Small Wall Shelf MCM-ish

[Christopher Charles]

Hi all,

My son plays warhammer, which involves lots of models and paints. He asked for a small shelf to go above his desk to make some more room. I had some scraps of hemlock from doing the window trim in the house, so decided to do a small shelf with two dividers and a couple sliding doors. The carcass is mitered dovetails to hide the grooves for the doors on the top and bottom:


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I chopped, sawed and router planed the grooves:

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Here's the dry-fitted carcass:
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More to come...

[Christopher Charles]

The shelf will be mounted with french cleats hidden in the two compartments. I let them in before assembly, using a clamp in an attempt to keep the short bit from blowing out while chiseling.

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Somehow, I got mixed up with the marking on the dovetails and one side ended up switched end-to-end, resulting in less than perfect results. Sigh. But not too bad in the end.

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The middle will be an open shelf and sides have panels made from some scrap, rabbeted to fit the upper and lower grooves. The lower groove is a set depth and the upper groove is deeper in the middle to accept the panels as they are slipped in from the front.


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Will get some finished photos up in a couple days. So far, the project's been a good reminder that even really nice softwoods are harder than hardwoods!

Best,
Chris

[jack dempsey]

Chris,
This is gorgeous. Sometimes simplicity in design really makes a piece standout. At least that is my opinion. Great joinery! Jack

[Christopher Charles]

Thanks Jack. Good wood helps too :)

[Kevin Jenness]

MCM? 1900? Luxury leather bags?
Nice cabinet!

[Dave Anderson NH]

Nicely done Charles. What really surprises me is the fact that you found quarter sawn Hemlock. Around here it is only found as dimensional lumber and full of knots. I've never seen it in any of our regular hardwood lumberyards.

[Christopher Charles]

Kevin, LOL- mid century modern :)

Dave, yes, it was a lucky (but still expensive) find for 'vg hemlock' at my local lumber yard for all the window trim. I have suspicions the boards are vg fir that were misstocked. Either way, delightful, if a bit frustrating to work (dents if you look at it and crumbly when chiseling if not wicked sharp).

[Rick Dettinger]

The last vg fir I have used had very course grain. The vg hemlock is quite fine grained. I prefer the hemlock grain, but the fir is a little more "golden", and a lot more expensive.

73,
Rick

[Christopher Charles]

Thanks for all the replies. Here's the installed and populated shelf. I surprised him with the install and was told I messed up his paint organization scheme (the horror!). He sorted it out in by the second photo...

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And here's one of the paint jobs he does, in case your kids don't have you steeped in warhammer like in my house :)

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He is quite happy with it, which makes me happy.

Best,
Chris

[Tom Bender]

Your son has talent, and good eyes. It will be interesting to see where it takes him. Will he outgrow it, make it a career or a lifelong hobby?

[glenn bradley]

Love the shelf / cabinet Chris. Looks like it was a pleasure to build and the sliding door panels really give it some pop. You built a shelf and a memory for you both . . . win-win.

[Christopher Charles]

Thanks gentlemen. Tom, yes, I miss the eyes of youth! And he does have a good sense of color. I am curious where it takes him; he has been at it much longer than I expected (he's a senior in high school and started when he was 10...).