How to Build Wooden Bookcases

You can purchase a custom-crafted bookcase for your home and pay a small fortune. You can purchase a pre-manufactured bookcase that will warp when the humidity changes because it's made from cheap soft lumber. Alternatively, you could decide to build your own bookcase out of quality hardwood with specific dimensions to fit in your room. The process does require some investment in tools, such as a quality miter saw, but it is possible for you to build a solid bookcase without very much woodworking skill.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• 1-inch-thick by 10-inch-wide oak boards
• Miter saw
• Drill bit set
• Hand drill
• Wood screws
• Domed wooden dowel plugs
• Wood glue
• Stain or paint
• Rubber mallet
• L-bracket
• 1/4-inch bolt and nut
• Wrench set

Instructions

1. Measure the height of the wall where you plan to install the bookcase and then measure the width of the area.

2. Cut two pieces of 1-inch-thick by 10-inch-wide oak with a miter saw to the height you measured in the previous step. These two pieces of wood are your vertical supports for the bookcase. If you choose, you can opt for different hardwood.

3. Divide the total height of the bookcase by 12 to determine how many shelves you need to cut. If you choose, you can adjust the shelves to make them farther apart or closer together. In that case, divide the total height of the bookcase by your desired spacing.

4. Cut the number of shelves determined in the previous step to a length two inches shorter than the total width as determined in Step 1. This takes into account the thickness of the vertical supports.

5. Place the vertical supports side by side so you can see the 10-inch-wide faces.

6. Measure up from the bottom of the boards 12 inches and scribe a straight line across both faces. Measure up one inch and scribe a second line. The space between the two lines is where the shelf mounts. Repeat this as you work your way up the boards until you have lines scribed for each shelf. As a note, if you opted for different spacing, use your custom spacing instead of 12 inches.

7. Drill four evenly spaced 1/4-inch pilot holes between each of the two lines for every shelf on both of the vertical supports.

8. Flip the vertical boards over and drill a countersunk hole approximately 1/4-inch deep with a 1/2-inch drill bit. This will allow you to plug the holes with dowel plugs later in the process.

9. Position the vertical supports on their sides with the 1/4-inch holes facing each other. Place the shelves between the vertical supports. Line the shelves up in the 1-inch gaps you created with the scribed lines.

10. Drive 2-inch wood screws through the holes in the vertical supports and into the shelves.

11. Place a dot of wood glue into each 1/2-inch hole, and then tap a domed wooden dowel plug into each hole with a rubber mallet.

12. Stain or paint the bookcase with a wood stain or paint of your choice. Allow adequate drying time before moving on.

13. Place the bookcase against the wall where you plan to install it. Place an L-bracket on the top shelf in each corner. Mark the mounting holes onto the top shelf and onto the wall.

14. Drill a 1/4-inch hole through each marked location on the bookshelf. Secure the L-brackets to the bookshelf with a 1/4-inch bolt and nut.

15. Drill holes into the wall at each marked location with a drill bit large enough to accommodate your wall anchors. Drive the anchors into the wall with your rubber mallet.

16. Use a screwdriver to secure the L-brackets to the anchors with the screws supplied with the anchors.