Making Wood Bookends

Oak can be used for various types of bookends.

Keep your books upright and organized on your bookshelf with your own homemade wooden book ends. Build your wooden bookends out of a hardwood like oak. Hardwoods like oak are heavy and will refrain from moving when placed next to a row of books. This allows them to be used on a shelf just as they would be on an enclosed bookcase. Sand your oak bookends and apply a wood stain of your choice to give them a finished professional look.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• 2 oak boards, 2-by-5-by-7 inches
• 2 oak boards, 2-by-5-by-5 inches
• Drill
• Drill bit, 3/32-inch, with countersink
• Screw gun
• 4 wood screws, 4-inch
• Sandpaper, medium-grade
• Tack cloth
• Wood stain
• Staining sponge

Instructions

1. Measure two spots to drill on each 7-inch board that are 1 inch away from one end of the board and spaced 3 inches apart so they're 1 inch away from the long edges of the board. Drill a 3/32-inch hole through the board, and drill the counter-sink 1/4 inch into the board.

2. Lay the 5-inch boards flat and position a 7-inch board upright against the end of each board so they make an L-shape. The holes that you drilled are over the ends of the 5-inch boards, and the edges of the boards are flush with each other. Screw through the holes on the side with the counter-sinks to secure the boards together. These are your unfinished bookends.

3. Sand the bookends using your medium-grade sandpaper and wipe them clean with your tack cloth. Apply your wood stain to the bookends and let it dry according to the instructions on the package.

References

• "Step by Step Basic Carpentry"; Ben Allen; 1997