How to Build a Totem Bookcase Tower

Native-American inspired crafts are very popular as home and garden decor. Totem poles are awe inspiring, larger than life sized wood carvings that demonstrate the carver's artistry and skill while protecting and inspiring the village or tribe where the totem resides. Totems are sacred objects, and should be treated with respect and dignity. Using a genuine, Native-American made totem pole to make furniture would be highly disrespectful, but you can make Native-American inspired totem poles to use for your book tower. Be sure that you never sell or trade this piece without making it very clear that it is not Native-American made and is not the product of any Native-American tribal artist, as it is illegal to misrepresent tribal inspired art as genuine.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wrap around eye protection Two 6-inch by 6-inch by 6-feet long wooden posts Five 1/2-inch by 6-inches by 12-inches shelves Carpenter's glue Black marker 1/2-inch wide paintbrush Rubber mallet 2 L-shaped wall mounts with screws Reciprocating saw Rotary rasp Sanding drum Wood files Sanding blocks Miter box and back saw Coarse, medium, fine and extra fine sandpaper Power drill Wood gouges or power router

1. Lay out totem profile on 6- inch by 6-inch by 6-feet long posts using a black marker. See Resources below for sample totem profiles. Don wrap around eye protection. Use a reciprocating saw to rough cut your totem profile images into the 6-by-6-post.

2. Use a power drill with a rotary rasp to finesse totems into a smoother profile. Work slowly, removing only a little bit of wood at a time. It is better to make more cuts to remove additional wood than to remove too much wood at once. Use a sanding drum to rough sand the totem profiles and round out the totem pole. Finish with wood files and sanding blocks, going from coarse to medium, to fine, to extra fine sandpaper.

3. Make sure each end of your 6-by-6-post has been cut at a square 90-degree angle. Commercially precut posts can be as much as 15 degrees or more off true. Use a miter box and back saw to recut the ends at a true 90-degree angle.

4. Make five 1-inch deep, 1/2-inch wide rabbet cut every 12 inches along the totem poles, on the right side of one pole and the left side of the other, using a wood gouge or router. Make sure the placement of the cuts is the same on each pole. Brush carpenter's glue into rabbet cuts and onto the ends of your five shelves. Insert the shelves into the rabbet cuts between the two totems. Tap totems with a rubber mallet if needed to assure a good fit. Apply pressure between the totem poles for 10 minutes while glue sets. Allow glue to dry overnight.

5. Find a wall stud. Center your totem book tower on the stud. Anchor bookcase using an l-shaped wall mount and wood screws. Place books and figurines on your shelves.

Tips & Warnings

• Always use wrap around eye protection when working with saws and other power tools.
• It is illegal to sell any art or craft that is represented as being "Indian made," or as the product of a particular Native-American tribe. It is not illegal to make Native-American inspired crafts as long as you label as such. Be extremely careful when using the router. If you have not used a router before, have an experienced carpenter complete Step 4, or use a hand gouge and wood files. See Resourcces below for router safety videos.

Resources

• Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990
• Exploration of Totem Pole Making and Significance
• Totem Pole Coloring Page
• Power Router Safety Tips