Creating More Sawdust

When time allows and the creative juices are flowing I enjoy making sawdust. You know, buying some wood, cutting it this way and that, and then piecing it together.

Here's some of the projects I've completed in the past:
1. Built-Ins for Living Room, November 2011
2. Cat Tree #1, August 2014
3. TV Stand, April 2015
4. Vogelmonster Baseball Card Box, November 2017
5. Bat Rack, December 2017
6. Cat "Tree" #2, April 2019

The TV stand, card box, and bat rack can all be found in my man room. My work isn't the most ornate, but it's mine and I love it.

I think what I enjoy the most is the planning process. I spent more than a handful of nights last month drawing pictures, running through measurements, and starting over from scratch when a new idea hit.

I started and finished this piece, another one for my man room, during this winter break from teaching.

Here's what I was looking to replace in the man room: my end table.

This piece of furniture was actually something I believe came with me, from my parents' house, when I moved out 20+ years ago. Once upon a time it had a mate, but it was worse for wear and I put it out to pasture some years ago.

Here's what I started with:

You know, just your standard boards of pine cut to specifications. After running the saw and sanding down the edges the workroom was full of saw dust! Making a mess is so much fun!

The next step was to drill the holes for the screws to join the boards together.

I've used this Kreg jig tool before. It's really easy to use and helps hide screws so well.

 Plus, it creates more saw dust!

After cleaning the workroom up it was time to stain, and sand, and stain again. I really dislike this process, but wife kept encouraging me and I'm thankful she did.

A stained board is on the left and the original is on the right. I used a 2-in-1 stain and polyurethane product that worked fairly well. 

I spent this past Sunday afternoon assembling the end table.

It turned out alright if you ask me. Honestly, the sense of accomplishment when a page full of scribbles turns into a finished product is a great self-esteem boost.

Here's the before and after. I found new homes for my softball glove and the other items you see on the old end table.

 The new table is build specifically to hold ten baseball card binders, or nine and my Chromebook. I know neither of the picture shows it, but each shelf within the table holds two binders, with access from the front and the back of the table.

The binders in the front are designated for the ones I reach for the most. In the picture (top to bottom) is my Vogelmonster binder, my Kerry Wood binder, my 2016 World Series binder, and my Sandberg binder.

The five slots on the back are empty right now, and now there's also four vacant slots within my card closet. That means there's room for NINE more binders! For those of you wondering, my HOF binder is taking up one of the two slots in my TV stand, which is quite the prestigious location.

I'm very pleased with this project and I'm looking forward to playing with my binders and eventually filling those holes!