Simple bookshelf plans

This step by step woodworking project is about simple bookcase plans. If you want to build beautiful storage shelves for your home but you haven’t found a simple but sturdy design, we recommend you to pay attention to the instructions shown in this article. Adjust the design and the size of the components if you to build a nice bookshelf that matches the style of your furniture and fits within your budget.

There are many things that you should take into account when building a bookshelf, taking into account the large variety of design options to choose from. If you have worked with wood before, building this project shouldn’t be a big challenge for your skills, but we still recommend you to work with attention and to plan every aspect of the project from the very beginning.

Select the wood with great care, making sure all the components are perfectly straight and in a very good visual condition. Mark the cut lines on the wooden boards before making the cuts with a proper circular saw. Smooth the cut edges with 120-grit sandpaper and align the components at both ends before inserting the galvanized screws. Add waterproof glue to the joints in order to enhance the bond. See all my Premium Plans in the Shop.

Made from this plan

Building a simple bookshelf

Materials

A – 2 pieces of 1×14 lumber – 28″ long FRAME
B – 2 pieces of 1×14 – 20 1/2″ long SHELVES
C – 1 piece of 1/4″ plywood – 22″x26 1/4″ long BACK
D – 1 pieces of 1×14 lumber – 24″ long, 1 piece of 1×2 lumber – 24″ long TOP
E – 2 piece of 1×2 lumber – 28″ long, 1 piece – 19″ long, 1 piece of 1×3 lumber – 19″ long TRIMS

1 piece of 1×14 lumber – 12 ft
1 piece of 1/4″ plywood – 2’x3′
1 piece of 1×2 lumber – 10 ft
1 piece of 1×3 lumber – 2 ft
2 1/2″ screws
1 1/4″ screws
glue, stain
wood filler

Tools

Safety gloves, glasses
Miter saw, jigsaw
Chalk line, tape measure, spirit level, carpentry pencil
Drill machinery and drill bits

Tips

Apply several coats of wood stain to the wooden components
Fill the holes with wood filler and smooth the surface

Time

One Day

Building a simple bookshelf

Building the frame

The first step of the project is to build the frame of the bookcase. If you want to get a professional result, we recommend you to drill pocket holes at both ends of the shelves and to lock them to the sides with 1 1/4″ screws.

Attaching the back of the bookshelf

The next step of the project is to attach the back of the bookshelf. As you can easily notice in the plans, we recommend you to cut a piece of 1/4″ – 3/4″ plywood and to attach it to the back of the bookshelf with finishing nails. Make sure you align the components at both ends before inserting the nails.

Attaching the top

Attaching the top to the structure is a straight-forward process, but you need to pay attention to the following aspects. Attach a piece of 1×14 lumber to the top and a piece of 1×2 lumber to cover the trims and to enhance the look of the bookshelves.

Attaching the trims

One of the last steps of the project is to attach the trims to the front face of the bookshelf. Therefore, we recommend you to cut the 1×2 trims at the right size and to lock them into place with finishing nails and glue. IF you want to enhance the look of the project, you could build a decorative bottom trim.

Simple bookshelf plans

Last but not least, we recommend you to take care of the finishing touches. Fill the holes with wood filler and let it to dry out for several hours. Afterwards, smooth the wooden surface with fine-grit sandpaper and vacuum the residues.

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