# Built-in Bookcases



## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

When my fiance and I purchased our house, we were excited that there were some built-in bookcases in our parlor (yes, it is a parlor and has a wet bar; booyah!).

The only thing that concerns me is the width of the built-ins. There built-ins are about 3.5 feet wide each and span a total of about 7 feet. The people that renovated our house before we bought it; took the shelves out. So, I built some...out of the wrong material (MDF). So, we don't want to put anything heavy on the shelves. 

We would like to break the built-in space into three bookcases instead of two. We would like standard base cabinets on the bottom with a "counter top" and then open bookcases above that. We would like to put fluted trim between the cabinets and on the face trim of the open bookcases.

Does any one have some guidance for me? Proper construction of the riser for the cabinets? Proper spacing between the cabinets for the fluted trim?

I have a Sketchup picture at home and can upload it later if some one could give me some pointers.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You are right that a cabinet 3 1/2' wide is too wide for shelving without a center position. I don't go beyond 30" for a shelf if I know it is going to be used for something light. 

Normally on a bookcase section I make the base cabinets about 21" deep with a door and drawer configuration and put a 12" deep upper cabinet directly on top of the counter. I have built them before like a hutch where the sides go down to the counter and leave 16" of space between the counter and the upper unit. There is no reason though you can't build a separate upper unit and just hang it on the wall above the base. 

As far as the fluting there is no reason you can't put two or three flutes on a 2" wide stile, however if you use doors on the base it might work better if you use inset doors.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

There's a few ways to do what you want. For your measurements, 3 cabinets would be ideal. As far as how to deal with a fluted column and door configuration, a simple way would be to use euro hinges with a partial overlay on a frameless cabinet. Make three boxes and the separation between the ends will be covered by the column, which will be the other partial overlay on the leading edge. IOW, the columns and the doors are on the same plane.

Doing it that way, you need not make face frames. Below is an example of a base cabinet, with a loose countertop, with the shelving unit sitting on top of the countertop, and installed to the wall. If you have further questions I'll try to help.
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## maxroe (May 31, 2012)

I wonder how much time it would take to make a small cabinet out of a single piece of wood. Like taking a block of wood and cutting so it's all one unibody desk made of wood.


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

Below is my sketchup project. The project can only be 16" deep as I have a partial wall that leads into the room from the hallway and I don't want the counter top sticking out past the wall. 

In the image, on the bottom there are three boxes, w/o face framses. There are brackets on the outsides of the box to support the fluted styles. The styles are supposed to be 4" wide. I was then thinking about 2" face frames and either euro style inset doors or partial overlay doors. 

I don't know what will look best, but all the doors in my house are partial overlay.

As for the bookcases on the top, I think I am going to just split the difference between the cases and face nail the styles to the edges of the carcase.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

You could do it as you have drawn and align the bookcase columns with the base cabinet columns. For the base cabinet doors, if you used a single divider between cabinets, the column would then serve as a faceframe, and then just use faceframe euro hinges.








 







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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

With this design I would make the stiles on the base faceplate 1 1/2 to 2" wider than the fluted trim on the end pieces and 3" to 4" on the center ones. With the fluted trim protruding outward it would bind against the doors. Essentially I would build the base cabinet 14" deep and with the fluted trim would bring it to 14 3/4" deep and then make the counter 15 3/4" deep. The upper section I would make the stiles only show 1/4" beyond the fluted trim.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

You could made the end flutes from floor to ceiling and let the trim wrap around the corner of the recess, this picture isn't of a built in, it is a wall to wall but it shows the flutes running from floor to ceiling like I was talking about. Another thing I like to do when building three units, I like to let the center unit set out just a little to give it a little more interest.


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

Both the cabinets and the open bookcases are going to be painted white. The "counter top" is more than likely going to be stained and varnished.

I was planning on making the carcasses out of cabinet grade ply, since the sides will mostly be hidden. As for face frames and fluted stiles, what wood should I use?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

liquid6 said:


> Both the cabinets and the open bookcases are going to be painted white. The "counter top" is more than likely going to be stained and varnished.
> 
> I was planning on making the carcasses out of cabinet grade ply, since the sides will mostly be hidden. As for face frames and fluted stiles, what wood should I use?



If you are painting, I would use Poplar.









 







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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

The whole project or just the face frames and fluted stiles?


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

I finally started this project over the weekend. I will be creating a "build" thread in the Project Showcase if anyone is interested.


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