A Portable Book Rack.pdf

A Portable

Book rack

Use a router template

for perfect results

B Y G R E G O R Y P A O L I N I

and Crafts designs, I took an immediate lik-

ing to gustav Stickley’s No. 74 book rack.

It’s shorter than most bookcases, with slats that

form a V-shaped trough to hold books spine up. Its

D-shaped handholds make it easy to move.

I’ve made a dozen racks based on that design,

from small desktop versions to extra-tall ones that

hold compact discs and DVDs. I’ve also modified

Stickley’s design. Simple through-tenons replace the

wedged tenons. I added a second V-shaped trough

in the middle to make the rack more functional, and

I tapered the end panels, reflecting the look of the

roycroft designs that I favor. Despite the changes,

the book rack retains its Arts and Crafts character.

This version, made from quartersawn white oak, is

sized to sit between a couple of Morris chairs.

Y and Crafts designs, I took an immediate lik-

Y ing to gustav Stickley’s No. 74 book rack.

It’s shorter than most bookcases, with slats that

form a V-shaped trough to hold books spine up. Its

D-shaped handholds make it easy to move.

I’ve made a dozen racks based on that design,

from small desktop versions to extra-tall ones that

hold compact discs and DVDs. I’ve also modified

Stickley’s design. Simple through-tenons replace the

wedged tenons. I added a second V-shaped trough

in the middle to make the rack more functional, and

I tapered the end panels, reflecting the look of the

roycroft designs that I favor. Despite the changes,

the book rack retains its Arts and Crafts character.

This version, made from quartersawn white oak, is

sized to sit between a couple of Morris chairs.

Make the end panels and router template

Since the end panels are the focal point, you want

boards with maximum figure. Use single wide

boards if you have them, or edge-glue narrower boards.

while the panels are drying, make a router template from 1 ⁄ 4 -in.

medium-density fiberboard (MDF) or plywood, which you’ll use

to cut slots for the shelf mortises.

The template (see facing page) simplifies construction in several

ways. It locates the shelf mortises, of course. And because I clamp

the template to the inside face of one end piece and the outside

face of the other, it ensures that the mortises will line up. when

laying out the slots in the template, all you have to do is draw the

dimensions for the 3 ⁄ 4 -in.-thick shelves and cut a slot that wide.

when using those slots to cut the through-mortises, use a bit and

F I N E w O O D w O r k I N g

Photos, except where noted: David heim; this page: John Tetreault

Y ears ago, while researching American Arts

Y and Crafts designs, I took an immediate lik-

Make the end panels and router template

Since the end panels are the focal point, you want

boards with maximum figure. Use single wide

boards if you have them, or edge-glue narrower boards.

while the panels are drying, make a router template from

medium-density fiberboard (MDF) or plywood, which you’ll use

to cut slots for the shelf mortises.

The template (see facing page) simplifies construction in several

ways. It locates the shelf mortises, of course. And because I clamp

the template to the inside face of one end piece and the outside

face of the other, it ensures that the mortises will line up. when

laying out the slots in the template, all you have to do is draw the

dimensions for the 333 ⁄⁄ -in.-thick shelves and cut a slot that wide.

when using those slots to cut the through-mortises, use a bit and

V-SHELF TENONS

Tenons, ½ in. thick

by 3 1 ⁄ 4 in. wide

by 1 in. long

¼ -in. plywood

or MDF

SIDE TEMPLATE

1 3 ⁄ 4 in.

8 in.

Chamfer,

7 ⁄ 32 in.

Sides,

¾ in. thick by 11 1 ⁄ 2 in.

wide by 29 in. tall

2 in.

2 1 ⁄ 2 -in.

radius

Guideline for

slanted side

45°

triangle

V-shelves,

¾ in. thick by 4 in.

wide by 32 in. long

V-shelf mortise,

½ in. by 3¼ in.

¾ in.

29 in.

Bottom shelf,

¾ in. thick by

10 in. wide by

32 in. long

21 in.

¾ in.

3½ in.

Rout slots

with a ¾ -in.-

dia. straight

bit.

