The One-weekend Bookcase

After years of overloading our five particleboard bookcases with additional reading material, it was time to build some bookcases. I found a great article, The One-weekend Bookcase, by Popular Woodworking’s Christopher Schwarz. I like the height of this case, which allows for great book storage ability.

Following the plan, I made the necessary rip and cross cuts and began assembling the case. As you can see from this pictures, the case took shape quickly. I like the idea of the rabbeted sides that you can scribe to fit nice and snug to a less-than-perfect wall.

I used 3/4” birch plywood for most of the case but opted for 1/2” red oak plywood for the back – which matches the red oak veneer edging. I used a Rockler JIG IT Shelving Jig & 5mm Bit for the adjustable shelf pin holes. Since I didn’t have a plate joiner at the time, I used dowels along with a bead of Titebond original glue and a Kreg Rocket jig to fasten the three fixed shelves. This combination provides the stability and strength to take on a load of books.

To finish the bookcase, we chose two different stain colors as possible options. Using Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner as the base coat, I made a test board with the two stains, with Early American as the winner. I put the Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner on the bookcase, followed by a coat of the stain. I followed it up with two coats of Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane in a satin finish, with a light sand and tack cloth between each coat.

As you can see, the bookcase turned out great. While I took a little longer than a single weekend to complete the project, it was definitely worth the additional time. Now, I only have another ten or 12 cases to build to accommodate all of the books…