Mass Wood working

Woodworking for Manly Men making a free floating shelf

Last week was not one of my most popular projects. (Strangely, I gained more subscribers from that video than usual.) Something about it struck a raw nerve with some people, many of whom felt that making a bracelet was not masculine enough. What century is this?

This week I decided to please my hard-core woodworker viewers by making this video and project  filled with all sorts of manly goodness. I even used a hand plane, which should excite the hand tool folks.

A viewer gave me a large chunk of curly redwood a few years ago and ever since then I been looking for a suitable project. The grain pattern on it is gorgeous, but so it the bark with its interesting swirls. Sometimes the wood itself is the star of the show, so I decided to showcase this piece mostly as-is, and unadorned.

Figuring our how to mount it to the wall was the trickiest part. It is pretty heavy and needs plenty of support. I decided to carve out a large slot in the back which would be big enough for a long french cleat. To do this, I used my router with a guide bushing and a couple of quick fences taped to the log. Then it was just a matter of hogging out the wood.

The french cleats provide plenty of support and the 45-degree bevels draw the shelf to the wall, making for a tight, flush fit.

*****