Some Things Take Longer Than You'd Think

Ten years ago, after I finished my solo canoe, BJ asked for a craft cabinet, providing very minimal specs. I built the base, and essentially all the parts for the hutch top, but for a number of reasons set the project aside.

For years, the two doors were stored in a closet and all the other parts were stacked in the garage. I finally decided it was time to get the stuff out of the garage, either as a piece of functional furniture or as firewood.

When I dug the pieces out, I remembered why I'd quit on the project before. Both of the side panels, built from 'stable' plywood edged with solid wood, had immediately bowed. Storage hadn't made them straighter. I ended up buying some solid alder, gluing up panels, and making new side panels from solid wood.

I kicked her car out of the garage so that I had enough room to work, apparently a small price to pay.

Many of the pieces had been sanded and varnished before I shelved the project years ago, so this time, once I had the new side panels built, things moved fairly quickly.

I'm not happy with the scale of the top - it's too tall in my mind,

but it leaves room for the largest folding table possible.

One can never have too much table or too much storage space when you're crafting. One more thing off the list and a bit more space in the garage.