While I have minimalist leanings, somehow my kids ended up being collectors. One of my teen’s primary interests is Japanese Manga. His collection is growing, but his room is not. Recently, I found out that he has even created a spreadsheet to keep track of his books. It includes every copy he owns as well as series that he wants to collect in the future. Everything is color-coded, and the information can be printed in list form or graph form. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I think I am…impressed?
During the closet renovation project, he served as my extra pair of hands when I built the insert for my shoes and clothes hamper. The truth is, the kid owed me money, and I let him pay off his debt by working for me. After we finished, he asked if we could build bookshelves for his room, and I agreed. Making shelves was a perfect opportunity to create functional storage in is bedroom while gaining more experience with our new Kreg tools.
Planning
The first step was to draw a picture of what he was envisioning. Working together, we came up with this sketch:
His bedroom is small, but not quite as small as his brother’s room. (Gosh, I hate linking to very old articles on this blog. Some are so poorly written, and the photos are terrible. I suppose I can be content in the knowledge that the blog has improved dramatically in the past four years.) The size of both of their rooms, in combination with the window and door locations, does not offer many configurations for modern bedroom furniture.
Based on the drawing, we started taking measurements of the space available for the shelves, taking into account all of the obstructions such as his bed (which partially covers the window), the baseboards, and all of the door and window trim.
Then, from those measurements, we created our supply list. After shopping in the basement first, we determined that we only needed to buy the following:
- wood (3 – 1X12X12)
- 5 mm shelf pins
Not bad.
Building
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We started by cutting the wood for the basic box shape of each unit. We set the rest of the wood aside for shelves.
Using the Kreg Jig K4 Pocket Hole System, we drilled pocket holes on the top and bottom of both side pieces of the two units. Then we screwed everything together using the pocket holes.
Once we determined the outer boxes were correct, it was time to drill the pin holes with the Kreg Pin Hole Jig.
Each shelf unit needed four vertical rows of shelf pin holes–two rows in the front and two rows in the back. This required careful measuring front to back and side to side. The shelves are only level if the pin holes line up correctly.
After we drilled all of the pin holes, we pushed the shelf pins into place and cut the wood the proper lengths for each shelf. Then, we dropped each one into place.
Next summer, when we can work outdoors, we will stain or seal the units. We should have done this now, but the teen was anxious to organize and display his collection. Parenting is all about picking your battles.
The Completed Bookshelves
He’s happy to have a place for his current collection. I’m happy that there are no longer piles of Manga on the floor. This project was a win-win.
There is even shelf space to spare.
Project Notes
- After I gain more woodworking experience, I will write a more detailed tutorial post about using the Kreg Tools. For now, I am still getting used to the process, and it would be irresponsible of me to portray myself as an expert. I will say that these tools are straightforward to use and learn. I just need to get a few more successful projects under my belt before I share what I know.
- We used low-cost, basic wood for these shelves because although we wanted the units to be serviceable, the teen and I took this on as a learning opportunity. We did not want to risk ruining expensive wood due to our inexperience. That ended up being a good call. I cut the shelves in the tall unit too short the first time, and I had to go to the store and buy another piece of wood.
- There is not a level floor or 90-degree corner in this entire house. It is a nightmare for building projects with right angles that are meant to be used right up against a wall.
Does anyone else out there collect Manga or love a Manga collector? Do you consider yourself a bibliophile? While I do have a soft spot for vintage children’s chapter books, I’m more of a library user myself.
23 Comments
Holly
As a kid, I devoured books, mostly Nancy Drew, Mandie (a faith-based ‘Nancy Drew’ series) and–of course–horse books, including the Thoroughbred series. As I got older, I moved on to more sophisticated themes and–of course–became a fan of Jane Austen. I used all my birthday and Christmas spending money on books! Andrew and I still maintain a small (approximately the size of the horizontal shelf) collection of our childhood favorites that are also classics. These days, I’m almost an exclusive library-user, unless it’s a cookbook! We have also stopped purchasing DVDs, as there is simply no point in wasting money (or space!) on a video we’ll watch once! I became an audio book devotee when I was driving to North Tonawanda for work, but now that I’m back in EA and spend approximately 96 seconds from driveway to parking lot, that’s dropped off, too. I currently working my way slowly through The Food Lab–it’s a monstrosity of a book that I keep next to the bed and may just be the ‘bible’ of food and cooking. Well written, entertaining and incredibly educational, it might just become an all-time favorite.
Stacy
I read so much when I was a kid, and eventually, my mother became a librarian. We used to run out to meet the Bookmobile. 🙂 Now, I love audiobooks too!
mkcubed
We have a book that I often read to my son that talks about a bookmobile. I’d never heard of one as they don’t exist in this area. I love to hear about your memories of one. I’ll be thinking of you now when I read the book.
Stacy
I should write about post about some of my experiences growing up in a very rural area. When the Bookmobile arrived, we would run to it as fast as our legs would carry us. 🙂 I remember being so excited and running so fast that I would nearly tumble because our lawn sloped downward.
What is the title of the book that you read to your son? I’d love to take a look.
SH
Nancy Drew and horse books–what a flood of memories!
