How to Create Great, Affordable Bookcases
Create inexpensive bookshelves in just a couple of hours with some basic carpentry tools and a relatively rudimentary knowledge of furniture-making techniques. This simple design allows you to adjust the width and height to fit most any space where you need a shelf. You can make it open or with a closed back, and you can varnish or paint it any shade you want. This one has a heart-shaped cutout at the top, but you can use any shape you'd like. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Compass
- Tape measure
- 2 boards: 1-by-12-inch, 6 feet long
- Saber saw with medium/fine wood cutting blade
- Heart-shaped stencil or template, 3 to 4 inches across
- Drill with 1/8- and 1/2-inch bits
- Router with 3/8-inch round-over beading router bit
- Orbital sander
- Sandpaper: coarse, medium, fine and extra fine
- 10 boards, 1-by-2 inches, 7 inches long
- Carpenter glue
- 28 screws, 1¼-inch #6 Philips head
- Number 6 pilot drill bit
- 5 boards: 1-by-12-inch-by-3 feet, 6 inches
- Finish nails, 2 inches long
- Nail punch
- Wood filler
- Putty knife
- 2 boards: 1-by-6-inches, 3 feet long
- Varnish or paint
- Spray equipment or brushes
Instructions
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1
Lay the two 6-foot-long 1-by-12-inch boards that will be the sides of your bookshelf on your worktable. Mark a small line 6 inches from one end of each board in the center. Measure the width of the board, divide the width by two and mark a line so that the two lines cross at the center.
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2
Place the point of the compass on the center point and extend the leg out to the edge. Draw a half circle around the end of the board to round the end. Cut the half circle with your saber saw to make one end of each board round. Do the same on the second side. Sand the ends smooth.
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3
Position the heart-shaped template in the center of the rounded end of the side boards and mark the heart shape. Drill a half-inch hole in the pattern along one edge. Insert the saber saw blade into the hole and saw out the heart shape. Mark and cut out the heart on the other side to match.
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4
Route the edges of the side boards and the inside of the heart shape. Only route what will be the outside edges of the bookcase. Leave the inside edges sharp. Sand the edges smooth. Start with medium sandpaper and then through the finer grades with an orbital sander.
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5
Mark the inside of one side board at 1-1/2 inches from the straight bottom edge and at 18 inches, and then 12 inches apart for the third, fourth and fifth shelf. Repeat on the inside face of the other side board.
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6
Glue the 7-inch long 1-by-2-inch shelf support boards to the inside face of the sideboards so the tops of the shelf supports are level with the lines you marked. When the glue is dry, drill two pilot holes in each and drive 1-1/4 inch screws into the supports to hold them. Make sure not to drill through the side boards.
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7
Route the front edges of the five 3 foot, 6 inch long, 1-by-12 inch shelves, then sand them smooth with the orbital sander. Set the side boards upright. Glue the tops of the 7-inch support boards and lay the shelves in place on top of them. Tap a pair of finish nails through the top of the ends of the shelves into the support boards. Inset the nails with the nail set and fill the holes with wood filler. Let the filler dry and sand smooth.
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8
Sand the edges and surfaces of the two 1-by-6-inch boards then glue and nail them to the back of the shelf. The top one will be level with the top shelf and extending below the shelf. The lower one will be behind the bottom shelf extending above the shelf.
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9
Stain and varnish or paint as you choose according to manufacturer's directions.
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Tips & Warnings
You can adjust the length of the shelves to fit in the space you have. For wider shelves, plan to add extra stiffener boards.
You can even add a solid ¼-inch plywood back if you want to enclose the case. Both the stiffeners or a solid back will provide a backstop for books placed against the back edge of the shelves.
Always wear eye protection when using power tools, painting or varnishing
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Pixland/Pixland/Getty Images
