KNICK KNACK SHADOW BOX

Knick Knack shadow box give your dog a bone. Now these knick knacks have a home.

I've had a fascination with the haphazard design of shadow boxes for quite some time. Here is the link to my bookcase build: https://www.instructables.com/id/HOW-I-BUILT-a-SHADOW-BOX-BOOKCASE/

I did a rough sketch of my idea with approximate measurements for a 2' x 4' unit.

NOTE: As you will see, the design drawn above is just a guide. As assembly progresses I change the actual design as needed. If you compare the finished product with the design plan you will see what I mean.

Here are pictures of the tools and supplies I used.

The carcass is made from 8' 1 x 6s. In total, 5 were used. The back is 1/4" plywood. The carcass was stained Dark Walnut. The backing was finished with Tung Oil. The drawers were made from 3/8" plywood and finished with Tung Oil. The drawer pulls are painted ceramic.

Using the 8' 1 x 6s I cut two at 23 1/2" and two at 47 1/2" lengths and put rabbets on the top and bottom sections. Then I added all the top and side dadoes which is explained fully in a different step. I didn't glue anything and only fastened using 2 1/4" trim screws. These have very small heads. I was going to plug the holes left by the screws but I liked the even look of the holes when it was all assembled.

https://www.instructables.com/id/I-MADE-a-DADO-JIG...

The most important part of this project is the dadoes. Above is a link to my dado jig build if you're interested.

Here is how I proceeded. First I set the router bit at a 1/4" depth. Then I labeled the backs of the frame pieces to keep things a bit organized. I rabbeted the ends of the top and bottom. Based on my drawing, I approximated where each dado would go and routed each one.

NOTE: I didn't work from exact measurements because I don't have sketch up and since I've made shadow boxes before I knew exact measurements were not crucial to the end result since one side doesn't line up with the other. Plus, there's a bit of enjoyment in creatively approaching the design like this. Just like there is no crying in baseball, there are no mistakes in my Instructables ---only, to quote Bob Ross, Happy Accidents ... of which I had a few, but then again too few to mention. I did what I had to do. And fixed them all -- without exemption.

This is the fun part which can make you feel a bit addlepated at times. But not to worry, there is a way around it. At some point I put my drawing aside and used painters tape to mark where the shelves would go. My assembly table corner is a perfect 90 degrees and I kept referencing off it to keep the unit square.

The build was not without its Happy Accidents -- all of which were easily rectified by filling and sanding and making a new dado or just filling and sanding it.

Once assembled I stained it Dark Walnut. I sanded it with 220 grit.

I finished the backing with Tung Oil. Then I used the two factory edges to square the unit and traced the location of all the shelves on the back of the backing. Using staples instead of brads, I secured the back. I used a flush trim router bit to trim off any excess.

Using 3/8th inch plywood I cut and assembled five drawers to fit some of the openings. I finished them off using Tung Oil, hit the whole unit with lacquer spray, and installed the ceramic knobs.

I installed it in my home office and filled it with some of my knick knacks.

I hope you enjoyed this Instructable and learned something, too. As usual, all comments appreciated and all questions answered.

Kink

I tagged each item, if you're interested in what they are.

KJ