Cherry and Fir Bookcase.pdf

Cherr y and Fir Bookcase

Subtle details

add elegance

to a simple

frame-and-panel

design

BY PETER ZUERNER

everal years ago, my sister Cicely

was looking for a bookcase that

would be attractive, functional and

reasonably easy to move. The piece I de-

signed and built for her is now one of the

stock pieces in my furniture shop. I call it,

appropriately, Cicely’s Bookshelf.

I wanted the bookcase to have a spare

and elegant look, so I kept the frame parts

to a minimum and elevated the piece off

the floor by extending the corner posts to

create four short legs. All four edges of the

top, along with the front edge of each

shelf, were given a generously sized cove

to create the illusion of thinner stock. As a

result, even when the piece is filled with

books, it appears light and graceful.

Choose the wood with care

For me, the first and most important step in

any furniture project is the process of se-

lecting the wood. Consistent color and

grain are important, and I’m always on the

lookout for something interesting. I espe-

cially like to incorporate special grain or a

natural defect. Not only does an odd grain

or a small defect make each piece a bit

more unique, it also provides a strong vi-

sual connection to the tree from which it

evolved. For instance, the piece shown

here has a small, sound knot near the front

FINE WOODWORKING

Photos, except where noted: Tom Begnal; this page: Michael Pekovich

CUT THE JOINERY FOR THE POSTS AND RAILS

The rails have stepped tenons that fit snugly

in both the panel groove and the mortise,

adding strength to the joints.

POST DETAIL

Posts,

1 5 ⁄ 8 in. square

Grooves in

posts, 5 ⁄ 8 in.

wide by 3 ⁄ 8 in.

deep

Back rails,

1 1 ⁄ 4 in. thick by

2 1 ⁄ 4 in. wide

1 5 ⁄ 8 in.

3 ⁄ 8 in.

1 1 ⁄ 2 in.

⁄ 2 in.

3 ⁄ 8 in.

5 ⁄ 8 in.

Cut grooves to accept the fir panels. To

cut stopped grooves in the posts, first clamp

an extralong auxiliary fence to the rip fence

of the tablesaw, then clamp a stop block to

the auxiliary fence. Use a dado head to cut

the grooves.

Back panels,

5 ⁄ 8 in. thick

TENON DETAIL

Square the cor-

ners. The dado

head leaves a

rounded portion

at the stopped

end of the

grooves. A chisel

makes them

square in short

order.

5 ⁄ 8 in.

3 ⁄ 8 in.

5 ⁄ 8 in.

3 ⁄ 8 in.

⁄ 8 in.

End of

side rails

1 1 ⁄ 2 in.

3 ⁄ 8 in.

Grooves in rails,

5 ⁄ 8 in. wide by

3 ⁄ 8 in. deep

6 5 ⁄ 8 in.

6 in.

Two-step tenon. Use a dado head to cut the

tenons. First clamp a stop block to the fence

to establish the tenon length. Then cut the

portion of the tenon that fits into the groove.

To create the step, reset the blade height and

reposition the stop block as shown.

1 1 ⁄ 8 in.

Side rails,

1 1 ⁄ 4 in. thick by

2 1 ⁄ 4 in. wide

Drawings: Bob La Pointe

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003

FRAME-AND-PANEL BOOKCASE

Top, 1 3 ⁄ 8 in. thick by 18 in.

wide by 44 1 ⁄ 2 in. long

Upper rail, 1 1 ⁄ 4 in. thick by 2 1 ⁄ 4 in. wide by

37 1 ⁄ 4 in. long, shoulder to shoulder

Zuerner incorporated frame-and-panel construction in

his bookcase, with the mortise and tenon accounting

for most of the joinery.

Back rails, 1 1 ⁄ 4 in. thick by

2 1 ⁄ 4 in. wide by 37 1 ⁄ 4 in.

long, shoulder to shoulder

Wood button

secures top

Shelves,

1 in. thick by

12 1 ⁄ 2 in. wide

(including

2 1 ⁄ 4 -in.-wide

front edging)

by 38 1 ⁄ 8 in.

long

Back panels,

5 ⁄ 8 in. thick by

18 in. wide

by 54 1 ⁄ 16 in.

long

Bottom shelf

is screwed

to the lower

front rail

and the

cleat.

Shelf pin

Center divider,

1 1 ⁄ 4 in. thick by

2 1 ⁄ 2 in. wide by

53 3 ⁄ 8 in. long,

shoulder to

shoulder

Lower front

rail, 1 1 ⁄ 4 in.

thick by

2 1 ⁄ 4 in. wide

by 37 5 ⁄ 8 in.

long,

shoulder to

shoulder

Cleat,

1 in. square by

37 1 ⁄ 4 in. long

44 1 ⁄ 2 in.

18 in.

Side panels, 5 ⁄ 8 in.

thick by 11 3 ⁄ 8 in. wide

by 54 1 ⁄ 16 in. long

11 in.

1 ⁄ 4 in.

11 1 ⁄ 2 in.

65 1 ⁄ 2 in.

1 in.

1 1 ⁄ 4 in.

12 in.

Side rails, 1 1 ⁄ 4 in. thick

by 2 1 ⁄ 4 in. wide by

10 3 ⁄ 4 in. long, shoulder

to shoulder

12 1 ⁄ 2 in.

5 ⁄ 16 in.

Posts, 1 5 ⁄ 8 in. square

by 64 1 ⁄ 8 in. long

9 1 ⁄ 2 in.

40 1 ⁄ 2 in.

14 in.

FINE WOODWORKING

of the lower shelf, about midway across

the span.

