Continuing work on the circle library. With the ladder moved to the front wall, I now have 8 3/4″ of library wall space not including the two vertical end boards that will close it on the sides. I marked the final position of the center circle. This gives me a bit of shelf space to the right but allows me more room on the left to play. The left will be more visible anyway. To build the shelves, I cut 1/8″ wide channels in the plywood wall using the Dremel Trio.
Since I didn’t trust the wall edges to be straight, I used a fence board clamped in place.
You can plunge cut with the Trio, which is a great feature. You can start anywhere along your line.
The bit made a channel slightly too narrow, so I tapped the fence board with a rubber mallet for a second run, widening the final channel to the proper width needed to fit the 1/8″ shelves.
The top channel is rough because there was something catching the bit in the wood and it was close to the edge. Once the ceiling is in, I will add trim to enclose the top space to keep it from being a dust-catcher space that’s difficult to clean, so the rough cut didn’t matter much. These might not be square to the floor or ceiling after the build is in place, but they are reasonably parallel to one another.
The channels provide a sturdy hold for each shelf cut from 1/8″ basswood. I started with 1″ wide basswood strips and cut them down to end up with a roughly 3/4″ deep shelf. I hand cut the angles around the circle supports. Not easy.
The two end boards are slightly deeper than the shelves. For the top, I cut a piece of 1/4″ strip wood for stability for the eventual final trim. I still need to cut the support piece for the bottom of the circle, but I am tapped out for the night. :D
The space under the bottom shelf will be enclosed by trim or baseboard in the end, and I left a bit of clearance on the bottom for flooring thickness.
Next up, covering the plywood back between the shelves and cutting the mirror for the center.
