POPULARWOODWORKING.COM ■ 31Once all of your dadoes are plowed,
drill pocket holes between them on
the opposite face of each case side.
These will hold the frame to the case
much better than glue alone. Now
you are ready to cut your shelves.
To fi nd the width of your shelves,
you will subtract 2^5 / 8 " from your
frame width. 1^7 / 8 " for both outside
reveals and another^3 / 4 " for the
material thickness of the sides left
over after your dadoes. Cut all of
your shelves to the same length and
inspect them for any discrepancies.
Next, place glue in each dado, insert
the shelves and shoot 1^3 / 8 " staples
into them from the outside. I do this
even on stain grade shelves as this
portion is hidden until the door is
opened. Continue these steps until
the case is assembled.
Attach the Frame
First, test fi t the face frame making
sure to line up both the top and
sides of the case with the reveal
marks on the back of the frame.
You will likely need to rack the
case one way or the other to
ensure square alignment. Once
this is done, put a bead of glue on
all edges of the carcass that come
in contact with the face frame.
Place the face frame back onto the
carcass, again paying attention to
you reveal marks, and tack a few 16
gauge nails along the sides to hold
the frame in place. If building a
stain grade door, clamp both sides
and every rail accordingly to avoid
exposed nail holes. Working quickly
within the glue’s open time, clamp
the frame to the carcass at each
pocket hole location, and proceed
to screwing the frame down. For
12 I use screws about every 12"
to attach the face frame to the
bookcase. This makes the piece feel
really solid it.
13 I reinforce the top and bottom of
the bookcase for the hardware with
another layer of plywood attached
with glue and staples.12
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