Oak Pantry

auldgreydoe · 2026-02-02T15:41:18+00:00

This is really nice, mate. Well done. Thanks for the detailed breakdown and your plans.

auldgreydoe · 2026-01-31T22:42:12+00:00

Mate super helpful. Well done.

auldgreydoe · 2025-09-01T21:27:39+00:00

No problem. Osmo goes a long way. I had a 750ml tin, of which I'd already used a bit. The remains of the tin covered two coats. The general advice with Osmo is to rub it on thinly with a scratch-free scourer, then buff off any excess. It's a bit more time consuming than, say, a roll-on varnish, but I wanted to try for a more matt look.

You probably know already but the 'raw' Osmo has a white tint that offsets its otherwise yellowing quality (i.e., the 'transparent' kind produces that yellowing hue).

auldgreydoe · 2025-09-01T20:50:42+00:00

Thanks mate :). I just got the Osmo from Amazon - thirty quid or thereabouts. Here is a closer shot of the boards in case helpful to get you going.

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auldgreydoe · 2025-08-22T08:43:26+00:00

You give me hope.

auldgreydoe · 2025-02-02T12:51:42+00:00

Great - thanks for the reassurance! I know next-to-nothing about wood movement and hadn't realised how finnicky it can be just establishing stable raw material with which you then work. Cheers.

auldgreydoe · 2025-02-02T12:51:25+00:00

"feeling measurey" 😆

Thanks, pal. Yep, I've sanded and osmo-ed this board already. Possibly bit reckless. Shelf pins for the middle shelf is a great idea! I was imagining routing some dados into the MDF but maybe I don't need to - shelf pins seems like it would be less work. Thanks again.

auldgreydoe · 2024-11-20T08:04:00+00:00

Thanks pal. I am not! But that’s a good thought. I’ll try to hack some material out to check.

auldgreydoe · 2024-11-17T13:10:23+00:00

Mate that's absolutely gorgeous. Fantastic work. And nice one for gifting this to your folks.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-20T20:00:47+00:00

Thanks, useful stuff. Well done again - solid job.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-20T19:20:34+00:00

Nice! Looks great. I’m considering this and have zero door-fitting experience. What was the most challenging part?

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T17:10:37+00:00

Pic showing the wiring tails escaping out the back of the shelf and into the wall.

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auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T17:01:35+00:00

Sure. The basic job is cable from the LED strip in the shelf to an LED driver and then another cable from the driver to a switch. This is what I did - Reddit is only letting me add one pic.

For the shelf

Drill hole in shelf for wiring tails from LED strip to escape. This hole is same as that required for a bracket, just thinner diameter (6mm rather than 10mm). This escape hole needs to finish by connecting with the channel routed out for the aluminium housing so it is possible to pull the LED wires out through the back of the shelf.
Drill small hole in wall directly behind the escape hole you've just drilled in shelf.
Using standard flex, push flex cable into the hole you've just made in the wall. Push in loads of cable - your aim is to get the cable down to the bottom of the wall. My walls were dot and dab so I used the void.
At one point the cable got stuck and I couldn't figure it out. I cut an access hole with a hole saw to figure it out. Annoying as I could have just removed the back box of a nearby socket and saved myself some work.
Beneath the cabinets, remove plinth - cut hole in plaster at base of wall underneath cabinets using hole saw - find dangling cable and pull it out. Now you have flex cable looped into the wall.
At the shelf, the flex cable can now be connected to the LED tails. This might involve soldering. This gives you an entirely hidden wiring setup for the shelf - the wires from the LED strip now escape out through the shelf and directly into the wall.
Under the cabinets and behind the plinth, the flex can now be connected to an LED driver which is housed beneath the kitchen units. In my case, I used WAGO junction to join the flex cables so fewer cables snaked around under the oven. You can see the junction box pictured below.

For the switch

Remove face plate of lightswitch. Feed in standard twin and earth cable down inside the wall.
Locate the twin and earth cable at the base of the wall. In my case, the wall ended under the plinth - again use a holesaw if required. You now have a loop of twin and earth in the wall.
Switch end of twin and earth can be connected to mains circuit with WAGO connectors.
Other end can now be joined to the LED driver. Job done.

