Ben's Bookcase

Pete Brown - 18 March 2006

I finished the bookcase for Ben's room this week. Painting and sanding took a while, as it has been pretty cold here, and I had to paint outdoors, so I was at the mercy of whatever 50 degree day I could get for a couple hours. The low temperatures also made the paint goop up a bit (it didn't flow like it would on a warm day), so it was not ideal. Sanding and additional coats fixed that, however, and made for a smooth finish.

The bookcase needs to be leveled with shims, screwed to the wall, and have the bottom wrapped with the trim (once the wainscoting is installed in the room), but is usable as it is right now. The face frame construction, using the Sommerfeld tongue and groove system for attaching to the case and fixed shelf, made for a very solid bookcase with good alignment.

The construction is primarily poplar with 1/4" plywood on the back. You can see some construction photos in my earlier entry. BTW, I ended up using biscuits to attach the top. Had I planned better, I could have used the tongue and groove system and had an easier time of it.

Here's his name train on the top:

posted by Pete Brown on Saturday, March 18, 2006
filed under: Home Renovation Pregnancy and Baby Hobbies

2 comments for “Ben's Bookcase”

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Dennissays:
Monday, April 10, 2006 at 3:05:49 PM
Hi Ben, nice bookcase. I'll be going to see marc Smmerfield in May at the Wookworking Show. I have used the offset tongue and groove system, but a homemade one. I basically use a 1/4" slotting cutter to get the grooves done. I have a kreg jig. I may get the sommerfield jig though. The kreg jig K3 standard, doesn't sit well when I bolt it down to some plywood.
Reply
Pete Brownsays:
Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 12:25:31 PM
Thanks Dennis. Ben is my son, so he won't appreciate it quite yet, but he may like it some day :)

The Sommerfeld stuff is definitely worth picking up. He has some great jigs and bits. If you get his T&G system, be sure to pick up the DVD/Video that goes with it.

Pete