Bookcase Details

Below are pictures of some of the detail on the bookcases - which are now nearing completion.  The handles in the pictures are mock-ups at the moment.

Careful detailing gives the shelves a feeling of "floating"

Adding a stepped moulding to the shelf front gives lightness and adds visual interest

Mock up of hand-carved handles. We have used this design several times before, and it has a nice tactile quality.  It feels as if it is becoming a bit of a trademark - if it ain't broke...

Shelf Pins

Often it is tempting to leave the smallest, detailed parts of a large piece of furniture until last.  This is sometimes the right approach but can also be a mistake.  These little pieces can be quite fiddly and monotonous to do.  The energy that comes at the beginning of a project can be a big help in getting them done well and efficiently.  Leaving them to the end can result in a feeling of being bogged down and a tendency to rush them in order to "get the piece out".  In between sorting out the rods [full size construction drawings] for the bookcases I've therefore also been making the shelf pins - eighty of them....  They are of Elm, which will make a nice contrast against the lighter oak.