Material Choices Add Interest

This bookcase was built from three different thickness of Baltic birch plywood. I chose to use different thicknesses for the frame and shelves to make the design more interesting. You could also make the frame and shelves out of solid lumber such as pine or choose a hardwood instead for added durability.

Cut all the parts to size with a table saw or circular saw using the Material List as your guide, with the exception of the side panels. To make the dado plowing process easier, cut a blank of plywood large enough to make both sides from the same piece: 3/4″ x 18-5/8″ x 29-3/8″. The 18-5/8″ dimension is the width of two sides, plus the thickness of a saw kerf. Examine your stock and decide which faces and edges will be the “presentation” sides. That means you’ll want the nicest-looking surfaces facing outward on the sides and upward on the shelves, bottom and top. Even if you are painting the project, it’s a good idea to keep minor blemishes or odd grain on the inner and downward faces. Label the components to ensure that you’ll keep these nicer faces oriented in the presentation direction as you continue. For clarity, I like to use painter’s tape and a dark marker rather than a pencil.

Starting with Cabinet Joinery

This bookcase’s joinery is fairly straightforward and can be done quickly, especially if you use a dadoing jig. The 1/2″-thick shelves and 3/4″-thick bottom fi t into 3/8″-deep dadoes in the the back edges of the side panels accommodates the cabinet back. We’ll cut the dadoes first.

Mark the dado location for the bottom panel and each shelf on the blank for the side panels you cut earlier. (These locations are provided in the Drawings, but you can easily adjust these measurements to suit whatever shelf spacing you prefer.)

Using the height of the kick plate as your starting point, mark the first 3/4″-wide dado for the bottom panel at 2-1/2″. Then mark 1/2″-wide dadoes for the shelves at 11-1/4″ and 19-3/4″ up from the bottom edge of the sides blank.

Now you’re ready to plow these dadoes, but be aware that plywood is often not exactly the thickness that it’s labeled. A piece of 3/4″-thick plywood, for instance, may actually be 11/16″ or 23/32″ thick.

So using a 3/4″-diameter bit to cut the shelf and bottom-panel dadoes will make them too wide. When routing dadoes for plywood, it’s better to make multiple passes with a router bit that’s smaller than the thickness of the plywood, in order to “sneak up” on a perfect fit.

You can make a jig to do this, but I used Rockler’s clever new Perfect Fit Dado Jig instead. It features a mechanism that sets up the jig to perfectly match the width of the dado to the workpiece. The jig travels along a clamped straightedge.

If you do the same, set up the jig to match the thickness of the bottom panel. For the bottom, use a 1/2″-diameter straight or spiral bit to form the 3/4″-wide dadoes. Repeat the same process to rout the two 1/2″-wide shelf dadoes, but instead of a 1/2″-diameter bit, you need to switch to a 3/8″-diameter bit for the narrower dado cuts.

The bookcase’s back panel fits into rabbets on the rear edges of the two sides. Head to your router table and set it up to form a 3/8″-deep by 1/4″-wide rabbet cut. By milling these rabbets last, you’ll remove any tearout from the back edges of the side panels that was created by the previous dado cuts. Then split this workpiece into two 9-1⁄4″-wide side panels at the table saw.

At this point, all your workpieces are prepped and nearly ready for assembly. But before moving on, sand them smooth — it’s much easier to do this now.

Boring Pocket Holes

We’ll use pocket holes and screws to secure the bookcase’s top, kick plate and rails. Set up your pocket-hole jig and bore two screw pockets in the top end of the sides.

In the same manner, drill a pair of evenly spaced pockets on the inside ends of the kick plate. For the narrow two upper rails, a single pocket hole on each end is all you need.

Paint First, Then Put It Together

I chose to paint the faces of all the parts but leave their edges and the shelves bare as a decorative accent. A small foam paint roller is an excellent applicator for this job; it lays down a smooth, even coat that dries quickly.

