School Build

17 ft with an additional 6 ft floating desk. I built it out of 2x4s for the frame. I used industrial adhesive and 100 lb anchor screws for to attach frame to the wall. I used 1/2 inch plywood for the surface and a 1x6 for the front. This was for our creation lab at our school. Turned out pretty well with a paint stain. The brown paint acts like a stain, and is pretty durable for school purposes. It is also much easy to change in the future than if it was properly stained and sealed.

This was very difficult as my first attempt at decking because the brick wall was about 3/4 of and inch recessed compared to the tile wall. I learned to measure both side and the middle of projects and not assume builders did their job correct. It took me a while to figure out why nothing was fitting together like my plan. This is were I learned to shim and create a backing since I already spent many days cutting the wood to the design specs. Hey, woodworking is all about learning. Good thing I was in a school...hahah.

This was a beast of a project that I did mainly by myself. My principal wanted a 2 level stage with a step on the first level and a ramp. The walls were not even close to being straight nor the floor close to level. Added to the fun was my lumber supplier pretty much gave me nothing but warped wood from the reject piles. She also wanted hidden storage with added to the difficulty of making it sturdy enough for 10-12 year olds and light enough for them to lift. I am very pleased on how it turned out, and learned a great deal of how to overcome obstacles to the original plan.

Fully module shelving unit. I used 1x3s as my shelf holders because I had enough left over from the deck build. It was suppose to go all the way to the tile, but the wall and floor slopped so much, it made the bottom right (when facing the shelf) almost 2 inches off the ground. It still is 7 ft high and about 8 feet long. I put braces in the wall with 100 lb anchors and used pocket screws to go from those into the shelf. I also attached it to the end of the floating desk I built right next to it, which i am proud to say is holding up almost a dozen desks.

This is what I started with before I started building. Finite supplies and chosen by the big box store. It was time to make magic happen. I actually had to have my students help me bring it inside because they would only deliver to the door, and the wind actually blew away a few plywood sheets. It got me to be more creative with the lumber since I had a handful damaged.