It's been a while since I posted anything here. Since everything is closed today, thus, destroying my spontaneous plan (is there such a thing?) to buy an Apple TV so that I might watch the Capitals on the big screen this evening, I decided to 1) take care of a long-planned-but-always-on-the-back-burner-opportunity-to-play-with-power-tools project and 2) to share the results, as apparently, there's an entire community of Ikea Hackers out there who do similar things with MDF.
Below is my effort to make better use of the Expedit bookshelf we've been using as storage for our wine, scotch, vodka, and various accoutrements that accompany any respectable home bar. If you've not seen an Expedit bookshelf home bar, this is what I mean by storage (and accoutrements. ahem...notice the Golf Channel AmTour trophy on the upper shelf).
I'm not a carpenter. My hands are pretty office-like, especially as it's been a while since I've been to the gym. But I'm willing to give most things a try, especially when the parts for the project cost $1.99. So, my first attempt was pretty rough. Luckily, I bought two Laiva shelves, just in case. That, and my original plan had been to do something like this, so I needed two shelves. The tagline for that video reads: "Proudly display your wine collection and your woodworking prowess with this custom wine console."
See above re: my carpentry skills, so I quickly abandoned any thought of showing off my woodworking prowess. That, and I saw something in the background of a property on HGTV this week and thought, "that would be so much easier." I love The Property Brothers.
To be clear: this wasn't anything that Jonathan actually showed on the program. I take full credit (or responsibility, should the wine bottles ever break) for recognizing that I had all the necessary materials, tools, and ability-to-use-the-internet-to-figure-out-how-to-execute the plan.
Again, my first attempt was rough. I don't have a miter saw, but I'd seen a DIY video (how did men get done any honey-do projects before the advent of the internet?) outlining how to use a circular saw instead. After fumbling around (and I do mean fumbling. As in "I swear a part fell off this saw last summer. It's gotta be important for this project. Good thing I picked up the part when it fell off. Now where did I put that thing?") with my not-even-close-to-professional-grade Ryobi, I figured out a way to set the angle at 45 degrees AND use the square guide to make a straight cut. The latter I did without YouTube. How's that for woodworking prowess?
I measured twice (18 5/8" from corner-to-corner), cut once. It worked. Sort of. The shelf fit loosely into the Expedit box, and you'll notice it's not exactly square (admittedly, I didn't use the square guide on the first cut. I blame the laser from the Ryobi. If it were professional grade, the saw would follow that laser, right?). But it works far better than the cardboard box that had been storing what's left of the case of the Abundance Syrah that has become our go-to "we like it, it tastes/looks like it costs more than three-buck-Chuck (which it does), so we can bring it to dinner parties or drink it at home" wine.
I wish I could say that I'd paid close attention to just how poorly I'd executed the plan and went through the entire measuring process again. But, instead, I just used the same measurements and immediately cut the second shelf. This time, though, I used the square guide instead of the laser. Much better results.
This shelf fit more tightly. No need for wood glue, nails, or screws. I had to force it in (notice the AmTour trophy - now on the lower shelf - didn't fall, though I probably should have taken the more fragile glasswear and 18-year Jefferson bourbon off the top shelf before pounding the shelf into place). So I put it at the top of the shelf, thinking that the better effort should be put at eye level.
If I go back to Ikea, maybe I'll spend another $1.99 and fix the bottom shelf. But for now, the two shelves I bought/cut mean our Expedit bar shelf has room for two cases of wine.
One project now complete, my to-do list is shorter, and I've developed new skills with the circular saw that, should I tackle something bigger, will mean I can avoid a surprise visit from Bryan. Kimberly, that dude better not show up at our house...
Below is my effort to make better use of the Expedit bookshelf we've been using as storage for our wine, scotch, vodka, and various accoutrements that accompany any respectable home bar. If you've not seen an Expedit bookshelf home bar, this is what I mean by storage (and accoutrements. ahem...notice the Golf Channel AmTour trophy on the upper shelf).
I'm not a carpenter. My hands are pretty office-like, especially as it's been a while since I've been to the gym. But I'm willing to give most things a try, especially when the parts for the project cost $1.99. So, my first attempt was pretty rough. Luckily, I bought two Laiva shelves, just in case. That, and my original plan had been to do something like this, so I needed two shelves. The tagline for that video reads: "Proudly display your wine collection and your woodworking prowess with this custom wine console."
See above re: my carpentry skills, so I quickly abandoned any thought of showing off my woodworking prowess. That, and I saw something in the background of a property on HGTV this week and thought, "that would be so much easier." I love The Property Brothers.
To be clear: this wasn't anything that Jonathan actually showed on the program. I take full credit (or responsibility, should the wine bottles ever break) for recognizing that I had all the necessary materials, tools, and ability-to-use-the-internet-to-figure-out-how-to-execute the plan.
Again, my first attempt was rough. I don't have a miter saw, but I'd seen a DIY video (how did men get done any honey-do projects before the advent of the internet?) outlining how to use a circular saw instead. After fumbling around (and I do mean fumbling. As in "I swear a part fell off this saw last summer. It's gotta be important for this project. Good thing I picked up the part when it fell off. Now where did I put that thing?") with my not-even-close-to-professional-grade Ryobi, I figured out a way to set the angle at 45 degrees AND use the square guide to make a straight cut. The latter I did without YouTube. How's that for woodworking prowess?
I measured twice (18 5/8" from corner-to-corner), cut once. It worked. Sort of. The shelf fit loosely into the Expedit box, and you'll notice it's not exactly square (admittedly, I didn't use the square guide on the first cut. I blame the laser from the Ryobi. If it were professional grade, the saw would follow that laser, right?). But it works far better than the cardboard box that had been storing what's left of the case of the Abundance Syrah that has become our go-to "we like it, it tastes/looks like it costs more than three-buck-Chuck (which it does), so we can bring it to dinner parties or drink it at home" wine.
I wish I could say that I'd paid close attention to just how poorly I'd executed the plan and went through the entire measuring process again. But, instead, I just used the same measurements and immediately cut the second shelf. This time, though, I used the square guide instead of the laser. Much better results.
This shelf fit more tightly. No need for wood glue, nails, or screws. I had to force it in (notice the AmTour trophy - now on the lower shelf - didn't fall, though I probably should have taken the more fragile glasswear and 18-year Jefferson bourbon off the top shelf before pounding the shelf into place). So I put it at the top of the shelf, thinking that the better effort should be put at eye level.
If I go back to Ikea, maybe I'll spend another $1.99 and fix the bottom shelf. But for now, the two shelves I bought/cut mean our Expedit bar shelf has room for two cases of wine.
One project now complete, my to-do list is shorter, and I've developed new skills with the circular saw that, should I tackle something bigger, will mean I can avoid a surprise visit from Bryan. Kimberly, that dude better not show up at our house...
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