The contrast between the painted panels and the plywood edges creates a clean, modern look, and the void-less construction of Baltic birch plywood makes exposed edges like this possible. Leave the bare edges unfinished so glue will create a stronger bond.

Once the paint dries, you’re ready to put this bookcase together. As with any woodworking project, dry fitting the parts with clamps is a must. This process verifies that all the pieces go together properly and gives you an opportunity to test your assembly process before you reach a point of no return. After all, glue is permanent!

Apply glue into the dadoes on one bookcase side and, being careful to mind your directional labels, set the shelves and bottom into place so they’re flush with the bookcase’s front.

Because these parts are 1/4″ narrower than the side panels, they should also be perfectly flush with the back-panel rabbet.

Go ahead and apply glue into the dadoes on the other side panel and fit it into position on the shelves and bottom panel. Clamp everything up as you had practiced, and check it for square.

When the subassembly dries install the remaining pieces, except for the back panel. Use both glue and screws when you mount the kick plate, but pocket-hole screws are all you need for securing the rest of the parts.

The final step is to set the back panel into its rabbets and attach it with 3/4″ brad nails. One big benefit to a tightly fitting and well-secured back panel is that it makes a structure like this more rigid and keeps it square under load.

Bookcases are often gateway projects to bigger and more sophisticated woodworking pursuits. But I think this little bookcase is a wonderful piece of furniture in its own right.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

Hard-to-Find Hardware:

3/4″ Baltic Birch Plywood, 24″ W x 30″ L (2) #63453
1/2″ Baltic Birch Plywood, 24″ W x 30″ L (1) #63446
1/4″ Baltic Birch Plywood, 24″ W x 30″ L (1) #63420
General Finishes Milk Paint, Pint, China Blue (1) #73131
Perfect Fit Dado Jig (1) #59385
Wooster Short Stuff Touch-Up Kit (1) #53197
EZ-Mark Line Cords (1) #32527

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A Builder’s Challenge

Not long ago, publisher Larry Stoiaken challenged me to come up with a kitchen island design that was practical and very stylish but one that even a novice woodworker could build. At first I thought it was one of those pie-in-the-sky ideas a publisher will float out there from time to time, with little to come of it later. (In my experience, our publisher has a tendency to imagine projects in his mind’s-eye that woodworkers find just about impossible to pull off in an actual shop.) But then I had a talk with editor-in-chief Rob Johnstone and we started to see some real possibilities. After his experience last issue completing a cabinet “makeover,” Rob realized how many ways there are for woodworkers to go when it comes to completing a home project. These days you can buy a lot of items “custom-made to order” — like decorative legs, drawer faces and that sort of thing, and this approach to woodworking really got us thinking. If a person has the skill to build a simple melamine box, perhaps we could dress up the outside of it with pre-made components and come up with a fancy island that almost anyone could put together. I was almost embarrassed at how easily the project design came together … but I let Larry sweat for a few days before I gave him the sketch and the ideas. (Just like Scotty on Star Trek, let everyone think you can work wonders by making a task seem much harder than it actually is … )

Now I am not going to try to fool you: this is a much more expensive way to build a cabinet than starting from raw wood and building every component yourself, but the advantages to this method are obvious. And, it is also a lot less expensive way to acquire a cabinet than hiring your local cabinetmaker. After much discussion, the approach we settled on was to purchase as many items as possible — if you have the skills, you can substitute labor for any one of those items, be it the butcher block top, the panels, the drawer fronts or even the turned legs. What I’ll describe is an approach that even a raw novice can undertake. Where you go with the project is completely up to you!

Starting Right at the Top

I purchased two butcher block tops to make the top and counter (pieces 1 and 2) and used all of the material up. One piece was ripped to form the counter and its leftover was glued to the other piece to form the top. Since this material comes with a slight roundover on its edges, you’ll need to trim the full piece a bit before gluing it to the cutoff. That way the roundover won’t show up in the middle of your glue-up. To avoid extra sanding, be very accurate as you align the pieces when you clamp them together.

