WOODWORKING PROJECT. PART 5.

The next task was to apply stain to the unit and then two coats of lacquer with a very light sanding between coats. The result is shown below.

 Having completed the woodworking aspects of the build I next turned to fitting out. The first task was to install the 170 shelf supports.  This material comes in 2 metre lengths and had to be cut up in 170 equal lengths on the mitre saw. Each piece then required two holes for screws. The pile of supports is shown below.

 

The task of fitting these supports is laborious. It actually took about six hours. As I am right handed it is only practical to do the right hand side of each upright, unless you have universal joints in the elbows or can grow a third hand of course. Therefore once all the right side supports are done, the whole unit had to be turned around  and the rest fitted through the open back. I learned the hard way not to fit the back panel first !!!!

The method of fitting the supports involves using a spacer that I made for a previous unit, its much easier than measuring for each and every support. The spacer is clamped in position, the support offered up and pilot holes drilled into the wood. Two screws are then installed. I use half inch roundhead screws which are not readily available. The standard size is three eighths but I find these are just a bit too long. Sometimes the screws meet with those installed on the other side of the timber. The half inch screws only overlap by three millimetres so just push past each other. The longer three eighths screws overlap by over  six millimetres and can be hard to drive in satisfactorily. The spacer can be seen in the photo below.

Finally all 170 shelf supports were fitted and the back panel was cut to size and pinned into the groove around the back edges of the unit. It is also pinned to the backs of the central uprights. The very last job was to cut and glue in the door tracks and the unit was finished as seen below.

The next and last post will cover actual installation of the new unit and making of the shelves themselves.