Any woodworking / cabinet making people here?

[WallyWest]

I have some very basic skills, in terms of being somewhat handy with tools and knowing enough to keep from cutting my fingers off with a saw. That's about it though. I don't have a table saw, just a standard handheld circular. I do have a good router though and a routing table.

I want to build one of those cube style bookshelves. Seems like a pretty basic thing that would be beginner friendly. Trying to decide on some design choices for how to assemble it.

It's going to be fairly large, 16 cubes, 4X4. And I still want it to be somewhat easy to move, so I'm thinking two upright 4X2 units and sit them side by side. My plan is a big box with a center vertical riser, dadoes cut into the sides and center for shelves to fit into. I'm shooting for a bit larger than the standard cube size, mine will be 15" cubes.

Open questions I have are:

1. What material to use. Furniture grade plywood, or MDF. I was thinking 3/4 inch but not sure if that's strong enough. I'd say the shelves need to be able to handle at least 20 pounds. Advantage of MDF is cheaper, and in my case free (sort of) since I have a 4X8 sheet in my basement doing nothing. I'm going to be painting it black.

2. Using butt joints for the corners. Does it matter whether the top and bottom are sandwiched between the sides, or vice versa? I kinda like the idea of doing it the other way, because then the sides and center can be identical lengths with the dadoes at exactly the same spot. But if there's some structural reason for doing it the other way then ok.

3. I'd also like to make the middle of the three shelves removable. Or possibly the top shelf, haven't decided. I'm debating how to mount those shelves. Either with dadoes like the rest and just slide them out when needed. Or attach blocks on the sides and cut a shelf to fit by just sitting on the blocks. Or maybe just drill some holes in the sides, get some of those metal pins to stick in there, and sit the shelf on that. Or something I haven't thought of yet.

So yeah, any advice is great. Thanks.

 

[fixmysix]

Mdf will be easier to fabricate. Even the really good plywood has occasional voids. You would also need to face the front edge of the ply. If you go that route I'll show you how. It's an iron on real wood veneer. If you are going to put a backer on it construction is really pretty easy. Use butt joints, glue and an 18ga nailer to hold it together while it dries. Add clamps for better drying strength. 3/4 MDF is plenty strong for what you are building. Sandwich your verticals between the top and bottom. You are right, it's easier. I wouldn't Dado the shelves unless you want them to be permanent and glued in. You'll want at least a 1/4" on each side of the center which only leaves 1/4" of MDF in the middle. That's not enough in my opinion. Drill holes and use the metal pins Use 1/4 ply for backing. You should be able to find something that has one side faced cleanly. Check out the stuff that is used for drawer bottoms. Seriously try to find a friend with a table saw. You can find track systems for circular saws and they work ok, but can still be frustrating. If you end up using the circular saw get a sacrificial sheet of foam board insulation 1" thick and lay your work on top of that. You can get on top of your work and make cleaner cuts. The most critical dimension is getting your uprights exactly the same length. You could potentially use a radial arm saw with a stop if that's easier to borrow than a table saw.

 

[jgaz]

I agree MDF is a better choice if you are going to paint.
If your edges are going to show you will have to prep them before you paint. I’ve used a 50/50 mix of white glue and water to coat the edge (usually at least two coats). This will close the pores so you don’t have to paint multiple times.

To reinforce the butt joints you might want to consider pocket hole screws. These could be used depending on what side of the fixed shelf will be seen. It will depend if the case is sitting on the floor or going to hang on the wall.
If you go with butt joints I would use clamps once the shelf is pinned into place.
Experiment with using screws to reinforce your butt joints. You can buy a plug cutter to plug the screw hole counterbore after things are assembled. If you need more info on this simple process let me know.

Have you considered a face frame? Quite easy to fabricate with pocket screws and then installed as an assembly. Adds a great deal of rigidity and dresses up the case. Definitely put on a back panel for the same reason. Measure your diagonals to get the case square before you glue and nail the back on.

This is what I mean by using a face frame. The middle shelf where the plate is displayed is moveable while the shelf holding the books is fixed. The shelves are faced for appearance as well as strength.

If you want a range of adjustment for your moveable or removable shelf get a Kreg drill jig. I’ve used the pegboard method to locate the holes as well as cheaper jigs. I’m sold on using the Kreg shelf pin jig. its still cheap enough but for me it’s the best way to go. if you look close you can see where I‘ve plugged the counterbore where the screw is holding the shelf butt joint.

This case was made to mount over a desk when my wife worked from home. The upper and lower stiles of the face frame are wider so that the lower stile forms a box that allows the under cabinet lighting to be hidden in the lower space. The upper stile forms a space that worked well to hold my retirement plaque even if I didn’t plan it that way.

This case is a simple oak plywood box that has 3/8” material glued on the ends to give the illusion of a raised panel. The 3/8” material also hides the screws that reinforce the butt joints. This look would match the existing desk without the hassle of fabricating a raised panel.

My point with some of this is that it doesn’t have to be difficult to look good. Go to the library grab a couple woodworking books to get ideas.

 

[WallyWest]

Thanks guys, MDF it is.

I've worked with it before, building speaker cabinets. Which is probably more difficult than this project, I've just never built a bookcase before.

I was considering some kind of facing on it, your hutch looks nice jgaz, might do something like that. I'm also planning on LED lighting, so a small overhang on the front to conceal that would be good.

The more I think about it I like doing a shelf like yours that can be set at different heights. This is mostly going to be a display case for collectibles, so having some options would be good.

 

[fixmysix]

Thanks guys, MDF it is.

I've worked with it before, building speaker cabinets. Which is probably more difficult than this project, I've just never built a bookcase before.

I was considering some kind of facing on it, your hutch looks nice jgaz, might do something like that. I'm also planning on LED lighting, so a small overhang on the front to conceal that would be good.

The more I think about it I like doing a shelf like yours that can be set at different heights. This is mostly going to be a display case for collectibles, so having some options would be good.

If you are going the adjustable shelf route I can second the Kreg jig recommendation. Most of their stuff is actually pretty well thought out and reasonably priced.

 

[UKTJ]

You have already had a lot of good advice. I would look to go with a face frame and edge band the front of the selves with solid timber - if the unit is going to be painted I think Tulip Wood / Poplar is a popular and cost effective option in the US. The span in each cube is pretty short, but even so the solid timber edge banding will add a lot of strength to the shelves to prevent sagging. The other benefit is that as covered above the edges of MDF is a nightmare to get a good finish on when painting. I also think shelf pins with adjustable shelves is good future proofing for uses you as yet haven't thought about.

One point on the design for your build. Building two 4x2 cube boxes will make it easier to move, but it creates a design compromise in that the centre vertical will be twice as thick as all the others. Better IMHO to build a single big box with three intermediate verticals and then make all the shelves adjustable / removable. It will look better and the weight of the big box will be a lot less with no shelves in.

Final point, whenever you are worrking with MDF wear a good quality dust mask. If you get MDF dust into your lungs it is there for the rest of your life.

 

[TJ4Jim]

Not a big fan of MDF, yeah it's a lot cheaper but to me the advantage ends there. I stick with cabinet grade birch for a painted finish.