Built in bookcase WIP

[Doug71]

Making a bookcase for a customer and thought I would try and take some photos as I went along.

Something like this hopefully (I don't do Sketch up etc), it's about 2.6m high and 3.1m long.

The front and shelves will be pine so they can be stained to match other bits around the house, the carcasses are pine veneered MDF and the backs will be painted MDF.

It's ages since I've made something that is not going to be painted, I will have to get all the scribes nice and tight

Put the plinth in today, worth faffing around with this and getting it spot on, makes things much easier later on.

Nothing else to show yet apart from some decent quality 6x1 which has been acclimatising in my living room for a couple of weeks, ready to be joined up to make the shelves.

It won't be fine furniture, just dominos to hold it together and nothing too challenging apart from the odd bent wall, hopefully will look okay when it's done.

Any comments, questions, criticism (not too much criticism as the customer might be reading this!) or ideas welcome.

Thanks, Doug

 

[Doug71]

Bit more progress yesterday.

Cut the MDF down for the sides. I cut them slightly oversize on the panel saw, straightened one edge with track saw then back to panel saw to finished width. A bit long winded but ensures they are dead straight.

Then to length on the panel saw, just fit in

Got to work with the Domino, it's just making flat pack furniture really.

Realised I was out of dominos, I just rip some material through on the saw, as they are only to help line things up they don't have to be accurate to 0.0001 of a mill. They did get rounded edges but only because there was already a 6mm bullnose cutter in the spindle. Stack them up to cut to length, much quicker.

Test fit to make sure all okay and backs cut to size.

Start on the angled ones today

 

[Chip shop]

Looks good.

Can't quite work out from the drawing; is there a face frame going on that lot, or are you banding the edges of the MDF?

 

[Chip shop]

The front and shelves will be pine so they can be stained to match other bits around the house

Sorry missed this - as you were everyone, nothing to see here.

 

[Doug71]

Bit more progress today.

Not very clear but marking the two righthand bookcases from a MDF template I took of under the stairs.

Didn't remember to take any other photos until the end of the day.

Can't quite work out from the drawing; is there a face frame going on that lot, or are you banding the edges of the MDF?

There is a face frame going on which will have a small cock bead on the edges. Part of the design brief was that they wanted it to look a bit more like a piece of furniture than a Billy bookcase

 

[baldkev]

Great looking workshop doug!

 

[Doug71]

Great looking workshop doug!

Thanks you. It is a good space, about 9m x 9m, dry, well lit and plenty of height which is nice.

 

[Doug71]

Slow progress as my 9yr old has been off school with some bug but managed to get going again yesterday.

I ran some long dominos right through for the angled tops (cut from both sides), seems to keep things in line better.

Holes for shelf pin sockets, no fancy Festool LR32 here unfortunately

And I didn't realise the depth stop had slipped so a few extra holes in the bench, luckily I'm not precious about these things

Got it stood in place this afternoon, don't know if it's just me but it's always a relief when something like this fits.

The customer gave me the paint to do the backs, it was by Neptune, awful stuff, it had small black dots in it like soot which left black lines that needed brushing out. A quick Google tells me Neptune is a "Designer" paint brand, a few people said it is made by Little Greene, customer said it was more expensive than Little Greene

 

[Westwood]

Very interested to see this - I have a similar project about to start. For my own study. Will be the biggest thing I've ever tackled as I am very much a beginner. Ant tips on joints and scribing most welcome.... Shelves under a sloping roof and surrounding a window. Overall size 4.3 by 2.15 metres. Desk and worktop at each side.
Height is critical for me to fit in four shelves for A4 sized files, so having virtually no plinth. Looking forward to seeing your finished article

 

[baldkev]

Holes for shelf pin sockets, no fancy Festool LR32 here unfortunately

Thats exactly what i do, ive got 2 heights of story stick and the end holes are exactly the same distance in so they can go either way up. If you need to extend the length, a 5mm drill bit to go in a previously drilled hole to line up the holes works well

 

[Doug71]

Back on the bookcase again.

Who remembers life before Space Plugs, we have it so easy these days.

Another thing that makes life easier is putting a domino in the side of the carcasses so they all automatically line up.

A little face frame scribing trick on an offcut for those who may not know it.

Offcut of the face frame slightly wider than needed so it can be scribed to the wall. The hole on the right is in the correct place for the frame to attach to the carcass, the one on the left is offset by 10mm.

I set the 10mm offset by using a 10mm packer to lift the domino setting by 10mm.

You can then put the face frame on using the offset holes and use the 10mm packer to scribe it.

Cut to the line (leave line on) and it should be a perfect fit when you use the correct holes.

This is how I scribed/fitted all the face frames.