Thread: Kitchen shelf, or Five-legged Table

A little job SWMBO had for me was to make a shelf to declutter the corner of the kitchen. I had plenty of leftovers and off cuts from my New Guinea Rosewood bench project, so off I started. The photos below tell the story. First couple show the components laid out after the mortises and tenons were cut, the legs tapered and the dovetails for the cross supports made. I was specifically requested to avoid putting a leg in the inside corner, thus the need for the supporting cross pieces shown, lap jointed where they intersect. All the joinery was done by hand, and here the hand router came into its own getting all sides parallel.
The glue up of one segment of the top is shown, I resawed some of the NGR to 14 mm for the top. I used hide glue, I poured the leftover into the moulds, after it cooled it went into plastic bags and into the freezer, to be re-used on the next project. The completed item is shown sitting on the table saw after I gave it a finish of Rustins DO. It was the first time I used this finish, I don't mind it at all. I had to sand all the surfaces to 1500 grit, applied the DO in three sessions, sanding with 600 in the last session. I prefer French polishing, but that's not suitable in this application where the shelf will have a rough life! Final image shows the shelf in its final resting place.