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I finally finished building that bookshelf I mentioned a few weeks ago. It took longer than expected mainly because I had to sand everything by hand to get the finish right. I used oak plywood for the shelves and solid pine for the frame which gave it a nice sturdy feel. The design has five shelves with varying heights so I can fit both tall books and small decorative items. I applied a dark walnut stain with a matte polyurethane coating on top. One thing I learned is to pre-drill all the screw holes to avoid splitting the wood especially near the edges. The whole thing is about 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. I mounted it to the wall with brackets just to be safe since it is pretty heavy. Let me know if you want the cut list I used. The project took roughly 12 hours of work spread over two weekends and I still have enough wood left over for a small side table.
I found that using a combination of wood glue and finishing nails made the joints much stronger than nails alone. The最难 part was getting the shelves perfectly level because the floor in my apartment is slightly uneven. I ended up using small shims under the base to adjust the alignment. The polyurethane required three coats with light sanding in between to achieve a smooth surface. I used a foam brush for the stain which worked well on the flat surfaces but I had to switch to a rag for the corners. The whole process was a good learning experience and I feel more confident tackling furniture projects now. Next up I am thinking about building a small nightstand to match the style of the bookshelf.
I found that using a combination of wood glue and finishing nails made the joints much stronger than nails alone. The最难 part was getting the shelves perfectly level because the floor in my apartment is slightly uneven. I ended up using small shims under the base to adjust the alignment. The polyurethane required three coats with light sanding in between to achieve a smooth surface. I used a foam brush for the stain which worked well on the flat surfaces but I had to switch to a rag for the corners. The whole process was a good learning experience and I feel more confident tackling furniture projects now. Next up I am thinking about building a small nightstand to match the style of the bookshelf.