As my kids get older and we transition from picture books to chapter books I found myself looking for a solution to store all of the books. And hopefully, just maybe, keep them organized.
What I came up with was this bookcase with drawers to hold the books. It’s my take on a modern card catalog, with easy to use dividers to keep the Harry Potter separated from the Magic Treehouse.
This is a shelf for growing kids, all the way through the young at heart of any age. It’s an easy way to keep your books looking organized, and easy to find. Check out the build tutorial to learn how to put it together, and download the plans here.
I’m excited to share that this plan is available in two forms: a Basic version for those who prefer simpler style joinery and methods, and an “Applied” version for those who want a little more of a challenge. The basic build tutorial is available from Angie at House Becoming Home. Angie not only walks you through the entire build, but has gorgeous photos of her finished build. Actually, all of her stuff is gorgeous, so go check it out.
Click here to download the plans for this build.
Here’s a list of the materials and tools you will need if you are building the applied version, as well as some tips and pointers to build your own.
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Materials:
18’ of 12” material for case sides and shelves
24’ of 4” material for drawers
6’ of 2 ½” nailer material (can be scrap)
1 – 4×8’ sheet ¼” plywood
9’ of 4 ¾” material for drawer faces
3 – 10” full extension drawer slides
10” drawer square drawer pulls
3 – Rockler drawer divider holders
18 – Campaign Bail Pull
CA Glue
Tools
Table saw
Router
Miter saw (or crosscut sled)
Biscuit joiner (or some other way to reinforce the miter joints)
Sander
Slot cutter (*optional)
Hack saw (or threaded rods)
Drill and metal drill bit
clamps
Building the Bookcase
The tutorial for this build is largely in the video. The downloadable PDF build plans detail everything step by step, so be sure to follow those closely. If you run into questions please feel free to message me through the “Ask” link in the menu.
Obviously this is a very hardware heavy build – in more than one sense of the word. I got these gorgeous campaign pulls from D. Lawless Hardware. You can get 10% on orders by using the code “tch10” to help offset that cost a little.
The video does not cover the nailer boards attached to the back of the bookcase, but they are in the plans and I want to mention them here. The case is secured to the wall through a board across the top backside.
The clear plastic divider holder is simple the easiest solution to allow for changeable dividers. Yes, you can construct this basic idea out of wood, but the clear plastic is not only easy to use, it is minimal in design. You can get those dividers at Rockler.
