| Project by RaggedKerf | posted 06-05-2014 02:52 PM | 2012 views | 1 time favorited | 10 comments |  |
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Finally finished the rocket bookcase for my son (the thing comes in at around 5.5 feet tall)! I started this project back in August of 2013 and then threw my back out. I couldn’t really return to work on it until December, right when the Polar Vortex hit. Which meant that my shop was frozen shut until last month.
At any rate, I finally finished it!
It’s made of pine with a plywood back. I used pocket screws and glue to hold everything together, then coated with Behr Ultra Premium plus white paint and primer in one, followed by detailing black paint (just Behr flat black sample paint from the Borg) and a top coat (or six) of shellac.
I created a custom wooden hing for the main toy hatch, to try and make it look like something on a real rocket and after a lot of work, my son LOVES it (third picture, above). So, I say mission accomplished!
For all the gory details, you can see the construction progress on my LJ blog here.
There’s more photos on my wordpress blog, here.
As always, thanks for looking!
-- Steve http://vaughtwoodworks.wordpress.com
10 comments so far
a1Jim
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117689 posts in 4027 days
#1 posted 06-05-2014 03:02 PM
Wow Steve that’s a very creative and fun book shelf.super neat.
Kaleb the Swede
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1903 posts in 2419 days
#2 posted 06-05-2014 03:41 PM
This is a really cool project! And a great blog too. Way to go dad. May have to build one in a few years when my boy is older
-- Just trying to build something beautiful
ohwoodeye
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#3 posted 06-05-2014 06:57 PM
Son has got to love it. To infinity and beyond!
-- "Fine Woodworking" is the name given to a project that takes 3 times longer than normal to finish because you used hand tools instead of power tools. ----Mike, Waukesha, WI
ChrisK
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2034 posts in 3531 days
#4 posted 06-06-2014 11:56 AM
That is pretty cool. My boys would really like to have one.
-- Chris K
Matt (MWA Woodworks)
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#5 posted 06-06-2014 01:19 PM
thats a fantastic book case! I am curious about the experience you had putting the shellac over the top of the white paint. Shellac has a very amber tone and I would think that it would really discolor the paint, which doesnt seem to be the case in the picture you posted, but I thought I should ask in case there was something I dont know about.
-- Follow me on instagram and facebook @mwawoodworks
Robin1
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#6 posted 06-06-2014 02:06 PM
Very cool. Would have loved that when I was a kid!
RaggedKerf
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#7 posted 06-06-2014 04:12 PM
Thanks everyone! My son is pretty crazy over it. So far, he’s more interested in playing with it than putting books on it LOL
Matt: I forgot to mention the shellac was the aerosol version, labeled as clear. It imparts just the barest hint of color. For the most part, you can’t really tell at all. So far, it’s added a nice little layer of protection to the paint. Anything to make it look new a little longer. My 5 year old will tear it up soon enough…
-- Steve http://vaughtwoodworks.wordpress.com
helluvawreck
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#8 posted 06-06-2014 06:28 PM
Very creative.
helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
-- helluvawreck aka Charles, http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
SleepingGrizzly
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8 posts in 1933 days
#9 posted 06-19-2014 06:53 PM
That’s really cool!
-- You can't always control who watches you, but you can control what they see.
Frank
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#10 posted 06-19-2014 06:59 PM
What a great memory maker. Love it.
-- Some rescue cats, some rescue dogs. I rescue tools. Feel free to send me any tools you cannot take care of or don’t want and I will foster them until I find a good home for them.
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