Bookcases, part deux

I have spent the better part of the last two weeks working off and on with my bookcase project.

I have learned a lot in the last two weeks. Here's a recap:

1. Buy your lumber from a reputable place, not Home Depot or Lowe's. In Portland this place would be called "Mr. Plywood" and is now my mecca for carpentry projects.

2. Don't wear sandals when ripping or chopping your materials.

3. Do wear eye protection when using saws.

4. Remember to add in the blade dimension when cutting wood to a particular dimension.

5. Give yourself a break: your first set of shelves won't be your prettiest, so put these shelves in the basement and practice on them there.

6. You can always heed your friend's husband's warnings about do-it-yourself shelving projects: if you really don't want to spend the time doing carpentry, go to IKEA and buy them there.

7. Remember the power of paint.

8. But also remember that a painted pig is still a pig.

Anyway, I'm off to do a Sunday's worth of projects, including painting the pig in my basement. Pictures later, when it's finished.