BuildanOakBookcase
FromGettingStartedinWoodworking,Season2
ByAsAChristiAnA
Y
oucanthankMikePekovich,
FineWoodworking’sartdirec-
tor,fordesigningthissimplebut
stylishbookcase.Hetookastraightfor-
wardform--anoakbookcasewithdado
andrabbetjoints--andaddednicepro-
portionsandelegantcurves.
Weagreedthatscrewswouldreinforce
thejointsnicely,andthatgaveusade-
signoptiononthesides.Chooseoak
plugs,andalignthegraincarefully,and
theplugsdisappear.Makethemfroma
contrastingwood,likewalnut,andthe
rowsofplugsaddanicedesignfeature
tothebroadsides,hintingatthecon-
structioninasubtleway.
Bydesignthebookcasecontainsa
numberoffundamentallessonsfor
would-befurniture-makers,andlikethe
otherprojectsinthisvideoseries,the
wholethingcanbebuiltwithjustafew
portablepowertools:acircularsaw,a
drill,andarouter
Theshelvesattachtothesideswith
simpledadoes,andthebackandback-
splashdropintorabbets.Screwsrein-
forcethedadojointsandalsoattachthe
lowerstretcher,andwoodplugscover
thescrewholes.Smallerwoodscrews
areusedtoattachtheplywoodback.
Curvesaddlifetorectangularpieces
offurniture,andPekovichworkedin
threetypes,eachirregularandorganic
(asopposedtoradiuscurvesthatcan
seemmechanical).Atthetoparegen-
tlecurvesthatspeedupastheymove
forward,eachtakenfromasectionof
aFrenchcurve.Atthebottomaretwo
longcurvesformedwithaflexiblewood
batten,oneextendingendtoendonthe
lowerstretcher,andtheotherashort
gracefularchatthebottomofthesides,
endingatastraightstepateachendto
suggestlegs.
--AsaChristiana,editor,FineWoodworking
LumberandhardwareList
VideOsGotoFinewoodworking.com/starttowatchamulti-partvideodetailinghowtobuildthisbookcasefromstarttofinish.
PartQtYsizemateriaL
sides23/4in.x11in.x52in.Oak
sheLVes53/4in.x105/8in.x27in.Oak
backsPLash13/4in.x31/4in.x271/2in.Oak
arched
stretcher
13/4in.x3in.x261/2in.Oak
back11/4in.x271/2in.x453/4in.
Oakveneer
plywood
screwsFOr
sheLVes
30#12x2in.flatheadscrewsSteel
screwsFOr
back
24#6x3/4in.flatheadscrewsSteel
52in.
28in.11in.
13/4in.
11/4in.
1/2in.
13/4in.
13/4in.
3in.
12in.
Stretcher
isinset
1/4in.
21/2in.
13/4in.
105/8in.
12in.
Shelves,
3/4x105/8x27
Back,
1/4x271/2x453/4,
screwedinplace
Archedstretcher,
3/4x3x261/2
Sides,
3/4x11x52
Backsplash,
3/4x31/4x271/2
10in.
8in.
Shelfdadoes,
1/4in.deep
Rabbetforbackpanel,1/2in.
wideby3/8in.deep
Backsplashrabbetedto
fitbackpanelrabbet
31/4in.
Backsplash
tOPViewdetaiL
OFrearcOrner
Side
Shelfdado
Shelfscrew
Screwplug,
1/2dia.
Back
13/4in.
3/4in.
11/4in.
FOOtdetaiL
Rabbetforback
panel,1/2in.wide
by3/8in.deep
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