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Build a curious bookshelf
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Styled after European row houses, this bookcase is a playful way to organize your kids' room
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By Art Mulder, photos by Roger Yip, illustration by Len Churchill
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The Fanciful and curious nature of children is a great match for this unique bookcase. Inexpensive plywood and a few cans of bright paint will create a very playful project
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A child's imagination can turn ordinary objects into exciting and creative things. They look at a big cardboard box and see a fortress; they turn a plain milk carton into a rocket ship. v When I decided to build a bookcase for my children's room, I wanted to make something that matched their creative spirit. Not only is this project a handy bookcase, it can double as a dollhouse or a hiding place for secret treasures.
Frame It Up
The core of this project is a simple plywood bookcase. Begin by cutting out the five shelves and two sides using your tablesaw. These fit together with 3/8"-deep x 3/4"-wide dados and rabbets. To speed progress and accuracy, start with one large piece of wood that's a little more than twice as wide as a single side piece. This way, when you cut one set of rabbets and dados, you've really cut two after you rip the sides to their final widths of 11". Use a dado blade mounted in your tablesaw to cut these dados, as well as a 1/4"-deep rabbet into the back edges of each side to receive the back of the bookcase.
Next, cut dados in the shelves themselves. These hold the two kinds of vertical dividers-tall and short-that you'll be cutting later. All shelf divider dados are located 9 7/8" from the shelf ends. Make sure you leave the saw fence locked in place while cutting all six dados. It's vital that all slots for the dividers line up vertically. See the plans for relative dado positions. When you're done, label the five shelf boards to keep track of the top and bottom, front and back edges. Normally this wouldn't matter with identical parts, except that the divider dados have to be placed in specific positions.
Dry-fit the bookcase using clamps, then take accurate measurements of the distances between the shelves to determine the actual size of the dividers and back panel. Cut these parts and add them to the project, then check and adjust for a snug overall fit. Mark the back, showing where the centre of each divider touches it. You should also label the three dividers, noting their front edges and locations. All these labels will be handy later, when you begin to paint.
Take everything apart and begin jigsawing some details, starting with the arched feet at the bottom of each side. There are three 3"-wide x 5"-tall windows in the sides of the bookcase. See the plans for their exact position. Drill an access hole in each window opening and use a jigsaw to cut out the waste, then round off the edges with sandpaper.
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