Trapezoidal Bookcase

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1. If you can, resaw 8/4 stock for the sidesand book-match them. I couldn’t book-matchthe bookcase you see in the photos with theash I had, but it is certainly worth the trouble.2. If you use unmatched boards, choose thebest match of grain and color for the sides,and decide if you want the glue joint parallelwith the straight back or with the taperededge on the front. I chose parallel to the back,which seemed the least obvious.3. Glue up all the stock for the bookcaseshelves and sides at once (see photo A).Beveling endsand tapering sides1. Cut the sides to length, but not at90 degrees. The sides lean inward toward eachother at 3 degrees, so crosscut the top andbottom edges at 93 degrees to the floor (or87 degrees, depending from which directionyou measure). This way when the bookcasesits on the floor, the bottom sits flat and thetop edges are horizontal. Make sure the edgesare parallel when finished.2. The front edge of the bookcase has a taper(though the back does not). Lay it out bymeasuring from the back edge of each side13 1 ⁄2 in. at the bottom and 9 1 ⁄2 in. at the top.Then draw a line between the marks.3. Cut the taper along the line. I use a Festocircular saw that has a straightedge guidethat’s great for this kind of cut. It leaves a verysmooth and straight edge (see photo B). Thetaper can also be rough-cut with a jigsaw andcleaned up with a straightedge and a router.4. Cut the top and bottom shelf blanks a littlewider than necessary and 3 1 ⁄2 in. longer thanthe outside width of the case at their locations.This allows for the through tenons.5. Later, after these shelves are installed, markthe exact depth from the sides, then rip a3-degree bevel on the front edge. Then rip theback edge at 90 degrees.Photo B: A circular saw and straightedge guide make cutting thetapers on the sides a cinch.JoineryCutting the mortisesThe mortises that are used to join the top andbottom shelves to the sides are the trickiestpart of this piece because they are angled andhave to be cut cleanly to within a very closetolerance—as does all the joinery in thispiece—because it all shows.1. Make two router jigs, a right-handed oneand a left-handed one, to cut the four mortisesin the sides at a 3-degree angle (see “Jig forRouting Angled Mortises” on p. 86).2. Attach the alignment fence to the lefthandedjig on the angled edge. It is now setup to cut the mortises on the front edge of theleft side.3. Position the jig flush with the top and frontedges on the outside face of the left side.Tip: Standard bevelgauges should beset once and left setuntil you’ve finishedwith every similarangle. However, togive memory to abevel gauge, tracethe whole blade ofthe bevel gauge ona scrap of plywood.T RAPEZOIDAL B OOKCASE 85
Jigs for Routing Angled MortisesTo cut the four mortises in the sides, you need two jigs with movable fences. The jigs areidentical except that they are mirror images of each other. One edge of each jig is angledlike the front edge of the bookcase, and the bottoms of each are shimmed at 3 degrees, thesame angle that the bookcase sides lean inward.Jigs sit in the corners of theirrespective sides, and register offthe edges to locate the mortises.LEFT-SIDE JIG1 1 ⁄16”1 1 ⁄2”2 13 ⁄16”3 3 ⁄4”Wedge holds jigup at 3 degreesAlignment fence can bemoved from front toback edge of jig for correspondinglocation onbookcase side.RIGHT-SIDE JIGJIG IN USE4 3 ⁄4”Jig9 7 ⁄16”Same angleas front edgeof bookcaseWedgeHole in jig sized for a 30mm guidebushing and 3 ⁄8-in. straight bit to cuta correctly sized mortise.<strong>Bookcase</strong> side5 5 ⁄16”86 T RAPEZOIDAL B OOKCASE
Page 3 and 4: Trapezoidal Knockdown BookcaseTHIS
Page 5: Building the Bookcase Step-by-StepT
Page 9 and 10: Cut Sequence for TenonsA support bo
Page 11 and 12: Tip: Remember that the outer wedge
Page 13 and 14: BISCUIT SLOT CUTS FOR MIDDLE SHELVE

Trapezoidal Bookcase

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