Shojis finally waxed

Wood wax was chosen over polyurethane clear coat because... well, because I was too lazy to apply 2 coats and sand lightly between each coat! With wax, you simply brush on, let sit, then wipe off. It's similar to waxing a car. Purists (woodworking masters) may even claim it creates a better finish. But also, my shoji is made of very slim douglas fir and pine — way too easy to get damaged in sanding.

The metal angle supports have also been covered (above the head rail). See my shoji design post for details.

Shop air filter

These things are excellent. They clean the ambient air at 500 to 1200 cubic feet per minute (CFM), filtering 99% of particles down to 1 micron. Or so they claim. It definitely helps with breathing the workshop air. Then your finishing coats will dry smoother too, due to less settling of dust — if you to do finishing coats in the same area. Really the best of all worlds. I didn't realize the full benefits of it until I got one myself.



I chose the 50-875 model from Delta due to the nicer features. Remote control. 3-speed. Incremental timered shut-off. But as with similar models from Jet and Craftsman, it measures a good 12"x24"x30" — not your typical small appliance. You got to have space for it.

Mine found a perfect spot sitting atop my new wall cabinet. The workbench is just below it, to the left (from where the device pulls in dusty air). These things weigh a good 50lbs, so a bit of planning helps if you want to put it high up in a tight location like in my case. I levered mine into place WITH the plywood platform. No sweat.



The only factor of concern other than a suitable location was fan noise. I'm glad to report that the highest setting is quieter than a large shop vaccuum. The lowest setting might be comparable to a kitchen cooktop exhaust.

The best price I found was from Northwest Powertools — $269 with free shipping and no sales tax.

Mail drop and cabinet

The original mailbox was a cheap little metal thing screwed to the wood siding near the front door. It's visible in one of the photos in my bow window post. It had to go. I needed something bigger. I wanted my vacation mail piling up INSIDE the house. But standard through-the-door mailslots sold at local hardware stores were no good. They're all too narrow and too drafty.

So I got this large commercial-style aluminum mail drop from Mailboxes.com (for $100) and built a faceplate that included the doorbell button. The maildrop came with an adjustable flap stop that's restrictive enough to prevent an arm from reaching through.


Digital modeling was indispensable. Tight projects like this require a careful study of form, function, style, material — even construction methods — all at once.


Accurate measurements were also important — precise hole-cutting was crucial.


Inside the house, a cabinet was needed to hold the mail that drops through the wall. Design factors include proper sizing for the quantity and bulk of postal mail, a door that's easy to open, a way to see the mail without having to open the cabinet door, and a style to match the room's decor.

My software also turns out quick colored renderings, which is essential for good decision-making. Here's how it first looked.


One other design constraint that I imposed upon myself: I had to use as much of the leftover scraps I as I could from earlier projects. This almost became a scrap project! The finished box ended up using maple from a previous cabinet construction, sepetir wood from my desktops, acrylic panels from something (I forget), hinges from a bulk purchase and aluminum flashing from a fluorescent lamp fabrication.


The only wood I had to purchase was a fancy piece for the top. I found some bolivian rosewood (pau ferro) for $21 at MacBeath Hardwood. I think the richness of the rosewood adds an immeasurable appeal.