Once you remove the top from the clamps, chuck a 1/4″ roundover bit in your router to go around the entire top and counter (both the tops and bottoms) to ensure that this detail is consistent on both pieces. Now sand the top and counter through the grits and set them aside so you can turn your attention to the pieces that will complete the top subassembly.

The Top Subassembly

The counter supports and apron (pieces 3, 4 and 5) will serve to elevate the counter and bring the top pieces together as one subassembly. The shaping details for the outer supports are in the Drawings at right. Now is the time to machine them, along with the inner support and the apron. The apron fits into dadoes in the outer supports, and the inner support fits into its own dado in the middle of the apron, as shown in the Drawings. After test fitting the parts, glue the pieces together.

Now you’ve arrived at one of the trickier aspects of this project. The counter will bear a lot of weight during its lifetime, so I thought it best to bolt it right to the top. But it’s about 7″ from the top of the counter to the bottom of the top, which means drilling in series. Here’s how I did that: First, use the Drawings to lay out the six 35mm holes on the counter’s top for the large tapered plugs (pieces 6). Using a 35mm cup hinge bit, drill all six holes to a depth of 3/4″ and then line up the counter, the support subassembly and the top (see Drawings).

A couple of wooden handscrew clamps came in really handy here. Firmly attach one wooden handscrew clamp to each outer counter support and then use smaller bar clamps to hold them in position on the top. Carefully line up the counter on top of the supports, clamp them in position and, using a 1/2″ brad point bit, drill through the center of the inner three holes until you’re slightly into the support pieces. Switch to a countersink bit for a moment and drill through the outer two holes (the outer center hole is just for looks) until you’re into the supports. Then remove the counter and switch back to the 1/2″ brad point bit to extend the three inner holes, this time through the supports, just into the top.

Finally, loosen up the wooden handscrews, remove the support subassembly, and use your brad point bit one last time to complete the 1/2″ hole right through the top. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have to flip the top over and use your 35mm bit to countersink the three bolt holes from the other side to keep the nuts and washers at the end of the bolts contained. Blow away the chips and bring the counter, the support subassembly and the top together as its own subassembly, using the three bolts (pieces 7) and the two long wood screws (pieces 8). Glue 35mm plugs (pieces 6) into all six top holes (leaving them just a bit proud) and, once the glue dries, sand them flush to the counter.

Moving on to the Casework

The next step is to make the casework and add the face frame to it. The casework itself couldn’t be easier. Two sides, a top, bottom and middle divider, a small drawer divider and the back (pieces 9 through 12) come together with a series of dadoes and rabbets; follow the details in the Drawing at right. Using your nail gun (or you can screw it together if you don’t own a nail gun) and glue, assemble the carcass and then attach the back, which conveniently helps to square everything up.

A Simple Face Frame

The face frame was built “in place,” which really simplified matters. Cut the stiles, rails and middle stile to width (pieces 13, 14 and 15) and then glue and nail the left side in place, followed by the top, the middle stile, the middle rail, the bottom rail and, finally, the right stile. Each piece can be positioned in place and marked as you go … the good news is that the joinery is covered by the legs and drawers!

The Purchased Parts

Up to this point, the only real “purchased” items have been the butcher block top and counter and the large plugs. If the thought of taking on all the upcoming leg work and frame and panel work gives you pause, relax (if you can do that while simultaneously pulling out your wallet).

The legs (pieces 16 and 17) and the panels, which are just raised panel doors mounted to the carcass (pieces 18 and 19), are “store-bought.” The panels arrived fully assembled, ready for finishing. The legs did require a little work, as shown in the series of photos. You can’t tell from those photos, but that’s an extra long fence on the table saw, which helps to keep the legs square during these cuts. Without it, the legs would want to work their way away from the fence (as the square portion at each end is disengaged or encounters the fence). With the longer auxiliary fence, that’s not a problem.

