Final assembly, images and shipping

I assembled the finished shelf to check it for any errors or oversights. Overall, I am very pleased with the result. This is a very nice shelf with some gorgeous wood – the rays will be visible from certain angles and when the light falls on them just right. This makes quarter sawn oak so special in my mind.

The shelves too have lots of rays, and some nice grain patterns as well.

Closeups of the shelves shows the spots where the grain was especially interesting.

This knot (I’m guessing) is one of my favorite areas on the piece. The grain flows around it, and we can spot some “curliness” to the grain further back. I think it looks very interesting.

Even on the underside, there’s beautiful rays. The vertical stripy pattern of the quarter sawn boards leads the eye upwards.

Another effect I am really noticing as I am writing this article, is that the grain pattern in that center board sort of flows from the lower shelf to the upper shelf. Your eyes are naturally drawn from one to the other this way. I was hoping this would be the case. The grain patterns above the top shelf and below the bottom shelf are a close match to the neighboring boards, creating a calm look.

Overall, I am really pleased with how this piece turned out. All I had left to do was to dismantle the shelf, make sure it was WELL packaged and shipped 1800 km (1118 miles) to Tromsø. A couple of days later, and I received some nice pictures of the shelf in use.

That concluded the build for me, and think it turned out great!

Origins

This is the first build using wood from the oak I felled in February 2020 (read the story in the link). Now, three years later, the planks are dried down below 9% moisture content – well, at least the ones I have stacked in my climate controlled shop – and I am FINALLY ready to get crackin’ on some projects I’ve had on my radar for quite some time. Until then, here is a reminder – this is how the shelf looked a little over three years ago:

Locally sourced wood of selected quality! Can’t beat that. As a woodworker, I have the luxury of knowing my wood – literally – from the stump up! I have done every step of the process from tree to product myself. What a journey! I highly recommend it to anyone. A little warning though – it is kinda addictive! Here’s a somewhat affordable way to do it.