Vertical Bookshelf

My friend's birthday is coming up so I decided to make a bookshelf for her as a gift since she likes to read a lot. The problem is that she doesn't have enough space in her room for a large traditional bookshelf, so I came up with a bookshelf design that expands up thus still being able to store many books while taking up minimal space on the floor.

Materials:

• 9 in x 8 in x 1/2 in wood board (shelves) (5)
• 4.5 in x 8 in x 1/2 in wood board (shelf)
• 20 in x 11-1/4 in x 1/2 in wood board (back)
• 15-1/2 in x 9 in x 1/2 in wood board (base)
• 1-1/2 in #6 wood screws (16)
• (4 oz gorilla) wood glue
• (7.5 oz Olympic elite) sealant + wood stain

Tools:

• (circular or hand) saw
• 180 grit sandpaper
• pencil
• ruler
• drill; 1/16 drill bit and #2 Philips drill bit
• paint brush
• paper towels

The attached document and picture is the Auto CAD file to view the design of the vertical bookshelf

I found all my supplies at Home Depot for a total of $26 after taxes. Instead of buying new wood, you can also reuse old wood boards which is what did, just make sure your boards don't have water damage, large cracks or holes. I only bought this wood board at Home Depot for the base and back of the bookshelf.

Cut your boards down to the dimensions as listed in the materials list and sand down all pieces to prepare them for the next step.

Start by grabbing one of the 8 in x 9 in shelves and drawing a center-line 4-1/2 inches along the 9 inch side. Next draw a point two inches down the center-line and another point 4 inches down from the original point. Then draw 2 lines 1/4 inch away from the center-line on each side. repeat these sketches on 2 more boards (except for the shorter shelf).

drill a hole at the two points where we mark earlier so we can know where to put the screws from either side of the board. Add wood glue between the two lines (next to the center). Align another board with the steak of glue and drill in two screws at holes we made earlier. I recommend using clamps or wedging the boards between blocks to hold them still while drilling into them. repeat these steps two more times to make 3 t-shaped shelves. Clean up excess glue and allow it to dry for at least 24 hours in open air.

Begin by grabbing the 15-1/2 in x 9 in base board and draw a line 2-1/8 inches away from the edge, along the 15-1/2 in side. From this line, you'll draw a point 2-3/4 inches away. repeat on the other side.

Drill a hole at the two points we made and apply wood glue between the two lines we drew. Align the 20 in x 11-1/4 in back board on this line of glue. Clamp or wedge the boards to hold them down while screwing them together. Clean up excess glue and allow it to dry for at least 24 hours in open air before proceeding to the next step.

Be sure to read the instructions and safety label on the bottle of the stain + sealant before opening. Use a clean paint brush and wear gloves because the stain is really hard to wash off skin. Shake the bottle before opening and only use the tip of the paint brush to make sure you don't apply too much at once. Follow the instructions as labeled and allow the applied layers to dry fully (~8 hours) before proceeding to the next step.

Grab one of the taller T-shaped shelves and from the top left part of the shelf, mark a dot 2 inches down along the corner of the 8 inch side, 1/4 of an inch away from the side. Mark another point 4 inches down from the first mark.

Drill a hole through the two marks we made. Apply wood glue along the side of the board and align the shorter T-shaped shelf along this strip of glue. Secure the boards down and add screws at the two holes we made earlier. Clean up any residue glue.

Grab this conjoined shelf and along the bottom part of the shelf, make a mark 4-1/4 inches up along the 9 inch side, 2 inches away from the edge. make another mark 4 inches away from the first mark along the 8 inch side.

Drill a hole through the two marks we made. Apply glue on the correct side, along the center of the board. Grab the last T-shaped shelf and align the bottom of that shelf with the strip of glue you made. Secure the board down and add screws at the two holes we made earlier. Clean up and residue glue. The end product should look like the third photo. Allow the glue to dry for at least 24 hours before proceeding to the next step.

As the last step, we need to attach the body to the frame. first we will attach the body to the base and then the back.

Before we can put anything together, we need to make marks. Starting with the front corner of the base on the frame, make a mark 3 inches along the 15-1/2 inch side, 2-1/2 inches away. Make another mark 4 inches away from the first mark along the 9 inch side. repeat this on the opposite corner on the base.

Turn the frame till the back is facing you and from the right side, measure and mark 7/8 of an inch to the left along the side of the back board and measure 9-3/4 inches up starting from the bottom. From the same edge on the back board, measure and mark 5-1/8 inches to the left and 14-3/4 inches up from the bottom. From the left side, measure and mark 7/8 of an inch to the right and 9 inches up from the bottom.

Drill a hole through all the 7 marks we made. Add wood glue along the bottom and the back of the shelf where it'll make contact with the frame and place the shelf in position using the marks we made earlier.

Lay down the bookshelf on it's back because we will start adding screws to the bottom first. Secure the the parts down to ensure it won't move will drilling. Using the holes we made, add 4 screws to secure the bottom. After, flip the frame up so we can secure the shelf to the back. Add 3 screws through the holes we made. Clean up any excess glue and allow it to set for at least 24 hours before use.