BOTTOM

SHELF TENON

1 5 ⁄ 8 in.

Bottom shelf mortise,

½ in. by 7¾ in.

9 1 ⁄ 2 in.

8 in.

Full-size plans

for this book rack

and other projects

are available at

FineWoodworking

.com/PlanStore.

2 1 ⁄ 8 in.

3 in.

Tenons, ½ in. thick

by 7 3 ⁄ 4 in. wide

by 1 in. long

8½ in.

11 1 ⁄ 2 in.

M A K I N G T H E T E M P L AT E

The ¾ -in.-wide slots in the template will

guide a router bushing for making the

½ -in.-wide mortises in the workpieces.

Lay out the

slots. Align the

template and the

triangle against

a straightedge

clamped to the

bench to draw

the shelf out-

lines.

First trim edge of jig with

router, then align jig with

layout lines.

Fence jig

Make the cutouts. Use a straight bit and a

fence jig to cut the ¾ -in. slots for the shelf

mortises. Use a jigsaw for the other cutouts.

Template

¾ -in.-dia. bit

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M A r C h / A P r I l 2 0 0 8 43

Secret to clean through-mortises

Rout to partial depth

Use a guide bushing for initial cuts.

Clamp the template to the workpiece.

Begin cutting the shelf mortises with a

plunge router equipped with a ¼ -in.-dia.

spiral upcut bit and a ½ -in. guide bush-

ing. Use the same setup to make the

curved cutouts. Make these cuts only

about 5 ⁄ 8 in. deep; don’t cut through the

work at this stage.

½ -in. guide

bushing

Template

Workpiece

5 ⁄ 8 in.

¼ -in.-dia. bit

guide bushing. The offset between bit and bushing equals the

width of the tenon shoulders. I get a mortise the right width, in

the right location.

To avoid tearout when routing through-mortises, I work from

one face toward the middle, without popping out the other side.

So I rout the bulk of the mortises with the guide bushing, then use

a flush-trimming bit from the other side to finish them cleanly.

Make the template 11 1 ⁄ 2 in. wide by 29 in.

long. Draw the panel side tapers, handle, and

lower arch. Then draw rectangles represent-

ing the full size of the ends of the narrow

V-shelves and the wide bottom shelf. with

Online Extra

the template drawn, draw layout lines 1 ⁄ 4 in. from each end of the

V-shelf rectangles. For the bottom shelf, draw layout lines 1 in.

from the ends. These define the starting and stopping points for

the shelf mortises. To cut the mortise slots, clamp a shopmade

fence jig flush with the long side of each shelf outline and plunge

cut from one line to the next with a router and a 3 ⁄ 4 -in. bit. Cut out

the handle and bottom arch with a jigsaw, then smooth the curves

and clean up the sawmarks with sandpaper.

Watch Paolini demonstrate his

router technique. For a video, go to

FineWoodworking.com/extras.

Mill the oak and cut the mortises

Next, I mill all the oak shelves to size and cut

the glued-up end panels to length. however, I

F I N E w O O D w O r k I N g

Drawings: Christopher Mills

Drill, flip, and clean up

Starter holes for the next step. Drill a hole to allow the flush-trimming

bit to enter the mortise. Start with a small pilot hole to locate the center.

To prevent blowout, follow with a larger bit from the other side.

won’t taper the panels until I’ve finished making all the cutouts

with the router.

I make the mortises and cutouts on one panel at a time. rather

than clamping them together and cutting everything at once, I

set up the template so that the panels are oriented as copies, not

mirror images. In other words, the template goes on the outside

face of the left-hand panel but on the inside face of the right-

hand panel.

You can use a long scrap of wood as a fence to help align the

template with the side. Clamp the assembly to the bench and

mark a small dot on the bottom of the right foot. You’ll use that

mark to reference how you laid out the panel.

