Bookshelf Plans

Building a bookshelf may be one of the most satisfying projects a first-time DIY builder can take on. It's not only a good way to get familiar using power tools - but the final product is something you can actually use around the house. What's more, the skills you'll pick up getting through your first bookcase plans project will come in handy for just about any wood projects you might want to tackle in the future.

Let's go over some of the basic things you'll need to consider when building a shelf.

Bookshelf Supports
The most basic shelf is little more than a simple board held in place at both ends by hardware - or held in place by resting on another board for support. The simplest shelf design follows the later idea - the shelves simply rest on some type of support. The support can be another board (cleat) mounted inside of a cabinet frame - much like what you'll find in a bookcase design. Shelves can also rest on pins - also mounted on the inside of a cabinet. Using pins means your shelf can be adjustable. Simply move the pins to change the height and position of your shelves. I'm not a big fan of bookshelf pins, mostly because I've never found a need to adjust my bookcase shelves after I've loaded them with books.

My preference for bookshelf supports is to use cleats or rabbet and dado joinery. The primary difference here would be in the type of tools you own. Making shelves with cleats requires little more than a circular saw and a hand drill. Making shelves with rabbets and dados requires a little more sophistication in the shop - along with some extra tools - like a router and a router cutting guide. I'm not sure that rabbets and dadoes do any better job of holding up books than a simple book shelf made with cleats - but they do make your bookshelf project more of a fine woodworking piece - something you might be proud to hand down to future generations.

Maximum Bookshelf Span
If you've ever owned a cheap set of bookshelves, you've probably noticed that over time that a shelf will start to sag in the middle. All boards have their limit - and any amount of weight pushing down in the center of a board will test just how strong a shelf design is. Without the right kind of support - evenly distributed along the length of the board - a shelf will certainly begin to sag in the middle - books loaded or not. Of course, much of this depends on the type of wood you are using and the thickness of the board itself - as well as the length (or span) of the shelf. Fortunately some furniture designers have tested the limits for us - and have laid out some handy rule-of-thumb guidelines for just how long of a shelf we should build for a given type of wood and thickness. Check out my EZ Bookcase Planner free sample download for more information about determining book shelf spans.

The simple set of templates and how-to guides show you what's needed in a basic bookcase design, but with enough flexibility that you can make the bookcase any size or style you like. Find out more about my EZ Bookcase Planner here.