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Mission Style Bookcase |
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Notches
that nest over the shelf pins prevent the shelf from sliding
when books are placed on it. |
As
mentioned previously, I designed the moveable shelves with a wider
upright back piece that rests against the vertical-frame members
and prevents books from slipping off. One thing I didn't consider
was the force of sliding books onto the shelves; there was nothing
in my design to prevent the entire shelf from sliding out the
back. I didn't discover this until I had already finished the
piece and brought it up to the living room — another reminder
to do any functional testing at the dry-fit stage! To resolve
this, in the bottom of each shelf I cut small notches that nest
over the shelf pins. A chisel and router plane made quick work
of these and they were easily finished with a shellac-soaked
cotton swab. I strongly believe that last-minute fixes and problems
converted into "design features" are essential parts
of being a good woodworker.
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The
finished bookcase reflects some of the design features
of the rocker, while retaining its own charm and appeal.
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Since
the bookshelf doesn't require the same abrasion resistance as
a chair, I finished it with fume-friendly and easy-to-apply
shellac instead of the thicker, more durable alkyd resin varnish
used on the rocker. The walnut portions were finished with amber
shellac, which warms the walnut color and is close to the amber-colored
varnish on the chair. The cherry pieces were finished with blonde
shellac, so there's practically no color to interfere with the
gorgeous natural darkening that will occur over time. I rubbed
the entire shelf with paste wax applied using fine synthetic
steel wool that smoothes the topcoat and gives a pleasant satin
sheen.
I'm
very satisfied with this project — it looks great next
to the rocker and the adjustable shelves make loading easy.
I suspect a cherry and walnut end table with wedged through
tenons might be on my to-do list soon...
Andy Newhouse |
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Other Articles from this Issue |
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