Weekend project #2

[dbailey]

Here's the next in the series of small woodworking projects I've got planned to add shelves to my new 19.

I didn't end up using the corner block as a point to secure the shelves, as when I did the wife felt the shelf encroached on her head room a little. As a result she got a shelf large enough for a large paper back, but not large enough for a bigger book.

Regarding the wood choice: I had planned on using oak, and there's a story there as to why I didn't. My fallback choice was ash: it has a grain pattern that's very oak-like, and a nice match for the grain on the standard cabinets in the Escape. The colour is whiter than oak, though. But, since most of these shelves are going to be against the vinyl, I thought the whiter colour actually worked pretty well.

[cpaharley2008]

nice woodworking....

[Trees]

Shelf looks nice! What are the securing points and how is it attached?

[dbailey]

Securing points are:

- 3 screws at the top (could have done with 2, but I wasn't certain where I'd find solid material behind the veneer). You can see two of them: the left vertical has a L at the top and a screw going up into the overhead cabinet at the end of the L. The top horizontal has one screw in the middle and one on the right.

- the bottom right is tucked behind the blind frame so the shelf is held against the vinyl. You can see in the picture that the right vertical extends well below the bottom shelf, while the left one doesn't. This is to let me tuck it in behind the blind frame.

[Not so Big Al]

As an old woodworker I find Alder is a great substitute for oak in small projects. it can be convincingly stained, is less expensive and works easily.

[Jim Bennett]

The shelf looks great, Doug.

I have the advantage of buying much cheaper rough cut lumber, and milling out of it what I want. Though, the machines to do that with were not cheap at all.

[dbailey]

I'm well equipped, machine-wise at least ( )... (When we designed this house, one choice we made was to go with a bungalow rather than a 2-story, specifically so we'd have a large basement that I could fill up with power tools.)

I buy all rough-cut stock and mill it myself. I just hit a bad oak board with a lot of reaction in it. When I resawed off a 1/2" slab, it promptly cupped by about 3/4". Between the aggravation of paying for a bad board, and driving 1.5 hours to do it, I skipped over to some wood I had that I knew was good. Of course now that I've gone that direction, I'll stick with it. But even if it was my second choice, I think it's a good choice. Ash is a lovely wood.

I've never tried alder, but I'm really not a fan of staining wood. I much prefer to leave the colour natural. Probably why I like cherry so much. (But cherry and oak don't go well together in my opinion -- the grain pattern and colour tones are too different).

Al: when I grew up on Vancouver Island, hardwoods were hard to find and expensive. I know my dad liked alder, but part of that was because he could get it relatively cheaply. What's the hardwood market like on the west coast now? For reference, I pay $6-$8 per board foot for the common domestic hardwoods (oak, ash, cherry, maple). I can get it cheaper from smaller lumber yards, but the place I get these prices from (usually!) has better quality.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by dbailey

When I resawed off a 1/2" slab, it promptly cupped by about 3/4".

A curved front would have looked real nice.....just sayin'.

Those prices you pay are similar to what I get here, it also depends on how much I buy. I got a few hundred board feet of nice yellow birch for $3/bf, and we did a group but of a 1,000 or so bf. Because, like the west coast, any hardwood we get is shipped in.

I have also bought a couple really gorgeous quilted maple boards off of eBay. I am considering using it for the trim work on my canoe I am building, like the thwarts, decks and seat. The gunwales I am using cherry for.

It sure is nice having a company that bought nice woodworking machines.

[Trees]

As I understand , the vertical is attached at the top. Is it attached at the bottom. If so, how & where? If not, won't it vibrate/ rub the vinyl liner as you travel down the bumpy road?
We won't get our 19 til Oct and already mentally making personal additions!

[dbailey]

Neither vertical is attached at the bottom. They are both attached at the top.

On the left, the vertical is an upside down "L", with the foot providing some leverage pushing the bottom into the vinyl. On the right, I've got the blind frame holding the vertical into the trailer wall.

I don't foresee any problems with rubbing or vibration. The shelf is mounted solidly enough that it would take some force to move it.

[santacruzer]

I have been considering small shelf units for the CORNERS, built much as Doug's, but with a curved front. I figure they could attach at the top, as his does, and also screw through the vinyl, possibly at the same location as a present screw that's covered with a button, likely into a block. Wouldn't hold much weight...eye glasses, keys, whatever. Maybe big enough for a paperback.

Idea still needs time in the oven, however! I thought I'd mock one up with cardboard and see how effectively one design could fit two, or even four corners. Want to be careful they don't get in the way of someone leaning back in that corner.

[dbailey]

That's sort of what I originally intended. Shaped sort of like a boomarang, wrapping around the corner. I did a mock-up, with a shelf just 4" deep. It was positioned at about the same height as the one in the picture above. The wife vetoed the idea. She felt it encroached on her space too much when her head was on the pillow.

[cpaharley2008]

I would think you would have a captive audience here with all the 15/17/19 owners wanting to purchase some.

[Trees]

Thanks Doug for the the advise on how you get it to stay there. Will be fabricating, customizing ours I'm sure. Anxious for Oct & spending few nights in it!