+ Thorough plans, cut lists etc pretty well presented. It seems like a well engineered design.
+ The videos are long, but concise and tightly edited, without much irrelevant commentary or jibber-jabber.
+ Several good tips in the videos, although I didn't really see the need for some of the extra tools etc. just for this project.
- I would have preferred the finished dimensions were already
of a standard size, not the "tall guy" size, to avoid having to recalculate and cross out many of the given dimensions and pencil in reduced by 3".
It's a little confusing and means double checking to make sure all the dimensions are right before cutting.
Suggest you give the dimensions as a "standard" size, and builders can add 3" if they want a taller finished height.
+/- Personal preference, instead of the extra work of cutting and gluing two sheets of 1/2" to form a 1" thick "wing",
I just used a single thickness of 3/4" plywood and skipped the T-slot. I don't have a router. I will just clamp a stop to the wing if needed.
Some of the features are more "nice to have" or for more elegant design, not strictly required for an occasional woodworker.
- The need to buy specialized tools like a pocket hole jig, special pocket hole screws, etc. added a lot to the cost of the project.
Many different sizes and lengths of fasteners. The way some of the parts are laid out, I don't think it would really work correctly not to use pocket holes.
I wound up spending over $140 just on fasteners, clamps and pocket hole stuff, plus the wood. That's more than I paid for my (used) miter saw.
Now that I have all the wood, hardware and fasteners, I will slightly simplify my build to reduce cost and time.
