Shelved

I've cut out all the pieces with the circular saw. Not as confident as I would be with the mitre saw, but the lengths mean that's not an option. Another tick for getting a table saw in the future.

Still, it wasn't too bad, a little trimming required but I'm pretty happy with the results.

Now, you'd be wondering, what do you want to use a router for on this?

Well, I'll tell you. I decided that in order to mount the shelves in the unit in a more secure way, I'd rout a dado into each side panel to slot the shelf into and screw it in from the side.

That way it's well supported on the ends of the shelf without relying solely on screws (or glue).

I didn't think to take photos early in the piece, so we pick up when I routed out the first dado.
I clamped both side panels flat togetherto measure and cut evenly across both pieces, all the better to make sure the dadoes were at the same height on both sides. Don't want wonky shelves now, do we? :smile:

Here we are with the second dado cut and tools out of the way.

I had to clean the dadoes up a little with sandpaper, the top edges were a little "furry", but that's nothing.
I did have a little chatter briefly in the second dado (as evidenced by the slight scorch mark), because I seemed to suddenly have an issue moving the router across the wood. I discovered one of the screws holding the base on had undone itself a bit and was dragging across the wood.
Lesson learned, check all screws when you know you've recently changed bases.

And here we are getting into the assembly. The sides are joined to the top with pocket screws,
I had some issues with my Kreg gear. The square drive bit for some reason seemed to get itself locked into the screw head and ended up stripping some of the holes completely out. I was _NOT_ happy. I've contacted Kreg to voice my disappointment, as this tool has not lived up to expectations in the short amount of use it's actually seen.

I think I'll have to grind down the tip to prevent it sticking, whilst not going so far that it's too sloppy and strips the heads.

My shelves are in need of a little adjustment to make sure they sit flush, which I'll do soon, then painting can begin.

The dadoes work great on the shelves though, so I'm really happy to have decided to try this. The large bit I used to cut the dadoes was 19mm, gives just enough play to mean the shelves slide in with very little slop.

Not sure if the structure is sturdy enough without cross or corner bracing at this stage until I've screwed the shelves in. I am satisfied it'll handle the weight ok, but I may add some corner brackets just for peace of mind.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments

DesertRatTom said:

Shelving earns a guy lots of husband points Steve. Nice so far. Going to use a face frame or edging?

Click to expand...

And Tom, Mrs Fizgig laughed when I passed on about your comment (secretly though, you're right).

I hadn't considered a face frame or edging to be honest. It's going in the kitchen, could possibly use a little something..... I'll ponder.

Update on the Kreg situation: I got contacted by Kreg - they're replacing my jig, should arrive some time next week. Now that's customer service. I was impressed with the speed they responded and in their offering me another one to try and redeem my expectations.

I look forward to trying it out with some trepidation, but am hoping for the best.


Thank you all for chiming in and your encouragement. This is why I love this forum.

Screwed the shelves in today after adjusting the fit - happy with the result, does help on the stability, but I am seriously considering brackets. I have small metal ones I can use easily.