Bookcase Update

I made some significant progress on the bookcase this week. The final coats of poly were applied to the main frame, although some finish buffing will still be needed. Today I cut out the plywood backing, stained it, and applied the first coats of poly, as well as applying another coat to the shelves. I set the stained backing into the mainframe for a glimpse of the finished product, and now I can't wait to make that permanent!

Although this may look like some fancy picnic table, it is really the backing ply and two shelves, each with a fresh coat of poly.

I've learned a lot about finishing wood in this project. Mainly I've learned that it is easy to make it look "home-made". The most difficult thing is getting a smooth finish with the poly. I suffer from a lack of patience, so when I should probably tape off and work on one section at a time, I end up just jumping into all of it at once. If I can find the time, I could possibly have some finished product pics by next weekend.