Manual of Purpose-Made Woodworking Joinery

Ladder- frame shelf unit 137

on the end of each upright, as at (e), with the fixed

dowel- rung centred at 20mm below. Alternatively, a

piece of framing can be used as a top member, bridle-

jointed and glued to both uprights, as at (f ). With this

finish, instead of three fixed dowel- rungs, only two

are required. Finally – although other ideas could be

Dowel- rung details

The length of all dowel- rungs equals the overall width
of a frame (dependant upon the shelf- width decided
upon), plus a small front dowel- projection of 6mm.
After cutting the dowels to length with a fine saw, all
ends must be rounded or chamfered to a good visual
finish. This can be done with a rasp and glasspaper
or – if available – by rotating each dowel- end safely
on the bed of a fixed disc- sander machine. The essen-
tial number of rungs required is one for every shelf
bearing – the idea being that if one or more of the
shelves ever require repositioning, the rungs can be slid
out and replaced in a lower or higher position. And the
maximum optional number of rungs is one for every
pair of frame- holes – thereby using them as a visual
feature. I usually allow at least one additional rung per
frame, per shelf, as – with floor- standing, open- ended
frames – these retain and support the end books.

Skirting allowances

Figures 7.3(c)(d): As illustrated below, the ex
25 × 25mm frame member against the wall will
usually require modifying to avoid clashing with a pro-
jecting skirting board. If the skirting is of a modern,
simple design – usually with a 16 × 70mm finish – the
base of the upright can be scribed to override it, as at
(c), or it can be stepped over with a short, additional
piece of framing glued to the upright, as at (d).

Alternative finish to frame- tops

Figures 7.3(e)(f )(g): One of the simplest ways to
finish the frame- tops is with a semi- circular shape

Figure 7.3 (b) The

upper part of a floor-

standing, open- ended

shelf unit with one mid-

area ladder- frame. (No

additional dowel- rungs

shown).

100 mm

75 mm

75 mm

75 mm

(c) (d)

Figure 7.3 (c) Ladder- frame upright scribed (shaped) to

override the skirting; and (d) the alternative treatment of

modifying the upright to step over the skirting. Note the

pinning of the bottom dowel- rung.