Those of you who have read through the “Finished Projects” section are aware that I took a break from my entertainment center design in order to bring a huge smile to a lovely daughter of mine. That toy horse stable continues to be one of her favorite toys, and the Christmas decorations that formerly adorned the stable are now being replaced with a Spring theme as we gradually progress into warmer weather here in Maryland.
I will eventually get back to the entertainment center, but out of necessity for storage space I began building a utility shelf to hang on the wall in the shop. This one is made out of #2 common pine purchased from our local Home Depot store. Clearly this is a departure from the projects I’ve done to date, which have involved cherry wood, and most of that purchased rough-cut from a lumberyard. This project also involved, in addition to wood glue, the use of wood screws to fasten the primary components together–something I’ve purposely avoided in the other projects.
I was amazed at how difficult it can be to find straight and flat boards at local home centers! But a little time spent rooting through the stacks of lumber paid off, since I didn’t need to (or want to) spend a tremendous amount of time building this shelf. Jointing and planing rough-cut lumber would have certainly added to the time and complexity of the project.
Sometimes it simply pays to go “simple.”