Built-in Book advice?

[Diane Maluso]

Hi again, everyone. I'm looking for some book recommendations.

I'm hoping to build some sort of a shelving/cabinet that will go into a corner of a room to house games, books, and TV. It'll have to be built in the room because my shop is just too small for the project. I'm seriously considering getting a Kreg Jig and using pocket screws to make this work. I've never built anything bigger than a coffee table.. well, except for doing a lot of window and door casings and baseboard.

So.... what i'm looking for is a recommendation for a book that has simple plans that I could follow to build such a unit. The style I'm aiming for is simple/plainish/missionish/shakerish. Something in that range. I'll probably use white oak since I have it. Anybody have a favorite built-in/cabinet book?

Thanks for any pointers.

Diane

[Todd Burch]

Diane, I don't really have a book to offer you, although Jim Tolpin has a book called "Built-In Furniture" (I have it), and it is OK, but his construction methods and mine are different, so I just look at his pictures for inspriation where I can find it. I also have some books on the Shakers that have pictures of built-ins, but most of those were designed for when the dwellings were made and are filled recesses in walls, etc. However, it's amazing how something purely function (like two vertical pieces of plywood, with a bottom and top shelf) can be dressed up with a face frame, doors and drawer fronts REAL quick like.

Feel free to browse my web site. If there are any built-ins there, or elements of built-is, that strike your fancy, I would be happy to assist you however I can with construction or layout details on a time-permitting basis.

My approach for larger projects is to break them down into smaller pieces (divide and conquer). Cabinet boxes are made in the shop, and it's all tied (well, I use screws and nails!) together onsite.

Todd

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Diane
Some simple statements - rather than paragraphs.
Top and bottom board glued to sides.
Try not to make shelves longer than 32 or 36 inches -sag
Reinforce front of shelves or/and back with addtional 3/4 or 1 or 1-1/4 inch board.
Thin plywood or some sort of back board - to square and reinforce.
Front face frame (as Todd said) - or just side boards (to cover dadoes or to keep shelves from sliding out)
Possibly toe kick space at bottom. (so you can stand closer to reach top shelf) (I myself need belly kick space)
Extend sides down to form four sitting points (legs) - more stable than flat sides.
Daniel

[Diane Maluso]

Todd...

Thanks so much for the pointer to your website and the kind offer of advice. I'll try not to bug you too much as I work on this project but don't be surprised if I ask for a quick tip now and then. Thanks again!

Diane

[Diane Maluso]

Thanks, Daniel. These will remain front and center while I design this thing. It's looking like I'm going to need to make it up from scratch since my needs are a bit oddball. No surprise there!

Diane

Diane
Some simple statements - rather than paragraphs.
Top and bottom board glued to sides.
Try not to make shelves longer than 32 or 36 inches -sag
Reinforce front of shelves or/and back with addtional 3/4 or 1 or 1-1/4 inch board.
Thin plywood or some sort of back board - to square and reinforce.
Front face frame (as Todd said) - or just side boards (to cover dadoes or to keep shelves from sliding out)
Possibly toe kick space at bottom. (so you can stand closer to reach top shelf) (I myself need belly kick space)
Extend sides down to form four sitting points (legs) - more stable than flat sides.
Daniel

[Jamie Buxton]

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It'll have to be built in the room because my shop is just too small for the project.
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Diane

Diane --
You can build a big built-in in place, but it is often more convenient to break it into smaller sub-assemblies. Commercial cabinetmakers routinely do it this way so that they can carry the pieces into the home, but it also makes sense for the DIYer. You get to make most of your messes outside the home, and the subassemblies are light enough that you can horse them around yourself. For instance, think about the built-in cabinets in most kitchens. They look like a big monolithic whole, but they are actually individual subassemblies no larger than 3'x2'x3'. I don't know your plans, but I'll bet you can break it into smaller chunks. Often it is possible to design the subassemblies to cover seams, or use simple molding to cover them. The Tolpin book which Todd mentioned, or any book about building kitchen cabinets, can give you some pointers on this.

Jamie

[Joe Bourbois]

Diane, there is a Taunton book called "Trim Carpentry and Built-Ins" by Clayton Dekorne that is pretty good. Lots of pictures and advice in it. You might want to check it out.

[Dominic Greco]

Diane,
I have Jim Tolpin's book "Built In Furniture". I've read through it and found that it is better suited to giving you ideas rather than actually telling you how to do the work. I used this book to give my wife ideas on what "other people" have done.

I was about to about to embark on a rather ambitious built in project that will combine building a mantelpiece with built in book cases. But sadly, that will have to wait until I can fix my chimney (among other things).

After 4 years of living here, we're still finding things the previous owner cleverly (or stupidly) hid. One thing he did was coat the chimney in el-cheapo concrete paint without having a dry surface first. The thick textured paint peeled off and water got behind it. Eventually the water got in between the motor of the bricks and the freeze thaw cycle did the rest. So far the top of my chimney looks like cookie monster too a small bite out of it.

Oh well....looks like I get my cement/masonry tools out.

Later,