Christmas was approaching and I needed a gift for my son. I was looking for something simple but with a lot of meaning. Wood blocks were a good bet. They required planning, allowed for design creativity, can be played with, and can be a keepsake in the future.
My wife and I decided we wanted to make clocks as Christmas gifts for our family. I have some woodworking knowledge and access to a laser cutter so I thought the project would have a high likelihood of success.
My wife and I were walking the neighborhood and found a discarded Ikea dresser. The drawers were broken off, the top was no longer attached and the backing material was falling apart. However, the frame was solid wood and in reasonable shape. We were looking for a new dresser and this seemed repairable.
When my wife and I moved to Seattle we parted with a lot of the Ikea furniture from our college days. We wanted to start acquiring high quality items but were turned off by the prices. I decided that I would take it upon myself to design and build a custom hardwood bookshelf.