Notice in the Drawings that the rip cuts in the back legs and front legs, while the same on one plane, are different on the other. This accommodates the width of the doors, which have yet to be added to the mix. It will also affect the dimension of the leg fillers (pieces 17), which end up supporting the entire weight of the piece.

Since there are two kerfs involved in creating these long rabbets, it was impossible to simply use the cutoff. Make sure your filler piece is correctly oriented for grain match and get as close as possible with your color. Clamp and glue these pieces to the legs and sand them smooth.

With the legs ready for assembly, turn your attention to the panels. I suggest starting on one side, toward the front, and attaching the side panels (pieces 19) from the inside, with screws. Use a couple of washers to keep the panels about 1/8″ apart (creating a reveal) and don’t worry if they’re short on the backside — the legs will cover that. On the back, I placed the middle panel first and then the two outer panels (pieces 18), not worrying about a larger gap at the ends because, again, the legs will cover it.

Now you’re ready to install the legs. As mentioned earlier, the two back legs have different dimension rabbets than the two front legs (see Drawings), so make sure you have everything well marked.

Doors, Drawers and Pullout Shelves

As was the case with the legs and panels, the doors and drawer faces (pieces 20 and 21) for this project are “storebought.” I did end up making the drawers and the pullout shelves myself, because they were really easy and, aside from the grooves for the bottoms, involved very little machining. Follow the Material List and cut all the parts to size for these subassemblies.

Start with the drawers (pieces 22, 23 and 24), first cutting the pieces to size and then forming the 1/4″ groove for the bottom, as shown in the drawings. The dimensions are such that you simply capture the bottom as you glue up the surrounding pieces. The pullout shelves are much the same story, just larger. Again, cut the front and back, sides and bottoms (pieces 25, 26 and 27) to size, mill the grooves for the bottom and glue the pieces together.

You’re going to need slide supports (pieces 28) on each side, so the shelves can clear the doors and the drawer faces can extend to the full width of the doors. I installed three on each side, as shown in the Drawings. With the supports installed, you’re ready to attach the full-extension slides to the supports, the drawer divider and the pullout shelves and drawers.

Follow the directions on the package and, when everything is moving well, attach the drawer fronts and doors. The hinges for the doors (pieces 30) were positioned strategically to miss the pullout shelves, as shown in the Drawings, and the drawer fronts are screwed in position from the inside of the drawer in slightly oversized holes, which allows for adjustment.

Finishing Up

Install your pulls and knobs (pieces 31 and 32), and you are ready to move on to the finish. I used Butcher Block oil for the top and counter because it’s food safe and then I turned to Nordic Oil for the base pieces. Cherry really looks great with an oil finish, and the patina will get richer as the years march by.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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“I played this really fun lawn game this weekend … it’s called Kubb — it was invented by the Vikings,” said Larry.

“Coop?”

“No, Kubb…”

“Coot? Never heard of it…”

“NO, Kubb, k-u-b-b, Kubb.”

“Cub? Huh?”

Anyway, once we got the name straightened out, the discussion switched to the game’s heritage and why Larry liked it so much. While Kubb’s origins are obscured by the passing of years — a lot of years — it seems most likely it was invented in Scandinavia more than a thousand years ago. Because the Vikings were such, um … “travelers,” it spread throughout much of northern Europe. Originally the playing pieces were likely firewood. As with many such folk traditions, the rules varied with the region and the period of time. It can be played with anywhere from one to six on a team.

Larry said he liked it because it requires some interesting strategy and a bit of skill, but even if you lack both of those characteristics, you can still enjoy the game fully. We think he favors it because, like horseshoes and bocce, it can be played with one hand left open for a tasty beverage.

Getting Started

We agreed that this game would make a great summer woodworking project, so we read up on dimensions and shapes and I headed for the shop to get started. Any scrap wood will work, but we felt that heavier, denser wood is a better call for a variety of reasons. We had some padauk and white oak available, both of which seemed to be good choices. You could use any hardwood that you have available locally, and I’m guessing you have enough scrap in your shop right now to build a set or two. We used the white oak for the six casting pins and the rectangular base of the king piece. The four corner stakes and the hammer handle are simple white oak dowels. I used the padauk to make the kubbs, hammer head and crown of the king.

