Barrister Bookcase

Very nice bookcase. I would like to build one of these someday. Did you have plans for this?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Super looking barrister bookcase, Dale!

-- Jesus is Lord!

I used the plans from WOOD Magazine, June / July 03 Issue #149.

-- Dale, Pittsburgh PA

Like Tom, one of these is on my project list under “one of these days.” Great job. I like this design and you executed it very well.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

very nice…I like the execution …nice job…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...119 days to sanity...

What is the finish?
The first 2 photos look like it might have been fumed but the last looks stained.

In any case (triple pun there) it is a nice looking project.

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Very nice looking bookcase. How did you finish the bookcase?

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

I like it. I made one for my daughter a few months ago so I can appreciate what you have achieved. Especially with the doors. I assume your’s lift then slide back into the cabinet. Well done.

-- Bob

Dale, I have a ton of my mother’s and father’s old medical textbooks. Many classics and I’ve been lamenting on how to display them in my private office. I think you just showed me how. Wonderful work!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

A nice job Dale. This is one of the items I want to make someday as well. How did you make the hinges for the doors? Could you get a picture of that for us? I know the hardware for that type of door is quite expensive.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Very well done! Your finish looks great. This piece looks perfect.

-- John Nixon - Buffalo, NY - www.EagleLakeWoodworking.com

Very nice work. I have an old set of barrister bookcases in our house. The glass has been broken in some of the units and the mechanisms all bind or are falling apart. I’ve been thinking of repairing them, but it’s never gone beyond the thinking phase.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

The finish I used was Zar 114 Provincial Oil Based Wood Stain and Zar Interior Satin Polyurethane. The first 2 pictures are more accurate colors than the third picture. I like the finish, however looking back I think that I would have liked a little darker finish with a slight redish tint – that would be a bit more accurate for the style.

The hardware for the hinges cost $1.49 – one 1/4” dowel rod. The doors hinge on a short piece of dowel that rides in a slot with a small piece of dowel at the back of the slot that acts as a stop for the doors. To make the doors pivot and stay up in the open position there is a third short dowel that is placed just behind the door at the top corner. See the new picture above. Hope this helps.

-- Dale, Pittsburgh PA

Very cool Dale. That new picture helps a lot.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

great project !! love the wood ….

-- ..... art for lifes sake ... danwalters@lumberjocks.com