At a glance
Finished dimensions
Overall sizes
- Case
- 30 × 12 × 84 in
- With base and face frame
- 30-1/2 × 12-3/4 × 87-1/2 in
- Above the case
- Filled with a scribed board or trim cut to your ceiling
Materials
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 3/4 in plywood | Two 4 × 8 ft sheets | Measure its real thickness before cutting dadoes |
| 1/4 in plywood | One 4 × 8 ft sheet | Back |
| Hardwood | Face frame | 3/4 in thick |
| Softwood or hardwood, 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in | Base frame | — |
| Shelf pins | 16 | Drill to the pin maker's stated diameter |
| Wall fasteners and shims | As needed | Chosen for your wall from their maker's data |
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Dimensions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side | 2 | 3/4 × 11-3/4 × 84 in | 3/4 in plywood |
| Top, bottom and fixed shelf | 3 | 3/4 × 11-3/4 × 29-1/4 in | 3/4 in plywood; length for 3/4 in stock |
| Adjustable shelf | 4 | 3/4 × 11-1/2 × 28-7/16 in | 3/4 in plywood |
| Back | 1 | 1/4 × 29-1/4 × 84 in | 1/4 in plywood |
| Hanging rail | 1 | 3/4 × 3 × 28-1/2 in | Hardwood or plywood |
| Base front and back | 2 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 30 in | Straight stock |
| Base crosspiece | 3 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 9 in | Straight stock |
| Face frame stile | 2 | 3/4 × 2 × 87-1/2 in | Hardwood |
| Face frame top rail | 1 | 3/4 × 2 × 26-1/2 in | Hardwood |
| Face frame bottom rail | 1 | 3/4 × 4-1/4 × 26-1/2 in | Hardwood |
Tools
- Track saw or table saw
- Router or dado stack
- Shelf-pin drilling guide
- Level, shims, stud finder
- Scribing compass and plane or sander
What makes it built-in
- A separate base. Floors are rarely level. The 30 × 12 in base frame is shimmed level first, so the case on top of it stands plumb without shimming the case itself.
- A hanging rail. A 3 in rail under the case top, in front of the back, is what is screwed to the wall's structure. Choose fasteners for your wall — framing or masonry — from their maker's data; BenchRoot gives no fastener sizes.
- A scribed face frame. The face frame is 30-1/2 in wide, overhanging each case side by 1/4 in. On the wall side, that overhang is scribed — traced and planed to the wall's shape — so the frame meets the wall without a gap. If the wall is further out than 1/4 in over the height, make that stile wider.
- A filler above. The case top is 87-1/2 in from the floor; the gap to your ceiling is closed with a board or trim scribed to the ceiling.
The case
Two plywood sides take the top and bottom in rabbets and a fixed middle shelf in a dado, all 3/8 in deep; the fixed shelf stiffens the 84 in sides. The 1/4 in back sits in 3/8 × 1/4 in rabbets. Four adjustable shelves rest on pins in two rows of holes in each side, 1-1/2 in from the front and back edges, at 2 in spacing; drill the holes to the diameter your shelf pins' maker states. Size the dadoes and the 29-1/4 in fixed panels from your plywood's measured thickness, as explained in the bookcase plan and the plywood thickness chart.
Building and fitting it
Case, base, installation and face frame
Build the case
Cut the parts, cut the rabbets and the middle dado, drill the shelf-pin holes with a guide, then glue the top, bottom and fixed shelf between the sides. Glue in the hanging rail under the top, square the case, and fasten the back into its rabbets.
Build and level the base
Screw the base frame together, set it in place against the wall and shim it level in both directions. Fix it to the floor or wall as suits the room.
Set the case
Lift the case onto the base, line its front with the base front, and screw down through the bottom into the base. Plumb it, then fix the hanging rail to the wall's structure.
Fit the face frame
Join the stiles and rails — pocket screws or dowels both work; see choosing a wood joint — then hold the frame to the case, scribe the wall-side stile to the wall, plane to the line, and glue and pin the frame on.
Fill the top
Measure the gap from the case top to the ceiling at several points, cut a filler board or trim, scribe it to the ceiling and fix it.
Finish
Fill fastener holes, sand and finish — how to sand wood, applying a wood finish — and fit the shelves.
Safety— Fixed to the wall, before it is loaded
A tall case must be fixed to the wall's structure before books go in; CPSC advises securing top-heavy furniture against tipping. Choose fasteners for your wall from their maker's data and find any wiring or pipes before drilling. No shelf capacity is claimed. Breaking down sheets and lifting an 84 in case follow woodworking safety rules.
Before installation
- Plywood thickness measured; dadoes and panels sized from it
- Studs or masonry located behind the hanging rail
- Wiring and pipes checked before drilling the wall
- Base shimmed level both ways
- Wall-side stile wide enough for the wall's worst gap
A freestanding version is in the bookcase plan; all the furniture plans are listed in the coffee table plan.
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Sources
A BenchRoot design for one module; every dimension is on the drawing and in the cut list as final sizes, with plywood at its nominal 3/4 in. Ceiling heights, floors and walls differ, so the top filler and the scribe are fitted on site. Shelf pins and wall fasteners are chosen from their makers' data. No shelf capacity is claimed. The design was not built or tested for this page.
- 1.
Chapter 11: Wood-Based Composite Materials: Panel Products, Glued Laminated Timber, Structural Composite Lumber, and Wood–Nonwood Composites. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Plywood's dimensional stability along its length and width, so the case can be glued up as panels and fixed to the wall.
- 2.
AnchorIt.gov. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Used for: Securing top-heavy furniture against tipping.
About this project
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