Making Bi-plane shelves for and with my grandchildren

Frank Pellow

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Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
(part 1 of 2)

As soon as I saw the October 2007 issue of Wood magazine at the store, I knew what three of my grandchildren would be receiving as a Christmas gift. The magazine contains plans for a large double shelf modeled upon a biplane. The biplane shelf itself is both good looking and quite functional but, what makes it even better, is that the recipient gets to help put it together.

Following are extracts from my weekly journal describing the building and assembly of these gifts.

2007, Dec 16:

This week I started on the biplane shelves that I am making for Christmas. Each set of shelves looks like a biplane with a motor, propeller, and wheels. They are quite long –almost 4 feet and substantial. The thing that I find really appealing about them is that each is made as a kit which the child receiving the gift then participates in assembling. Most of the parts are made out of MDF which I am not really very happy working with. The only good thing about MDF is that a ¾” thick piece is really ¾ inch thick. I got the plans from a magazine where some of the parts had full size patterns but the patterns for the large wings had to be transferred. In the photo to the left below, I first transferred the pattern to the plywood with squares drawn on it, them to the MDF:

Airplane Shelves 01 Transfering top wing pattern -small.JPG

The straight line parts of the wing were cut using a guided circular saw:

Airplane Shelves 02 -Cutting a straight edge of the top shelf with guided circular saw -small.JPG

The curved portions were cut using a jig saw.

Wheels were cut out of MDF using a hole-saw device on the drill press:

Airplane Shelves 03 -Producing wheels using a hole-cutting thingy on the drill press -small.JPG

Putting together the nose of the plane called for some non-ninety degree clamping:

Airplane Shelves 04 -Clamping  two non-ninety degree angles at once -small.JPG


2007, Dec 23:

Work continued on the airplane shelf kits. A mixture of 7 parts yellow glue and 3 parts water was used to size all the MDF parts:

Airplane Shelves 05 -Painting glue sizing onto the MDFF shelf parts -small.JPG

Here all the parts for two shelves are drying after having been painted:

Airplane Shelves 06 -Parts for Leah and Brookes shelves drying -small.JPG

And here they are being wrapped for presentation in a home-made cardboard box:

Airplane Shelves 07 -Leah and Brookes shelves being wrapped -small.JPG

Margaret and I took these to our daughter Kristel's nerar Ottaw on a whirlwind one-night-stay trip late in the week. Unfortunately, we will not be there on Christmas day to see them opened.

On the other hand, we will be able to see our grandson Ethan open his here in Toronto:

Airplane Shelves 08 -Ethans shelf  being wrapped -small.JPG
 
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what a great gift frank. they look like they enjoyed receiving and building their plane shelves.

i have said it before and i'll say it again, you are a wonderful grandfather. those children are very fortunate.

thanks for sharing
chris
 
Frank

I have asked before , but will you be my grandad too?:D

What a great idea and , as expected, executed with great style.
 
The best part is that they helped you put them together. Well Done Frank:thumb:

My first memory of christmas was when my brother and I got some wood, nails, and a hammer from my grandpa.
 
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