Fine Woodworking? A first for me.

I have ventured into the realm of furniture making the past couple of weeks in an attempt to make a coat rack with shelf.  I've always been curious to see and learn more about pocket holes, and hidden joinery, so I splurged and bought a $30 Kreg pocket hole jig.  First impression - Why didn't I buy this gadget earlier?!  I really liked it, and it opens up a lot of potential for ideas.

So, I designed my own "mission style" coat rack for the front entryway.  This is a prototype for a larger style rack for the main shoe-room of the house.  I chose red oak hardwood, and stained it in a similar color.  All joints are pocket holes, of course.

I used keyhole brackets on the back to hide my mounting hardware, so there are no exposed screwheads that are visible.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased, but I would do a few things differently.  I found that pocket holes get a little dicey depending on the grain of the wood.  I should either use an undersized screw, or drill a pilot hole into the piece to be joined.  I ended up clamping the joints in nearly all the axis to prevent splitting.  I don't think that is normal - it just so happens because of my design.

Phase 2 - take what I learned on my prototype, and apply it to a new design that is slightly larger for the main house entrance.  And, I need to find a better (cheaper) source of lumber.  All in all, a good first project and good learning experience.