How-To: Build A Custom Oak Bookcase
By Sean O'Hara
Note: This bookcase is one in a series and will be lined up with others, so we didn’t add any side trim to finish out the look. But you could do it simply enough — finish it out with routing on the outside, and continue the upper and lower trim around the sides.
After some more time with the palm sander you’re ready to fill all the holes. Though it might seem like a herculean task, filling the 18-gauge nail holes is very simple and will make a good project look great. Just smear some filler in the hole and sand off the excess. Doing this for each one will get you a lot further in the overall polished look of the finished product than you might expect.
The best way to finish a wood project is hotly debated among woodcrafters. There really isn’t a bad or incorrect way to go about it. Whatever looks good to you is fine. We chose a cherry finish oil stain that we think looks rather stately.
It didn’t turn out too bad for a project that can be completed in a weekend. The best part is you can adjust the size, color, amount of shelves, or trim work to fit your need. Considering the alternative — buying bookcases for twice as much that don’t hold as many books — this type of construction project starts to look pretty good.
Vibrafree Random Orbit Sander [Craftsman]
Drill, Multi-Saw, and Worklight Combo [Craftsman]
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
You should post this on instructables.com . This would be a great instructable!
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:09 am
Actually look for it on Instructables very soon
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:13 am
Good job, Sean. And I’m glad to see the cross-posting to Instructables (another great web site). I need to build a bookshelf and I’ll be cribbing a few ideas from here for sure.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Nice job.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Thanks for the nice explanation. You have also given me an idea about a plasma TV desk/bench..the retail ones are way over priced!!!!
January 4th, 2009 at 10:50 am
those levels are bowed and shouldn’t be used as a straightedge. that’s what straightedges are for.
January 4th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
@grrk - what on earth are you talking about?
January 5th, 2009 at 11:00 am
You could do the layout manually, but cultist pro is a great tool, and free for something this small. I used to to build my built-ins.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
What kind of profile did you rout on the shelf trim?
February 10th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I did a Roman Ogee on the shelf trim with a bull nose top Rob.
March 25th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Thanks for this article, I’m almost done with my second bookshelf of this design. The first one was a great learning experience, the second one is much better