Home For the Homicide (A Do-It-Yourself Mystery) (28 page)

3. The interior shelves should ideally be rabbited into the side panels of the frame to make them stronger. To make sure you router these rabbit grooves at the same position in both side panels, lay the two panels side by side on a table and screw a piece of scrap wood across both ends, effectively making them into one wide board. This will ensure that your lines are straight and even.

4. Determine the location of your first shelf and use a T-square to draw a
³
/
₄
-inch stripe across both side panels at once. Draw another
³
/
₄
-inch stripe at the location of the other shelves you intend to put in the unit.

5. Router out the grooves. Clamp a level or straightedge along your newly marked shelf lines to use as a guide.

6. Assemble the unit. Start by affixing the top to the two side panels using wood glue and finish nails. Then, install the shelves by putting glue in the rabbit joints and sliding the shelves into the joints, one shelf at a time.

7. With the shelves in place, add finish nails through the outside of the unit to hold the shelves in place.

8. Whether you want to add a base to your bookcase is up to you, but Avery and Derek did, to give their shelves a built-in look before mounting them in the inglenooks beside the fireplace. If you want a sturdy base, add that in the next step.

9. With the unit built, it’s time to finish it off by covering the plywood edges with nice finished pieces of 1
¹
/
₄
-inch poplar. Cut the poplar to the same dimensions as the exterior panels using the miter saw. The angles should be joined with 45-degree angle cuts for a smooth, tailored look. Use wood glue and nails to attach the framing to the bookcase. If you want to be fancy, you can add some decorative molding, too, and that heavy base we talked about.

10. Allow 24 hours for the wood glue to fully dry, and then sand it smooth and fill the nail holes with paintable or stainable wood putty. Use a tack cloth to wipe off any debris or sawdust created by sanding, and then paint or stain the unit to give it your desired look. Derek and Avery stained theirs to match the old woodwork in the Craftsman Bungalow, but you can paint or stain yours any color you want.

Have fun!