How to Build a Bookcase With Adjustable Shelves? — Large coffee table picture books no longer need to share a shelf with standard paperback books making the bookcase look mismatched and disorganized.
A bookcase that has movable shelves is a useful tool in a home library because it allows for arranging the items in the bookcase without the need to purchase different-sized bookshelves for different-sized books. A shelf can be set up for books under 10 inches high above a separate shelf for books over 20 inches high in order to neatly organize the books.
Are you wondering how to build adjustable shelving? It is easy to make your own tall adjustable shelf bookcase using a nice wood such as pine or cherry.
Lay two 68-inch-long 1-by-12-inch plywood boards flat on the floor horizontally in front of you. Measure two lines lengthwise on the upward facing side of each of the two boards. The first line belongs one inch in, toward the center of the board, from the side of the board closest to you and the second line belongs one inch in, toward the center of the board, from the side of the board farthest from you. Measure and draw these lines on both 68-inch boards with a pencil.
Mark 32 dots on each lengthwise horizontal line. Start the first dot 10 inches from the top, the end to your left, and create another hole every 1 1/2-inches down the line. Stop 10 inches from the bottom, the end on your right, of the board. This will create 32 holes on each line. Mark the two sets of dots on both 68-inch boards.
Drill a 1/4-inch-diameter hole, 1/2-inch deep, into each of the 32 dots on all four horizontal lines using a 1/4-inch-diameter boring bit and a cordless drill.
Place one 68-inch board in a table vice tightened in the middle of the board. Create the top and bottom of the bookcase using two 22 1/2-inch 1-by-12-inch plywood boards, a hammer, and 1 1/2-inch nails. Nail one 22 1/2-inch board to the top edge of the holed side of one of the 68-inch bookcase boards with the shorter board flush with the top of the 68-inch board. Nail a second 22 1/2-inch board to the bottom edge of the holed side of the 68-inch board so the shorter board is flush with the bottom edge of the board.
Finish the bookcase base by nailing the second 68-inch board, with the holed side facing in toward the other 68-inch board, to the two 22 1/2-inch boards with the two shorter boards flush with the ends of the 68-inch board.
Hammer a 24-inch 1-by-12-inch plywood board to the bottom and one 24-inch 1-by-12-inch plywood board to the top of the base with 1 1/2-inch nails. The ends of these two boards will be flush with the outer edges of the 68-inch side boards.
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Attach two 24-inch-long, 1-by-2-inch plywood boards to the front of the bookcase, over the top and on the bottom, by hammering two 1 1/2-inch nails into the boards four inches apart. These front boards add stability to the bookcase while hiding the separate boards at the top and bottom.
Lay the box down on the floor. Hammer a 72-by-24-inch plywood board to the back of the box with 1/2-inch wood tacks at one-inch intervals around the outer edge of the board.
Choose the top sides of four 22 1/2 inches long 1-by-12-inch plywood boards to make shelves. On the bottom side, cut two 1/2-inch-long divots into each 12-inch side of the four boards one inch from each side using a router and a 1/4-inch-diameter routing bit. These divots will fit over the metal pins used to adjust the positions of the shelves.
Add 10 1/4-inch-diameter metal pins to the box in your chosen places. Place the shelves onto the pins lining up the divots with the pins.
