First project, a shelf.


bushwacked

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My first project .. A shelf for my baby girl supposedly coming next weekend.

I am still debating on adding .. Face boards? To the front to give it a cleaner look. With everything glued up now I would probably have to use a brad nailer or something to attach it. I think it would be a pain now to try anything other. Yes the shelves are different sizes do to certain needs. I don't think it looks all that bad with the spacing. But what do I know haha.

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Now I do have some questions. I routed the front facing shelving but it does kinda look strange since nothing else is routed.

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Should I sand down the edges and add some front panels to it to cover the ugly MDF? Like inch wide pieces around the edges?

Then next question .. Do I use wood filler to place in the cracks and spaces? Then sand to make them blend in?

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Thoughts on what I can work on and improve ... I mean besides improving on everything.

I still need to sand the finish it using Marc's method of basic finishing. Also .. How strong are my glue joints on the shelves? Will they hold together fine or should I add screws or something?

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Your shelve joints are going to be strong enough to hold it together. But if you are about to put 300 lbs of books on this bookshelf then your book shelf will become structurally compromised quickly. If you are going to use it to store diapers and vaporizer then its fine. 

 

Since your edges are MDF and are exposed and have been rounded as well. Then frankly I think this might be a good candidate for paint, either spraying or brush. 

 

You can also cut some strips of wood to edge band the flat parts, but the rounded shelf front is a lost cause when it comes to putting on edging.

 

If you are worried that the rounded front looks odd, you could always take a file and just gentle the edge of the shelf into the side support.

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That's a great first project. I'm worried though that your baby might wiggle around and fall off the shelf.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Haha if that happened the wife would kill me!!

Your shelve joints are going to be strong enough to hold it together. But if you are about to put 300 lbs of books on this bookshelf then your book shelf will become structurally compromised quickly. If you are going to use it to store diapers and vaporizer then its fine.

Since your edges are MDF and are exposed and have been rounded as well. Then frankly I think this might be a good candidate for paint, either spraying or brush.

You can also cut some strips of wood to edge band the flat parts, but the rounded shelf front is a lost cause when it comes to putting on edging.

If you are worried that the rounded front looks odd, you could always take a file and just gentle the edge of the shelf into the side support.

Thanks!

Would the strips of wood need to be 3/4 to match the thickness of the plywood or could I do like an 1 - 1 1/2 strips for just a little over hang? The file the rounded edges that will get in the way down in that area to flatten it out?

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A solid sheet of ply or mdf on the back will add a lot of sgructural integrity. A face frame on the front would add a lot as well, but would be difficult to do unless you flatten those rounded edges. It looks you chose a veneer faced mdf, with intentions of having a woodgrain finish, but unless you come up with a way to cover the exposed mdf edges, my personal opinion is that paint would be a better choice. If you choose to paint it, wood filler or even 'Bondo' , will fill the gaps nicely.

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How would I go about connecting it to the back of it is all connected and glued? Just cut some pieces to size and glue them in? They would not have any jointery to help though.

As far as the face frame I think it would be a nightmare for me to try and flatten haha. I may go with the painting approach though. That seems to be the only way to really cover up some of these mistakes.

Although I can say this one has taught me a lot already on what to make and do better on the next one.

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Assuming all pieces in the back are flush, you can attach a sheet of ply by simply putting glue on the back of the book shelf everywhere it will touch the plywood and then lay it down on the plywood. Clamp if needed, but the weight of the shelf will probably be enough. Keep I mind that edge grain to edge grain glue joints are stronger then metal connections.

Having a face frame bigger then the shelf will look odd.

As for the file, you would just need to be careful if you decide to gentle the rounded edge into the flat sides and try to keep it even.

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Regarding a full back, even though it will only attach to the sides, it will still add a lot of strength to the box, and prevent racking. A very thin piece of sheet stock will do wonders. If you want to shelves to have extra support as well, you might consider running the box through a tablesaw to bring the sides and shelves back into the same plane.

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Looking good. Any fuzz?

 

 

there is a little ... I assume you are talking about on the MDF? 

 

I figured a few coats of killz on it and then a gentle sanding should get rid of it? This wood does love to drink up the killz though ... I did not dilute my first 2 coats so it wouldnt take me 20 coats to cover up the wood. Not super heavy coats at all, but I think 1-2 more and I should be ready to start with my colors ...

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