I have recently started toying witth the idea of creating stuff using timber. Previously, due to lack of space and for the shake of my marriage, I refrained from working with timber. No matter how I tried to spin it, there is not enough space in an one-bed flat for wood-working… Now I have a workshop, so I was finally able to experiment with wood.
My first creation was a simple shoe rack. Nothing really fancy, but functional. The aim was to simply take the necessary measurements and come up with a decent design that we could use for the shoes that pile up on the door by the conservatory.
(Design photos)
The actual construction was simple. I used screws to hold everything together, instead of proper joints, but for the purpose it will fit, it does the job.
(Photo of shoerack, no paint)
After I finished putting the pieces together, I started thinking about the colour. I bought a few products and tried them on small pieces. I don't think I used all products properly (i.e. I did not do multiple coats and proper application) and I found that the easiest product to handle as a beginner was the varnish:
(Photos of samples)
In the end, I got a beech colour varnish to finish off the job. This allowed me to have a great finish:
(Final result)
As an add-on, I put together a simple umbrella stand, which can be added to the side and create a simple, custom-made solution to the problem we had in our conservatory.
(Umbrella stand picture)
With the umbrella stand, I only used glue to put the pieces together.
I only used an electric jigsaw to cut the pieces to size. Te cuts were not as clean and straight as I would have liked. I have now ordered a circular saw, which will hopefully help me get better results in my next project.
In my next project, I intend to create proper joints to keep the construction together. Baby steps…