Walnut Wall Unit (added new slideshow)

This is a beautiful unit.
My dad has one he made very similar. Yours looks better with the raised panel.
I think this is the right place to display the geodes. Those guys are really expensive.

I thought those dots on the right were switches, I guess I was not far off.

Great work

Bently,

You mentioned you used Pre-cat lacquer and from the description tinted (maybe).
My question is can pre-cat lacquer be tinted like latex to match a color?

I have seen several projects were they mentioned pre-cat lacquer and I am dying to try it. I also read that it need to be sprayed and cannot be brushed.

Bently,

Outstanding! We’re not certain what we like best . . . the cabinet or the geode collection . . . or the step ladder! LOL

The cabinet really showcases the collection and the lighting puts it over the top!

L/W

That is awesome and so well done! I love the lighting, and the floating shelves, and that finish looks perfect. Wow!

Great looking project! I really like it and thank you for openly sharing the “plywood” aspect of this project. IMO, often that aspect seems like folks try to hide/deny it, yet to me we should celebrate it and incorporate it more often in our WW than we do. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Everybody,
lanwater, you can tint the pre-cat, it has all the same characteristics of regular lacquer.
I’m not sure if they make a brushing grade pre-cat, I always spray. I’m sure if they did and you tinted it you would have a hard time getting an even color. I didn’t explain myself very well, I stained the unit first (believe it or not) using Minwax Gunstock stain then lacquered over it.

Thanks L/W, My first time using this type of lighting. Very impressed at the ease. I used the LOOX brand LED’s from Hafele, everything is plug and play. LED’s have a 8’ lead with a plug on the end, just plug into the transformer which has room for 6 plugs. Then just select the style switch that comes with an 8’ lead that also just plugs into the transformer and done.

Thanks David, I was worried about the strength of the floating shelf, those geodes are heavy.
The black pipe solution worked great, got the idea from my bar clamps.

Thanks Mike, I’m not embarrassed to use plywood, now if it was an mdf core I might have hid that fact. lol I try to use a plywood core whenever possible. I also demand a domestic plywood over any import plywood. It’s worth the extra cost and is an added benefit to OUR economy as well.
Import products will double your work and lower the quality, Buy American!

Quite a feat of engineering to make shelves like that that won’t sag, bend or start leaning down. Great job.

Wow that’s a great build.