Monday, July 19, 2010

Building Bookshelves: fun on a Sunday

Moving into a new place with limited storage can be a challenge. This is why man created shelves and why Sweden gave us IKEA. What I've discovered while attempting to organize my new space with shelving:

  • Wood is not cheap. I was hoping to build some heavy, built-in bookcases but found that the shiny, real kind of wood costs about as much as just buying a wall of shelving from the above-referenced store. 

  • You don't need to own a saw to build things. The nice men at Lowe's will cut down wood to your specifications. (However, this doesn't meant that I don't want a saw($75): PORTER-CABLE  7-1/4" 15-Amp Laser-Guided Circular Saw.) 
  • Splinters are inevitable. 
  • I could really use a tool bag (Bucket Boss 06007 GateMouth Jr. Tool Bag, $17).  My last one was a canvass Trader Joe's bag that my cat took offense to last week. 
  • Three 16"x57"x1" shelves can hold a lot of books. I'm glad I only did three and left room below incase I want to refigure my desk to fit there. I'd need to borrow someone's saw though... 
Overall, this was a great project, costing around $100 for three shelves here and four shelves in the kitchen. Plus I have a leftover piece of wood roughly 16"x15"x1" that I can't wait to paint.  If I did end up buying a bookcase or two for my bed room, it would be IKEA's Billy Jäder bookcase ($50), which is covered in quotations by William Shakespeare. 

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