This is a build thread for a Red Grandis bookcase 48” tall x 24” wide x 14” deep. Primary design considerations were I wanted something smaller than a full-size, floor standing bookcase, and secondly a large central space where I can mount a flower Garland carving. I previously posted thread about carving Garland and bead that’s part of this project.
Here are my rough plans on flip chart paper. I like big paper for planning – makes it easier for me to envision final dimensions. I started with frame and panel carcass sides. I confess I made the thumbnail molding and plowed the frame groove on the router table.
Here’s some pics of sawing the tenons. Bottom rails are 5 inches wide. For large tenons like this I want the biggest rip filed back saw I can get. This one is shop made 9 PPI.
Once the tenons are sawn, guide block and wide chisel trim miters. It pays to go slow here as gaps in the corner miters of the assembled frame are particularly noticeable, at least to me.
With tenons on the rails completed, I use them to lay out where stile moldings need to be removed for mortises. These frames have two panels; a larger one on top (not my usual design, used here to line up where the carcass is divided between upper bookcase and lower drawer) and smaller panel at the bottom. That means a 3rd. Rail in the middle of the frame.
I like drill press for roughing out mortises, and for me nothing beats a pig sticker mortise chisel for leveraging out chips. I think a sharp, finely set shoulder plane is super helpful/essential for trimming tennon shoulders to get a nice flush fit on the show surface.