Set up the router and bushing. The 3 ⁄ 4 -in.-wide slots in the tem-

plate will produce a 1 ⁄ 2 -in.-wide mortise in the oak, using a 1 ⁄ 4 -in.

spiral bit and a 1 ⁄ 2 -in. bushing. You could also use a 3 ⁄ 8 -in. bit

and a 5 ⁄ 8 -in. bushing. however, the smaller bit leaves a tiny ridge

dead-center in the groove, which comes in handy later on.

rout the outlines for the D-shaped handle, the lower arch, and

the shelf mortises in several passes. Don’t cut all the way through.

when the cuts are about 5 ⁄ 8 in. deep, stop and remove the tem-

plate. Use a jigsaw to remove most of the waste from the handle

and the lower arch.

Drill a hole through each shelf mortise. This is where you can

use that ridge left by the 1 ⁄ 4 -in. bit. I like to use it to center a

1 ⁄ 16 -in.-dia. pilot hole. Then I flip the panel over and enlarge the

pilot hole with a 13 ⁄ 32 -in. bit. This gives me a starting place for

the router bit I use next.

Flip the panel over, and finish all the cuts with a 3 ⁄ 8 -in. flush-

trimming bit. I chuck the bit in a laminate trimmer. It’s easy to

control and lets me easily see what I’m doing.

These extra steps guarantee that you won’t have any tearout.

Square up the mortises with a chisel, working from each face

toward the middle to avoid tearout. Finish the panels by tapering

the sides on the bandsaw, cutting just to the waste side of the

3 ⁄ 8 -in.-dia. flush-trimming bit

Flip the work and

finish with a flush-

trimming bit. Finish

the mortises and

other cutouts with a

3 ⁄ 8 -in. flush-trimming

bit, working from the

opposite face. To clean

up the D-shaped handle

and the cutout at the

foot, cut away most of

the waste with a jigsaw,

then use the same bit

to smooth the edge.

Workpiece

Square up the

corners. Cut away

the waste in the

corners with a

chisel. Chop about

halfway down, then

flip the work and

finish by paring

from the opposite

face toward the

center.

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M A r C h / A P r I l 2 0 0 8 45

Cut tenons

on the tablesaw

line. I clean up the cuts with a router, using my shopmade edge

guide and a straight bit.

Cut the tenons on the tablesaw

The through-tenons on the shelves project 1 ⁄ 4 in. from the side

panels. They have narrow shoulders on their wide faces, and deep

shoulders on the sides. The shoulders hide some imperfections

and make glue-up much easier. I cut the tenons on the tablesaw,

defining the shoulders with a combination blade to minimize

tearout, then switching to a stacked dado set to finish.

You should purposely make the shoulder cuts a hair too deep,

which prevents a ridge at the inside corner that you’d have to

clean out later.

Trade the combination blade for a stacked dado set to finish

the tenons. Cut the wide cheeks first. Set the blade low and raise

it gradually through a series of cuts to sneak up on the proper

tenon thickness. Test the fit after each cut. Once that first tenon

fits the mortise just right, cut the rest. Follow the same procedure

to cut all the short cheeks.

Next, chamfer the ends of the tenons. Mark a line 7 ⁄ 32 in. from

the ends, then plane to that line at roughly a 45° angle. Plane the

long edges first, then plane the short edges.

Finally, soften the remaining sharp edges of the shelves and side

panels with a 1 ⁄ 4 -in. roundover bit in the router.

Define the shoulders. Use a combination blade to make the initial cuts

for the tenon shoulders. Make these cuts about 1 ⁄ 32 in. deeper than the

tenon, to define the shoulders cleanly.

Fit and finish

Dry-fit the piece. The tenons should slip into their mortises with

hand pressure. If you need a mallet, the joints are too tight and

Finish with a

dado set. Use

a stacked dado

set to cut away

the waste on

each tenon.

Check the first

tenon often

against its mor-

tise to creep

up on the right

blade height.

The result. You

should have

tenons with

even shoulders,

smooth cheeks,

and a nice fit.

Chamfer the tenon ends. Use a block plane to chamfer the portion of

each tenon that will be proud of the side pieces, working to a layout line.

To minimize tearout, plane the wide cheeks first, then the narrow ends.

F I N E w O O D w O r k I N g

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