Library Commission - Reading Pods & Tree Wall Art

So a few months ago I got an email asking about a reading chair in the forest school area. I volunteered my services to build it, I thought that'll be fun! Somewhere along the line the new school library became my baby instead! 

The village has had it's school in temporary accommodation for the last three years, and although it's been fine it's not the best for the children and tricky for them at times (too hot in summer for one). 

So over the last year there has been a new school being built with much excitement from everyone who has children there. 

Reading Pods

I've had great fun over the last few days on my Facebook Page trying to get people to guess what I was making by showing them the following picture. 

I had about thirty people guessing until one lady came up with the right answer - a reading nook.

This is a commission I'm building for my daughters new school which they go into in the new year (it's really exciting for them and me!).

The idea was to have some standard book shelves then some little reading pods for them to curl up into. There's also going to be a tree but I've no idea how I'm going to build that yet! 

MDF Discs

Had one of my more unusual jobs to do this weekend. Someone had ordered eight 45cm diameter discs out of MDF for a project they were doing.

45cm disc of MDF

 To make them all the same size I made a jig and cut them with the router.

Jig made for the router to cut circles the same size

Completed stack of discs.

 Each one was then chamfered to remove the sharp edge before being delivered.

An unusal job but as you can see I'll do any that come my way!

Cupboard Remodelling

This is a few days work from back in March remodelling a cupboard and creating a new one after a new fire place and flue had been fitted.

Boxing in the flue. I used fire board on the inside just "to be sure" even though the timbers were all outside the distances allowed to the flue

The other cupboard in the kitchen is above the fire place in the living room (if that makes sense...)

Simple MDF doors made on site to match what's already there

Boarded out, trim added and shelf fitted.

The finished cupboard

The othe cupboard finished. I also think that with this one I must hold some sort of record for the fastest hung door...

MDF Pantry Unit

Not the most exciting of project. MDF is not the nicest stuff to work with (as I've said before) but it's a cheap material and makes a custom unit affordable.

This unit was made out of just over one sheet of MDF, total material cost £12 plus paint and glue. All the components were rebated into each other with the router (trenched in) so that the 1/2" (12mm) thickness board was then strong enough to carry all the cans and bottles it needed to over its 30" width. To make sure all the groves align I rout the complete sheet first then cut the sides from it, no chance of any errors that way the sides and the back have to match up!

I then glued a complete frame around the front to make it stronger and to make it look a bit more substantial (also stops the tins falling off).

The down side to a project like this is that it ties my little workshop up during the finishing. It has to be sealed, undercoated twice and then glossed - that's over four days, with drying times, where I can't make a dust. Still it looks OK and its a practical unit that I'm sure will be used for many years

A Unit for our Kitchen

This is a little job I did over the Christmas break but only fitted on Thursday night due to how long the old paint I used took to dry!

Our kitchen is small and very short on space, so my idea was to build a cheap lattice/shelf unit type thing to house Kilner jars to hold all of our store cupboard ingredients (oats, rice, pasta, etc).

For cost I made it out of one sheet of MDF (£10 from Magnet - really cheap and they gave me a free t-shirt!(I also walked out with his pen by accident an unintentional bonus!)) and some paints I already had (although I wish I brought some new gloss as it wouldn't dry!).

It's really simple construction, I trench cut with my little 1/4" router where the shelves crossed into the sides and then it's held together using a good glue and a few pins. Trench cutting using the guide clamp I've got is so easy - but I think the last time I used it was when I converted a ambulance into a camper van (but more of that another time). The back is just rebated into the unit and the two end panels were cut to fit over the skirting. It glued and clamped together really easily.

I sealed it before painting (anyone who uses MDF knows this is essential), I'm sure the finish would have been better if it had dried faster (less dust to sit on it) or if I had used a spray gun instead of a brush (I think I need to build a shed to finish my projects in!)[Looks quite good with the jars in place and our new retro scales]

I think I might build something similar for the utility area and for storing shoes under the stairs as its so cheap with MDF and quite easy to clean once painted (I'll buy new paint though!).