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B Y DA N CA RY
Side
panel
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Rout a 1/2-in.-wide x 1/2-in.-deep Use perforated hardboard as a jig Assemble the top, bottom and side Attach the back panel to the cabinet with glue and Use a stepped drill bit and pocket-hole jig to drill the
rabbet in the back inside edge of the for drilling the shelf-pin holes in the panels with glue and 2-in. coarse- 1-in.-crown staples. Then attach a 3-in.-wide strip of the pocket-screw holes in the rails.
top, bottom and side panels. The side panels. Space the holes 3 in. thread screws. Then attach the wall back material to fill the gap left behind the wall cleat.
depth of the rabbet is twice the thick- apart and 8 in. from the ends of cleat to the top and side panels with
ness of the back panel. the panels. glue and 2-in. coarse-thread screws.
MAKING MOLDINGS
Stop block
Create a bullnose
edge on the seat
6-in. No. 2 board by first
square-drive bit attaching the seat
edging to the seat
board with glue and Safety note:
biscuits and then
routing a 3/8-in.- Blade guard and
Glue and clamp the face frame Rout the stopped cove profile in
on the edges.
9 10 for photo clarity.
together, and secure the joints by the face frame stiles with a bearing-
8
To make the base shoe molding, first rout a 3/8-in.- Next, rip the base shoe molding to its final 3/4-in.-width. Repeat
driving self-tapping washer-head piloted 1/4-in.-radius cove bit. Clamp radius roundover on a piece of trim stock lumber the routing and ripping process to create multiple pieces of mold-
screws into the pocket holes. a 2-in.-wide stop block to the rails to that is wider than the final base shoe width. ing. You can use the same technique with any thin stock molding.
stop the cove cut at each end.
fit your space, but the construction will nets on the left, the window seat and the shelves, and use poplar or pine for the face covers the wall and squares up the cabi- or before you cut the stock to length. I the house. You can fill nail holes with
be the same. single cabinet on the right side. frames and shelf edging. (Either way, use net, with glue and 1-in. crown staples or cut the stopped cove profiles in the face matching wood putty after completing
The 2-in.-wide face will align with solid wood for the face frames because of brads (photo 4). Then cut the shelves to frames after they were assembled, using the installation.
the cabinet side differently, depending BUILD THE CABINETS its appearance, workability and durability.) size and attach a piece of solid-wood a router with a bearing-piloted cove bit If you choose to paint the bookcase,
on whether it covers an exposed end Sheet goods such as plywood and We used 1/4-in. shelf pins (available edging along the front edge of each shelf and stop blocks clamped at each end of apply one coat of primer before installa-
panel or the seam between two cabinets medium-density fiberboard (MDF) are at home centers and hardware stores) to for reinforcement. the stile (photo 7). I worked in reverse tion. After you’ve completed the instal-
or it butts against an adjacent wall. The perfect for building a large bookcase. A support the shelves. Once you’ve routed order on the trim stock, cutting the pro- lation, you can caulk all of the seams,
outside edge of the face frame should unit made with such large panels of solid the rabbet for the back (photo 1, above), MILL THE TRIM files in the trim stock on a router table fill the nail holes with spackle and
be flush with the outside face of an wood would not only take longer to build bore the shelf-pin holes, using a piece of We used 2-in.-wide stock for the face before cutting it to final width and apply two coats of satin or semigloss
exposed end panel. The face frame and cost more but also be more vulnerable perforated hardboard as a template (photo frames, which are easy to assemble using length (photos 9 and 10). Cutting the interior paint.
should be centered on the seam between to future structural problems such as warp- 2). Drill the holes 1-1/2 in. from the front pocket screws (photos 5 and 6). profiles first allows for cleaner miter
two cabinet side panels. And the face ing and splitting. For a natural-wood fin- and back edges, 3 in. apart and beginning However, these fasteners require a cuts and reduces tear-out. INSTALL THE CASE
frame should overhang cabinet sides ish, use hardwood-veneer plywood for the and ending 8 in. from the top and bottom. drilling jig and stepped drill bit (see A built-in bookcase should look like it
that butt against an adjacent wall by cabinets and shelves and a matching solid The cabinet sides, top and bottom SOURCES ONLINE) to make an angled APPLY THE FINISH is a part of the house and make flush
approximately 3/4 in. to allow for scrib- wood for the face frames and shelf edging. are joined with butt joints fastened with countersink hole for the pocket screw. If you want a natural-wood look, apply connections with the surrounding
ing. I designed our face frame in three If you plan to paint the bookcase, consider No. 8 x 2-in. wood screws (photo 3) and When milling the face frames, you the finish before installing the cabinets surfaces. Achieving a clean and flush
sections to cover the large double cabi- substituting MDF for the cabinets and concealed by trim. Fasten the back, which can cut the profiles either after assembly and trim — this keeps the mess out of installation is not always easy because
3/4-in.