Get your game pieces off to a quick start by gluing up blanks for the casting pins and kubbs. I sped the process along by gluing and clamping my laminations all at once between long clamps.

Making the Ripping Jig

The casting pins, kubbs and hammer head all have octagonal profiles. Since the workpieces are short, I decided that the safest way to bevel-rip them to shape was to build a ripping jig that rides along my saw’s fence. It has a toggle clamp on top that holds the wood securely against the jig base, and a stop at back to prevent workpieces from shifting backward when you push the jig through each cut. Fashion a similar jig to fit your saw’s rip fence, making sure it’s tall enough so the toggle clamp can reach over the larger kubb workpieces.

Notice that the base of the jig supports each workpiece and, when bevel-ripped, also shows you exactly where the blade will contact the wood. To set up your jig the first time, start with a rectangular base that’s wide enough to support the kubb blanks. Tilt your saw blade to 45° and adjust the rip fence so the blade trims the base to 1-15/16″ wide, measured across its top edge.

Bevel-ripping the Octagons

Now that the jig base is trimmed, you can leave the fence in this position for bevel-ripping all of the kubbs and casting pins. Bevel-rip the four corners off of each kubb to form the octagon shapes. Then set a 11/32″-thick spacer board against the jig, and you can proceed to rip the narrower casting pins. Switch to a 1/4″- thick spacer to bevel-rip the hammer head, after first drilling a 1″-diameter, 1-1/4″-deep hole for the hammer handle dowel.

Ease the sharp edges of your kubbs, casting pins and hammer head with a chamfering bit on the router table, set for a light cut.

Making the King

To make the crown for my king piece, I started with a square blank measuring 3″ x 3″. I shaped the crown by raising my saw blade to 1-1/2″ and tilting it to 22.5°. I clamped the blank to a longer scrap fence and a stop block attached to the saw’s miter gauge. Position and clamp the stop block to the scrap fence so the blade will cut into the closest face of the crown blank to a depth of 1-1/2″. I tested this setup on a scrap first to dial in my stop block and blade settings. Four cuts later, I had my crown whipped into shape. Mount the crown on its base however you like, but I suggest using dowels or biscuits to increase your glue surface area.

Wrapping Up

You’ll be able to pound your stakes into the ground more easily if you sharpen their tips. Once you’ve done that, cut the hammer handle to length and glue it into the hammer head.

Give your game pieces a thorough sanding up through the grits. You have many options for finishing outdoor woods, but I settled on General Finishes Outdoor Oil and applied three coats to protect the pieces.

Rules of Engagement

1. Define your playing field by placing the corner pins, king and kubbs. You can have from one to six players on a side. The more players there are on each side, the more time there is to drink beer while playing.

2. Play starts with players standing at their base line and the first team tossing their six casting pins, attempting to topple all five of the other team’s kubbs (underhand tosses only, with vertical, end-over-end rotation). Once that occurs, the king can be attacked and a winner declared.

3. Unless all five kubbs and the king are toppled during the first team’s first turn (an indication that they are not taking the beer drinking aspect of the game seriously enough), the opposing team takes their turn. Play alternates until one team has knocked down all the kubbs and the king. If the king is toppled prematurely, the game is over and the opposing team wins.

4. There are many variations on the game (just Google “Kubb”), featuring increasingly involved and interesting rules. For example, in one variation, when a team has successfully toppled all of the other team’s kubbs but fails to topple the king, the opposing team can bypass attacking the kubbs and go directly for the king, winning the game if they’re successful. When playing this variation, a team with only one casting pin left can choose to forfeit their toss rather than risk toppling the last kubb, which would leave the king vulnerable to their opponent’s attack.

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