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by
Art Mulder
photos: Roger Yip
illustration: Len Churchill |
CURIOUS BOOK CASE |
Styled
after European row houses, this bookcase is
a playful way to organize your kids’ room |
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.
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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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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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1. Frame it up | 2.
Painting and assembly |
3. Finishing up |
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