Shelves

Hi Pam and Peter!

I hope you both are doing well.

It was so great to Zoom with you both a few weeks ago. It was certainly long overdue.

Well, since we last spoke, I've been engulfed in making shelves and setting the bolts to support them. Believe me when I tell you how hard I've tried to find philosophical meaning in this particular endeavor, but it just never surfaced.

Sure, I could examine how the shelves will carry familial generations of belongings or that sometimes the support you don't see is the most important one... and on and on... however, I will spare you the discomfort. :)

So, here they all are, shelves. Lots and lots of wood milled, glued, planed, sanded, drilled and finished for the floating shelves that will live in the long hallway as well as the living, kitchen and dining areas. As with all components of the project, there are many steps to get to a seemingly simple looking result.

I have 85% of them ready to install and will deliver on Monday and begin installation in the hallway.

In the photos, you'll see the 72 bolts(3/4" x 12"L) drilled into the walls using lasers/levels/etc to get them exactly right. Before I install the shelves, I will triple check the bolts one last time and make any adjustments necessary and then use a portable bandsaw to remove the hex heads. The rods are incredibly strong. The trick here, other than setting them all straight and level, is to transfer those measurements to the shelves and drill the corresponding holes here in the shop. It's a tedious and time-consuming process, but works quite well.

I will also have hidden cleats at the ends of the shelves where they meet the side walls to hold them in place and give me something to rest on. The shelves (1 1/2" thick) are very heavy and having support along the length and at the ends will ensure stability over time. I will take photos of that process this coming week so you can see how the cleats function.

Once the shelves are in, I will start on the kitchen island countertop, followed by the sliding barn doors in the private areas.

If I haven't said it before, I am incredibly appreciative of your patience during this build process. I always strive for efficiency in my projects and some take longer than others depending on the scope of work. I'm sure you are eager to start moving into your new cabin and I hope to do my part to get you there as soon as I can, all while taking the time to do the parts correctly. It's been a gift, thank you!

Lastly, I have not yet had an opportunity to work on the bed design, but hope to do so soon!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Til next time...