Modern Bookcase

I designed and built this bookcase for our office. I wanted to incorporate lots of storage, but try and maintain a light and more minimal look than a standard bookcase. I designed it to compliment the other furniture in the space, but also tried to give it a more modern feel with its subtle angles and tapered profiles.

It is built from white oak and finished with Rubio Monocoat Natural.

Supplies

Wood

I milled and glued up all the panels for this project out of 4/4 white oak. If you do not have the capacity to do that in your shop, all pieces can be made from 3/4 inch S4S (surfaced on 4 sides) material that you can get from your local lumber yard, from online wood distributors, or even you big box store home center.

Additionally, I constructed each box to have a waterfall grain match from top to sides. This means that the top and sides have to be cut from the same panel (about 60 inches long). You can use shorter pieces if you forgo the grain matched effect.

Each Case:

10.5 in x 32 in x 3/4 in (2)

10.5 in x 13.5 in x 3/4 in (2)

Side supports:

5 in x 83 in x 3/4 in

Back Stretcher

3 5/8 in x 32 in x 3/4 in

Tools

Access to a fairly comprehensive set of tools (and knowledge of how to use them safely) is required for this project. At a minimum you will need:

Table Saw

Cross cut sled for table saw.

• alternatively, a sliding miter saw with at least 10.5 inch cut capacity, or a track saw could be used to cross cut panels.

Router and mortising jig.

• alternatively a Festool Domino, or biscuit joiner could be used for these operations.

Router for edge profiles.

• alternatively, edge profiles can be shaped by hand.

Sander

Reliable Square

Bevel Gauge or Protractor

Clamps

Techniques

Ripping and cross cutting panels accurately.

Cross cutting accurate 45 degrees miters.

Reinforcing miters with loose tenons or other means (domino, biscuit)

Assembling mitered boxes.

Sanding and finishing.

Step 1: Mitered Cases

Prepare Panels to Width

Rip boards to 10.5 inch width.

I glued up pairs of boards to get to this width, and used a 6 foot level on the table saw to joint the edges because I do not have a jointer.

Cut to Length

I used a cross cut sled at the table saw to cut each piece to its exact length. The top and two sides come from a single piece of wood, and I use painters tape to label which pieces match so that I keep everything organized for glue up.

Set Up Miter

Set the table saw blade to 45°. I am using a sled to cross cut each piece. The board will be on the right side of the blade (cut off to the left), so I set the blade angle from the right side, referencing off the sled. This gives the most accurate set up if there is any variance in my cross cut sled.

I then make make a sample cut on two scrap pieces of wood, assemble them, and check for 90°. Time spent ensuring an accurate set up now, pays dividends later.

Miter Cross Cut

I cut about 1/16 inch away from my line, and then take a second pass to get the final length. I find that the blade deflects or burns less, and I get a cleaner final cut this way.

Step 2: Reinforce the Joints

You can glue up the cases without adding any additional joinery. Tenons, dominos, biscuits or splines will help strengthen the joint, but they also make assembly easier by helping with alignment.

Tenon/Biscuits

I use a router jig with a 1/4 inch up-cut spiral bit to make three 3/8 inch deep mortises for each adjoining edge. The loose tenons are each 1 inch wide and 3/4 inch long.

Sand and Edge Profile

Sand the inside faces of the cases now. This will be easier than after they are assembled. I sanded 120, 150 and 180 grit. I also sand the edges at this time.

I used a 1/16 inch round over bit to profile the inside edge. Once the case is glued up, a router bit won't cut all the way into an inside corner.

Clamping Cauls

To apply clamping pressure I made cauls out of 1/4 in plywood with a triangle (45°, 45°, 90°) glued to it. On the opposite side sandpaper is glued on to increase friction between the caul and the case. When clamped to the two adjoining pieces, clamping pressure is applied across the joint.

Alternatively, the triangle strip can be glued directly to the case. After the case is dry they can be remove with a chisel and glue residue can be sanded off.

Assembly

Painters tape is applied to the inside face of each joint to help protect from glue squeeze out.

I glued up pairs of opposite corners first. When dried, I then glued these two sub assemblies to create the case. By doing each assembly in stages, it makes the glue up less stressful.

Step 3: Side Supports

Long Taper

Each side support begins as a 5 inch wide board, at least 83 inches long. The "feet" are cut from each board (10 inches long each) and each side support is cut to 72 5/16 in.

To cut the long taper I drew the cut line from end to end on each side support. I hot-glued a 6 foot level, offset 1 inch from the cut line, and clamped a second 6 foot level to the table saw fence. I adjusted the fence so the blade aligned with my cut line. Running the level glued to the board along the level clamped to the fence allows for a straight tapered cut.

Angles

The supports angle back 4°. To cut the joint between the feet and the legs I used a fence screwed to my cross cut sled at 47°. You could also use a miter gauge to do this. Make sure you are referencing the back of the legs, not the tapered fronts. Save the off cuts.

The top of the side supports is also cut off at 4°

The top edge of the feet are also tapered back using a small sled.

Assembly

I used the same mortise and loose tenon process with the router for where the feet and legs meet.

The off-cuts are hot-glued to opposite sides of the joint. These allow you to apply clamps perpendicular to the joint.

Step 4: Side Supports Continued

Tapered Profile

The front edge of each side support is tapered on the table saw at 16°. With the fence set 3/8 inch from the blade.

I used a feather board to help keep each side support tight against the fence.

All other edges are round over with a 1/8 inch round over bit with the router.

Stretcher

The stretcher is cut to size, and mortises are cut to allow for the same loose tenon assembly.

Step 5: Final Assembly

Sanding

Final sanding is done on all surfaces. Again I sanded with 120, 150 and 180 grit sand paper.

The outer edges of the cases are profiled with the same 1/16 inch router bit.

Spacer Blocks

I decided to assemble the bookcase upright, but it could be assembled on its back if you had a large enough flat surface.

I cut four spacer blocks out of plywood (10.5 in x 10 in) to aid with assembly. Two of the blocks have plywood glued to the front and bottom edge. This corner is tucked against the front corner of the side supports. The first case can then be set on top of the spacer blocks, aligning the front edge.

Each subsequent case is stacked on the previous using the spacer block to set the correct height, and aligned with the front edge.

Tape was applied to the edges of the spacer blocks to help them slide out easier, and mar the cases less.

A second set of hands is very helpful at this point.

Final Glue Up

Glue is applied to each side support where it will contact the case. I left a half inch margin to guarantee there would be no squeeze out. In the pictures, yellow tape helps highlight where glued will be applied.

I used cauls to apply clamping pressure to the side supports.

I let each case dry before moving on to the next one.

The stretcher should be glued in at the same time as the lower case.

Finish

After the glue has dried I inspected all surfaces and did any necessary touch up sanding where I may have marred the piece during glue up. This includes checking the insides of the cases. I vacuumed off all surfaces and wiped clean with mineral spirits. The mineral spirit wipe will also highlight any imperfections that need to be addressed.

I used Rubio Monocoat Natural for my finish. I like this finish on white oak because the finish is tinted, keeping the oak "natural" in color rather than imparting the amber or orange tones that other oil based finishes will.