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The bookcase everyone should build second. It teaches dados and it teaches the single most under-appreciated fact in casework: the back panel is not trim, it's the thing that stops the whole case from folding over sideways.
Skip the back or tack it on loosely and you get a wobbly parallelogram. Glue and nail a plywood back into a rabbet and you get a case that will outlive the books.
Pine keeps it under $100. The same plan in oak or maple costs three times as much and works identically.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Pine boards, 1x10 (3/4" x 9-1/4" actual)Sort through the pile at the store. Reject anything cupped, twisted, or with loose knots. | 24 linear feet |
| Plywood, 1/4", for the backHalf a sheet. This panel is what squares and stiffens the whole case — do not substitute cardboard-thin hardboard. | 0.5 sheet |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
| Brad nails, 1" | 60 each |
| Wood screws, #8 x 1-1/4" | 12 each |
| Paint or clear interior finish | 16 oz |
| Sandpaper, assorted grits | 8 each |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SidesPine | 2 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 60" |
| Shelves (fixed)PineLength = 30" case width minus two 3/4" sides, plus 2 x 1/4" dado depth. | 5 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 29 1/2" |
| TopPine | 1 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 29 1/2" |
| Back panelPlywood | 1 | 1/4" × 29 1/2" × 59 1/2" |
| Toe kickPine | 1 | 3/4" × 3" × 28 1/2" |
Buy 6 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
1 board
1 board
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 →
Cut both sides to 60". Clamp them together, edges flush, and mark the dado positions across both at once. Marking them separately is how you end up with shelves that aren't level.
Space the shelves: bigger gaps at the bottom (13") for large books, tighter at the top (10").
3/4" wide, 1/4" deep, across the inside face of each side. Dado stack on the table saw, or a router with a straight bit and a clamped guide.
Test the fit on a scrap of your actual shelf stock — 'nominal 3/4" pine' is rarely exactly 3/4". Sneak up on a snug fit that you can push together by hand.
Rout a 1/4" x 1/4" rabbet down the back inside edge of both sides, and across the top piece. The plywood back sits in here, flush and hidden.
A back that's just nailed onto the rear edge looks like a shortcut, because it is one.
Assemble dry. Check the diagonals — if they're equal, the case is square.
Glue the shelves into the dados, clamp across the sides. Keep checking the diagonals as you tighten; clamps will pull a case out of square in seconds.
Cut the plywood to fit the rabbet. Glue and brad-nail it in, working around the perimeter and into every shelf's back edge.
Square the case against the back panel: push the case until the diagonals match, then nail the ply — the plywood locks that squareness in permanently. This is the moment the bookcase becomes rigid.
Screw the toe kick between the sides at the bottom, set back 1". It keeps the case off dust and gives your feet somewhere to go.
Sand 120 → 220. Knock down the sharp edges. Pine drinks stain unevenly and blotchily — use a conditioner first, or just paint it, or leave it raw with a clear poly. Two coats.
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