Melinda's Classroom Bookcase

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Melinda and "Uncle Neighbor"

The daughter of our good friend's and neighbor's, Melinda, recently finished her teaching credential program and accepted a 5th grade teaching position near Salinas, Calif. She asked if I would build a front facing bookcase for her new classroom. She thought it was a great idea to capture the attention of kids and spark their interest to read. I agreed, and then we both decided on size, material and finish.

Baltic Birch Plywood, 4/4 Maple and Plans

I used the internet to get some ideas, and then along with Melinda's ideas and drawing, I sketched up a plan and made a pattern. A good friend that has a cabinet shop was able to donate materials for the project. He was generous enough to give a sufficient amount of 1/2 inch thick Baltic birch plywood and maple hardwood. 

As the name implies, the birch is grown and the plywood is manufactured in the Baltic regions of Russia and Finland. It is a favorite of cabinetmakers because of the high quality birch and  glued veneers without spaces or voids. The outside faces have a flawless smooth surface that finish nicely.

Measuring and cutting the sides to length

All the parts were cut to their finished sizes using the table saw. I'm sometimes asked by people,"What piece of woodworking equipment should I buy first?" My answer is the table saw. It is the heart of any woodworking shop. The various operations the table saw can perform efficiently and accurately are too numerous to list here. 

Cutting the Tapered Angle on the Side

Once the parts were cut to size, I cut the angle on the two sides using a portable jig saw guided by a fence. The fence was clamped parallel to the cut line. This ensured an accurate straight line cut. The purpose of the masking tape was to prevent the face veneer from splintering as the blade cut on the up motion. 

Router with Rounding Over Bit

All the exposed edges of the bookcase were rounded over with the router. This gave a more finished look and prevented the edges from splintering. After the rounding over, I sanded all the parts and prepared for the assembly.

Shelves and Backs forming  "Steps"

Pocket Screw Jig

Assembling Shelf to the Back

The assembly began with attaching the shelves to the backs. Pocket holes were drilled on the underside of the shelf and then fastened with glue and screws. Using the pocket hole jig and stopped drill is a fast and efficient method of joinery. The jig allows the hole to be drilled at the correct angle and depth.

Once the shelves and backs were put together, they were all joined to form the "steps" with glue and screws. I left all the screws exposed because they would only be seen from the backside of the bookcase. The final assembly step was to attach the sides to the "steps" using glue and screws from the backside. 

I did some final sanding and applied three coats of clear polyurethane for a semi-gloss finish.

Lucy, my shop assistant, provided me invaluable help during the construction of the project. Her attention to detail was indispensable.

Box Making

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Walnut Keepsake Box

I built this keepsake box to showcase contrasting woods and exposed joinery. To improve the photography, I recently purchased a 50mm lens for my Canon DSLR camera. This allows more creative control of the depth of field to blur the background and enable the subject to stand out.

The box is made from 4/4 walnut that was surfaced to half an inch. The exposed splines on the corners are made of maple. 

Rough Cutting Walnut Stock

After drawing the plan and calculating dimensions, I cut the walnut to rough lengths or lengths slightly larger than required. I enjoy using hand tools for this step because I like the "old school" feel to woodworking. 

Grooves for the Offset Box Lid

After the parts were sized, grooves were cut along the length of the parts. This facilitates the offset lip on the box that seats the lid in place. After the grooves were cut, the parts were cut to finish lengths with 45 degree miters on the ends using the power miter saw. 

Box Sides Glued and Ready for Assembly

The next step was gluing and clamping. Clear packing tape was laid out on the workbench with the sticky side up. The pieces were laid out end to end and aligned with a straight edge on to the tape. Glue was then applied to the mitered ends. The pieces were formed in a rectangular box shape clamped with the packing tape. The tape was removed a couple of hours later and the glue was allowed to cure overnight. This was my first experience gluing and clamping using this method and I was pleasantly surprised how easy and efficient it was.

Splined Miter Slots

Slot Cutting Jig for the Table Saw

After the glue cured, two slots were cut on each corner of the box to accommodate the maple splines. Miter joints 

 are typically not very strong. Strength to the miter joints was added by the splines in addition to the decorative look. It was necessary to build a jig for the box corner to be held in place for the cut made by the dado blades. The box was held in place in the 90 degree "V," then guided in the jig through the blades with the rails that fit in the table slots parallel to the blades.

The maple triangular splines were cut slightly oversize, glued and sanded to fit flush with the box sides.

Top and Bottom Glued to the Box

Edge Trimmed Flush on the Router Table

The top and bottom were cut slightly oversize and glued and clamped. Once the glue has cured, the edges were trimmed flush to the box. It's very difficult to cut the parts to the exact size of the box and glue and clamp. Cutting the parts oversized and using a flush trim router bit set up on the router table is much easier and efficient.

Lid Cut from the Box

I like to use the table saw to cut the lid from the box. I raised the blade to cut nearly through the box sides leaving a small amount to cut with a sharp utility knife after completing the saw cuts.

I rounded over all edges of the box with a 3/8" radius round over router bit set up on the router table. The box was sanded progressively with 120 grit, 150 grit and 180 grit sand paper to a smooth clean surface.

Walnut has its own natural color, so a simple clear satin finish was all that was necessary. Three coats of satin polyurethane gel was used to give the walnut a rich warm look. 

Quilt Top Keepsake Box

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I recently built this keepsake box that is inspired by Early American quilts. The "tumbling block" effect is created by assembling small wood blocks in a geometric pattern. Each piece is cut from a different type of wood and laid into a recess on the lid so the grain and color add distinction to the pattern.

