Bookshelf for my Army friend

So about 8 months ago my boss, which is also a Major in the Army reserves, asks me to make him a cheap shelf for his office. Keep in mind I work full time, go to college at night, work around the house, and it is a pleasure of mine to find time to actually build something out of wood. This is the reason it took about 8 months to build.

I wanted to make him a campaign style bookshelf, but the brass hardware is outrageous. So, I figured I would just make a nice handmade bookshelf with hand cut dovetails and stuff. I wanted to make it out of poplar but my guy did not have any ready yet. Then I remembered my Father-in-law had a big stack of flatsawn walnut lying around so I got some and started. The tree was knocked down by a storm, a local sawyer slabbed it up, and not it is a bookshelf.

It is made from black walnut and birch 1/4 inch plywood for backing (I wanted to do ship lapped back but oh my goodness that would have taken an extra month). I rubbed the whole thing down in boiled linseed oil, let it dry, and then used rattle can shellac on it. Almost forgot to mention, I used magnets to put the Major insignias on the front and inlayed a Army challenge coin in the middle. Then I rubbed some minwax paste wax on it to buff it out. I had a blast making this thing and can’t wait to make something else.