# Bookcase with Sliding Doors



## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Sorting out the stock and materials*

Project #3 will be a bookcase with sliding doors. The plans come from American Woodworker #130 Sept. '07.

The case will be walnut veneer ply with walnut hardwood for the remainder.

Some techniques I'll exploring on this project are:

New…
1) Face frame construction
2) Sliding doors in dadoes

One more try…
3) More Festool Domino loose tenon joinery
4) Dovetail drawers
5) Re-saw stock for drawer bottoms
6) Edge-gluing and making flat table tops

But first step is to go through the stock pile and pull out some boards. I only have 2 sheets of ply on hand so that choice was pretty easy to make.

Let's pick out some boards, chalk out the parts, then mill it S4S.



And here's the sheet good.


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## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Sorting out the stock and materials*
> 
> Project #3 will be a bookcase with sliding doors. The plans come from American Woodworker #130 Sept. '07.
> 
> ...


Well it looks like the project is well underway - have a good build and let's see some photos of the finished project. Is that a Performax 16-32 drum sander I see? It is one of the most often tools used in my shop.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Sorting out the stock and materials*
> 
> Project #3 will be a bookcase with sliding doors. The plans come from American Woodworker #130 Sept. '07.
> 
> ...


looking forward to seeing your progress. The boards look great.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Sorting out the stock and materials*
> 
> Project #3 will be a bookcase with sliding doors. The plans come from American Woodworker #130 Sept. '07.
> 
> ...


Hi Bill,

Yes, that's the Performax. I plan to use that to help flatten the top piece of this bookcase. It worked well in project #1.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Evaluate grain and layout parts*

It's hard visuallizing which grain pattern will look good for which part of the project. I hope this is one of those things that will become easier with experience.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Evaluate grain and layout parts*
> 
> It's hard visuallizing which grain pattern will look good for which part of the project. I hope this is one of those things that will become easier with experience.


You'll know whether you like it when you lay it all out how it'll be arranged…

You may have to (not you personally) double the amount of wood you buy if you're one that's that picky!


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Building the case*

I marked layout lines for the dadoes. The plans suggested cutting the dadoes for the sides and middle sections BEFORE ripping the pieces apart… this made sense in theory but was a chore to do because I had to offset the router from the marked line using a straight edge. So I measured out 2" from the line and made the first cut, then moved the fence 1/4" inward to make the final dado cut.

I think I'll invest some thinking into making a dado jig and using a pattern bit instead. There's a good example in later pages of the same American Woodworker #130 issue which I didn't think I would need… oh well, now I've learn one way NOT to cut dadoes using a router.

Here are some shots of the process and the dry fit case:


Marking layout lines for routing

<img><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mdoan7/BookcaseWithSlidingDoorsInBlackWalnut/photo?authkey=A156eZv6lDA#5140137663070824850">
I ripped then routed for the bottom and middle sections... don't remember why... but it turned out well.

The pieces dry fitted together.. all nice and square... thank goodness.

Now onto the hardwood sections.


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## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Building the case*
> 
> I marked layout lines for the dadoes. The plans suggested cutting the dadoes for the sides and middle sections BEFORE ripping the pieces apart… this made sense in theory but was a chore to do because I had to offset the router from the marked line using a straight edge. So I measured out 2" from the line and made the first cut, then moved the fence 1/4" inward to make the final dado cut.
> 
> ...


Looking good


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## mot (May 8, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Building the case*
> 
> I marked layout lines for the dadoes. The plans suggested cutting the dadoes for the sides and middle sections BEFORE ripping the pieces apart… this made sense in theory but was a chore to do because I had to offset the router from the marked line using a straight edge. So I measured out 2" from the line and made the first cut, then moved the fence 1/4" inward to make the final dado cut.
> 
> ...


Yeah, that's coming along nice.


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Building the case*
> 
> I marked layout lines for the dadoes. The plans suggested cutting the dadoes for the sides and middle sections BEFORE ripping the pieces apart… this made sense in theory but was a chore to do because I had to offset the router from the marked line using a straight edge. So I measured out 2" from the line and made the first cut, then moved the fence 1/4" inward to make the final dado cut.
> 
> ...


Are you using all Festool sytems parts?


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Building the case*
> 
> I marked layout lines for the dadoes. The plans suggested cutting the dadoes for the sides and middle sections BEFORE ripping the pieces apart… this made sense in theory but was a chore to do because I had to offset the router from the marked line using a straight edge. So I measured out 2" from the line and made the first cut, then moved the fence 1/4" inward to make the final dado cut.
> 
> ...