spacer
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Position, level and fasten the plinth to Scribe the edges of Fasten the face frame to the first
the wall studs with 2-in. screws. the face frame to follow the wall cabinet with 2-in. finish nails. Secure
Leave a 3/4-in. space between the profile using a compass. Trim to the the cabinet to the plinth with 1-1/4-in.
plinth and any adjacent side wall. line with a jigsaw or belt sander. screws and to the wall with 3-in.
screws driven through the wall cleat.
most homes do not have flat, square plinth so that the back edge is in line variations in the surface are greater
walls. Compensating for irregularities with the part of the wall that extends than 1/4 in., smooth them out with a
is one of the biggest challenges of farthest into the room (see “Positioning skim coat of joint compound before
installing any built-in project. the Base,” below). Next, shim and level installing the bookcase.
The easiest way to overcome varia- the plinth on the floor and screw it to We used two methods to create a
tions in floor height is by installing the the wall (photo 11). tight connection between the walls and
bookcase on a level base called a plinth. Large dips or variations in the ceiling. The first method, scribing,
Before securing the plinth, check that wall’s surface will be more apparent employs a compass or scribe to transfer
the walls are plumb, and position the after the bookcase is installed. If the irregularities of the wall to the cabi-
net or face frame, which is then cut to
match the profile of the wall. Our book-
POSITIONING THE BASE case cabinets are designed with extra
material to accommodate a small
amount of scribing where the back
Wall meets the wall. The rabbet that holds
ILLUSTRATION BY MIKE ANDERSON
40 HANDY S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 5
Side filler
strip
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Install the rest of the cabinets. Solid filler strips conceal the sides of Attach the window seat board with
Secure the cabinet sides to each the window seat cabinet. The window 2-in. finish nails. To prevent nails from
other with 1-1/4-in. screws and to the seat face frame is fastened with 2-in. popping through the top of the window
wall by driving 3-in. screws through finish nails. seat cabinet, be careful to drive them
the wall cleat. into the face frame and cabinet sides.
17 18
Miter the inside and outside corners of the base molding. Finish the installation by attaching the top cap molding to
Then position the base molding 1/4 in. below the top the face frame. If there are gaps larger than 1/4 in., scribe
edge of the bottom face frame rail and attach it with the top cap to match the ceiling. Otherwise, caulk any
1-1/4-in. finish nails. Next, conceal any gaps between the small gaps between the cabinet and walls or ceiling, and
base molding and the floor by attaching the base shoe. touch up with matching paint.
line. When you attach the face frame to screws through the bottom into the plinth items on the lower shelves, and work
the cabinet, it will fit tightly against the and by driving 3-in. screws through the your way up with smaller or lighter-
wall, covering any gaps. wall cleat at the stud locations. Secure the weight objects. This technique makes
The second way to compensate for remaining bookcase cabinets to each the bookcase more stable and enhances
gaps is to cover them with trim pieces. other with 1-1/4-in. screws and then fas- its visual appeal.
This technique is easy, but it works best ten them to the plinth and wall (photo 14).
with flexible pieces of trim. For exam- Finally, attach the remaining face frame
ple, we used base shoe to conceal the and trim to the cabinets with 2-in. and
gaps between the baseboard and floor. 1-1/4-in. finish nails (photos 15 to 18).
For online information, go to www.HandymanClub.com
The bookcase must be securely fas- Fill the nail holes with putty to match and click on SOURCES ONLINE.
tened to the wall. In order to ensure a the wood finish, or apply spackle and
Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors, 800-535-3936
flush fit against the side wall, I secured then paint.
Kreg Tool Co. (pocket-hole jig and
the scribed face frame to the first cabinet Allow the finish to cure before self-tapping screws), 800-447-8638
before securing it to the plinth and wall installing the shelf pegs and shelves. Levolor (window and door blinds)
(photo 13). I then fastened the first When deciding what to put on each 800-538-6567
cabinet in place by driving 1-1/4-in. shelf, place the largest and heaviest Simpson Door Co., 800-952-4057
42 HANDY S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 5