In this piece, I liked the idea of blending

darker cherry with the strong grain of quar-

tersawn Douglas fir. So I used cherry for

the frame parts, the top and the front edg-

ing on the shelves. The quartersawn fir is

incorporated into the panels.

Sometimes, when wood is moved from

one location to another, the new condi-

tions of temperature and humidity can

cause it to warp a bit, often within a few

hours of the relocation. So once I have all

of the oversize stock together in my shop,

I like to give it a few weeks to acclimate to

its new temporary home. Then, after

rough-milling the stock, I allow it to sit for

another day before cutting it to final size.

Any last-minute twisting or cupping gets

removed at this stage.

ASSEMBLY BEGINS AT THE BACK

With all of the parts cut and fitted to his satisfaction, Zuerner is ready to begin assembly.

First, though, he applies finish to all of the panels. Then he makes the back and adds the

remaining parts.

Finish the panels. Before assembly,

the panels are finished with four coats of

tung oil.

Assemble the back. The two back panels

are slipped into the grooves in the frame

parts and then clamped.

Construction is straightforward

I began by gluing up blanks for the

5 ⁄ 8 -in.-thick side and back panels. To do

that, I resawed 8/4 fir, book-matching

the panels to add a balanced look.

All of the shelves were made from

commercially available 5/4 by 12-in.-

wide stair stock. However, the front of

each shelf received an edging of 2 1 ⁄ 4 -in.-

wide cherry, so the bookcase ends up

with an all-cherry look when viewed

from the front. The cherry edging has

another plus. Because fir sometimes can

be splintery, the cherry almost eliminat-

ed any splitting out when the coves

were cut.

Most of the frame was put together

with mortise-and-tenon joints. The one

exception is a sliding dovetail joint that

I used to connect each end of the lower

front rail to the lower side rail.

To accept the panels, I cut 5 ⁄ 8 -in.-wide

grooves into the posts, the center di-

vider, the side rails and the upper and

lower back rails. The grooves in the

posts were stopped about 7 in. short of

the bottom. Then, at each stopped end, I

used a bench chisel to square up the

rounded portion.

After all of the joints had been cut and fit-

ted, I cut the panels to final length and

width. All of the panel surfaces were sand-

ed through 220 grit. After that, I applied

four coats of tung oil to each panel.

Oil finishes sometimes “bleed” from the

wood pores while drying. When that hap-

pens, the finish often ends up with tiny

Add the remaining frame-and-panel parts.

Once the back glue-up has dried, the remaining

frame-and-panel parts are added in one big glue-

up. First, the lower front rail is assembled to the

two lower side rails, and then all four of the side

rails are added to the back posts. Following in

quick succession are the side panels, front posts

and the upper rail (above). An assortment of

clamps keeps the joints tight until the glue sets

up (left).

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003

CUT THE COVES IN TWO STEPS

Applying a generous cove to the exposed edges

of the top and the shelves makes the parts look

thinner, giving this large bookcase a lighter feel.

TOP

3 ⁄ 8 in.

1 3 ⁄ 8 in.

2 in.

SHELF

3 ⁄ 8 in.

1 in.

Remove most of the waste. Make a

series of increasingly deeper cuts with the

dado head. A test block, with the cove profile

marked on the end, helps establish the location

of the cuts.

1 1 ⁄ 2 in.

beads of hardened oil, and that can give

the finish a slight roughness. So, once a

coat had dried, I sanded it lightly with

1,000-grit sandpaper wetted with mineral

oil. The wet-sanding removed any beads

that formed. Then, I wiped the sanded sur-

faces with a clean, soft cloth and allowed

the mineral oil to dry. Once it was dry, I

added the next coat of tung oil.

Make a series of cuts using the

router table and a large cove bit. Use a

curved scraper to smooth out any wavy

edges left by the cove bit.

While the clamped parts dried, I cut the

top and the shelves to final width and

length. Then I cut the coved profile. Al-

though you can use a special shaper cutter,

I cut the coves in two steps using a table-

saw and a router table. For this technique, I

used a dado head in the tablesaw and

made several passes to remove most of the

waste stock. Then, using a 3 ⁄ 4 -in.-radius

cove bit mounted in a router table, I made

a series of additional passes. The cove bit

easily conforms to the profile, so it’s more

efficient at removing waste stock than a

straight-sided dado head is.

After the work with the cove bit had been

completed, I was left with a wavy profile

that needed to be smoothed out. A curved

scraper came in handy here.

Once all of the coves had been cut and

smoothed, I used a chisel to cut a small

bevel, sometimes called a lamb’s tongue,

where the coves meet at the corners.

Granted, it’s a small detail, but it brings

the corners to a crisp point. Also, to any-

one looking at the bookcase, the bevel

sends a subtle message that this isn’t a

production piece.

At this point in the construction, all five of

the shelves were just about complete. I

Assembly starts with the back section

I started the assembly process by putting

together all of the parts that compose the

back section—the two back posts, the up-

per and lower back rails, the center divider

and the two back panels. Except for the

panels, all of the mating surfaces were

glued together. That way, the panels are

free to expand and contract in width as

their moisture content changes.

Once the back section was dry, I joined

most of the remaining parts in one big

glue-up. I began by adding the lower front

rail to the two lower side rails. After that,

the four side rails were assembled to the

mortises in the two back posts. Then I sim-

ply slid the side panels into the grooves in

the side rails. Once the upper front rail was

mounted, I added the clamps and checked

the frame for square.

The lamb’s tongue. A small bevel at each

corner of the top is cut with a chisel to help

soften the hard right angle of the edges.

FINE WOODWORKING

Photo, this page (bottom): Kelly J. Dunton

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