Oaken Gearbox

Nothing beats the smell of a freshly cut 2x4. Seriously, it's the one of the best smells on earth, and when you catch a whiff of that smell and hear the high pitched whine of an electric saw on a sunny Saturday afternoon it means times are good. Two-by-fours are generally used for construction, but they are good for a whole lot more than just building houses. You may have to spend a few minutes sorting through the bin at your local big box hardware store for good, straight boards without a lot of knots, but its time well spent. Two-by-fours are cheap, sturdy, and easy to work with. You may not end up with an heirloom quality piece that will be passed on for generations, but for less than $20 in materials and a long weekend you can construct some basic furniture that far surpasses what's available at Ikea or Target. Take this small kitchen table I built to go next to our gas range for example. Materials 2 2x4's 1 3/4" x 5" board 1 16 x 36" pine ...

I really don't like going to Ikea; I like buying furniture from Ikea even less. The craftsman in me detests the functional but charmless lack of detail work, like box or dovetail joints, that really make a simple piece of furniture stand out. The hipster in me hates thinking, "Hey, I have that bookshelf." every time I visit a friend's apartment. But most of all, the cheapskate in me can't live with the fact that I could have made a better piece for half the cost. Below is my alternative to flimsy Ikea shelves. Total cost: $20 Time to complete: A Saturday afternoon Materials: 4 2x4's 6 boards for shelves. I used the 9 1/2" x 24" ones from Ikea (but the joke's on me, because they've already started sagging) Edge-joining two boards for each shelf as described in a previous post would be a better, if more time-consuming solution. A box of screws Wood Glue (I use Titebond) Stain, paint, varnish, etc. Tools: Tablesaw Drill...