I don't know about "all" but I do like the festool system and I do use many of their power tools. What specifics of festool are you interested in or use? I'd be interested in hearing your experiences. I'm really enjoying the domino system for building the frames although still learning it's intricacies.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Milled stock square 4 sides*

Here's all the stock milled s4s, marked, and semi-stickered ready for ripping and cutting to length. I read somewhere to let milled wood rest couple days before working it.


Stickered and weighted.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Pieces for the top piece*

Here are the pieces i milled up for the top. I tried to go light on the jointer/planar because i need the top to be as thick as possible. I think I ended up with all pieces being 7/8".


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## rpmurphy509 (Nov 6, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Pieces for the top piece*
> 
> Here are the pieces i milled up for the top. I tried to go light on the jointer/planar because i need the top to be as thick as possible. I think I ended up with all pieces being 7/8".


Beautiful planks, very interesting grain pattern in them.
The center board looks as if it has some quilting in it?

-Ray


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Pieces for the top piece*
> 
> Here are the pieces i milled up for the top. I tried to go light on the jointer/planar because i need the top to be as thick as possible. I think I ended up with all pieces being 7/8".


Yes, some of the boards have a little figure… wouldn't call it quilted but it does add a bit of interest. Being that it's a bookcase, the top won't actually be the "show piece" but the chatoyance would be a nice surprise for those who do look for it. 

Here are some images of the planks with and without a splash of mineral spirits to highlight the figure.


Natural wood


With a little mineral spirits applied (and then a little denatured alcohol since i ran out of MS).

I plan to tint the sap wood with Trans-tint and then bulk tint before finishing.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

mdoan said:


> *Pieces for the top piece*
> 
> Here are the pieces i milled up for the top. I tried to go light on the jointer/planar because i need the top to be as thick as possible. I think I ended up with all pieces being 7/8".


Nice wood. keep it coming.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Glue up the top*

The top pieces have been chosen and in the clamps for glue-up as we speak. The domino tenons helped keep everything aligned and flat for the clamping. I cleaned up the squeeze out and will let it set while i work on the face frame and doors.


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## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Glue up the top*
> 
> The top pieces have been chosen and in the clamps for glue-up as we speak. The domino tenons helped keep everything aligned and flat for the clamping. I cleaned up the squeeze out and will let it set while i work on the face frame and doors.


Looks good so far. Pretty wood.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Face frame dry fit*

I used domino loose tenon joinery to form the face frame. This is the dry fit to check that all is square with the middle and bottome rails in the proper position for the drawer opening. Looks good. I'll add solid edge bands to the shelves. Once their square, I'll go back and measure the two vertical face frame pieces for the drawer dividers.

I'll glue and clamp it up tomorrow when construct the doors.


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## rpmurphy509 (Nov 6, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Face frame dry fit*
> 
> I used domino loose tenon joinery to form the face frame. This is the dry fit to check that all is square with the middle and bottome rails in the proper position for the drawer opening. Looks good. I'll add solid edge bands to the shelves. Once their square, I'll go back and measure the two vertical face frame pieces for the drawer dividers.
> 
> I'll glue and clamp it up tomorrow when construct the doors.


Beautiful wood. I like the proportions of the case and shelves.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Sliding doors*

Here are the two sliding door frames with dominos cut in and assembled for the dry fit. I've placed them in the case behind the face frame to make sure that they do actually fit in there. Tomorrow I'll glue everthing up and then cut the tracks in the top and bottom case pieces for the door slide hardware. The clamps are there so the frames don't decide to fall forward and scratch 2 nights worth of sanding.


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Sliding doors*
> 
> Here are the two sliding door frames with dominos cut in and assembled for the dry fit. I've placed them in the case behind the face frame to make sure that they do actually fit in there. Tomorrow I'll glue everthing up and then cut the tracks in the top and bottom case pieces for the door slide hardware. The clamps are there so the frames don't decide to fall forward and scratch 2 nights worth of sanding.


Looks good. Do you have any progress pics that show the track construction?

How do they ride in the case?


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Sliding doors*
> 
> Here are the two sliding door frames with dominos cut in and assembled for the dry fit. I've placed them in the case behind the face frame to make sure that they do actually fit in there. Tomorrow I'll glue everthing up and then cut the tracks in the top and bottom case pieces for the door slide hardware. The clamps are there so the frames don't decide to fall forward and scratch 2 nights worth of sanding.


I should have the tracks completed today and will post pics of the process this evening. They use the euro-hinge style roller kit from Rocklers.

