Till for my growing collection of wooden planes

[Another project from the LJ archives, this one from 2015]

My small workshop is in an cowered terrasse and there is no heating in the winter. The sides are open at the top so the snow can sometimes blow in as well. Therefore i keep the more sesitive tools indoor and since my plane collection has grown this started to occupy a lot of space. The perfect excuse for a nice little project!
 
Had some nice shelves that came off a 1890'ies dresser made from dense pine. Made the vertical parts from larch, a timber I am getting increasingly fond of and planes nicely. The shelves just sit in a rebate and glued in a dowel for extra measure. No fasteners.
 
For the color i wanted something dark to contrast the planes. Have experimented with different kinds of stains, dissolved paints etc to make conifers blackish but found no solution that did not make a uenven color, blotched or just looked like thick paint. Then i dawned on me that wood and leather shares a lot of characteristics and this summer i used a leather stain for the seat of my motorcycle with great result. This rubbed on perfectly with a cloth and with 2 coats of floor warnish looked just right.
 
I think it all works nicely and i even found place for my growing pile of woodworking and design books.
 
Let me know what you think!

Edit 2023: The collection have increased even more since I made this project and I contemplate to make one with more room (or perhaps send a few on to new owners..)