Day 1114: experimentation

If there were only one thing we've learned from 3+ years of home reno projects (and hopefully we've learned more than one thing) it's that the way to get where you want is the same way you get to Carnegie Hall, "Practice, practice, practice." So as we embark on a new project to build a wall of bookshelves, we thought it might behoove us to try out the new tools previewed in the last post.

The tool in the whiter box allows you to join two pieces of wood together either side-by-side (say, if you wanted to make a tabletop) or an an angle while concealing the connecting screws. It does that by sinking the screws into the board and produces a really secure join. The first step is to drill the pilot hole using the bit that comes with the jig and then follow up with a screw, like so:

The jig allows you to install two screws without needing to move it. Since we were just playing around we did the simple thing and used them both. Here we've actually attached two boards at a 90-degree angle, it's a little easier to see in the second image. Even with only two screws attached in the middle of the boards the connection was pretty snug.

We plan to use that jig to attach the sides of the bookshelf to the four legs and to attach the fixed shelves (every bookshelf needs a few permanent shelves for stability even if all the rest are adjustable). 

With that mastered we tried out the other tool in the bluer box. This one will provide nice even spacing for the adjustable shelves. Step one is to start with a board, standing in for the future side of the shelves.

Secure the jig on top of it.

Use your drill and the special bit provided to create hollows of the perfect size and depth for the shelf pins.

We're going to take the practice concept one step further by building a small test bookshelf in the same design we want to use for the full-size ones to identify and iron out any kinks. Stay tuned for our baby bookshelf.