#88155


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## mwest06 (Mar 8, 2011)

mdoan said:


> *Sliding doors*
> 
> Here are the two sliding door frames with dominos cut in and assembled for the dry fit. I've placed them in the case behind the face frame to make sure that they do actually fit in there. Tomorrow I'll glue everthing up and then cut the tracks in the top and bottom case pieces for the door slide hardware. The clamps are there so the frames don't decide to fall forward and scratch 2 nights worth of sanding.


How well does the rockler kit work? Do you get really smooth sliding action?


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Grooves for the door slide hardware*

I removed the top and middle panels to cut grooves for the door slide hardware. The grooves are 7mm wide by 9mm deep. I cut the grooves 7/16" from the edge with a 1" seperation.

The pictures show details of the groove, hardware for the doors, and the track insert. The hardware is 2 upper and 2 lower, 35mm euro-hinge style, inserts. The upper hardware have an adjustable tab while the lower hardware have an adjustable tab+roller. All pieces are made of plastic so we'll see how well they stand up in use. I haven't pushed the track insert all the way in. It has ridges running the length of the track which grip the sides of the groove very tightly.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Base with Horse hoof legs*

It took me a weekend to make the leg stock. I mortised the legs and cut integral tenons for the rails. This was the first time I've made integral tenons (used the festool domino on the first project). The mortises were machined with a bench mortiser. Pretty straight forward to setup and operate. I cut the tenons on the tablesaw with a tenon jig.

The next weekend I formed the horse hoof feet and cut the arch in the front rail. I used the Rigid bench top RO drum/belt sander to form the feet. It worked like a charm. Sweet machine.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Base with Horse hoof legs*
> 
> It took me a weekend to make the leg stock. I mortised the legs and cut integral tenons for the rails. This was the first time I've made integral tenons (used the festool domino on the first project). The mortises were machined with a bench mortiser. Pretty straight forward to setup and operate. I cut the tenons on the tablesaw with a tenon jig.
> 
> The next weekend I formed the horse hoof feet and cut the arch in the front rail. I used the Rigid bench top RO drum/belt sander to form the feet. It worked like a charm. Sweet machine.


hadn't heard of "horse hoof feet" before.

looking really nice!


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*3 drawers ready to go*

Three drawers made. Dovetails cut for the face and back using the porter cable dovetail jig. I hadn't intended to dovetail the back but it was good practice.

The face is 3/4" black walnut, sides are 1/2" quarter sawn red oak, and the drawer bottom is a the same 3/4" quartersawn red oak that I resawed on the bandsaw and then sanded to 1/4" on the drum sander.

A new experience on this entry was Carter bearing guides for the bandsaw. Resawing was very accurate and smooth enough to make 1/16 veneers finished under the drum sander (for a later project). Resawing stock is much more efficient use of wood than jointing/planing.


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## Ampeater (Feb 21, 2008)

mdoan said:


> *3 drawers ready to go*
> 
> Three drawers made. Dovetails cut for the face and back using the porter cable dovetail jig. I hadn't intended to dovetail the back but it was good practice.
> 
> ...


Really nice looking drawers.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *3 drawers ready to go*
> 
> Three drawers made. Dovetails cut for the face and back using the porter cable dovetail jig. I hadn't intended to dovetail the back but it was good practice.
> 
> ...


Thanks Amp. The real wish tonight was to have a successful glue up.

The first drawer went together in one shot. Bad idea. I used too much glue and the joint nearly seized up before I could get the clamps on it. I had to help it along with good whacks of the dead blow.

The second and third drawers I knew I had to do something different. This time I used just a smear of glue in the lap, tapped a pin board on each end, then tapped in the drawer front. Clamps were put on for good measure.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Time to make a router table*

Had to take a timeout to make this router table extension. It's a torsion box design with router lift and fence.


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## gad5264 (Sep 13, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Time to make a router table*
> 
> Had to take a timeout to make this router table extension. It's a torsion box design with router lift and fence.


Wood Chopper, it looks like time well spent. Thanks for posting.


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## mdoan (Apr 7, 2007)

*Fit and Finished*

Was this the longest project ever? I started blog nearly 5 years ago and have been in and out of woodworking as life happened. It's been an interesting ride and I'm glad to be posting a bit of progress. 










Next up is to find interesting laminated glass panels for the sliding doors.


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## scarpenter002 (Sep 16, 2007)

mdoan said:


> *Fit and Finished*
> 
> Was this the longest project ever? I started blog nearly 5 years ago and have been in and out of woodworking as life happened. It's been an interesting ride and I'm glad to be posting a bit of progress.
> 
> ...


Beautiful work. Can't wait to see the finished product. Thanks for sharing.


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