Large Floating Shelves
This is my first woodworking project ever. I showed my Fiancée the Shanty2Chic youtube channel and she fell in love with their floating shelves. I recently purchased a Ryobi combo kit and decided to take a crack at it (the things I do for love). She wanted them larger than the ones in the video so I did my best to oblige, I scaled them up as best I could to the dimensions she wanted.
The project took longer than expected due to my inexperience. I definitely learned a lot though, it was nice to apply some of the things I learned from watching/reading tutorials online. I ended up getting too focused about getting her the 60 inch long shelf and forgot to factor in the size of the half inch boards I put all around it, so they ended up larger than expected. A mistake I won't make again. I used my circular saw for the first time, I am still getting the hang of it. My advice would be
to let the saw do the work, I put too much pressure pushing through causing the blade to have some problems. Just remember “Slow is fast and fast is smoothe”. I also went a little overboard with the wood glue but learned how to strategically place it to best prevent it from running down the sides, which allowed me to be more successful assembling the 2nd shelf.
I certainly learned the value of a proper workspace, I built these without a workbench, clamps or a nail gun. It took some out of the box thinking but I managed to get them built. It was a frustratingly satisfying experience, I hope to have a work bench and maybe a miter saw for the next project I tackle. It was all worth it in the end, I have a happy lady and something I built with my own two hands that I am extremely proud of. All that is left is for her to decide where to hang them.
Congrats! This is great turn-out, especially for your first woodworking project. They really turned out perfect. You've got plenty of natural talent. Can't wait to see more from you.