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Desktop Bookcase[8/4 Wide · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 bookcase + 2 book ends
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 Wide · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths / 6-8"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A small, solid bookcase that sits on the back of a desk. The tall lower opening holds paperbacks and notebooks standing up. The short upper one takes a notepad, a tablet or your mail. Two chunky book ends from the same boards hold another row of books on top, with room for a small plant. One shelf in dados, a top and bottom screwed down, and plugs over every screw.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sides | 2 | Boards 1 and 4 | 14½" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Top and bottom | 2 | Boards 2–3 | 18" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Shelf | 1 | Board 5 | 15½" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Book ends | 2 | Boards 1 and 4, rest of length | 8" × 5½" × 1¾" |
Sides: 14½" × 5½" × 1¾", grain vertical, one from board 1 and one from board 4.
Shelf: 15½" long in ½"-deep dados, 8½" above the bottom; glue in the front 2" of each dado only, plus 2 × #10 × 3" screws through each side, counterbored and plugged.
Top and bottom: 18" boards overlapping the sides, 2 × #10 × 3" screws into each side's end grain, counterbored and plugged. No glue.
Book ends: two 8" blocks from the ends of boards 1 and 4, standing on end on top of the case.
Finished size: 18" W × 18" H × 5½" D (deeper with wider boards). Openings 14½" wide: lower 8½" tall, upper 4¼" tall. About 17 lb in walnut.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 Wide · 2ft (6–8" wide, S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 12 × #10 × 3" flat-head wood screws
- 12 × ⅜" wood plugs
- Felt pads (for the case and the book ends)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil or hardwax oil
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Router with a ¾" straight bit and a clamped straightedge (or a dado stack)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits, ⅜" counterbore bit
- Flush-cut saw
- 2 bar clamps, 24" or longer
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
Why S2S only? The 6–8" wide 8/4 boards come S2S: both faces planed, edges rough. Plan on losing about ¼" per edge when you straighten them.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · 6–8" wide 8/4 S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (5½" clean at the narrowest), planned at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S2S Lumber Pack (6–8" wide)
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance).
- 2 Cut the parts. Square one end of each board. From boards 1 and 4, cut a 14½" side, then an 8" book end. Cut boards 2 and 3 at 18" for the top and bottom. Cut board 5 at 15½" for the shelf.
- 3 Lay out the dados. Put the two sides together, inside faces up, ends even. Square a line across both 8½" up from the bottom end, and a second line 1¾" above it. That band is the dado for the shelf. Check the width against the shelf itself — S2S boards vary a little.
- 4 Cut the dados. Rout each dado ½" deep with a ¾" straight bit and a clamped straightedge, in two or three passes. Or use a dado stack on the table saw. Sneak up on the width until the shelf slides in snug by hand.
- 5 Sand. Sand every part 120 → 180 → 220 before assembly — the inside corners are hard to reach later. Ease the front edges.
- 6 Fit the shelf. Spread glue in the front 2" of each dado only. The rest of the joint crosses the grain, so leave it dry. Slide the shelf in, front edges flush. Drill two ⅜" counterbores through each side into the shelf ends, pilot, and drive #10 × 3" screws.
- 7 Add the top and bottom. Set the top on the sides, ends and front edges flush. Drill two ⅜" counterbores ½" deep over each side, pilot down into the side's end grain and drive #10 × 3" screws. No glue — end grain glue doesn't hold. Flip the case and fix the bottom the same way.
- 8 Plug the holes. Glue ⅜" plugs into every counterbore with the grain lined up. Saw them flush and sand smooth.
- 9 Make the book ends. Sand the two 8" blocks and round the top edges. They stand on end on the top of the case and hold a row of books up there. Stick felt under each one.
- 10 Finish. Wipe on oil or hardwax oil, 2–3 coats, inside and out. Stick felt pads under the bottom so it won't scratch the desk.
Why dados? The dado holds the shelf on its whole width, so it can't sag or slip and it squares up the case. Screws pull it tight while the glue in the front 2" sets.
Why glue only the front of the dado? The shelf's grain runs side to side and the side's grain runs up and down. A full-length glue line would fight the side as it swells and shrinks. A short glue patch at the front keeps the front edges flush and lets the back move.
Why screws into the top and bottom? Those joints meet end grain, and glue on end grain soaks in and doesn't hold. Long screws into 1¾" stock do the job, and plugs hide them.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Add a back: screw a ¼" plywood back into a rabbet so small things can't slide off the back of the desk.
- Taller lower shelf: move the dado up an inch for hardcovers; the upper opening gets shorter.
- Two-tone: walnut case with maple book ends.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Clamp the sides down when routing the dados and move the router left to right along the straightedge.
- The case weighs about 17 lb. Keep it on a solid desk and back from the front edge.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
Frequently Asked Questions
The 6–8" wide 8/4 pack comes S2S (faces planed, edges rough). Straighten the edges with a jointer, a table saw and a straight-line jig, a track saw, or a hand plane.
The lower opening is 8½" tall and 14½" wide — paperbacks, most trade paperbacks and A5 notebooks stand up. The upper opening is 4¼" tall for a notepad, a tablet lying flat or the day's mail. Taller books go on top between the book ends.
You can screw the shelf through the sides without dados, but it relies on the screws alone. The dado is stronger and squares the case for you. A router and a straightedge are all you need.
The parts are 1¾" thick, so the top, shelf and bottom take up 5¼" of height. An 18" case leaves a lower opening tall enough for standing books.
Planned offcuts only: about ⅜" off boards 1 and 4, 5" off boards 2–3 and 7½" off board 5. All 5 boards go into the bookcase and book ends.
Yes. A 4ft wide pack makes two bookcases: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice.
