Anarchist-esque Bookshelf | Discord Woodworking | Page 1

warped rivet May 20, 2025, 12:23 PM

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Okay, this will be my first mostly-hand-tool build. I need a bookshelf with some particular dimensions for holding books and musical instruments, so I thought the Anarchist Design Book bookshelf would be a good (but attainable) first build. I'm mostly looking to talk this through and put my thoughts down - this will hopefully become a "post your work" here soon. My main difference with the ADB bookshelf will be dimensions and I really don't want to use nails.

I was thinking of doing wedged tenons on the shelves but would rather be successful over pushing beyond my skills. I plan on getting some practice in before diving into it but still. Part of me thinks dovetails for the top would look nice but again...don't want to get over my skis here.

My dimensions: 44 wide with 12" shelf, 10" shelf, 10" shelf, and a top. With a 4" kick rail I've got ~39" in height. Sticking with the ~12-13" depth depending on what wood I can find. I don't think I need that cross bar on the top if I add a top 'shelf'.

For lumber I will need 2 of 39x13 (sides), 4 of 44x13 (shelves and top), 4x44 (kick rail), and the back.

I'm thinking of doing cherry for the carcase and then something lighter to contrast for the back depending on what the lumberyard has (pine? ambrosia maple? I dunno). Roughly 25 board feet of cherry and then 16 board feet for the back - I do not know if the lumber yard will have anything that is ~1/2". Doesn't seem to be 'standard' but I have never been to the yard so... I don't really want to try to rip anything to 'roughly 1/2' down the thickness. Maybe could use a 1/2" ply here?

So my concerns are: through tenons and/or dovetails (structurally glued dados would be fine I think) - then gotta figure out the back. I don't want the back to look like garbage (like a lot of ply I see) though.

golden vortex May 20, 2025, 12:24 PM

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I like the plan, I would caution against contrast for contrasts sake.

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I would use ply personally - cherry ply isnt absurdly expensive if you buy it from a plywood supplier rather than home depot or something

warped rivet May 20, 2025, 12:26 PM

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I think "Oh I'll make it contrasting" was more based on the fact I've never seen cherry ply 😉

golden vortex May 20, 2025, 12:26 PM

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ah moment

warped rivet May 20, 2025, 12:26 PM

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I have to make a pilgrimage to the hardwood supplier anyway, so there may be a ply supplier near there as well

golden vortex May 20, 2025, 12:27 PM

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you can get paper backed cherry veneer for ~100$ that you can throw on a sheet of MDF too

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4x8 sheet, so enough for a bit more than this too

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but yea, to your concern, it wont be particularly economical to do out of hardwood

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I think through tenons would look the best too, btw, but any of the three options will work

warped rivet May 20, 2025, 12:31 PM

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Yeah, that is what looks best in my mind - I'm just intimidated.

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Could have maple wedges for a bit of contrast.

golden vortex May 20, 2025, 12:31 PM

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I think it'll be easier to execute than a sliding dovetail

warped rivet May 20, 2025, 12:32 PM

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Well yeah, that's way beyond what I want to do at this point in my journey

warped rivet May 22, 2025, 12:21 PM

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Okay, I found a small sawyer with a few different wood options and also the ability to rip, plane, etc. I know for my project I need ~25 board feet (most of it 13" width so roughly that in linear feet as well).

Would you prefer straight line ripped lumber or planed on one side for hand tool work? Waiting to hear back price differential between the two - mainly trying to set myself up for success here.

golden vortex May 22, 2025, 12:29 PM

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depends how comfortable you are surfacing it yourself, surfaced on 2 faces is probably your easiest option? bringing the edges to square and parallel is pretty straight forward

warped rivet May 22, 2025, 12:33 PM

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My hand tool surfacing expeerience is basically nil.

golden vortex May 23, 2025, 1:45 PM

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I might practice on something cheap first then hehe

warped rivet May 30, 2025, 12:38 PM

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I've checked all the bookcases we have and everything seems to be ~13" deep. So I'm looking at what I can get together for that. Glad I (basically) doubled the bdft I thought I would need.

My Boards:
4 of 5.5"x8'
2 of 9.75"x7'10"
1 of 5.5"x9'2
1 of 5.5"x10'

I'm thinking I can glue up the wider boards with the 8' boards and end up with 4 "shelves". I will make the shelves close to my desired 44" width, but it'll really be whatever wood I have. Then make the 'walls' of the bookcase out of the remaining pieces. I do not think I will have enough for the backing so might wait until I go to the lumberyard again.

warped rivet Jun 5, 2025, 12:33 PM

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Okay, processing plan:
Cut the widest pieces to rough length as the usable length of those may guide losing an inch or two on the shelving. Then cut corresponding lengths from a 5'5" piece (that will eventually be joined).
Cut the remaining 5.5s to length for the two sides of the shelf.

Plane/joint each piece (crash course in hand-flattening OR swing by and use my buddies planer). Repeat on glued up panels.

Seem reasonable?

golden vortex Jun 5, 2025, 12:45 PM

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yes, good plan IMO. Do you have a drawing?

warped rivet Jun 5, 2025, 12:54 PM

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Thanks for running a sanity check for me @golden vortex - super appreciated!

I drew out things dimensionally, but nothing fancy. I'm probably going to redraw and label things (shelf A, B, C - etc) for when I'm working with the wood. If I don't label things I start messing up.

I am further from the Anarchist design than when I started though. I really like Pekovich's slightly-proud-wedged-tenons in the book I picked up, may try something like that in lieu of the nails. And I'm deciding on where the top shelves will go as the top of it and the top shelf I'm planning on using to house some musical instruments (uilleann bagpipes). Those top two shelves are my final dimensions left up in the air

golden vortex Jun 5, 2025, 12:55 PM

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just as a broad tip, I always draw something the first time im making a "type" of thing, and try to imagine it as an exploded view, if that makes sense, just to try to catch any snags I might not have considered

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maybe not as crucial for dimensioning/surfacing, but it is for assembly

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my first large furniture project involved bending a piece of 8/4 with clamps because i didn't plan it out better 😅

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it shed its clamps violently, and gave me a black eye - no joke haha

warped rivet Jun 5, 2025, 1:06 PM

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doing an exploded view is a good call

warped rivet Jun 6, 2025, 10:59 PM

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Rough plan.

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Still need to figure out bottom of legs. I think I'll leave it square though.

warped rivet Jun 16, 2025, 11:34 PM

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I have to make a decision about how I want to use this bit of cherry. It can either be cut in half for two shelves or it can form the sides. I'm inclined to make it a side where that inclusion would probably be more aesthetically pleasing. Any thoughts?

#Anarchist-esque Bookshelf