Kid's Bench & Bookshelf From a Single 2x10x8 Piece of Lumber
Introduction: Kid's Bench & Bookshelf From a Single 2x10x8 Piece of Lumber
This was a bad idea. I went into this build thinking I was going to knock this out in a couple of days. Unfortunately for me the dimensional lumbar had a different path for me.
My first take away from this build is; if you want to build this don't do it using a single 2 x 10 x 8 piece of lumber. While you may save some money, you will waste a lot of time in milling and glue ups to get the actual size of lumber you could have just bought in the first place.
My second take away from this build is if you decide to use a single piece of dimensional lumber make sure to take the time to pick the best piece for milling. Not only is it important to look at the face of the wood for excess knots, defects, and straightness it is also important to check the grain pattern on the end grain of the wood. I didn't do this, which resulted in many minor annoyances I had to deal with down the road. When looking at the end grain of the wood try to find a piece that has perpendicular lines that are spaced fairly evenly across going from the top to the bottom and not curved lines that look like the letter 'C'. Those curved grain lines and dampness of the wood will result in some surprisingly cupped and warped pieces of milled wood. It really is amazing how much wood can move in just a few hours.
My third take away from this build I mentioned above, 'dampness' of dimensional lumber. I didn't take into account how wet the wood was when I bought it. It was a cold day, so I just assumed the wood was just cold due to the weather but once I made my first cut; I realized that the wood was still damp. Ideally if I were to do this again, which I won't, I would purchase the wood and let it dry out in my garage before starting to mill it. Letting it dry out will help in reducing wood movement and warping later on.
Think of this Instructable more as a cautionary tale than woodworking plans. 431
I will include my measurements, but these are more fluid and not so much set in stone as I had to adapt my plan to the whim of the wood.
Supplies
1pc. - 2 x 10 x 8 Lumber
Table Saw
Band Saw
Planer
Drill Press
Bar Clamps
Hand Saw
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Sander
Sand Paper
3/8 inch Plug Cutting Bit
Pencil
Measuring Tape
Square
Wood Glue
Wood Filler
Paint Primer
Spray Paint
#6 1 inch Wood Screws
Drill
Drill Driver
Drill bits Various Sizes
PPE
Step 1:
The first thing I did was set my table saw fence to 4-1/16 inches wide. I need to rip my 2x10x8 into two 4-1/16 inch wide pieces and one 7/8 inch wide piece. Basically I just made two rip cuts at 4-1/16 inches and the remaining piece was about 7/8 inch wide.
Step 2:
Next, I marked a center line using my square along the edge of the two 4-1/16" pieces and took them to my band saw to rip them in half. Since the boards are 8 feet long it is best to do this with two people to help support the wood. You want to end up with 5 pieces total at this point. The 7/8" piece does not get ripped in half.
Step 3:
After ripping on the band saw, all of the 4-1/16' pieces go through the planer. I ended up with pieces that were about 5/8" thick after all the plaining was said and done. The 7/8" piece does not get planed.
Step 4:
Now we have to cut the pieces that will make up the sides of the bench. Each side will be made up from one piece that is 19-1/2" long and two 10" pieces that will all be cut from the 4-1/16" wide boards.
Step 5:
And here is where the trouble starts, the cupping begins to rear its ugly head in our direction. But we do not look away! Nay! I say, for we have a table saw!! Since the pieces are cupped, the edges are no longer at a 90-degree angle. They are tilted in ever so slightly which will prevent us from getting a good glue up. To compensate for this, I take all the pieces that make up the sides of the bench and trim them on my table saw. 76