I mentioned a bookcase in the What's on Yer Bench thread. Let's see if I can make one out of this.

 

 

Can't tell you how nice it is to work from my toolbox and have everything I need to hand.

So as usual, measure....

 

 

mark....

 

 

...and cut to length.

 

 

Either I'm really lucky, or I'm getting better. Or the bench hook I made is working really well.

Either way, almost every cut I made was dead square. Woohoo!

 

Check for square...

 

 

...and repeat.

 

This will be a small table top bookcase.  I live in a trailer, and space is at a premium. I have a small center bedroom that measures about 8' x 10'. It is a music room, a place to store my hand tools, and a sort of study.

As a minister I have several books used in the study of God's Word.  I have a computer desk in that room that basically has a raised shelf on either side, I assume for setting speakers on. Below is a shot of the room. If you look behind me in the shot below you will see them.

 

 

I am building this bookcase to sit on the "pedestal" to the right.

That platform is 14.5" wide. There is a shelf above it that holds glues, finishes and sundry other woodworking supplies. It is 26" from the platform/shelf/whatever you call it. So I am building a small bookcase, 15" wide by 25" high. It will have a single shelf in the middle, and will hold the set of commentaries you see on that shelf behind me, as well as another set of commentaries not shown.

As I get more wood (hopefully) I'll build a wall mounted bookcase in the future to hold more. And that probably won't be enough, but we work with what we have.

Prepping for dovetail joinery.

 

 

 

Laying them out....

 

 

...and marking the angles.

 

 

All for now. Thanks for watching!

Following along!

 

Do you cut your dovetails pins or tails first??

Thanks, Lew.

I cut them tails first. 

8 minutes ago, Handfoolery said:

Thanks, Lew.

I cut them tails first. 

Me too

I can't wrap my head around pins first. Truth be told the whole reason I love dovetails by hand is cutting the angles in the tails,  The pins are just necessary to complete the joint, lol. The tails are what make me happy.

 

Edited December 31, 20241 yr by Handfoolery

Our @steven newman is a pins first guy. I learned tails first and feel more comfortable doing it that way 

Thanks, @john morris

Edited December 31, 20241 yr by Handfoolery

Following along. Good to see you have some weather to work. Not so fortunate here. 

10 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Following along. Good to see you have some weather to work. Not so fortunate here. 

It has rained like a stuck pig for about 2 weeks. I have not been able to do squat, even if the temps were good. Good to get back out at the bench!

Just now, Handfoolery said:

It has rained like a stuck pig for about 2 weeks. I have not been able to do squat, even if the temps were good. Good to get back out at the bench!

Sounds very familiar. We added 50+ mph wind gusts yesterday. Starting tomorrow we go below average temperatures with snow likely. In a week we'll be looking at teens for a high and near zero for lows. I don't use tools when your tongue sticks to them.

38 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Sounds very familiar. We added 50+ mph wind gusts yesterday. Starting tomorrow we go below average temperatures with snow likely. In a week we'll be looking at teens for a high and near zero for lows. I don't use tools when your tongue sticks to them.

You're not supposed to lick them, lol.

Glad I ain't in Indiana. Virginia is cold enough for me.

3 hours ago, lew said:

Our @steven newman is a pins first guy. I learned tails first and feel more comfortable doing it that way 

Been so long since I did any I have no idea how I did it. The best tutorial I have ever seen was in the magazine Leonard Lee , founder of Lee Valley had for a couple years. It made it look easy.

Moving on with it, I cut the dovetails.

 

 

Then cut the shoulders....

 

 

...and pare them.

 

 

Time to get chopping.

 

 

After which, of course we need to cut the pins.

 

And chop them out.

 

 

Tap em on home, then rinse and repeat for the other three corners.

 

 

I'm happy with the fit, mostly.

That's all for today. It's raining like I should be building a boat instead of a bookcase, so it'll be at least a day or so before the next update.

Thanks for looking, and Happy New Year!

19 minutes ago, Handfoolery said:

Thanks for looking, and Happy New Year!

Great progress. It's been raining 20 straight hours here so far with the temperature continually dropping.

 

A Blessed and Happy New Year to you as well.