How to Add Glass Doors to a Built in Bookshelf

Built in book shelves can become the focal point to a room with a little bit of trim, some lighting and even adding glass doors.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• wood usually the same type of material as shelf,router,mitre saw,table saw,nails,hinges,measureing tape,wood glueand framing square.

1. Measure how big you would like the doors to be.You can go to a home center and pick out the various sizes of wood or you could cut them to your specs.
2. Once you have all the wood pieces for the frame work you will want to make a recess cut on the sides of all the wood trim. You can cut these yourself or ask a wood worker to do it for you. These cuts will be 1/8 to 1/4 inch it width and 1/4 inch deep, So if you are to do the cuts set your table saw 1/4 inch high.
3. Find the center of your shelf and split the measurement in half for two doors to fit. The piece of glass will be 1/2 inch all the way around larger than the door is going to be. You will do this because the glass will actually fit into the grooves you are cutting in the wood
4. Go to a glass shop and have them cut you two pieces of glass to fit the size of the door you want. After you have the glass you are ready to fit the wood around the glass.
5. Take the pieces that will be the top and bottom of the door, measure exactly the width and make 45 degree cuts each facing with the diagonal cut inward (example left \ and right / angles) Do this for both doors so you wont have to go back and do it again.
6. Make certain glass fits in groove. with the glass protruding 1/4 inch past the inner angles of the 45 degree cut proceed cutting the vertical boards the same way as you cut the top an bottom pieces.
7. The wood should now be surrounding the glass insert. You can glue and nail the wood together or glue it and hold the pieces together for 24 hours and then install the doors on the book case. Take a framing square and check that all corners are flush and square.
8. Take your hinges and mount them on the door usually 2 inches from the top and bottom of the door is plenty. Now mount the doors on the book shelf and adjust for proper fit and closure