# My weekend project



## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

My son wanted a new bookcase to hold his college books. I said ok, make me a sketch with some basic dimensions. He made me a 3D perspective drawing. I lost that one. He made another one and asked me to not lose it. So I went out to the shop and picked out a couple of pieces of quarter sawn sycamore I had laying around. I used this for the faceframe, base and top trim. I bought a sheet of 3/4" birch veneer ply from the big orange box. Funny thing about that. I take my wife with me one evening to go get it. We placed the top 5 or 6 sheets aside to get to the untouched, undamaged sheets. When we get to the register, I discover there is no bar code sticker on this sheet. So I tell the girl exactly what it is, and that the price was 41.00 and some pennies. She tries to find it in her register, but the closest she could find was 1/4". She hit the button for that and it came up $13.38. She said, "that's what you're paying tonight, and don't try to return it." I said fine, and took it home. A few days later I stop back up to get something for the back of the cabinet. I find a cutoff of 1/4" birch veneer with the philly fencing pattern milled into it. The sheet was 36" tall by 4' wide. Just bigger than what I needed. I took it to the register and asked the girl (different one) how much she was going to charge me for this cutoff. She gives it a glance and says, "how about $1.01?" I said fine, and took it home. I just finished varnishing it this morning. Total cost was less than $20.00.
Mike Hawkins:smile:


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

That is really nice. Had never heard of using sycamore for furniture, or actually any type of construction. Where did you get it? Where is it on the hardness scale? My first impression would be that it is soft.

George


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

George,
I got the sycamore from a turning buddy on the next street. He was cleaning out his shop recently and I got a bunch of oddball stuff with nice figuring for pretty cheap. I would say the sycamore is about like working cherry. Not too hard, not too soft. These pieces came from a local grown tree. I have made a couple of peppermills out of it and the little rays and flecks come out looking pretty neat.
Thanks,
Mike Hawkins:smile:


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## woodman42 (Aug 6, 2007)

Looks great. Nice work.


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## AZ Termite (Dec 20, 2008)

That turned out great. You can't beat the deal you got at the big orange box. I wish I had that kind of luck. The figuring in that sycamore is nice.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Thanks Termite,
Some times I luck out at HD. There is a handful of workers there that know me from going in there all the time.
Mike Hawkins


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## mics_54 (Oct 28, 2008)

I like it!


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

firehawkmph said:


> So I tell the girl exactly what it is, and that the price was 41.00 and some pennies. She tries to find it in her register, but the closest she could find was 1/4". She hit the button for that and it came up $13.38. She said, "that's what you're paying tonight, and don't try to return it." I said fine, and took it home. A few days later I stop back up to get something for the back of the cabinet. I find a cutoff of 1/4" birch veneer with the philly fencing pattern milled into it. The sheet was 36" tall by 4' wide. Just bigger than what I needed. I took it to the register and asked the girl (different one) how much she was going to charge me for this cutoff. She gives it a glance and says, "how about $1.01?" I said fine, and took it home. I just finished varnishing it this morning. Total cost was less than $20.00.
> Mike Hawkins:smile:



Gee whiz Mike...how do you sleep at night?:smile:


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

Darn Nice! for CHEAP furniture. The sycamore is really nice.


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## BHOFM (Oct 14, 2008)

Really like the way you did the back, looks "finished"!

PS.. The wife said if I didn't start adding kitty's, she
would.:huh::huh::huh:


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## Davet (Nov 16, 2007)

Fantastic looking piece, nicely proportioned!
The quarter sawn sycamore face frame looks super :thumbsup:

How did you attach the face frame?


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Great looking bookcase Mike.

Gerry


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Cabinet Man,
I sleep pretty good.:laughing:
Dave,
I used pocket screws.
Mike Hawkins


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## Rob (Oct 31, 2006)

Everytime I have something without a SKU, they make me wait until somebody can run back and get the numbers. Of course, there is usually a long line of contractors waiting behind me huffing, puffing and looking at me like I'm some housewife paying for groceries with foodstamps, expired coupons and writing a check.
Great looking cabinet.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

quote:Everytime I have something without a SKU, they make me wait until somebody can run back and get the numbers. Of course, there is usually a long line of contractors waiting behind me huffing, puffing and looking at me like I'm some housewife paying for groceries with foodstamps, expired coupons and writing a check.
Great looking cabinet. 

Rob,:laughing::laughing::laughing:
been there, done that.
Mike Hawkins


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## songli (Dec 20, 2008)

*Who needs that much velcro?*

Why would anyone need that much velcro? These guys sell it by the roll http://www.liangdianup.com/miscellaneous_1.htm and is 
hook and look and velcro the same thing?


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## songli (Dec 20, 2008)

*Who needs that much velcro?*

Why would anyone need that much velcro? These guys sell it by the roll http://www.liangdianup.com/miscellaneous_1.htm and is 
hook and look and velcro the same thing?


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