NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
A little free library is a simple box asked to do a hard job: sit in the weather for years, open several times a day, and keep paper dry. Everything unusual in this plan exists for that job. The roof slants and overhangs (the cut list even upsizes it from the drawings for more coverage). The door gets an acrylic window so people can see what's inside without opening it into the rain. Weatherstripping seals the door's top and sides — but deliberately NOT the bottom, because a box that can't drain the water that does get in is a terrarium.
Use actual exterior plywood (CDX or AC) and exterior glue, fill every edge void, and topcoat with a spar urethane — the flexible marine-style finish that tolerates the plywood's outdoor movement where furniture poly would crack. Paint bright; the box is signage for itself.
The same box, mounted lower, is a community pantry — the shelf height is the only design decision that changes (cans are shorter than cookbooks). For mounting, the plan suggests a 5-foot 4x4 buried 2 feet, or a 3-foot post set in a heavy planter if you can't dig. Either way, the box screws down through its bottom into the post top — gravity is not a fastener in a public installation.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Exterior plywood, 3/4", 48" x 48" (CDX or AC)Half a sheet does the whole carcass and roof. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftFront trim and top strips — 12 board feet total. | 2 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftThe door frame. | 1 each |
| 4x4 post, 6 ft5 ft buried 2 ft in the ground; or a 3-footer set in a heavy planter with 2 ft of topsoil. | 1 each |
| Acrylic glass, 15" x 16-1/4"The door window. Acrylic, not glass — this is a public box. | 1 each |
| Exterior hinges | 2 each |
| Exterior claspHolds the door snug against the weatherstripping. | 1 each |
| Exterior handle | 1 each |
| Weatherstripping tapeTop and sides of the door opening — never the bottom; the bottom is the drain. | 5 linear ft |
| Exterior screws, #8 x 2", self-tapping | 40 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 20 each |
| Exterior wood glue | 4 oz |
| Exterior wood fillerFill the plywood edge voids or they'll wick water under the paint. | 4 oz |
| Exterior paint | 1 quart |
| Spar urethaneThe flexible exterior clear coat over everything — furniture poly cracks outdoors. | 1 quart |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Shelf and bottomExterior plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 13" × 17" |
| BackExterior plywood | 1 | 3/4" × 17" × 18 3/4" |
| SidesExterior plywoodCut the slant roof profile down to 18-7/8" at the low edge — see step 1. | 2 | 3/4" × 13 3/4" × 20" |
| RoofExterior plywoodDrawn at 17-1/2" but cut bigger — more overhang, more weather coverage. | 1 | 3/4" × 18 1/2" × 20" |
| Top strips1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 17" |
| Front trim, sides1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 20 1/8" |
| Front trim, horizontal1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 15 1/2" |
| Door stiles1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 19 3/4" |
| Door rails1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 13 1/2" |
Buy 7 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
1 board
1 board
1 board
2 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Rip the half-sheet into two strips — one 17" wide, one 20" wide — then crosscut the parts and LABEL each one: bottom, shelf, back, two sides, roof.
For the sides, mark the low edge at 18-7/8" and cut the triangle off the top to create the slanted roof profile. The two sides must match — cut one, and use it to mark the other.
Screw and glue the bottom to the back with the 2" screws. Exterior glue on every joint in this build — the fasteners hold it together, the glue keeps water out of the joints.
Attach the sides to the bottom and back with 2" screws, slanted profile running down toward the front. The box takes shape here — check it sits flat and square before the glue sets.
Screw the 1x2 strips across the top of the opening front and back. They close the gap between the sides at the roofline and give the roof panel something to fasten to along its edges.
Glue and screw the roof panel down through into the sides and top strips with the 1-1/4" pocket screws (used here as short wood screws). The overhang goes to the front and sides — it's the box's umbrella; make it even.
Install the interior shelf at whatever height suits the mission: taller bays for cookbooks and picture books, shorter for cans and boxes. It doesn't have to be centered — an asymmetric split is usually more useful.
Frame the front opening with 1x2s — best built as a pocket-holed frame first, then attached to the box with glue and trim screws. This frame is what the door closes against and what the weatherstripping later seals to, so keep it flat and flush.
Pocket-hole the 1x3 door frame together, then screw the acrylic panel to its back — drill the acrylic slightly oversize so the screws don't crack it when the wood moves.
Hang the door on the exterior hinges, add the handle and the clasp. The clasp isn't decoration: it's what pulls the door tight against the weatherstripping in a storm.
Fill every plywood edge void with exterior filler, sand, paint, and topcoat everything with two coats of spar urethane — the finish is what decides whether this box lasts three years or fifteen.
After finishing, run weatherstripping tape along the TOP and SIDES of the door opening only. Leave the bottom open on purpose: any water that gets in must be able to leave.
Mount on the 4x4 — 5 ft post buried 2 ft, or 3 ft post set in a planter under 2 ft of soil — and screw the box down through its bottom into the post. Stock it, and watch the neighborhood find it.
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.