Shaker Hanging Shelf - Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Gluing Up the Shelf

The fact that setbacks are a natural part of the learning process doesn't necessarily make them any easier to accept when they do occur. My setback occurred while I was trying to figure out the best way to notch the sides of the Hanging Shelf to accept the horizontal batten used to attach the unit to the wall.

My first thought was to use the router table as I felt that would yield the smoothest cut. Unfortunately, the router bit grabbed the piece, splitting out a substantial chunk of wood along the grain line. My attempts to salvage the piece by trimming it down spoiled the proportions, so I ended up deciding to make a new side piece. Unfortunately, I was out of cherry by that point. I will be making a trip to Kettle Moraine Hardwoods soon to replenish my supply. I am putting their website in my Favorite Links area in case readers would like to check it out.

Luckily, I only damaged one of the two shelf units I was making. I ended up nibbling the notches in the remaining side pieces using the table saw. The small amount of roughness left by the saw was easily cleaned up and produced none of the splintering I had with the router, so I will be using this process from now on.

After sanding all the pieces, I glued them together using the setup shown in the photo above. I checked everything for square after tightening the clamps, then left them to dry overnight. I plan to use dewaxed shellac to finish the piece as it brings out the color of the wood. Cherry is prone to blotchiness with most other finishes and shellac will allow the wood to darken evenly over time as it naturally tends to do. While I wait for the glue to dry, I will begin the process of selecting my next project...