I made a 'wood storage rack'/bookshelf...
http://www.choosetochange.com.au/wp-...ow-Res-60b.jpg
Whilst it may seem strange, that is genuinely the primary purpose of this build. As yet, I have no house and shed to my name and whilst renting in various places, there is very little space to store timber. The furniture I make at the moment must be multi-purpose with the ability to quickly pack down for transport. It must also be able to be hoisted up balconies, drawn through tight front entrances (no pun intended) and placed on car roof racks.
I had 5 slabs of Blackwood that were taking up space. I chose the best 3 for this job. They were all a bit twisted, cupped and bowed. The design of this ‘wood storage rack’ not only maintains the timber without damage (joinery mortices, screw holes etc), the internal forces and external loads applied will straighten some of the bows and twists.
This has been a workout for the mind as the timber was not only twisted, cupped and bowed but also because of the live edges, the side dimensions are not consistent. I have learned a lot from the past two main projects I have worked on in terms of the final layout and fitment.
http://www.choosetochange.com.au/wp-...64-648x500.jpg
http://www.choosetochange.com.au/wp-...31-679x500.jpg
http://www.choosetochange.com.au/wp-...28-262x500.jpg
The look is quite rustic which was the idea. Upon installing it, I realised that it will take a while to grow on me. I would prefer a more elegant and fluid design. The F17 hardwood for the legs came from a local timberyard during the first COVID lockdown in Melbourne as it was the only timber I could source at the time. Thankfully a total legend working there was happy to help me sift through the racks to find a couple of pieces that were usable. The front pieces look to me like Messmate and the rear legs have pink tinge to them so I’m assuming they are made of ‘Tasmanian Oak/Ash’.
The funny thing is… this project took place over about 4 months… I started it… lockdown 1.0 happened… and after I cut the mortices in the legs, I decided to build a workbench before finishing the project. The workbench took a couple of months to complete, hampered by limited materials and basic equipment. I then set up a mini workshop in the shared garage area… and four months later have finally gotten it done.
I am very glad that I took my time as in the process I attempted to learn as much as possible. For example, before cutting the ends of the slabs square, I installed a fine cut blade in a mitre saw and squared the blade to the fence. Fairly basic operations however I’d never done them before and they are now helpful skills for life.
http://www.choosetochange.com.au/wp-...62-379x500.jpg
http://www.choosetochange.com.au/wp-...18-551x500.jpg
http://www.choosetochange.com.au/wp-...34-492x500.jpg
http://www.choosetochange.com.au/wp-...Low-Res-33.jpg
Looking back on the project, I am wondering why I didn’t use wedged through tenons rather than a pinned truss-like system. And then I remember that initially I didn’t know how long I’ll keep the shelves for. And at the time I didn’t have tools on site in order to do that. Currently I think that if I want to use the blackwood for projects, I can swap them for other wood that needs storing.
There are many awesome things that happen upon finishing a build.
Firstly, the relief and elation at seeing and feeling something that has brewing in the minds’ eye for a long time come to reality. The awe of having something before you that others can see, that beforehand was only an idea and an interconnection of inspiration, research and ideas.
Secondly, the strange space of feeling both full with the finished project, and the growing emptiness and hunger for the next thing!
Thanks for reading