Chad
This is encouraging! I’m planning on adding 2 bookcases to my bedroom once I’ve replaced the front windows (I’m now looking into installing period correct wood sash on the front of the house!). I have space to recess 2 alcoves into the wall where the original 12-inch deep Victorian closets were. I’m planning to build the drywall niches, then slide a bookcase in, and then cover the outsides of the bookshelf with trim to make up for anywhere that my work was off.
My dad built bookcases out of basic pine like this, too, and they always had some issues. A more cost effective option than buying fancy wood is getting good cabinet grade plywood and ripping it into boards on the table saw. My dad used to use 3/4″ screen molding for cheap and easy shelf nosings although I would do something chunkier at least around the outsides knowing what I know now.
And your son is collecting something that takes up very little space and he’s being very deliberate about it. Compared with my grandmother, who took whatever random china odds and ends she inherited from all these different people because she was sentimentally attached to it but never made sense of anything and obstructed us when we were going through it, this is super easy.
Stacy
That sounds like a great idea! I have seen many IKEA bookshelf-to-built-in hacks like you describe.
Right now, I do not have a table saw, but when I do, I will rip my own boards for sure. I’m about to chuck my circular saw out the window. The chop saw is my BFF. 🙂 We put 3/4 molding on our son’s built-in shelves in his room. It creates such a nice, professional-looking edge.
Chad
My dad has a radial arm saw. It does a decent job with rips when I’m not up with dealing with Irish crazy to borrow a table saw.
And though he is crazy, check out what he can do freehand with a circular saw. https://chadscrookedhouse.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/hooray-for-irish-labor/
Christine
What a great project! I bet that he won’t have room to spare for very long. Will he help with the painting or staining when the times comes?
We’re also book collectors in our house. Our dining room is lined with bookshelves that are mostly crammed full. My husband is tidier about books and will clean out once in a while, but our teenager is a book hoarder like me. At Thanksgiving, he finally purged a bunch of picture books and elementary school-age chapter books.
Stacy
I think he will fill it up pretty quickly too! He would like to stain the wood a darker walnut color, and I am sure he will help.
Those little kid books are hard to part with. 🙁 My kids still have a few of their favorites, and I keep a small box full of board books too.
Audrey
Sounds like you have a budding librarian on your hands– not just loving his books, but organizing them so well…and in such a flexible way! I’ll see him at a conference in a few years. 🙂
Stacy
Maybe! My mother is a retired children’s’ librarian. 🙂
SH
Loved that you and your son did a project together, and this one was the perfect choice.
Stacy
Thanks, SH. ❤️
JC
I see someone likes manga 😀
For future use: pocket holes are great, but they are best used when they can be hidden as much as possible. In this case, all the holes on the bottom could have been made on the underside of the bookcases (no pocket holes, just the screws directly in the sides through the bottom board).
With books there, it doesn’t matter (you don’t see the holes), but if you want to “up” your construction skills, this is just an easy change you can make on future builds. They also sell diagonally cut plugs that you can glue in the screw holes and then sand flat. These are great if you want to paint the piece and you don’t want to see the holes stick out.
Stacy
Thank you for the advice! I appreciate it. We have some of those plugs. We are going to play around with them when we stain it.
I have no business building anything too fancy right now, but I do have higher aspirations. Each project teaches me something new.
caitlin
Hi there! Nice job, looks great! I wanted to chime in that adding a piece of plywood on the back might save you some heartbreak down the road. If anyone sits on that low shelf (as would be a natural thing to do) with any regularity, it will be prone to racking as it is built now, as it has no triangulation which is important for strength. Even the thinnest piece stapled to the back will help you here. Just a thought.
Stacy
You are right. Adding a back is another next summer plan. I don’t have a table saw or a proper place to add a makeshift fence for my circular, and I didn’t trust myself to make straight cuts for a proper back. The friend that usually lets me visit his workshop just had surgery.
We are also having a lot of acclimation issues with our wood due to the very cold temps. I can’t seem to keep wood from warping. Do you have any tips for that? I tried storing it flat, and the corners curled up or the centers bowed.
caitlin
Yes, try to buy your wood from a lumber yard that sell kiln dried wood -that means that the moisture level will be lower and you will have less warping and curling. Also when buying wood, look at the end grain on the edge of the board. You want to see the grain going up and down, rather than small half circles, (these lines are telltales of what part of the tree was cut and how). Those boards with the half circles will pretty much ALWAYS warp and cup, especially if the lumber isn’t well dried.
Stacy
Aha! Thank you for those great tips. I’ll use them next time.
Ame Jo Hughes
Love this project! And it’s inspiring. We have a massive book collection, and while the house did come with a library and many built ins throughout for books, the built in shelving in the library had been removed in the 80s. The plan is to re-build, but it’s pretty daunting. I like the idea of building some practice shelving (and we can definitely use it, we actively collect books and are running out of shelves for them at this point).
I’ve heard nothing but good things about Kreg Jigs. They’re on my list.
mkcubed
I love books and have always said, “money spent on books is never wasted.” With a little one in our house now, I have taken up to buying books for him. Knowing they are timeless treasures and will hopefully one day be passed along (just as my Berenstain Bears,Richard Scarry and Little Golden books have been), warms my mama heart.
Stacy
Books and kids go together like peanut butter and jelly. Richard Scarry was a favorite of both Andy and me.