I've created a few things now out of wood and I promise I'll get those up here as soon as I can. But the latest idea I'm playing around with is building my own multi-panel shoji screen. I'm thinking 5 panels in a similar design as the picture below. As a rule and theme of this blog I'm doing all of this with minimal tools and no pre-made plans. It's just my creativity and engineering skills that I'm relying on here. The only training I've had was watching This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop.

The Mission:
To create a simple to build shoji screen with minimal tools, minimal materials, and most importantly minimal cost. My aim here is to get away with up to a 5 panel homemade shoji screen for under 100 bucks. Sure I can buy something cheaper on ebay for less than 100 bucks but that's getting away from the mission here. The initial materials bought will account for a single panel frame, 1 pair of hinges, and enough thin wood material to have a finished decorative design on one side of the panel. The addition of an identical, or possibly a completely different, design on the other side of the panel will depend on the expense of labor and cost.

Predetermined Toolset:
- screwdrivers
- rotary tool with drill bit(dremmel)
- routing jig connection with routing bits for rotary tool
- small 1/4 in square chisel
- hammer
- dovetail saw(any saw will do but that's what I have)

Finishing Materials:
- brass hinges with screws
- minwax polycrilic satin spray finish
- black paint(or any other color)
- sandpaper/block(2 reusable sponge blocks of 150 and 300 grit should do ya)

Proposed Materials:
- 1/4 inch square dowels for decorative design(my estimate is about 14 linear feet worth)
- 2x2x8 wood barstock(the kind used to help prop up trees, unknown material)
- fabric or synthetic rice paper

Expected "Hardest Part"?:
- routing out a 1/4 inch deep and wide groove the entire length of the vertical framing
- routing out 1/4 inch deep and wide groove for 14 1/2 inches of the top and bottom frame pieces

The purpose for the 1/4 inch groove all the way around the inside of the framing is for the paper/fabric guide and for easier installation of the decorative 1/4 inch cross members.



Stay tuned!