Hey Guys - Just finished this bookshelf for my wife. One of my first major projects, so be kind.

Made a lot of mistakes, learned a bunch.

I used construction grade 2x10's for the shelving - UGH! never again
The molding on the front is Black walnut I've had laying around for a few years.

Lots of Hand planing, sanding, etc. etc.

Tell me what you think.

Kenny B,,

Welcome to our Forum.

Not too bad at all for your first effort. I'm glad to see you included a good set of photos that show detail. You could provide a little more information on your joinery techniques.

I have two critique items:

I don't particularly care for the walnut/fir combination. Giving the walnut a profile was a cool idea. Next time consider squaring off the inside corners with a chisel.

Embrace your mistakes and learn from them, but don't tell anyone about them. 99% of the people won't know any better.

That is why actually building things is very important. woodworking is a skill not a thought exercise in school. You can memorize all the magazine articles in the world, and have all the answers, until you make something with your hands, you have'nt done anything.

If you want a specific critique on design and such here goes. keep in mind that my own taste are different than someone elses.

Fill it up with books then post a picture. Book shelves with nothing on them never look right to my eye. People see the books and never notice the book shelf

the 2x10 southern yellow pine won't sag over that span. A major plus in my mind

the short end shelves, and top. I'd think about making those a 1/4 of a circle. I have 2 reasons, one is pure aesthetics and the other is practical. Walking by the bookshelf, that sharp corner is likly to get bumped into.

the cove in the walnut leaps out to my eye, it looks large to me. (again no books so its hard to really tell.) I'd probbaly use a small round over profile, though a smaller cove could look pretty sharp.

Thanks guys -
Joinery - everything was dadoed and glued together. I used through dados for the uprights and realized too late that I should have used blind dados. That's the reason for the walnut trim. I just used a butt joint on the ends.

The reason I used walnut is because that's what I had. I agree that it's not the best combination, but sometimes you gotta go with what you have on hand.

I do like the idea of going with a 1/4 round on the ends, though - didn't think of that.

The reason I didn't like the 2x 10 yellow pine was that after I cut it, it started twisting along the length. It took a while to straighten out. Next time, I'll be more careful to pick out better wood.

Good critique, though. I appreciate it.

construction grade lumber is around 18-20% moisture content, sometimes more if its stored outdoors. I used 2x10s on my work bench undercarraige and planned to let it acclimate for about 6-8 weeks. It ended up being far longer becaseu of the procrastination thing I do.

Bending the walnut around 1/4 round would have been difficult. You'd have to steam or laminate the facing.

If you hadn't told us about the through dado. We never would have known the walnut was covering up a mistake. I just assumed the walnut was a design element.

Thanks for being a good sport about the critique.

I know what you mean - this has been in the works for 6 months

Sign posted on the bulletin board during my university days:

"The seminar on procrastination has been postponed: again."

Paul
the tongue in cheek little guy