Rustic Bookcase from Fence Slats

Using glue and 1-1/2" nails, build each side as a rectangle from two 60" rails and two 9-1/2" rungs. Check for square before the glue sets — these are the two long faces of the bookcase, and any twist here shows up in every shelf.

Connect the two side ladders with four 13-1/2" cross braces at the front and back, using glue and nails. This gives you a full 3D box frame — the skeleton the shelves and cladding attach to.

Measure and mark both sides at 15", 30", and 45" up from the bottom. Glue and nail 9-1/2" 1x2 pieces at each mark, flat side facing up — that flat face is what the shelf boards land on, so don't install one rotated the wrong way.

Measure the actual width of your assembled bookcase — don't trust a plan dimension over your own carcass — and cut two fence picket pieces to fit. Attach with glue and nails.

Measure the height of the back opening and cut three picket slats to fit. Expect a little overlap where they meet the sides — fit is more important than an exact source measurement, since picket width varies board to board.

Measure your actual shelf openings — the plan's builder got 16-1/2", yours may differ — and cut eight picket pieces to that length. Trace a scrap 1x2's outline onto each end and notch it out so the shelf drops down over the supports flush. Glue and nail the shelves to the supports, then run a pass on the table saw to trim any un-notched edge that's fighting the fit.

Measure your front opening width — expect around 2-1/8" per side, but confirm on your own carcass — and rip two trim pieces from one picket board on the table saw; the leftover 1" strip becomes the inner shelf trim. Attach the side trim with glue and nails, then the middle shelf trim using the thinner ripped scrap, saving the full-width trim for the top and bottom.

Sand every rough-sawn face and edge — fence pickets come off the mill rougher than surfaced lumber, so budget real time here. Ease any sharp picket edges before this piece goes anywhere near a bedroom.