Step 3: Assemble the box

assemble box
Photo: Kolin Smith
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To make the hanging strip that attaches the bookcase to the wall, rip a 2½-inch-wide piece of plywood. Cut it to length 1½ inches shorter than the shelves.

Lay the two legs on their back edges, supports facing each other. Place the hanging strip between the top supports, flush with their tops and back edges.

Using a drill fitted with a ⅛-inch combination bit, drill two pilot holes into each leg. Drill through the leg and the support, and into the hanging strip. Screw the hanging strip to the legs with 2½-inch wood screws.

Slide the bottom shelf into place for support. Tilt the assembled frame into place. Set the top of the bookcase onto the supports and the hanging strip. Drill countersunk pilot holes along the edges of the bookcase top — two into each support and one every 8 to 10 inches along the hanging strip. Glue and screw the top in place, above.
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    Tools List

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    • circular saw
      Circular Saw
    • speed square
      Speed square,
      to guide circular saw as you cut support pieces
    • scribe
      Scribe,
      for transferring irregularities of the wall onto the trim so you can cut it to fit snugly
    • mallet
      Mallet,
      to coax tight-fitting shelves into slots
    • studfinder
      Stud sensor,
      to find where to attach bookcase to wall
    • jigsaw
      Jigsaw,
      to cut scribed trim pieces
    • 16-foot tape measure
      Measuring tape
    • hammer
      Hammer
    • nailset
      Nailset
    • four-foot level
      Level
    • drill
      Cordless drill
    • utility knife
      Utility knife

    Shopping List

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    1. 3/4-INCH VENEER PLYWOOD

    Calculate how many 8-foot-long boards you can get from one sheet and use that to figure out how many sheets you will need to get enough board feet. (A plywood sheet is 4 feet wide, but keep in mind that a saw blade takes off 1/8 inch per rip.) You’ll need at least 3 sheets for a 4-by-8-foot bookcase.



    2. 5/4x4 TRIM

    for masking plywood edges around the perimeter of the bookcase front. Measure the length of the two legs, plus the width of the case, then add 10 percent for waste.



    3. 1x TRIM

    to make nosing for the front of the shelves. For more support, use thicker stock. Take the length of one shelf and multiply it by the number of shelves (including the bottom shelf). Add 10 percent for waste.



    4. YELLOW WOOD GLUE

    5. 1-INCH DISPOSABLE BRISTLE BRUSH

    for applying glue neatly to plywood edges



    6. 1 1/4-INCH (3D) FINISH NAILS

    for nailing the supports in place



    7. 2-INCH (6D) FINISH NAILS

    for nailing trim in place



    8. 1 5/8 and 2 1/2-INCH WOOD SCREWS

    9. SHIMS

    or leveling the bookcase



    10. WOOD PUTTY OR WAX PENCIL

    in a color to match the wood, to fill nail holes



    11. STAIN OR PAINT

    12. BUTCHER'S WAX OR POLYURETHANE