I am an avid Kijiji'er - I scour the ads religiously looking for interesting woodworking project. The add simply said that there is a need for a woodworker to build 10, maybe 15 pieces of furniture.
And that is how I met Bryn. She was looking to replicate a particular box - a Japanese tea box used for shipping, that her parents brought from Japan.
Through the project I learned that pretty much up to the early 90's tea in Japan was being shipped in specific type of wooden boxes, that were lined with tin. Being handy and practical in size, the empty boxes were re-used for storage of other things around the house.
When the family found out that the wooden boxes were being phased out, they bought the last batch of them. When they moved back to Canada, they brought the boxes with them. The boxes proved to be a good fit for the Canadian cottage life.
The new boxes - made of knotty pine - are an exact replica of the old ones, and Bryn has some ambitious plans for them.
I am curious and will surely will follow this project.
Another craftist is born....
If I may add, I am the founding member of the Secret Craft Society.
Chapter 2 - More great IKEA hacks.
John is a great client - he gave me a carte blanche. The scope of his project is very nice and it just begs for some creative work.
And I always think of how incredibly practical the IKEA PAX system is....
I took 3 deep PAX wardrobes, split them in half. Threw in a 1/2" back on both sides - that's how they do it in commercial millwork. I cut the shelves down to fit the bookcase side. The 3 doors were fashioned from a single tall PAX Tanem door. Good planning all around!
John and his wife selected a real nice, directional, plastic laminate from Abet Laminati for finished surfaces, and I took full advantage of that beautiful material.
What a nice project! And how reasonably priced!
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Thoughtful Design
Check out how awesome the lights look - yea, they are from IKEA [PAX lights]. The cabinet is still needs to be organized and filled - it's John's office.
Thoughtful design:
A] the lights are mounted under the second row of shelves from the bottom - this prevents the sitter from being blinded by the direct light. Instead, the lower position gently illuminates the desk. There was some extensive experimenting in getting the lights to angled just right - for best results.
B] These are some deep shelves [14" deep - hey, allows for a printer to fit in nicely!]. To prevent that 'cavernous feel' of the bookcase, the shelves were cut slightly short in the back allowing the light to fully illuminate the entire box, all the way to the top.