Plans and Materials for the Keepsake Box

I found the plan for the box in an issue of a woodworking magazine that I subscribe to. The instructions and drawings were pretty clear and with some left over materials from previous projects, I got started. The box sides and ends are maple and the top and bottom are made from 1/4" birch veneer plywood. I used cherry, walnut and maple for the quilt pattern.

Mitered Joint Reinforced with a Spline 

The first step was to plane the thickness and to cut the sides and ends to the finish width. Next, grooves were cut to accommodate the top and bottom and for the lid to interlock with the box to hold it in place. The sides and ends were cut to length with a 45 degree miter on each end. For the box to be square, the opposite sides needed to be the exact same length. The miter joints that join the box are reinforced with splines that fit into slots cut on the ends of the pieces. Miter joints are typically not a very strong joint, so the spline adds strength and helps with alignment.

Router Set Up for Cutting Spline Slots 

Spline Slot Cutting on the Miter Joint

The slot was cut with a 1/8" diameter straight router bit. The bit was set to cut a 1/4" depth on the router table. The mitered end was lowered into the bit against the stop block and fed to the opposite stop block.

Glued Up Box

Gluing and clamping was fairly easy since the lid was cut from the box later. The folding rule was used to measure the box diagonally. If the two diagonals are equal then the corners are 90 degrees or square...something I remember from 10th grade geometry class many years ago.

Interlocking Lid and Bottom

Once the glue dried on the box, the next step was to cut the lid free with the table saw. Four cuts were made around the box between two opposite offset grooves to form the interlocking lid. 

Cutting a "Tumbling Block" Piece on the Table Saw with the Miter Gage

After the box was completed, the next step was to cut the various parts to create the "tumbling block" quilt effect. The blocks were cut to squares, rectangles, triangles, diamond shapes and parallelograms. The table saw with a sled attached to the miter gauge was used to cut the various shapes. Sandpaper glued to the sled kept the pieces in place. The pencil eraser held the pieces securely against the fence without getting fingers too close to the blade.

Rounding Over Pieces With a "Zero Clearance" fence on the Router Table

Fitting the blocks to form the Quilt Pattern

After the pieces were cut and fit to form the "tumbling block" quilt pattern, they were numbered and rounded over with a 1/8" radius round-over router bit. Because the pieces were so small, a special "zero clearance" fence was made and fastened to the router table with double sided tape. The purpose of the rounded edges was to create a "shadow" line to hide any edges the don't fit perfectly together. The pieces were then sanded and glued in place.

The box was sanded with 120 grit and 180 grit to a clean smooth surface. I applied three coats of tung oil to create a traditional hand rubbed finish.

Building the box with an intricate pattern on top was an exercise in patience and a fun challenge to my woodworking skills. It has already provided interesting conversation.

Jigs and Fixtures

Jigs and Fixtures are work-holding or support devices that I often use in woodworking.  

In some cases they are used to safely guide a tool or workpiece to a correct position. They can be used to enable multiple parts to be made to the same specification. Basically, they are used to maintain quality and maximize efficiency.

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Workpiece Set Up in Dado Jig with Center Board

The dado joint jig is designed to guide the plunge router to cut perfectly straight dado and groove joints in the correct location. The work piece is set up in the frame with the center board used to align the center of the joint. Care is taken to securely clamp the jig and workpiece for safety and accuracy.

Plunge Router Set Up in Dado Jig

The plunge router is placed between the rails at the end of the joint, then lowered to the preset depth of a quarter inch and pulled to the opposite end.

Completed Dado Joint

Perfectly straight and uniform dado joints are cut to receive the adjoining pieces for strength and alignment.

Table Saw Crosscut Sled

I recently modified my crosscut sled to make it a little more efficient to improve accuracy. The sled makes crosscutting large pieces on the table saw much easier and safer. I extended the rear rail to add more support when cutting long pieces.

Tenon Jig

I like to use mortise and tenon joinery on some my woodworking projects. This jig makes cutting the tenon much easier and accurate. The box is attached to the miter jig that is square to the blade. Multiple passes are made with the final pass made with the end resting against the adjustable stop block.

Belt Sander Fixture

Sanding Curves with Belt Sander

This fixture is one of my favorites. Sanding convex curves evenly has been a challenge. I looked into purchasing a belt/disc sander and they range from 120 to 200 dollars. I have a portable belt sander and with a few pieces of scrap lumber I fashioned a stationary sanding machine that meets my needs. Money saved!

SJFWA Christmas Toy Project 2011

The San Joaquin Fine Woodworkers Assn has once again crafted 6,000 Christmas toys for disadvantaged children here in the San Joaquin Valley. I've been helping since August both with the group and at home. A lot of folks donate time and money to this very worthwhile  community project. 

Doll Cradle Ends Cut, Shaped, and Sanded

Guylan's Toddler Stool

I built another toddler stool for the grandson of our close Nashville friends, Jackie and Scott. He seems pretty happy with his new piece of furniture.

Guylan 

Wedding Keepsake Boxes

Our daughter in law, Amy asked if I could build a box that would be placed by the guest book to collect cards at the wedding in San Francisco this past September. I chose cherry wood because of it's rich warm look. In time, it develops a beautiful patina that can't be duplicated. 

Three weeks later, the daughter of close family friends, Sarah Cantlon, was married in St Louis. It seemed appropriate to build a similar box to take as a wedding gift.

Both brides are very appreciative and feel it's a wonderful way to store and  
cherish wedding keepsakes.