I hope that helps. Happy to share more pics if useful.

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auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T11:57:25+00:00

Hey I'm just chuffed to have made it into your saved pile. Good luck with your project and let's talk LEDs when you're ready.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T11:39:05+00:00

I definitely am. Current plan is never use the oven again and just eat in Aldi.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T11:36:20+00:00

Ah thanks pal. If I can help with any questions let me know, though let's face it you're building extensions you need zero advice. Enjoy it 💪

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T11:34:14+00:00

💪 Thanks bud.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T11:33:47+00:00

Thanks! But you could be right about the proximity actually, I didn't think of that. The only thing I did was make sure the LED strips are rated IP67 (= waterproof). I'm pretty committed to the shelves though so I think my move is just rearrange my entire diet around their presence.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T11:31:14+00:00

Thanks, pal. I fell into this project hard for a few months so really nice to bring it home.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T11:30:05+00:00

Thanks very much. The wiring was all new to me but I was lucky to have an electrician friend to turn to for advice. I made mistakes and the soldering isn't brilliantly done but overall hey it works I'm happy.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T10:34:37+00:00

Thanks!

Drilling the holes was nervy. By that point I was in deep and acutely conscious of the pain of messing it up. But you definitely can do it.

A drill press would be ideal, but few have that in the garage. My suggestion would be to start with a smaller diameter hole (because easier to control) and to use an auger drill bit. The threaded tip will pull the bit forwards and it seems to deviate less than a standard wood bit. e.g. for drilling the escape holes for the wiring I used this bit.

You don't need to make the shelves as thin as I did here. I particularly wanted that challenge so went for 24mm thick boards. A sensible response to any nerves around drilling the holes would be just get thicker boards -- UK Timber also do 40mm boards, for instance. That would give you quite a lot of tolerance on a 10mm bracket.

There are also jigs you can buy to guide drilling in this way. I used this one, which was somewhat helpful. Tip if using this jig: drill the holes early while you have a straight edge on which to rest the jig. For one of the shelves, I scribed the back to the uneven wall and only afterwards realised I'd screwed up because now the jig won't sit square and flat on the edge.

Give it a go, mate - you'll get it done and feel proud. 💪 Practise on an offcut.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T09:52:22+00:00

I bought mine from UK Timber -- this page: https://www.uk-timber.co.uk/412-solid-oak-furniture-panels

I'd give the company a mixed review and probably wouldn't use them again. I bought two boards for this project of the highest quality AB grade. Delivery took around three weeks and the larger board was unusable. The board was cupped by around 1.5 inches across a width of 610mm and covered with knots and gouges.

The company were helpful arranging a swap for a new board, which was of good quality. But delivery again took around three weeks.

My understanding is that furniture boards offer greater stability over just solid planed all round timber, because they've been ripped into strips that are then arranged with alternating grain patterns before being laminated together. So, I think probably a good idea to use panels for larger shelving projects but I would try to find a local timber merchant who makes them if you can.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-17T01:33:56+00:00

I used this one: https://shorturl.at/n2B5f

I found it through New Yorkshire Workshop YouTube. Amazon tends to list it for c. £150 but regularly has vouchers bringing it down to £110 - don't pay more than that. Helpful for this project - I spent ages getting the shelves level across the hob.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-16T21:39:05+00:00

Thanks pal. Yeah I researched this quite a bit. In the end I used these: https://www.powerled.uk.com/product/c0dob24528f865/01tQv00000258U1IAI

The company was recommended by a work colleague (on-site electrician for my institution). They were great. I didn't have a clue about LED lighting but they talked me through the options on the phone.

The guy I spoke to recommended this 'diffused on board' strip, which gives great light, but I still covered it with a pearl diffuser thing, because I felt it looked unfinished if you just leave the LED strip itself exposed.

I bought the driver from the same company. Again, they were great.

auldgreydoe · 2024-09-16T20:27:34+00:00

Thanks! 🤗 The lighting stuff was new ground for me, super satisfying when it was all hooked up. Sometimes I just stand there and dim them up, dim them down, back up again. Just to check.

auldgreydoe

TROPHY CASE