Here are some more pictures:

I originally posted this in the woodworking subreddit. It’s my first real woodworking project. Here’s the description I included with that post:

I am happy to report that so far I have not regretted bringing home that radial arm saw a few months ago. I used it to successfully build a small, adjustable bookshelf for my sister’s baby shower.

I made it from 3/4" Europly with maple veneer and finished it with Odie’s Oil. I glued all the joints with Titebond III. The back is 1/8" hardboard to which I applied a cool looking adhesive backed wallpaper.

I didn’t have a dado stack, so I got a little creative with the joints for the legs. I think it worked out because the plys are continuous the same way they are around the mitered corners.

Not sure what my next project will be, but I’m looking forward to doing something soon. My family was really impressed, so this effort felt really rewarding.

    • CrimeDadOP
      2•1 year ago

      Thank you! I didn’t use a router at all on this project. I got one secondhand thinking that I would have, but I didn’t have time to learn how to use it. I used a radial arm saw to cut the grooves for the legs. I just set the bevel to 45°. That’s also how I get the ends of the legs to fit into the grooves. Edited for spelling.

      • @VinS@sh.itjust.works
        2•1 year ago

        Wow, nice tool you have. But not overcutting and creating a ridge should not be that easy. Beautiful work

        • CrimeDadOP
          2•1 year ago

          I probably spent as much time setting up and aligning the saw as I did building the shelf. I also took a lot of measurements and really tried to visualize every step before cutting and gluing. It paid off!