit - project #8

My wife makes lovely stained glass projects. 

  Stained glass has its own set of tools and materials.  My wife has accumulated many pieces of coloured glass, grinders, patterns and a kiln.  I made her a rolling storage unit Feb.3rd 2016 and she has out grown it, so it is time to make another larger unit.

  I have a plan, drawn by Eva to fit a particular space in her work area. 

  I'm about half way through building the shelving unit. Designing storage for glass must always account for the weight of the sheets and pieces of glass.  Once this unit is filled with 12 by 12 sheets of glass it will be carrying 100's of pounds.  To insure the shelves can carry the weight without twisting or sagging  it is framed in 2 by 4 lumber,

 with 3/4 inch shelving. The 2 by 4s are left over from construction work at our kid's house so much of the lumber requires attitude adjustment with clamps before it can be screwed together. Since this unit sits in the back of the basement and will be soon covered with glass and gear its minor eccentricities can be ignored, mostly.

 Once this unit is installed it will enable Eva to work much more comfortably and to enjoy even more making her projects.

  Interestingly this unit is being built without a table saw,  I used my circular saw, (Jan 23rd 2017) to cut some of the plywood to size. It needed set up which makes it slower than using a table saw, but...the result was good.   I really can see a shop  without a table saw. Getting rid of my table saw will free up serious floor space. Space is always at a premium in a small shop, you can see that I am building the shelf unit in the family room for lack of space in my shop.

cheers, ianw