This Week in the Shop: The Library Book Nook

This Week in the Shop, I build a library book nook for my school. My school librarian came to me with her coffee bar theme for a renovated library and she wanted a circular book nook to take advantage of a certain space in the library. This book nook had to incorporate a column and reclaimed table top, be made under budget (roughly $500), have a professional look, design and materials. I looked at her requirements, looked at the space and said…yeah….I can do that. Follow along as I show you how! Installing a Laminate Countertop My toughest challenge was … Continue reading This Week in the Shop: The Library Book Nook

This Week in the Shop: The Fossil Cabinet

The Fossil CabinetThis Week in the Shop we build small cabinet. Cabinet making epitomizes fine woodworking, as it rewards accuracy, consistency, and attention to detail. Cabinets can be found in the workshop, in the kitchen, as furniture, as built-ins. Great cabinets add value to the home and definitely have the wow factor.

While cabinet making may seem like a inscrutable dark art, basic cabinets are a breeze to put together if you have a few select tools. This cabinet build relies on the table saw and the router and showcases the versatility of shellac as a finish.

This particular cabinet will hold my son’s growing fossil & gem collection. Shallow shelves with scoops hold common tool boxes. This would also be a great workshop project and the skills are transferable to other pieces.

DSC_7971

Continue reading “This Week in the Shop: The Fossil Cabinet”

This Week in the Shop: Playhouse and How To Play in It

I just finished my son(s, I’m expecting another next month) Christmas gift: an outdoor playhouse. I used a router on table to create a half inch wide dado for the cedar edging. A cedar post with a deck cap from Lowes provides the stability. This project had some interesting design challenges. First, I couldn’t build something permanent, as I’m a renter, not owner. Second, I had very limited indoor and outdoor space for this project. Designing in planes, using plywood, seemed to solve the space issue. Industrial velcro attaches the sides to the townhouse itself and provides good stability. The … Continue reading This Week in the Shop: Playhouse and How To Play in It