Earlier this year, I decided I wanted to make some shelves. Mostly to prove that I can actually use a drill and comprehend the basics of constructing something. ***clears throat*** I discovered how little I know about putting something like this together and how wise my father and husband really are when it comes to such things. But I did get it done. YAY! It was a great feeling, and a pretty good learning experience.
This was my inspiration and the lady had the tutorial for the making of a long version of my three shelves. Unfortunately the link has disappeared on me and I can't find the original tutorial. So I guess I will just tell you how I did it. :) Obviously you buy those boards and just use screws to put them together, I won't bother with those steps just tell you how it went for me so you can learn from my mistakes. ;)
First off, I went to Home Depot to get my boards. Because I don't have a way to cut them or a way to transport full size boards, I got the the guys at Home Depot to cut them for me. I really gave them some hardships. The poor guy totally didn't get what I was trying to do. So, thanks to the wonderful smart phone, I showed him the above image and he finally understood what I was trying to do. ;) Poor guy.
I wanted 3 shelves, one 3 ft, one 2.5 ft, and one 2 ft. So we finally got that all figured out and I was ready to build some shelves. :)
I took all my dad's tools and such to (my real) work with me. And supplied myself with some coffee somewhere along the way, essential to completing any project, you know. Anyway moving on. The lady who created the tutorial I was following said to pre-drill the holes. I thought that sounded dumb so to drilling I went. Needless, to say it didn't work out so well. I ended up with what you see in the image below.
I was not pleased. I also discover that my dad's battery was not charged. I had some handy wood glue/filler stuff so I plugged in the battery/charger deal and went to fixing that split in the wood.
Above you see how I fixed it. Please don't laugh. I told you this was a learning curve for me. I called my dad and found out that's not really how you are supposed to fix a split like that. You actually are supposed to take the screw out, put the filler in the split, clamp it and let it dry, then start over.
**clears throat** Oh well.
I also covered the backs of the screws to prepare it for a smooth paint job. I also thought this was a waste of time cause I mean really who's gonna see it so I skipped it on the next two shelves. However, this looks much better!! If I do it again I will for sure cover the screws. Especially on the front. It can look cool to see the screws if you make it look like you did it on purpose but I like it covered better. :)
Battery was charged up a bit so I moved on the next shelf and ^ that ^ happened. It spilt far worse than the previous one. I was very angry. I called my brother and my dad, they both have experience in such things. Alas, they suggested I go get it a drill bit and pre-drill. Aha, the lady did know what she was talking about. My dad told me of a nifty way I could fix that very destroyed board so I didn't have to buy a new one. I went and bought a drill bit. Back in business we were.
That beautiful curly thing up there ^, yeah that's my new best friend.
It takes longer to pre-drill and then finally drill the screws in but it also takes longer to patch each destroyed board. :) The above picture shows them nicely put together. I was feeling very accomplished at this time. The next couple steps are ones I have lots of experience with so I wasn't as scared anymore. :)
Painting them whatever color you want.
Sanding them to make them look worn. EXTREMELY, stress relieving, this step. :)
p.s. if the terminology to building supplies/the building of things isn't quite right. . . hopefully it brightens your day. I'm just a crazy little wifey who doesn't know what she's doing. :D
I love it. :) ~Tink
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