Leaning Wall Shelf: Episode 3
Posted 14 February 2018
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With the main recess cut, Paul lays out and cuts the housing that enables the shelf to self tighten. He adjusts the fit to ensure it is easily dismantlable, but still strong.
Very interesting joinery, whether one builds shelves exactly like these, or assembles something else needing precisely fitted interlocking elements.
Thanks for showing how it’s done.
Would you call that joint a housed bridle joint? Lovely video!
Paul called it a tapered half housing joint.
Once you feel that the walls of the notches are straight, rather than paring them to tune the joint, could you take light shavings off of the face of the shelf with your smoothing plane, just next to the joint? You’d never see those variations and you’d have so much control with the smoother that you could take off a wisp here and a wisp there. Would that be a dumb thing to do?
That should be fine as long as you take it steadily.
Over the years after you have disassembled and reassembled the shelves a few times do you just accept the fact that the joints will not fit as well or do you shave off the back edge of the shelves?
Hi Jim,
Paul says:
I have no idea, because I have never owned one longer than the one I made. However I can see no reason why anything should change if the wood was seasoned properly.
Kind Regards,
Izzy
I am under the impression that this is a bit risky, one mallet blow too much and the board might split.
But as Paul always says, work with sensitivity.
The notch is 9″ from the lateral edge of the shelf. I guess the risk augment if one reduce this measure.
So one has to be careful when scaling down this design.