As promised we built the prototype for the shelving today. A special nod to House in Progress for the words of encouragement. By the looks of it, the tub got a thorough working this weekend.
The project:
Biscuit joiner worked amazingly. I was very surprised how effortless it was to slot the holes. We had better luck cutting the ends of the 3/4" ply than perpendicular center slots. The factory preset for end cutting is perfect for the 3/4 thickness. After finishing (and after doing a bit more reading) we found out how, by using the fence they include, to better make the butt joint slot in the center of the board a much more effective method than what we ended up doing to them. We used #10 biscuits and slotted it together before gluing. The end caps, again owing to the perpendicular cuts, are at least a 1/16" off. But for a first go I was quite pleased with the results.
Having no long clamps to put it together was the other problem. As we needed presher inward from the ends, we needed clamps at least as long as the almost 7' height. We used nylon twine instead. Trussing it up like a pheasant the cord provided an excellent means of tension. I have to admit that when we were out shopping for parts for project two I did purchase two nylon band ratchets that extend to 14'. We tested one out on the piece that is curing in the kitchen and it's perfect for the cabinet assembly line to come.
After assembling and gluing it in the back yard it gave us a bit of food for thought for how we might use it. We hung out in the kitchen and sketched some slightly revised ideas for the library on the white board. Having the object around really helped to better understand how it could be used.
Project two for the day is somewhat of a temporary thing that could hang around quite while. The inside of the foyer of the house is very dark. The light switches are a ways up the hall when you enter in the dark. Hence, we installed a motion detector sensor. Gadgety as hell but it is both nice to have a light that 1) comes on when you go to look for a coat and 2) comes on immediately when you open the door coming in.
The last notion for the day is this. We started talking about plywood floors. Sort of like giant parquet. Right now we have them being 4'x4' square in a checker board pattern of cherry and perhaps birch (or perhaps a slightly harder wood ply). Just a notion. The info I need to look for is this-- has anyone successfully done this [read: doesn't look like an awry architecture student project] in the past? I guess I have something to surf for should I get trapped on a conference call this week.
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