The not so glamorous side of furniture making. No matter what you do in life you still have to pay your bills. Today I made a quick set of shelves for the local public library. The library often ask me to repair or rebuild things for them. The jobs don't pay much but every little bit helps. I'm grateful for the work and they have supported me and the show along the way. Last year my wife and I exhibited our work there in an exhibition called 'Co- Habitat'.

The shelves are made out of plywood. I cut a groove into the underside of the shelves and glued in a strip of 3/4" plywood to help stabilize the board and strengthen it so it doesn't buckle under the weight of books. I glued on a 1/4" strip of solid wood to the front edge of the plywood. I used a simple butt/rub joint and glued the strips to the edge. Blue painters tape help hold the strips in place. If you don't have a bench vise simply clamp a clamp ( in this case a wooden screw clamp ) to your workbench. It works well. I'll cut and trim the pieces to size and give them a top coat.
Nothing glamorous but every little bit helps. That and it's good to be part of your community.